Piece Comment

Review of The Clash: Revolution Rock


A compact run-down (less a history) of "the only band that matters" compiled from interview snips from existing Don Letts documentaries, along with interviews with those who have documented and been influenced by the Clash and their legacy.

In a time when the idea that the individual can and should make a difference, the Clash's messages have become relevant again - if they were ever made irrelevant - and feel as fresh and urgent as they did in the late '70s/early '80s, and this may be why, in addition to the untimely passing of de facto band leader Joe Strummer in 2002, there has been a passel of Clash/Strummer books and documentaries released in the past few years.

Unlike other Clash documentaries, this piece includes full plays of select songs, including the enduring "London Calling", allowing the music that changed many young lives to continue to speak.