This Is Radio Clash
Encyclopedia
"This Is Radio Clash" is a song by the English punk rock
band The Clash
. The single was released in 1981 and was never released on any of their studio albums, though it was included in the track listing of their compilations: The Singles, The Story of the Clash, Volume 1
, Singles Box
, The Singles (2007) and Clash on Broadway
.
"This Is Radio Clash", like their previous single "The Magnificent Seven
", is a dub reggae, rap, punk-funk song that was influenced by old school hip hop
acts from New York City, like the Sugarhill Gang
and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five.
American critic Eric Schafer cites "This is Radio Clash"/"Radio Clash" as the first ever British hip hop song and notes, "It is a magnificent, daring, challenging record that was years ahead of its time; one of the great rock records of the 1980s, it has never been given its just credit. Twenty-eight years after its debut, were it released today it would still burn up the radio."
The first public performance of the song was on Tom Snyder
's Tomorrow
show in 1981.
The B-side of the "This Is Radio Clash" single is titled simply "Radio Clash." It is the same recording as the A-side, but with a different remix
and changes to the lyrics. "This Is Radio Clash" begins with the lyric "This is Radio Clash on pirate satellite, Orbiting your living room, cashing in the bill of rights" and "Radio Clash" begins with "This is Radio Clash resuming of transmission, beaming from the mountain tops using aural ammunition." The Clash stated at the time that they intended the songs to be heard as a single entity. The two tracks are variations on the same 4 minute recording and have exactly the same length.
The similarities of the A and B-side recordings has led to quite a bit of confusion not only by fans but by record companies as well. On the remastered version of the Super Black Market Clash
CD, which assembles Clash B-sides, remixes and rarities, the B-side "Radio Clash" is included, but incorrectly listed as "This Is Radio Clash". The same error was repeated on the US version of the 2003 collection The Essential Clash
. Finally, in 2006 the Singles Box
was released which collates the 12 inch's tracks in the same order, allowing the two tracks to be heard side by side once again for the first time since the original 1981 single release.
The Urge
covered the song for the tribute album Burning London
.
The song is also included on the experimental compilation album called Disco Not Disco 2
(2002).
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. The single was released in 1981 and was never released on any of their studio albums, though it was included in the track listing of their compilations: The Singles, The Story of the Clash, Volume 1
The Story of the Clash, Volume 1
The Story of the Clash, Vol. 1 is a double-disc compilation album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released with 28 tracks on 29 February 1988 through Epic Records. The compilation presents a relatively thorough overview of their career . An anticipated second volume was to have...
, Singles Box
Singles Box
Singles Box is a compilation album by The Clash. Included within is all the singles that they released in the UK , with the single mixes and edits with the B-sides released, and also containing B-sides from different parts of the world.The discs are packaged in a sleeve which reproduces the...
, The Singles (2007) and Clash on Broadway
Clash on Broadway
-Track listing:All songs written by Mick Jones and Joe Strummer except where noted otherwise.-Disc one:# "Janie Jones" — 2:11# "Career Opportunities" — 1:58#* early demo versions produced by Guy Stevens# "White Riot" — 1:59# "1977" — 1:41...
.
"This Is Radio Clash", like their previous single "The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven (song)
"The Magnificent Seven" is a song and single by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was the third single from their fourth album Sandinista!. It reached number 34 on the UK Singles Chart....
", is a dub reggae, rap, punk-funk song that was influenced by old school hip hop
Old school hip hop
Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group...
acts from New York City, like the Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for their 1979 hit, "Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The song uses the instrumental track from the classic hit "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation....
and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five.
American critic Eric Schafer cites "This is Radio Clash"/"Radio Clash" as the first ever British hip hop song and notes, "It is a magnificent, daring, challenging record that was years ahead of its time; one of the great rock records of the 1980s, it has never been given its just credit. Twenty-eight years after its debut, were it released today it would still burn up the radio."
The first public performance of the song was on Tom Snyder
Tom Snyder
Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
's Tomorrow
Tomorrow (TV series)
Tomorrow was an American late-night television talk show hosted by Tom Snyder...
show in 1981.
The B-side of the "This Is Radio Clash" single is titled simply "Radio Clash." It is the same recording as the A-side, but with a different remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
and changes to the lyrics. "This Is Radio Clash" begins with the lyric "This is Radio Clash on pirate satellite, Orbiting your living room, cashing in the bill of rights" and "Radio Clash" begins with "This is Radio Clash resuming of transmission, beaming from the mountain tops using aural ammunition." The Clash stated at the time that they intended the songs to be heard as a single entity. The two tracks are variations on the same 4 minute recording and have exactly the same length.
The similarities of the A and B-side recordings has led to quite a bit of confusion not only by fans but by record companies as well. On the remastered version of the Super Black Market Clash
Super Black Market Clash
Super Black Market Clash is a compilation album released by The Clash in 1993 that contains B-sides and rare tracks not available on their other albums. It is a repackaging of the original 1980 Black Market Clash, which was a single 10" EP, containing only 9 songs...
CD, which assembles Clash B-sides, remixes and rarities, the B-side "Radio Clash" is included, but incorrectly listed as "This Is Radio Clash". The same error was repeated on the US version of the 2003 collection The Essential Clash
The Essential Clash
The Essential Clash is a career-spanning greatest hits album by The Clash first released in 2003. It is part of the on-going 'The Essential' Sony BMG compilation series...
. Finally, in 2006 the Singles Box
Singles Box
Singles Box is a compilation album by The Clash. Included within is all the singles that they released in the UK , with the single mixes and edits with the B-sides released, and also containing B-sides from different parts of the world.The discs are packaged in a sleeve which reproduces the...
was released which collates the 12 inch's tracks in the same order, allowing the two tracks to be heard side by side once again for the first time since the original 1981 single release.
The Urge
The Urge
The Urge is a St. Louis rock band formed in 1987 by drummer Jeff Herschel, bassist Karl Grable, guitarist Pat Malecek, and singer Steve Ewing...
covered the song for the tribute album Burning London
Burning London: The Clash Tribute
- External links :* Neva Chonin, Aidin Vaziri, Colin Berry, Gary Graff, David Wiegand, Dan Ouellette, Amanda Nowinski . . Collection. SFGate.* Keith Phipps . . Review. The A.V. Club.* Scott Schinder . . Pulse....
.
The song is also included on the experimental compilation album called Disco Not Disco 2
Disco Not Disco 2
Disco Not Disco 2 is a compilation album from the Disco Not Disco series released by Strut Records in 2002. The album is a probe to experimental side of disco and punk genres and underground music scene in general...
(2002).
Charts
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External links
- This Is Radio Clash at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
(streamed copy where licensed)
- Radio Clash at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
(streamed copy where licensed)