MMM: Police & Thieves – The Clash

Milo here.

London’s calling with the latest MMM, except it isn’t, cus that’s a different song. I guess London hasn’t called, but the phone’s still ringing, and it’s the same guys from last time. Ugh, I don’t know either..

Anywhom. Today, we’re looking at Police & Thieves, a song originally recorded by Junior Murvin a year earlier, from The Clash’s 1977 eponymous debut. Check the audio below:

Out of the classic punk monarchy, I do see The Clash as one of the crown jewels (suck it Sex Pistols fans) and I’m not alone in that fact – their impact on the genre is unparalleled, the respect they recieve endless. With this album cut from their eponymous debut, they give us one of the first mergers of punk rock and reggae, something that would later become a massive part of the history in both genres, with the ska and 2-tone revivals being indebted to it.
In the meat of the song, we’ve got the headboppin’ rhythms of Terry Chimes on the drumkit, giving us a crisp and consistent snare beat, upon which Paul Simonon can dance his bouncy bassline. The offbeat guitars, however, are where we get that reggae flavour, accenting upon the drums, becoming percussive in and of itself. On top of this, we have Joe Strummer’s iconic vocals, feeling energetic and urgent as only 70s punk could.

Lots of hugs, kisses and lacerations

Milo.