The Clash: Joe Strummer, Mick Jones (vocals, guitar); Paul Simonon (vocals, bass); Topper Headon (drums).

Additional personnel: Gary Barnacle (saxophone); Tymon Dogg (piano); Poly Mandrell (keyboards); Allen Ginsberg, Joe Ely, Ellen Foley, Futura 2000 (background vocals).

Digitally remastered by Ray Staff & Bob Whitney (Whitfield Street Studios, London, England).

On the surface of things, Combat Rock appears to be a retreat from the sprawling stylistic explorations of London Calling and Sandinista! The pounding arena rock of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" makes the Clash sound like an arena rock band, and much of the album boasts a muscular, heavy sound courtesy of producer Glyn Johns. But things aren't quite that simple. Combat Rock contains heavy flirtations with rap, funk, and reggae, and it even has a cameo by poet Allen Ginsberg -- if this album is, as it has often been claimed, the Clash's sellout effort, it's a very strange way to sell out. Even with the infectious, dance-inflected new wave pop of "Rock the Casbah" leading the way, there aren't many overt attempts at crossover success, mainly because the group is tearing in two separate directions. Mick Jones wants the Clash to inherit the Who's righteous arena rock stance, and Joe Strummer wants to forge ahead into black music. The result is an album that is nearly as inconsistent as Sandinista!, even though its finest moments -- "Should I Stay or Should I Go," "Rock the Casbah," "Straight to Hell" -- illustrate why the Clash were able to reach a larger audience than ever before with the record. [In 2000 Columbia/Legacy reissued and remastered Combat Rock.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

It's not easy being the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band (a tag the Clash inherited from the Rolling Stones, who had traded their emotional commitment for tax exile). What you do after changing the world with your first few releases? The previous SANDINISTA was the Clash's WHITE ALBUM, exploring just about every musical style they could think of over the course of three LP's. COMBAT ROCK, then, could be their LET IT BE, an attempt to focus on visceral, accessible material, kidney-punching instead of bobbing and weaving.

There's an increased focus on funk here, as on the unlikely hit "Rock the Casbah" and "Overpowered by Funk." Naturally, there's also a pronounced political element to the lyrics (the anti-authoritarian rant of "Know Your Rights," the post-Vietnam morality play of the moving "Straight to Hell.") Despite the renewed sense of focus, though, there's still a high degree of artistic ambition revealed in both the polysyllabic lyrics and the textured, overdub-heavy arrangements.