A collection of The Clash bassist Paul Simonon’s favourite songs
Often dubbed ‘the only band that matters’, The Clash had an incredible impact on the face of popular music. Transcending their punk rock roots to incorporate influences of dub reggae, hip-hop and rockabilly, The Clash are noted for their unwavering political principles, dedication to their fans, and, of course, a discography littered with absolutely iconic tracks.
When it comes to influences, The Clash drew on an incredibly broad range of influences. Whilst their punk rock contemporaries, like The Damned or Sex Pistols, had their hearts set on burning down the musical establishment and starting again, The Clash were taking inspiration from those that had come before them. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1977 at the height of the punk rock movement, takes inspiration from old-school rockabilly artists, in addition to the legendary reggae sound of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Junior Murvin on their cover of ‘Police and Thieves’.
That reggae influence is said to have been brought to the table by the band’s bassist, Paul Simonon. Though born in Croydon, Simonon spent his formative years growing up in Brixton and Ladbroke Grove. These areas of London had a high population of immigrants from the Caribbean, many of whom had come over to the UK as a part of the Windrush generation. As a result of this multicultural influence on Simonon, who himself descended from Belgian immigrants fleeing the First World War, he was exposed to reggae, dub, and ska music from an early age.
Not only did this music have a huge impact on the young Simonon, but it also helped him to learn the bass. Recruited to the band by guitarist Mick Jones based solely on his appearance, Simonon famously could not play the bass when he joined The Clash. Speaking about his time attempting to master the instrument, he said, “With The Who I could hardly hear the bass. It was so guitar and drums-orientated, really, sound-wise. Whereas reggae, I just put the record on and play along to it and work out the lines.”
Back in 2013, the surviving members of The Clash curated playlists of their favourite songs for Spotify. The playlists of Mick Jones and drummer Topper Headon have a heavy feature on the 1960s proto-punk of The Who and The Kinks, in addition to more soul and jazz influence on Topper’s. Whilst reggae is also present throughout all the playlists, it is most apparent on Simonons.
Featuring the iconic reggae stylings of Lloyd Robinson, John Holt, and Ken Boothe – who was name-dropped in the lyrics of The Clash’s ‘(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais’ – it is clear to see the lineage of Simonon’s bass playing style through this playlist. As eclectic as The Clash themselves, the tracklisting also features a great deal of 1950s rockabilly and early pop. This sound was celebrated by the band throughout their career, both in image and sound, particularly on their cover of Vince Taylor’s ‘Brand New Cadillac’. This is perhaps unsurprising given that those early rock ‘n’ roll and blues records were a heavy influence on establishing the reggae and ska sound in Jamaica in the first place; it seems as though all roads lead to Kingston when it comes to Simonon.
The playlist offers a stunning insight into the sounds that influenced The Clash.
Check out the full playlist of Paul’s favourite tracks below.
