Complete Control - Music
Complete Control by The Clash
The Clash
Artist Biography For The Clash
The Clash Were A Punk Rock Band From London England Active From 1976 To 1985. One Of The Most Successful And Iconic Bands From The First Wave Of Punk In The 70s They Incorporated Rock And Roll Reggae Rockabilly And Many Other Music Styles Into Their Repertoire. They Were Legendary For Their Uncommonly Intense Stage Performances. From Their Earliest Days As A Band The Clash Stood Apart From Their Peers With Their Musicianship As Well As Their Lyrics The Passionate Left-Wing Political Idealism In The Lyrics By Frontman Joe Strummer And Guitarist Mick Jones Contrasting With The Lyrical Nihilism Of The Sex Pistols And The Musical Minimalism Of The Ramones. Their 1979 Album 'London Calling' Is Considered By Critics As One Of The Greatest Albums In The History Of Rock Music. Rolling Stone Declared It The Best Album Of The 80s. The Clash's Attitude And Style As Much As Their Music Has Influenced Countless Bands Both Within And Outside The Sphere Of Punk Rock. Often Lauded As "the Only Band That Matters " The Clash Were Canonized As Rock Saints Even Before They Broke Up. They Were Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame In The Class Of 2003. Their First Five Albums 'The Clash' 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' 'London Calling' 'Sandinista!' And 'Combat Rock' To This Day Continue To Earn A Great Deal Of Interest From Rock Fans And Artists Alike. Mick Jones Went On To Form Big Audio Dynamite After Being Fired From The Clash And He More Recently Has Produced Albums By Artists Such As The Libertines And Babyshambles. In 2004 He Formed Carbon/silicon With Musician Tony James Of Generation X And Sigue Sigue Sputnik Fame . Exploring Various Genres Such As Alternative Rock And Electronic Music He Continues To Collaborate With Other Modern Groups Such As Gorillaz. Joe Strummer Went On To Form And Front Joe Strummer And The Latino Rockabilly War And Then Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros. He Also Had A Notable Solo Career That Involved Work In Films And Other Endeavors Often Earning Critical Acclaim. He Died On December 22 2002 The Victim Of An Un-Diagnosed Congenital Heart Defect. Mourned By Countless Punk Fans His Life Has Been Subject To Several Tributes And Was Memorialized In The 2007 Documentary 'Joe Strummer The Future Is Unwritten'. Bass Player Paul Simonon Went On To Form Havana 3 A.M. A Group That Released A Self-Titled Album In 1991 Yet He Decided To Quit Music In The Early 90s In Favour Of Becoming An Artist. In 2006 He Returned To Music As Bass Player In A Musical Project Together With Singer-Songwriter Damon Albarn. The Project Is Often Referred To As The Good The Bad & The Queen The Name Of The Groups First Recorded Album That Came Out In 2007. In Terms Of His Paintings His Well-Received Work Notably Was In An Exhibition At Thomas Williams Fine Art In London. Drummer Topper Headon Released A Solo Album 1986's 'Waking Up' Before Leaving The Music Business To Become A Taxi Driver And Escape The Heroin Addiction That Cost Him His Legacy In The Clash. Over The Years He's Had Sporadic Involvement In Various Music-Related Endeavors Such As Being A Key Part Of The Aforementioned 'The Future Is Unwritten' Film. He's Currently Residing In The Seaside Town Of Dover England. Members 1976 Original Line-Up
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Keith Levene – Lead Guitar
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1977
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1977-1982 Classic Line-Up
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Topper Headon – Drums Percussion 1982-1983
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1983
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Pete Howard – Drums Percussion 1983-1986 Final Line-Up
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Nick Sheppard – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Vince White – Lead Guitar
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Pete Howard – Drums Percussion
Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Complete Control
The-Clash - The Singles
"Complete Control" Is A Song By The Clash Released As A 7" Single And Featured On The U.S. Release Of Their Debut Album. The Song Is Often Cited As One Of Punk's Greatest Singles And Is A Fiery Polemic On Record Companies Managers And The State Of Punk Music Itself The Motivation For The Song Being The Band's Label CBS Records Releasing "Remote Control" Without Bothering To Ask Them Something That Infuriated The Group. The Song Also Refers To Managers Of The Time Who Sought To Control Their Groups–Bernie Rhodes Of The Clash And Malcolm McLaren The Sex Pistols –indeed The Song's Very Title Is Derived From This Theme “ Bernie Rhodes Had A Meeting In The Ship In Soho After The Anarchy Tour. He Said He Wanted Complete Control...I Came Out Of The Club With Paul Simonon Collapsing On The Pavement In Hysterics At Those Words.” The Track Also Refers To The Band's Run-Ins With The Police Their Practice Of Letting Fans Into Gigs Through The Back Door Or Window For Free And A Punk Idealism Seemingly Crushed By The Corporate Reality They Had Become Part Of And The Betrayal And Anger They Felt. The Overriding Message Of The Song Can Be Recognised In This Couplet From The Song “ They Said We'd Be Artistically Free / When We Signed That Bit Of Paper.” This Message Was Scorned By Some Critics As Naïveté On The Part Of The Band - Legendary DJ The Late John Peel Was One Of Those Suggesting That The Group Must Have Realised CBS Were Not 'a Foundation For The Arts' While Others Were Strong In Their Support Of The Single For Example “ Instead Of A Piece Of Cynicism Complete Control Becomes A Hymn To Punk Autonomy At Its Moment Of Eclipse.” The Track Was Recorded At Sarm East Studios In Whitechapel Engineered By Mickey Foote And Produced By Lee "Scratch" Perry. Perry Had Heard The Band's Cover Of His Junior Murvin Hit "Police And Thieves" And Was Moved Enough To Have Put A Picture Of The Band The Only White Artist Accorded Such An Honor On The Walls Of His Black Ark Studio In Jamaica. When The Clash Learned That Perry Was In London Producing For Bob Marley & The Wailers He Was Invited To Produce The Single. "Scratch" Readily Agreed. During The Tracking Session Some Clash And Perry Biographies Claim That Perry Had Blown Out A Studio Mixing Board Attempting To Get A Deep Bass Sound Out Of Paul Simonon's Instrument While A 1979 New Musical Express And Hit Parader Article Self-Penned By Strummer And Jones Stated That Perry Had Complimented Jones' Guitar Playing By Describing It As Someone Who "played With An Iron Fist". Perry's Contribution To The Track However Was Toned Down - The Band Went Back And Fiddled With The Song Themselves To Bring The Guitars Out And Played Down The Echo Perry Had Dropped On It. The Song Was Also Topper Headon's First Recording With The Band Following The Departure Of Terry Chimes. "Complete Control" Reached Number 28 In The Singles Chart Making It The Clash's First Top 30 Release. In 1999 CBS Records Reissued The Single With A Live Version Of "Complete Control". In 2004 Rolling Stone Rated The Song As #361 In Its List Of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.
49 Similar Tracks:
The Clash - White Man In Hammersmith Palais The Clash - Safe European Home Sex Pistols - Problems Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop Ramones - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker Iggy Pop - Lust For Life Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster Generation X - Ready Steady Go Generation X - Your Generation Buzzcocks - Orgasm Addict Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love With Someone You Shouldn't've ? The 101'ers - Keys To Your Heart The Damned - Neat Neat Neat The Adicts - Telepathic People Iggy Pop - Success The Jam - The Eton Rifles The Damned - Born To Kill The Ruts - S.U.S The Vibrators - London Girls The Ruts - Out Of Order The Vibrators - Juice On Dead Kennedys - California Über Alles Social Distortion - Story Of My Life The Undertones - Male Model The Undertones - Teenage Kicks X-Ray Spex - Identity Descendents - 'Merican Dead Kennedys - Police Truck Descendents - Everything Sux The Adverts - New Church Cockney Rejects - Headbanger The Jam - Time For Truth Patti Smith - Gloria The Stranglers - Shakin' Like A Leaf Jelly Mix Green Day - Basket Case Eddie & The Hot Rods - Need Your Touch Eddie & The Hot Rods - Hard Drivin' Man Live The Adicts - Don't Exploit Me Green Day - Blood, Sex And Booze Richard Hell And The Voidoids - Blank Generation Social Distortion - Reach For The Sky The Distillers - Hall Of Mirrors Bad Religion - American Jesus The Distillers - City Of Angels Bad Religion - Sanity Wipers - Return Of The Rat Rancid - Roots Radical
POPULAR
TRACKS
MIXES
ALBUMS
Video 1 : 50
Music Tags for The Clash:
Biography - The Clash
The Clash Were A Punk Rock Band From London England Active From 1976 To 1985. One Of The Most Successful And Iconic Bands From The First Wave Of Punk In The 70s They Incorporated Rock And Roll Reggae Rockabilly And Many Other Music Styles Into Their Repertoire. They Were Legendary For Their Uncommonly Intense Stage Performances. From Their Earliest Days As A Band The Clash Stood Apart From Their Peers With Their Musicianship As Well As Their Lyrics The Passionate Left-Wing Political Idealism In The Lyrics By Frontman Joe Strummer And Guitarist Mick Jones Contrasting With The Lyrical Nihilism Of The Sex Pistols And The Musical Minimalism Of The Ramones. Their 1979 Album 'London Calling' Is Considered By Critics As One Of The Greatest Albums In The History Of Rock Music. Rolling Stone Declared It The Best Album Of The 80s. The Clash's Attitude And Style As Much As Their Music Has Influenced Countless Bands Both Within And Outside The Sphere Of Punk Rock. Often Lauded As "the Only Band That Matters " The Clash Were Canonized As Rock Saints Even Before They Broke Up. They Were Inducted Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame In The Class Of 2003. Their First Five Albums 'The Clash' 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' 'London Calling' 'Sandinista!' And 'Combat Rock' To This Day Continue To Earn A Great Deal Of Interest From Rock Fans And Artists Alike. Mick Jones Went On To Form Big Audio Dynamite After Being Fired From The Clash And He More Recently Has Produced Albums By Artists Such As The Libertines And Babyshambles. In 2004 He Formed Carbon/silicon With Musician Tony James Of Generation X And Sigue Sigue Sputnik Fame . Exploring Various Genres Such As Alternative Rock And Electronic Music He Continues To Collaborate With Other Modern Groups Such As Gorillaz. Joe Strummer Went On To Form And Front Joe Strummer And The Latino Rockabilly War And Then Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros. He Also Had A Notable Solo Career That Involved Work In Films And Other Endeavors Often Earning Critical Acclaim. He Died On December 22 2002 The Victim Of An Un-Diagnosed Congenital Heart Defect. Mourned By Countless Punk Fans His Life Has Been Subject To Several Tributes And Was Memorialized In The 2007 Documentary 'Joe Strummer The Future Is Unwritten'. Bass Player Paul Simonon Went On To Form Havana 3 A.M. A Group That Released A Self-Titled Album In 1991 Yet He Decided To Quit Music In The Early 90s In Favour Of Becoming An Artist. In 2006 He Returned To Music As Bass Player In A Musical Project Together With Singer-Songwriter Damon Albarn. The Project Is Often Referred To As The Good The Bad & The Queen The Name Of The Groups First Recorded Album That Came Out In 2007. In Terms Of His Paintings His Well-Received Work Notably Was In An Exhibition At Thomas Williams Fine Art In London. Drummer Topper Headon Released A Solo Album 1986's 'Waking Up' Before Leaving The Music Business To Become A Taxi Driver And Escape The Heroin Addiction That Cost Him His Legacy In The Clash. Over The Years He's Had Sporadic Involvement In Various Music-Related Endeavors Such As Being A Key Part Of The Aforementioned 'The Future Is Unwritten' Film. He's Currently Residing In The Seaside Town Of Dover England. Members 1976 Original Line-Up
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Keith Levene – Lead Guitar
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1977
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1977-1982 Classic Line-Up
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Topper Headon – Drums Percussion 1982-1983
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1983
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Pete Howard – Drums Percussion 1983-1986 Final Line-Up
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Nick Sheppard – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Vince White – Lead Guitar
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Pete Howard – Drums Percussion read less
read more
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Keith Levene – Lead Guitar
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1977
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1977-1982 Classic Line-Up
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Topper Headon – Drums Percussion 1982-1983
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Terry Chimes – Drums Percussion 1983
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Mick Jones – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Pete Howard – Drums Percussion 1983-1986 Final Line-Up
Joe Strummer – Lead Vocals Rhythm Guitar
Nick Sheppard – Lead Guitar Backing Vocals
Vince White – Lead Guitar
Paul Simonon – Bass Guitar Backing Vocals
Pete Howard – Drums Percussion read less
16 Similar Artists To The Clash - Frogtoon Music
Sex Pistols Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros Ramones Buzzcocks Stiff Little Fingers The Jam Big Audio Dynamite Joe Strummer The Damned Dead Kennedys The Undertones Generation X The Adverts Rancid The Ruts.
"Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album.
The song is often cited as one of punk's greatest singles, and is a fiery polemic on record companies, managers and the state of punk music itself, the motivation for the song being the band's label (CBS Records) releasing "Remote Control" without bothering to ask them, something that infuriated the group. The song also refers to managers of the time who sought to control their groups–Bernie Rhodes (of The Clash) and Malcolm McLaren (the Sex Pistols)–indeed, the song's very title is derived from this theme:
“ Bernie [Rhodes] had a meeting in The Ship in Soho after the Anarchy Tour. He said he wanted complete control...I came out of the club with Paul [Simonon] collapsing on the pavement in hysterics at those words.”
The track also refers to the band's run-ins with the police, their practice of letting fans into gigs through the back door or window for free and a punk idealism seemingly crushed by the corporate reality they had become part of and the betrayal and anger they felt. The overriding message of the song can be recognised in this couplet from the song:
“ They said, we'd be artistically free / When we signed that bit of paper.”
This message was scorned by some critics as naïveté on the part of the band - legendary DJ the late John Peel was one of those, suggesting that the group must have realised CBS were not 'a foundation for the arts', while others were strong in their support of the single, for example:
“ Instead of a piece of cynicism, Complete Control becomes a hymn to Punk autonomy at its moment of eclipse.”
The track was recorded at Sarm East Studios in Whitechapel, engineered by Mickey Foote and produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. Perry had heard the band's cover of his Junior Murvin hit "Police and Thieves" and was moved enough to have put a picture of the band (the only white artist accorded such an honor) on the walls of his Black Ark Studio in Jamaica. When the Clash learned that Perry was in London producing for Bob Marley & the Wailers, he was invited to produce the single. "Scratch" readily agreed.
During the tracking session, some Clash and Perry biographies claim that Perry had blown out a studio mixing board attempting to get a deep bass sound out of Paul Simonon's instrument, while a 1979 New Musical Express and Hit Parader article self-penned by Strummer and Jones stated that Perry had complimented Jones' guitar playing by describing it as someone who "played with an iron fist". Perry's contribution to the track, however, was toned down - the band went back and fiddled with the song themselves to bring the guitars out and played down the echo Perry had dropped on it. The song was also Topper Headon's first recording with the band, following the departure of Terry Chimes.
"Complete Control" reached number 28 in the singles chart, making it The Clash's first Top 30 release. In 1999, CBS Records reissued the single with a live version of "Complete Control". In 2004, Rolling Stone rated the song as #361 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.