The Clash
Cut The Crap

It is very unfortunate to be forced to negatively criticize a seminal group like the Clash, but this is an embarrassing album to absolutely avoid. The reason why a consistent and idealistic artist like the great Joe Strummer became involved in such an absurd and disastrous project remains shrouded in mystery.

We now know that the main architect of this musical tragedy was the ambitious manager Bernie Rhodes, who, in a full delusion of omnipotence, completed the compositions, gave the final touches to the recordings, and decided which material to publish. It's a pity that such a poor album is attributed to the glorious name of the Clash, a group that should have ceased to exist after the expulsion of Mick Jones, who was replaced in this new version of the group by a couple of young and inexperienced guitar mercenaries. Unfortunately, there's absolutely no trace here of the Clash's electrifying debut, "London Calling," or "Sandinista!" For those who loved them, their artistic journey ends with the album "Combat Rock."

The music contained in "Cut The Crap" is a terrible mix of electronics, synthesizers, '80s keyboards, hard riffs, and ridiculous stadium chants. "Are You Red ..Y", "Life Is Wild" and the opening "Dictator" are a series of outdated and disturbing synth-rock. "Dirty Punk" unsuccessfully tries to recapture the lost spirit of 1977 but ends up sounding dated and rhetorical, "Play To Win" is just annoying noise, and "Three Card Trick" is good for discos. The politicized "This Is England", back then magnanimously judged as a decent track, miserably fails due to its heavy arrangement, while the indulgent "We Are The Clash" features chants worthy of a soccer team. It's useless to mention individual tracks as very little is actually salvaged from the album's grooves. When "Cut The Crap" was released in 1985, it provoked a sense of annoying embarrassment among critics who, given the high esteem the Clash enjoyed, tried not to completely destroy it.

Fortunately, the album was soon renounced by Joe Strummer, who blamed Bernie Rhodes for this disaster, thus closing forever the great adventure of the Clash. An unforgettable and revolutionary adventure that deserved a better ending.