When The Beat’s Ranking Roger recorded with The Clash
An essential group of the early punk scene, The Clash were famed for their uncanny ability to incorporate the influence of dub, reggae and ska into their signature punk sound. This formula was soon repeated by the Two Tone movement, a pivotal moment in popular music during which bands married old-school Jamaican ska with English punk rock.
Born out of post-war deprivation in Coventry, the Two Tone movement provided a vital sense of racial and musical unity. During the 1970s, far-right hate groups like the National Front were attempting to hijack youth subcultures to spew racist anti-immigration rhetoric. The Clash spoke out against this hatred repeatedly, staunchly supporting the series of ‘Rock Against Racism’ gigs organised by the Anti-Nazi League. Two Tone bands developed upon this sense of musical unity, organising their entire image and operation around a blending of black and white culture.
While The Specials are often cited as being at the forefront of Two Tone, with keys player Jerry Dammers the mastermind behind the entire operation, The Beat soon became one of the movement’s most popular exports. Hailing from nearby Birmingham, the band incorporated more overt influences of dub reggae and even soul into their sound. At the helm was the incredible frontman Ranking Roger, who gave the group their defiant energy of unity and rebellion.
Roger had been drawn to punk rock during his teenage years in the midlands, soon forming the short-lived group Dum Dum Boys. A disciple of The Clash, Ranking Roger later got the chance to form a friendship with the band, often performing on the same bill at Rock Against Racism concerts. Supported by The Beat on their 1981 tour, The Clash invited Ranking Roger to perform their cover of Junior Murvin’s ‘Police and Thieves’ on stage with the group in Paris.
That Parisian ska performance was not the end of Roger’s collaboration with his punk rock heroes. The very same year, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones invited The Beat frontman to record some tracks from their upcoming LP Combat Rock. And so, Ranking Roger laid down his signature dub-influenced MC’ing on both ‘Rock the Casbah’ and ‘Red Angel Dragnet’.
Despite the brilliant results from this meeting of musical minds, Ranking Roger’s versions of the tracks were not released to the public until fairly recently. Released as a limited edition seven-inch record alongside the 40th anniversary edition of Combat Rock, the tracks make you wonder why on Earth they weren’t released sooner. Roger infuses the innate funk of ‘Rock the Casbah’ with his own style of MC’ing, creating an immense dance-floor filler that leaves audiences wanting more.
Sadly, Ranking Roger never lived to see the release of his collaboration with The Clash, losing his battle with cancer in 2019. Nevertheless, the exclusively positive reception to his work recorded with the punk band that first inspired him acts as a fitting tribute to the iconic Two Tone musician.
