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{{for-multi|the Doctor Who novel|Combat Rock (novel){{!}}''Combat Rock'' (novel)|the song by Sleater-Kinney|One Beat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Combat Rock
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[the Clash]]
| cover      = The Clash - Combat Rock.jpg
| alt        = Surrounded by a silver border, a picture of the band members along a single railroad track; Joe Strummer is seen covering one of his eyes. The band name and album title are written in red, with stars on either side of the text.
| released   = 14 May 1982
| recorded   = {{hlist|1980|September 1981|November 1981 – January 1982|April 1982}}
| venue      =
| studio     = {{hlist|Ear (London)|[[Electric Lady Studios|Electric Lady]] (New York)|[[Warnham]] (West Sussex, England)}}
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Post-punk]]|[[New wave music|new wave]]}}
| length     = 46:21
| label      = {{hlist|[[Columbia Records|CBS]]|[[Epic Records|Epic]]}}
| producer   = {{hlist|The Clash|[[Glyn Johns]]}}
| prev_title = [[Sandinista!]]
| prev_year  = 1980
| next_title = [[Cut the Crap]]
| next_year  = 1985
| misc       = {{Singles
 | name        = Combat Rock
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Know Your Rights]]
 | single1date = 23 April 1982
 | single2     = [[Rock the Casbah]]
 | single2date = 11 June 1982
 | single3     = [[Should I Stay or Should I Go]] / [[Straight to Hell (The Clash song)|Straight to Hell]]
 | single3date = 17 September 1982
}}
}}
'''''Combat Rock''''' is the fifth studio album by the English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Clash]], released on 14 May 1982 through [[Columbia Records|CBS Records]].<ref name="Larkin2011">{{cite book|author=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&pg=PA2006-IA1258|date=27 May 2011|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|pages=2006–}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, the album charted at number 2, spending 23 weeks in the UK charts and peaked at number 7 in the United States, spending 61 weeks on the chart. The album was propelled by drummer [[Topper Headon]]'s "[[Rock the Casbah]]" which became a staple on the newly launched [[MTV]]. ''Combat Rock'' continued the influence of funk and reggae like previous Clash albums, but also featured a more radio-friendly sound which alienated Clash fans. 

While the recording process went smoothly, the producing process of the album was tiring and full of infighting between [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]] and [[Joe Strummer]]. Headon's heroin addiction grew worse and he slowly became distant from the band while Strummer and bassist [[Paul Simonon]] reinstated [[Bernard Rhodes|Bernie Rhodes]] as manager, a move not welcomed by Jones. The band had disagreed on the creative process of the album and called in [[Glyn Johns]] to produce the more radio-friendly sound of ''Combat Rock.'' Lyrically, ''Combat Rock'' focuses on the [[Vietnam War]], [[postcolonialism]], [[American decline|the decline of American society]], and [[authoritarianism]].

''Combat Rock'' is the group's best-selling album, being certified [[Music recording sales certification|double platinum]] in the United States and reaching number 2 in the UK. Reception to the album believed the band had reached its peak maturity with ''Combat Rock'', as the album's sound was less anarchic but still as political as previous albums. It contains two of the Clash's signature songs, the singles "[[Rock the Casbah]]" and "[[Should I Stay or Should I Go]]". "Rock the Casbah" became highly successful in the United States and proved to be the band's anticipated US breakthrough. "Should I Stay or Should I Go" was not as successful until being re-released in 1991 and topping the charts in their native [[United Kingdom]].

''Combat Rock'' is the last Clash album featuring the band's classic lineup.<ref name="Westway_to_the_World">{{cite video | people = [[Don Letts|Letts Don]]; [[Joe Strummer]], [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]], [[Paul Simonon]], [[Topper Headon]], [[Terry Chimes]], Rick Elgood, [[the Clash]] | date= 2001
 | title      = The Clash, [[Westway to the World]]
 | medium     = Documentary
 | publisher  = [[Sony Music Entertainment]]; Dorismo; Uptown Films
 | location   = New York, NY
 | time       = 71:00–75:00
 | isbn       = 0-7389-0082-6
 | oclc       = 49798077
}}</ref><ref name="Cromelin-latime88">{{cite journal
 | last       = Cromelin
 | first       = Richard
 | date       = 31 January 1988
 | title       = Strummer on Man, God, Law and The Clash
 | journal       = Los Angeles Times
 | url       = http://www.strummernews.com/latimes88.html
 | access-date       = 3 November 2010
 | url-status       = dead
 | archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20071020203022/http://strummernews.com/latimes88.html
 | archive-date       = 20 October 2007 }}</ref> Topper Headon (due to his heroin addiction) was fired days before the release of ''Combat Rock'' (he was replaced by original Clash drummer [[Terry Chimes]] whom Headon replaced in 1977) and Mick Jones was fired after the end of the ''Combat Rock'' tour in 1983. ''Combat Rock'' would be  succeeded by the Clash's last album, ''[[Cut the Crap]],'' recorded and released without Mick Jones or Topper Headon in 1985.

==Background==
Following the triple-album ''[[Sandinista!]]'' (1980), singer/guitarist [[Joe Strummer]] felt the group was "drifting" creatively.<ref name="Pinnock-Combat"/> Bassist [[Paul Simonon]] agreed with Strummer's dissatisfaction towards the "boring" professionalism of the Clash's then-managers Blackhill Enterprises.<ref name="Pinnock-Combat"/><ref name="Gilbert-285-6">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|pages=285–286}}</ref> Strummer and Simonon convinced their bandmates to reinstate the band's original manager [[Bernie Rhodes]] in February 1981, in an attempt to restore the "chaos" and "anarchic energy" of the Clash's early days.<ref name="Gilbert-285-6"/> This decision was not welcomed by guitarist [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]], who was becoming progressively estranged from his bandmates.<ref name="Gilbert-301-2">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|pages=301–302}}</ref>

During this period, drummer [[Topper Headon]] escalated his intake of [[heroin]] and [[cocaine]]. His occasional drug usage had now become a habit that was costing him £100 per day and undermining his health.<ref name="Gilbert-302">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=302}}</ref> This drug addiction would be the factor that would later push his bandmates to fire him from the Clash, following the release of ''Combat Rock''.

==Recording==
The album had the working title ''Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg'' during the recording and mixing stages.<ref name="Gilbert-309">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=309}}</ref> After early recording sessions in London, the group relocated to New York for recording sessions at [[Electric Lady Studios]] in November and December 1981.<ref name="Gilbert-304">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=304}}</ref> Electric Lady was where the band had recorded its previous album ''[[Sandinista!]]'' in 1980.<ref name="Gilbert-305"/>

While recording the album in New York, [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]] lived with his then-girlfriend [[Ellen Foley]].<ref name="Gilbert-305">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=305}}</ref> [[Joe Strummer]], [[Paul Simonon]] and [[Topper Headon]] stayed at the [[Iroquois Hotel]] on West 44th Street, a building famed for being the home of actor [[James Dean]] for two years during the early 1950s.<ref name="Gilbert-305"/><ref name="Iroquois-website">{{cite web|title=Iroquois Hotel: History|url=http://www.iroquoisny.com/about/history|access-date=23 April 2016}}</ref>

After finishing the New York recording sessions in December 1981, the band returned to London for most of January 1982. Between January and March, the Clash embarked on a six-week tour of Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Thailand.<ref name="Gilbert-309"/> During this tour, the album's cover photograph was shot by [[Pennie Smith]] in Thailand in March 1982.<ref name="Pinnock-Combat">{{cite magazine|last1=Pinnock|first1=Tom|title=The end of The Clash – by Joe Strummer|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/the-end-of-the-clash-by-joe-strummer-31143|access-date=23 April 2016|issue=184|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|date=September 2012}}</ref>

==Mixing and editing==
Following the gruelling Far East tour, the Clash returned to London in March 1982 to listen to the music that they had recorded in New York three months earlier.<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/> They had recorded 18 songs, enough material to possibly release as double-album.<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/> Having previously released the double-LP ''[[London Calling]]'' (1979) and the triple-LP ''[[Sandinista!]]'' (1980), the group considered whether they should again release a multi-LP collection.

The band debated how many songs their new album should contain, and how long the songs' mixes should be. Mick Jones argued in favour of a double-album with lengthier, dancier mixes.<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/> The other band members argued in favour of a single album with shorter song mixes.<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/> This internal wrangling created tension within the band, particularly with Jones, who had mixed the first version.<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/><ref name="Rachel2013">{{cite book|author=Daniel Rachel|title=Isle of Noises: Conversations with great British songwriters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9WR5AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT177|date=12 September 2013|publisher=Pan Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4472-2680-2|pages=177–}}</ref><ref name="Rachel2014">{{cite book|author=Daniel Rachel|title=The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hL1zAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA145|date=7 October 2014|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-4668-6521-1|pages=145–}}</ref>

Manager Bernie Rhodes suggested that producer/engineer [[Glyn Johns]] be hired to remix the album. This editing took place in Johns' garden studio in [[Warnham]], [[West Sussex]] (not at [[Wessex Studios]], as is stated by some sources).<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/>

Johns, accompanied by Strummer and Jones edited ''Combat Rock'' down from a 77-minute double album down to a 46-minute single [[Long Play|LP]].<ref name="Gilbert-312-14">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|pages=312–314}}</ref> This was achieved by trimming the length of individual songs, such as by removing instrumental intros and codas from songs like "Rock the Casbah" and "Overpowered by Funk". Additionally, the trio decided to omit several songs entirely, dropping the final track count to 12.<ref name="Knowles2003-108">{{cite book|author=Chris Knowles|title=Clash City Showdown|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Xn9bXDYlm8C&pg=PA108|date=1 December 2003|publisher=PageFree Publishing, Inc.|isbn=978-1-58961-138-2|page=108}}</ref><ref name="Parker2003">{{cite book|author=Alan Parker|title=The Clash: "rat Patrol from Fort Bragg"|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mtgvmid6o94C|year=2003|publisher=Abstract Sounds|isbn=978-0-9535724-9-6}}</ref><ref name="Johnstone2010">{{cite book|author=Nick Johnstone|title=The Clash: 'Talking'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_h3JkqcnO0YC&pg=PA13|date=7 April 2010|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-258-2|pages=13–}}</ref><ref name="Egan2014">{{cite book|author=Sean Egan|title=The Clash: The Only Band That Mattered|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qiDBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA198|date=6 November 2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-0-8108-8876-0|pages=198–}}</ref>

During these remixing sessions, Strummer and Jones also re-recorded their vocals for the songs "Should I Stay or Should I Go" and "Know Your Rights" and remixed the songs with the intent of maximising their impact as singles.<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/>

==Music and lyrics==
The music on ''Combat Rock'' has been described as [[post-punk]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The Rock History Reader |page=314 |last=Cateforis |first=Theo |year=2013 |isbn=9780415892124 |publisher=Routledge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F7o5Wj9-EGYC&dq=%22the+clash%22+%22combat+rock%22+%22post-punk%22&pg=PA314}}</ref> and [[New wave music|new wave]].<ref name="Fricke"/><ref>{{cite book |title=The Trouser Press guide to new wave records |url=https://archive.org/details/trouserpressguid00robbi |url-access=registration |last=Robbins |first=Ira A. |year=1983 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/trouserpressguid00robbi/page/54 54–57] |isbn=978-0684179445 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |isbn=9780679755746 |publisher=Vintage Books |year=1995 |last1=Marks |first1=Craig |last2=Weisbard |first2=Eric}}</ref> A recurring motif of the album is the impact and aftermath of the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name="Gilbert-307">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=307}}</ref> "[[Straight to Hell (The Clash song)|Straight to Hell]]" describes the children fathered by American soldiers to Vietnamese mothers and then abandoned,<ref name="Gilbert-308">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=308}}</ref> while "Sean Flynn" describes the capture of photojournalist [[Sean Flynn (photojournalist)|Sean Flynn]], who was the son of actor [[Errol Flynn]]. Sean Flynn disappeared (and was presumably killed) in 1970 after being captured by the [[Viet Cong|Vietcong]] [[Cambodian Civil War|in Cambodia.]]<ref name="Gilbert-307"/>

Biographer Pat Gilbert describes many songs from ''Combat Rock'' as having a "trippy, foreboding feel", saturated in a "colonial melancholia and sadness" reflecting the Vietnam War.<ref name="Gilbert-320">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=320}}</ref> The band was inspired by [[Francis Ford Coppola]]'s 1979 film about the Vietnam War, ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'', and had previously released the song "Charlie Don't Surf" on ''Sandinista!'', which referenced the film. Strummer later stated that he became "obsessed" with the film.<ref name="Gilbert-307"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Songfacts |title=Charlie Don't Surf by The Clash - Songfacts |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-clash/charlie-dont-surf |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=www.songfacts.com |language=en}}</ref>

Other ''Combat Rock'' songs, if not directly about the Vietnam War and US foreign policy, depict American society in moral decline.<ref name="Gilbert-307"/> "Inoculated City" satires the [[Superior orders|Nuremberg defense]] plea by soldiers on trial who've committed war crimes.<ref name="Songfacts">{{Cite web |title=ShieldSquare Captcha |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-clash/inoculated-city |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=www.songfacts.com}}</ref> The original version of this song included an unauthorized audio clip from a TV commercial for [[2000 Flushes]], a toilet bowl cleaner. The maker of this product threatened a lawsuit, forcing the group to edit the track, though the longer version was restored on later copies.<ref name="Songfacts"/> "Red Angel Dragnet" was inspired by the January 1982 shooting death of Frank Melvin, a New York member of the [[Guardian Angels]].<ref name="Gilbert-320"/><ref>Gray (2005) p. 380</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949448,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219011132/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949448,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 February 2007 |title=Guardian Angels' Growing Pains |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=1982-01-18 |access-date=2010-04-03}}</ref> The song quotes [[Martin Scorsese]]'s 1976 movie ''[[Taxi Driver]]'', with Clash associate [[Kosmo Vinyl]] recording several lines of dialogue imitating the voice of main character [[Travis Bickle]]. Bickle sports a [[Mohawk hairstyle|mohawk]] in the latter part of ''Taxi Driver'', this was a hairstyle adopted by [[Joe Strummer]] during the ''Combat Rock'' concert tour.<ref name=COS>{{cite web|last1=Nordberg|first1=Tim|title=Rock History 101: The Clash's "Red Angel Dragnet"|url=https://consequence.net/2009/04/rock-history-101-the-clashs-red-angel-dragnet/|website=Consequence of Sound |date=25 April 2009 |access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref>

The song "Ghetto Defendant" features [[Beat generation|Beat]] poet [[Allen Ginsberg]], who performed the song on stage with the band during the New York shows on their tour in support of the album. Ginsberg had researched punk music, and included phrases like "do the worm" and "slam dance" in his lyrics.<ref name="Gilbert-307"/> At the end of the song he can be heard reciting the [[Heart Sutra]], a popular Buddhist mantra.<ref name="D'Ambrosio2012">{{cite book|author=Antonino D'Ambrosio|title=Let Fury Have the Hour: Joe Strummer, Punk, and the Movement That Shook the Word|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JZXJi2BEyYAC&pg=PT183|year=2012|publisher=Nation Books|isbn=978-1-56858-720-2|pages=183–}}</ref>

The song "[[Know Your Rights]]" starts off with: "''This is a public service announcement...with guitar!''" The musical style of the song was described as being one of the "more punk" songs on the album, reflecting the open and clear lyrics of the song. The lyrics represent the fraudulent rights for the lower and less respected class, with a nefarious civil servant naming three rights, with each right having an exception to benefit the rich or being skewed against the lower class.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Songfacts |title=Know Your Rights by The Clash - Songfacts |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-clash/know-your-rights |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=www.songfacts.com |language=en}}</ref>

Music for "Rock the Casbah" was written by the band's drummer Topper Headon, based on a piano part that he had been toying with.<ref name="Gilbert-306">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=306}}</ref><ref name="Headon-video-Q&A-2014">{{cite AV media | people=Webb, Spike | date=23 January 2014 | title=Topper Headon (The Clash) - Q&A - Fan Questions| url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-lWF8XeXK4&t=0m24s | medium=Interview |minutes=00:24}}</ref> Finding himself in the studio without his three bandmates, Headon progressively taped the drum, piano and bass parts, recording the bulk of the song's musical instrumentation himself.<ref name="Gilbert-306"/><ref name="Headon-video-Q&A-2012">{{cite AV media | people=Webb, Spike | date=3 May 2012 | title=Topper Headon (The Clash) talks about 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous'| url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9WpYJQmZK8&t=0m54s | medium=Interview |minutes=00:54}}</ref> The other Clash members were impressed with Headon's recording, stating that they felt the musical track was essentially complete.<ref name="Headon-video-Q&A-2012"/> However, Strummer was not satisfied with the page of suggested lyrics that Headon gave him.<ref name="Gilbert-306"/> Before hearing Headon's music, Strummer had already come up with the phrases ''"rock the casbah"'' and ''"you'll have to let that raga drop"'' as lyrical ideas that he was considering for future songs.<ref name="Gilbert-305"/><ref name="The-Future-Is-Unwritten-Casbah">{{cite AV media | people=Temple, Julien (Director) | date=2007 | title=Strummer:The Future is Unwritten | medium=Motion picture |minutes=68}}</ref> After hearing Headon's music, Strummer went into the studio's toilets and wrote lyrics to match the song's melody.<ref name="Headon-video-Q&A-2014"/><ref name="Headon-video-Q&A-2012"/>

==Release==
Following along the same note as ''Sandinista!'', ''Combat Rock''{{'}}s catalogue number "FMLN2" is the abbreviation for the [[El Salvador]] [[political party]] ''[[Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front|Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional]]'' or FMLN.<ref name="D'Ambrosio2012" /><ref name="BasheRomanowski1995">{{cite book|author1=Patricia Romanowski Bashe|author2=Patricia Romanowski|author3=Holly George-Warren|author4=Jon Pareles|title=The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll|url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonee00patr|url-access=registration|year=1995|publisher=Fireside|isbn=978-0-684-81044-7}}</ref>

Lead single "[[Know Your Rights]]" was released on 23 April 1982,<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/> and reached number 43 on the UK singles chart.<ref name="Gilbert-321">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=321}}</ref> ''Combat Rock'' was released on 14 May 1982 and reached number 2 on the UK album charts, kept off the top spot by [[Paul McCartney]]'s ''[[Tug of War (Paul McCartney album)|Tug of War]]''.<ref name="Gilbert-312-14"/> In the United States, ''Combat Rock'' reached number 7 on the album charts, selling in excess of one million copies.<ref name="Gilbert-330">{{cite book|last1=Gilbert|first1=Pat|title=Passion Is A Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash|date=2004|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd|isbn=1-84513-017-0|page=330}}</ref> Combat Rock was the band's most successful album in the United States. However, in the UK, Combat Rock was tied with the 1978 album [[Give 'Em Enough Rope]] for the band's highest charting album.

"[[Rock the Casbah]]", which was composed by drummer Topper Headon, reached number 8 on the US singles chart.<ref name="Gilbert-330"/> The single was accompanied by a distinctive video directed by [[Don Letts]] that aired frequently on the then-fledgling television channel [[MTV]]. Headon, despite composing the song, was not in the music video after being replaced by Terry Chimes for his raging heroin addiction.

In January 2000, the album, along with the rest of the Clash's catalogue, was remastered and re-released.<ref>{{cite book|title=Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rmgiAQAAMAAJ|year=2002|publisher=University of Iowa}}</ref> A fortieth anniversary reissue was released in May 2022 with demos and previously cut songs.<ref name="RS reissue">{{cite magazine|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=6 April 2022|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-clash-combat-rock-reissue-1333838/|title=The Clash's 'Combat Rock' Gets 40th Anniversary Reissue With Unreleased Songs, Demos|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|location=New York|access-date=25 May 2022}}</ref>

==Reception and influence==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Sendra |first=Tim |title=Combat Rock – The Clash |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/combat-rock-mw0000189491 |access-date=24 May 2022 |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]''
| rev2score = 3/5<ref name="AP">{{cite magazine|title=The Clash: Combat Rock|magazine=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]|location=Cleveland|issue=140|date=March 2000|pages=74–75}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Wolk">{{cite magazine|last=Wolk|first=Douglas|author-link=Douglas Wolk|date=21 August 2007|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/54676/combat-rock.html|title=The Clash: Combat Rock|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|location=New York|access-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090702055608/http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/54676/combat-rock.html|archive-date=2 July 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev4score = 8.4/10<ref>{{cite web|last=Gaca|first=Anna|date=24 October 2021|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-clash-combat-rock/|title=The Clash: Combat Rock|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|access-date=24 October 2021}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Q">{{cite magazine|title=The Clash: Combat Rock|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|location=London|issue=159|date=December 1999|pages=152–153}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Fricke">{{cite magazine|last=Fricke|first=David|author-link=David Fricke|date=24 June 1982|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/combat-rock-246241/|title=Combat Rock|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|location=New York|access-date=3 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023112913/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/combat-rock-246241/|archive-date=23 October 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev7score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|year=2004|chapter=The Clash|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA167|access-date=24 September 2011|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/167 167–168]}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev8score = 4/5<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Clash Reissues|magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]]|location=London|issue=114|date=December 1999|page=88}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev9score = 8/10<ref>{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-link=Eric Weisbard|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|year=1995|chapter=Clash|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=84–85}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[The Village Voice]]''
| rev10score = B+<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=10 August 1982|url=http://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv8-82.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|location=New York|access-date=10 September 2015}}</ref>
}}

''Combat Rock'' peaked at number 2 on the [[UK Albums Chart]], number 7 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Pop albums, and the top ten on many charts in other countries.<ref name="Inc.1982">{{cite book|title=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT29|date=21 August 1982|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|pages=29–|issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref name="everyhit">[http://www.everyhit.co.uk/ "UK Chart Archive"]. everyHit.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2008.</ref><ref name="USCharts">[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3913|pure_url=yes}} "The Clash &gt; Charts & Awards &gt; Billboard Albums"]. [[Allmusic]]. Retrieved 26 October 2008.</ref><ref name="norway">[http://norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Clash "Discography The Clash"]. NorwegianCharts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2008.</ref><ref name="sweden">[http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Clash "Discography The Clash"]. SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2008.</ref> It was ranked at number 4 among the top "Albums of the Year" for 1982 by ''[[NME]]'', with both "Straight to Hell" and "Know Your Rights" ranked among the year's top 50 tracks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1982-2-1045396 |title=Albums and Tracks of the Year |date=2016 |work=[[NME]] |access-date=6 November 2016 }}</ref>

The United States [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) [[RIAA certification|certified]] ''Combat Rock'' as a Gold album in November 1982, Platinum in January 1983, and Multi-Platinum in June 1995.<ref name="RIAA">{{cite web
 | title      = Gold and Platinum: Searchable Database
 | publisher  = RIAA
 | url        = https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Combat%20Rock&artist=The%20Clash&format=ALBUM&category=GROUP&after=on&startMonth=1&startYear=1982&sort=Artist&perPage=50
 | access-date = 2008-10-26
}}</ref>

In a contemporary review for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', [[Robert Christgau]] lamented the same attempts at [[funk]] and [[Dub music|dub]] the Clash had tried on ''[[Sandinista!]]'' (1980). Nonetheless, he dismissed the notion the band were [[selling out]] and believed they were "evolving" on ''Combat Rock'', writing songs at a "higher level of verbal, musical, and political density", albeit in less "terse and clear" fashion than on their early work.<ref name="Christgau"/>

[[Douglas Wolk]] said in a retrospective review for ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' that while the record was originally seen as the Clash's "sellout move" because of its danceable sound and two hit singles, the other songs featured "audaciously bizarre arrangements and some of Strummer's smartest lyrics."<ref name="Wolk"/> ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' was less enthusiastic, deeming it "their biggest seller, but the beginning of the end."<ref name="Q"/> 

In 2000, ''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]'' called it "the penultimate Clash album&nbsp;... employing lessons learned in the previous three years&nbsp;... their most commercially rewarded release&nbsp;... containing [their] most poignant song 'Straight to Hell'."<ref name="AP" />

''[[CMJ|CMJ New Music Report]]'' ranked ''Combat Rock'' at number five on its 2004 list of the Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982.<ref>{{cite journal |date=5 January 2004 |title=Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1982 |journal=[[CMJ|CMJ New Music Report]] |page=10 }}</ref> ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' listed the album at No.&nbsp;80 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/feature/best-albums-of-the-1980s/308/page_3 |title=Best Albums of the 1980s|magazine=[[Slant Magazine]] |access-date=2012-08-13}}</ref> [[Kurt Cobain]] listed it in his top fifty albums of all time and in a 1991 interview stated "I think the best Clash album is ''Combat Rock''. I fucking love that record! It’s definitely better than ''[[Sandinista!]]''“<ref name="joyfulnoiserecordings.com">{{cite web|title=Top 50 by Nirvana [Mixtape]|url=http://www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com/journal/top-50-by-nirvana/|access-date=8 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018034220/http://www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com/journal/top-50-by-nirvana/|archive-date=18 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History |last=Cross, Gaar, Gendron, Martens, Yarm |year= 2013 |isbn= 978-0-7603-4521-4 |page= 97}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-19 |title=Kurt Cobain discussing his favourite album by The Clash |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/kurt-cobain-names-best-album-by-the-clash/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{track listing
| all_writing = the Clash, except where noted
| headline = Side one<ref name="Knowles2003-p111">{{cite book|author=Chris Knowles|title=Clash City Showdown|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Xn9bXDYlm8C&pg=PA111|date=1 December 2003|publisher=PageFree Publishing, Inc.|isbn=978-1-58961-138-2|page=111}}</ref>
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title1 = [[Know Your Rights]]
| writer1   = Strummer, Jones
| extra1  = [[Joe Strummer]]
| length1 = 3:39
| title2  = Car Jamming
| extra2  = Strummer
| length2 = 3:58
| title3  = [[Should I Stay or Should I Go]]
| extra3  = [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]]
| length3 = 3:06
| title4  = [[Rock the Casbah]]
| writer4   = [[Topper Headon]], Strummer, Jones
| extra4  = Strummer and Jones
| length4 = 3:42
| title5  = Red Angel Dragnet
| extra5  = [[Paul Simonon]] and [[Kosmo Vinyl]]
| length5 = 3:48
| title6  = [[Straight to Hell (The Clash song)|Straight to Hell]]
| extra6  = Strummer
| length6 = 5:30
}}

{{track listing
| headline = Side two<ref name="Knowles2003">{{cite book|author=Chris Knowles|title=Clash City Showdown|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Xn9bXDYlm8C&pg=PA108|date=1 December 2003|publisher=PageFree Publishing, Inc.|isbn=978-1-58961-138-2}}</ref>
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title1  = [[Overpowered by Funk]]
| extra1  = Strummer and [[Futura 2000]]
| length1 = 4:55
| title2  = Atom Tan
| extra2  = Jones and Strummer
| length2 = 2:32
| title3  = Sean Flynn
| extra3  = Strummer
| length3 = 4:30
| title4  = Ghetto Defendant
| extra4  = Strummer and [[Allen Ginsberg]]
| length4 = 4:45
| title5  = Inoculated City
| extra5  = Jones and Strummer
| length5 = 2:43{{ref|I|[I]}}
| title6  = Death Is a Star
| extra6  = Strummer and Jones
| length6 = 3:13
}}

===Fortieth anniversary reissue===
The songs added to the fortieth anniversary reissue were titled ''The People's Hall''.<ref name="RS reissue"/> All tracks are written by the Clash.
{{track listing
| headline = Side three
| title1 = Outside Bonds
| length1 = 4:21
| title2  = [[This Is Radio Clash|This Is Radio Clash - Different Lyrics]]
| length2 = 4:11
| title3  = Futura 2000
| length3 = 5:54
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side four
| title1 = First Night Back in London
| length1 = 2:12
| title2  = Radio One - Mikey Dread
| length2 = 6:18
| title3  = He Who Dares or Is Tired
| length3 = 2:53
| title4  = Long Time Jerk
| length4 = 5:10
| title5  = The Fulham Connection - Outtake
| length5 = 3:44
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side five
| title1 = Midnight to Stevens - Outtake
| length1 = 4:36
| title2  = Sean Flynn - Extended 'Marcus Music' Outtake
| length2 = 7:23
| title3  = Idle in Kangaroo Court
| length3 = 6:04
| title4  = Know Your Rights
| length4 = 3:22
}}
'''Notes'''
* {{sup|{{note|I|[I]}}}}: Some copies of the album have an edited version lasting 2:11.

==Personnel==
* [[Joe Strummer]] – lead and backing vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
* [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]] – guitar, lead and backing vocals, keyboard, sound effects
* [[Paul Simonon]] – bass guitar (except on "Rock the Casbah"), backing vocals, lead vocals on "Red Angel Dragnet"
* [[Topper Headon]] – drums, piano and bass guitar on "Rock the Casbah"

;Additional musicians
* [[Allen Ginsberg]] – guest vocals on "Ghetto Defendant"
* [[Futura 2000]] – guest vocals on "Overpowered by Funk"
* [[Ellen Foley]] – backing vocals on "Car Jamming"
* [[Joe Ely]] – backing vocals on "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
* [[Tymon Dogg]] – piano on "Death Is a Star"
* [[Tommy Mandel]] (as Poly Mandell) – keyboards on "Overpowered by Funk"
* [[Gary Barnacle]] – saxophone on "Sean Flynn"
* [[Kosmo Vinyl]] – vocals on "Red Angel Dragnet"

;Production
* The Clash – producers
* [[Glyn Johns]] – chief engineer, mixing<ref name="Inc.1982"/>
* Joe Blaney; Jerry Green; Eddie Garcia – assistant engineers
* [[Pennie Smith]] – cover photography, taken March 1982 in Bangkok, Thailand

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (1982–1983)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"|Australian Albums ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=65}}</ref>
| align="center" | 32
|-
{{album chart|Canada|12|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock|chartid=6544|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Netherlands|29|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024}}
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref name=FINI>{{cite book|last=Pennanen|first=Timo|title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972|edition=1st|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|year=2006|isbn=978-951-1-21053-5| language= fi}}</ref>
| align="center"| 27
|-
! scope="row"|Italian Albums (''[[Musica e Dischi]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=[[Musica e Dischi]]|language=it|access-date=August 20, 2024}} Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Clash".</ref>
| align="center"| 22
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|5|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|7|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|9|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|2|date=19820516|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024|refname=UKA1}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|7|artist=The Clash|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (2022)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|143|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock + The People's Hall|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Wallonia|65|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock + The People's Hall|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Germany|48|id=21235|artist=The Clash|album=Combat the Rock|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Italy|70|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Oricon|42|date=2022-<!-- YYYY-MM-DD -->06-06/p/5|rowheader=true|access-date=1 June 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Spain|56|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|Scotland|16|date=20220527|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024-}}
|-
{{album chart|Switzerland|56|artist=The Clash|album=Combat Rock|rowheader=true|access-date=August 20, 2024}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|16|date=20220527|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 20, 2024|refname=UKA2}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=The Clash|title=Combat Rock|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=1982}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|title=Combat Rock|artist=The Clash|region=France|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|source=infodisc|access-date=20 August 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Italy|artist=The Clash|title=Combat Rock|award=Gold|relyear=2009|certyear=2021|id=8526|note=sales since 2009|access-date=20 August 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Clash|title=Combat Rock|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=2016|id=1452-1068-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=The Clash|title=Combat Rock|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1982|certyear=1995}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Gray |first=Marcus |title=The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town |orig-year=1995 |edition=5th revised |year=2005 |publisher=Helter Skelter |location=London |isbn=1-905139-10-1 |oclc=60668626 }}
{{Refend}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Pat |title=Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash |orig-year=2004 |edition=4th |year=2005 |publisher=[[Aurum Press]] |location=London |isbn=1-84513-113-4 |oclc=61177239 }}
* {{cite book |last=Green |first=Johnny |author2=Garry Barker |title=A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with The Clash |orig-year=1997 |edition=3rd |year=2003 |publisher=Orion |location=London |isbn=0-7528-5843-2 |oclc=52990890 }}
* {{cite book |last=Gruen |first=Bob |author-link=Bob Gruen |author2=Chris Salewicz |title=The Clash |orig-year=2001 |edition=3rd |year=2004 |publisher=Omnibus |location=London |isbn=1-903399-34-3 |oclc=69241279 }}
* {{cite book |last=Needs |first=Kris |author-link=Kris Needs |title=Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash |date=2005-01-25 |publisher=Plexus |location=London |isbn=0-85965-348-X |oclc=53155325 |url=https://archive.org/details/joestrummerlegen00need }}
* {{cite book |last=Topping |first=Keith |author-link=Keith Topping |title=The Complete Clash |orig-year=2003 |edition=2nd |year=2004 |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn |location=Richmond |isbn=1-903111-70-6 |oclc=63129186 }}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Discogs master|type=album|name=Combat Rock|master=14918}}

{{The Clash}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1982 albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios]]
[[Category:The Clash albums]]
[[Category:CBS Records albums]]
[[Category:Columbia Records albums]]
[[Category:Epic Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Glyn Johns]]
[[Category:Post-punk albums by English artists]]