it's official The Jam are 10 times better than The Clash

that is some tacky, ugly shit.

whoever started this thread OTM.

I had a similar thought. I wonder if Brits and an Americans have significantly different takes on these two bands. If we correlated nationality with Jam v. Clash supremacy, would there be a strong correlation between band and nationality?

Would that be Americans = Clash - Brits = Jam?

**Would that be Americans = Clash - Brits = Jam? **

Nah - I don't think anyone likes The Jam anymore here. Except me!

What do you mean by STRENUOUSLY British, Alex?

I didn't mean for it to sound derisive. I just mean that the Jam's oeuvre was simply littered with largely obscure (to American listeners) British references, and -- as you said above -- they refused to adhere to conventional "rock" stereotypes.

But then again, The Jam have the 7B/Sophies game in their favour.

Buzzcocks > Clash > The Damned > being hurt with sharp objects > Jam

Damned > Magazine > Buzzcocks > Clash > Slits > Ruts > X-Ray >> Jam >>>> Stranglers >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Eater

XRay Spex> Magazine>B'Cocks>Jam>Slits>Eater>Clash>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Stranglers>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Damned

;-)

Actually this ranking thing is silly. I refuse to accept that X-Ray Spex, Magazine and The Buzzcocks are anything less than perfect. The Jam were absoluetly great, but many faults. The Slits were great, but could have been greater. Eater are the only punk band ever really(copyright. M Sinker, but I think we should add The Desperate Bicycles and The Adverts). The Strangers were good, but very silly. And apart from a couple of singles the Damned were rub.

Van der graaf generator>magazine>popol vuh...oh, fuck it.

See, if it came down to how many records do I own of each, I own every studio Clash record except Give Em Enough Rope, while I only own one and a half Hawkwind records (couldn't fit all of Space Ritual on the tape.)

But if you are going to talk about the evil perfidious INFLUENCE, then almost every other record I own has probably been influenced by Hawkwind but I cannot think of a SINGLE decent band inspired by the Clash.

Yes, OK Norm - Machine Gun Etiquette is great, I agree. They're still rubbish overall.

Extremely silly.

How do you do it? If you were to rank those bands according to which released the best individual album or which released the best individual single or which wrote / recorded the best individual song everey one of us would probably end up with something different every time - how can you possibly hope to compare e.g. The Slits 2 albums, 3 Peel sessions and a handful of singles with The Damned's 28 year career?

That's what I do - hence The Damned on top every time. Partly because I just can't understate the extent to which New Rose changed my entire life; and partly because none of those other bands have ever been able to put on a live performance that can hold a candle to The Damned when they're on form and at their peak.

**How do you do it? If you were to rank those bands according to which released the best individual album or which released the best individual single or which wrote / recorded the best individual song everey one of us would probably end up with something different every time - how can you possibly hope to compare e.g. The Slits 2 albums, 3 Peel sessions and a handful of singles with The Damned's 28 year career? **

Pretty much what Norman says - a highly subjective view of how much I love them TODAY.- how *happy* is good. Quantity of recds are not important. Stuff like record covers, a little *thing* the singer did with his hands on TOTP, what they were wearing etc etc are all HIGHLY IMPORTANT!!

The next person to speak ill of the Stranglers gets their trousers set on fire.

>>>>>>>>>>>

...to mean "is really greater than." And by saying Eater (:::teeth gritting:::::) is greater than the Stranglers is to truly disrespect the Stranglers.

But don't mind me, I'm just sensitive.

[runs away]

Eater are greater than the Stranglers in a *pure-punk sense* because they exemplified the punk spirit of getting up and doing it. The Stranglers made better records.

Killing Joke have no place in this debate, Stew.

Cheers. That might spoil my weekend. I'll be needing my pants.

And someone's dissing the Damned? I'd take them over Paul Weller's 'Rock of the Seventies' Roadshow any night of the week.

S

OTM.

(damn, seems like i've been "OTMing" all day")

I guess The Clash have always been the "critics choice" of the two bands, but personally I prefer The Jam.

The received wisdom used to be that the Sex Pistols were manufactured / put together, and that The Clash were the real deal.

The more you read about their respective histories, the more you find that its almost the exact opposite.

And, of course, that it doesn't matter in the great scheme of things.