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40th Anniversary Expanded 180g Vinyl 3LP Reissue with 12 Bonus Tracks Curated by the Band!

Combat Rock gets a special edition expanded 180g vinyl 3LP reissue in celebration of its 40th anniversary! Originally released in 1982, Combat Rock is the Clash s best-selling album – the final featuring the ‘classic line up of Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Topper Headon and Paul Simonon. The new edition includes an additional 12 tracks curated by the band – charting the band s story from the final performance of the Bonds Casino residency via their People s Hall rehearsals in West London to the release of the album. It will include previously unheard, rare and early versions of tracks which act as a bridge and prelude to Combat Rock.

The additional disc highlights a new version of Know Your Rights which was recorded at The People s Hall on the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, and the previously unreleased instrumental He Who Dares Or Is Tired. Other notable tracks include Futura 2000, an unreleased original mix of The Escapades of Futura 2000, Mikey Dread s Radio One, and the outtakes The Fulham Connection, previously known as The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too as well as Idle in Kangaroo Court.

Combat Rock is indicative of The Clash s constant evolution and was influenced in part by the relatively recent end of the Vietnam War, particularly on Sean Flynn, inspired by the disappearance of the photojournalist and film star s son. The band s curiosity and range is illustrated by the many styles and voices here, notably poet Allen Ginsberg s apocalyptic spoken word on Ghetto Defendant and graffiti artist Futura s rap on Overpowered By Funk.

The Clash s influence on punk, post-punk and indie rock is well documented and Combat Rock specifically continues to inspire waves of rediscovery from new audiences, most notably with the use of Should I Stay Or Should I Go as a prominent plot device in the first season of the Netflix smash Stranger Things. Meanwhile, Straight To Hell remains instantly recognizable having been used in Paper Planes by M.I.A.