The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town

by Marcus Gray

Book Overview

The Clash were simply the greatest rock'n'roll band of the post-'60s era. They combined the iconoclasm of the Sex Pistols with the swaggering gang mentality of Exile on Main Street-period Rolling... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 063404673X
• ISBN13: 9780634046735
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

THE ONLY CLASH BIO THAT REALLY MATTERS

With each edition of Last Gang in Town, Gray's research has grown deeper and more comprehensive, and his analysis all the more cutting because of it. Gray's opinions on the band's motivations may not be to everyone's tastes, but the man has paid his dues and deserves to be heard. If you are a hardcore fan, this book is your godhead. It's the closest thing to actually having spent all your time with them. Some strung-out liggers may believe they have the inside track based on their short or casual relationship to them, but Gray digs past the sentiment and the nostalgia and does his best to recreate the world of the Clash and the world that they lived in. There has been a lot of comment on Gray's thesis: namely, that the Clash were not nearly as Olympian as Sony's propaganda officers would have you believe. You can quibble on the specifics, but Gray does you the favor of laying out his case meticulously, like a prosecuting attorney. Make no mistake, the man is as dedicated a fan as anyone on the planet, but he doesn't let his love for the music and for the band color his judgement. The Clash were not superheroes, they were a deeply flawed group of men, as are most Rock and Rollers, and as are basically all Rock and Rollers of the Clash's stature. I've read the other Clash bios, everything from Kris Need's scandalously plagiaristic cash-in to Pat Gilbert's earnest and deferential tribute and nothing even comes to close to the width and breadth of Last Gang. Even if you disagree with Gray-hell, even if you violently disagree- you will be blown away by the sheer abundance of fact that this book offers. You will understand the world the Clash lived in and the challenges they faced. Last Gang is true to the spirit of the Clash by taking no heroes, only inspiration

Not For Casual Fan

This book by Marcus Gray describes in painstaking detail the major and minor events leading up to and through the end of The Clash's career. Last Gang in Town doesn't pull any punches and points out all the inconsistencies and contradictions of The Clash, while showing how important the really were. But, the book is so in-depth that it doesn't even get to the actual Clash until about page 100. If you're a major fan it's a great book and well worth the read. But if you're only a casual fan, I would suggest A Riot of Our Own by Johnny Green. It's much shorter and to the point with plenty of humor .

Fall In Love With The Clash, Again And Again!"

I have Marcus Gray's: "Return of the Last Gang"... and MAN are you in for a treat. This book has got thousands of fantastic morsels to chew on with regard to Clash trivia and the state of punk rock back in 1977! The more your read this book the harder it is to put down! It's anything you wanted to know about the inner thoughts, feelings and attitudes of all former members of The Clash in their glory days. If you are a hard core Joe Strummer fan like myself it would be sacriligous for you to pass this book up!! Marcus Gray takes us on a journey from the very early begininngs and backgrounds of our fine young lads: Strummer, Jonesy, Simonon, Crimes, and Topper striaght through the punk years, finacial distresses, and final commercial sucess and demise of "The only band that ever mattered". Gray even documents in detail what music the Clash boys did after they broke up. A MUST READ for any and all Clash Strummer/Jones enthusiasts like myself! "THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!"Calling all Clash fans, this one is a shoe-in for you!!Rest In Peace Joe, you were one of the great ones!

A CLASH ACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A great book detailing the beginnings of The Clash and Punk Rock in general. It dwells on each member individually, and the road they took to form one of the greatest bands in the world. We also get a history lesson on the Punk movement in the U.K. and all the characters who helped it become one of the biggest genres in the 70's. The Clash is fantastic, and if you want to know a little more about their mystique, read this one. It's quite the trip through time.

What it is to be a rock 'n' roller

Now in a revised and updated edition, Marcus Gray's The Clash: Return Of The Last Gang In Town is the informed and informative biographical history of "The Clash," one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands in the decades following the sensational Sixties. Following the individual band members' travails through basements, rehearsals, and street busking, to their wild popularity on the stadiums, the participation in radical politics, and their semi-legendary celebrity mythology, The Clash is an involving, well-researched, meticulously written, and inviting account offering a genuine, behind-the-scenes look at what it is to be a rock 'n' roller in general, and a member of "The Clash" in particular.