Artist:The Clash
Song:Train In Vain
Album:The Singles
The Clash were arguably the most popular of British 70s punk bands. The genesis of the group was in two bands. Joe Strummer (John Mellor) had a band called the 101ers and Mick Jones had a band called London SS. They also included bassist Joe Simonon & drummer Tory Crimes (Terry Chimes). Strummer folded the 101ers and joined London SS with guitarist Keith Levene. They were renamed The Clash. Though they were very popular in England, it was not unusual for punk bands of that era to have problems breaking into the US market. By 1979 The Clash toured the US. The 1980 classic London Calling was their most popular album and Train In Vain was their biggest hit in the US. The funny part is that Train In Vain was a hidden track. The title wasn't even listed on the cover. But Epic thought it was commercial and released it as a single. Apparently that's why The Clash hid the song. They thought it was too commercial. Pretty silly, eh. The Singles is probably a good introduction to The Clash. It was originally released in 1990 as a collection of their British A sides. Epic rereleased it this week with a new cover and have reworked the song order. There are other comps available as well. The Clash split up in 1986 and the various members went on to other groups. Their music still holds up well today. Here's The Clash performing Train In Vain.
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