The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope

Original Release Date

1978

Release Information

UK LP 1978 (CBS - S CBS 82431)
US LP 1978 (Epic - JE 35543)
US LP 1978 (Epic - PE 35543)
UK CD 1999 (Columbia - 495346-2)

1 Safe European Home 3:48
2 English Civil War 2:34
3 Tommy Gun 3:14
4 Julie's Been Working For The Drug Squad 3:02
5 Last Gang In Town 5:10
6 Guns On The Roof 3:14
7 Drug-Stabbing Time 3:42
8 Stay Free 3:38
9 Cheapskates 3:23
10 All The Young Punks (New Boots And Contracts) 4:54

Chart Placings

UK Chart Hit: 2, 14 wks

US Billboard Chart: 128

Credits

LP:

All songs arranged and performed by The Clash

Produced by Sandy Pearlman for K.P. Productions Inc.
Recorded and mixed by Corky Stasiak
Engineers: Dennis Ferranti, Gregg Caruso, Kevin Dalimore, Chris Mingo

___________________________________________________

Additional Credits on CD:

Re-Mastered by Ray Staff and Bob Whitney at Whitfield Street Recording Studios
Re-Mastering supervision by Bill Price

Additional Credits

Joe Strummer - vocals, guitar
Mick Jones - guitar, vocals on 'Stay Free'
Paul Simonon - bass
Topper Headon - drums

Reviews & Opinions

PUNKY GIBBON: This still gets slagged off for being a big "rock" album, which it may be, but what a rock album! It comes storming out of the trap with 'Safe European Home', 'English Civil War' and 'Tommy Gun' and blazes its way through another seven slices of incendiary rock 'n' roll, stopping off for Mick Jones' sensitive 'Stay Free'. Much wider in scope than the debut, the lyrical content hints that the group may be unsure of their direction ('All The Young Punks' and 'Cheapskates' are self- mythologising and defensive) while railing against the ills of the world. The music is supremely focused. This is a step forward and, in its own way, as good as the first LP.

RECORD COLLECTOR, 1991: At the time, Sandy Pearlman's American-style production of the Clash's second album, was seen as the ultimate sell-out to clicked rock'n'roll values. 'Safe European Home' literally explodes out of the speakers, with a power nothing on the first [LP] can match. Likewise 'Tommy Gun', the drums on 'Julie''s Been Working For The Drug Squad', the guitars on 'Guns On The Roof' - and especially Mick Jones' lovely 'Stay Free', with the acoustic guitar undershadowing the electrics just like a Rolling Stones record. In fact, the Stones' 'Exile' is the closest comparison. The only problem is that 'Exile' has much better songs; too much of Give 'Em Enough Rope is ridiculous posing by self-appointed rock'n'roll rebels.

RECORD COLLECTOR, 1992: [A] terrible nosedive.

Additional Notes

The sleeve of the initial US pressing (JE 35543) featured the band logo in a blocky bold font; some came with orange labels, some with blue ones. It also has the last song listed as 'That's No Way To Spend Your Youth' on the back cover (but not the label). This was withdrawn and replaced with a new sleeve with a new band logo in oriental script-style (PE 35543) and blue labels. However, from my trawling around ebay, a lot of copies of the PE sleeve are up for auction with the blue JE labels, suggesting that Epic merely made use of the excess JE records by shoving them into the sleeves of the PE versions. For me, the 1999 CD has the nicest packaging and sound of all CD reissues, and although it will be reissued and reissued over and over, I can't see why this one shouldn't be definitive.

Images

UK LP 1978 (CBS - S CBS 82431). Click here for more (Photos courtesy of Moon Images)

US LP 1978 (Epic - JE 35543). Click here for more

US LP 1978 (Epic - PE 35543). Click here for more

UK CD 1999 (Columbia - 495346-2). Click here for more