The 25 Greatest Rock Groups Ever, Ranked

23. The Clash

The uniqueness of The Clash was that it was more than a punk band. No doubt, they helped usher the genre into the mainstream during the late 1970s, but incorporated elements of reggae, ska and even some funk. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones made for quite the punk duo, and the band’s opinionated and frequent political lyrics only added to the group’s mystique. The band’s 1977 self-title album is among the greatest debut records of all time, while the three-peat of London Calling (1979), Sandinista! (1980) and Combat Rock (1982) is a remarkable stretch of punk rock. Songs like “Train in Vain,” “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I go” remain classic-rock staples.

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