hy bother with another compilation of The Clash’s best songs? Isn’t The Singles, The Clash On Broadway, etc. enough? Well, not really. This is a worthy collection. Yes, seriously. The Essential Clash is a best of compilation celebrating the punk era’s most important band with a track-listing chosen by the original four members of the band.

Needless to say, with the untimely death of Joe Strummer Essential is happening at the right time. The Essential Clash isn’t meant to be like hearing The Clash or London Calling for the first time. It’s a proper retrospective, from the first single, “White Riot” to the very bitter end of “This Is England” from the less than favored Cut The Crap. Spanning two CDs, it contains all of the fundamentals. It’s their career in 41 tracks. A career that made politics interesting, reggae and punk come together without sounding like shit, and never saw the band sell out with a shoddy reunion consisting of four old farts playing songs written 25 years ago (even though we’d all have gone to see them and probably have enjoyed it).

Disc One is where the gems are located. Since it’s all chronological, the first side is going to rule. What isn’t here? Not a thing. “White Riot” in all its glory; it’s brilliant b-side “1977”; the ultimate record company fuck you, “Complete Control”; the most ripped off punk song ever “Clash City Rockers”; the motivational speech “Career Opportunities”; and the song that everyone knows, “I Fought The Law”. It’s pure heaven and an honourable attempt at cramming the first three albums into 21 songs.

Disc Two, however, isn’t as magical, but it shouldn’t be any surprise. It does spotlight their two most popular albums (London Calling and Combat Rock), but the edge gets a little smoothed out. Still though, the genius isn’t lost. Here, punk meets disco (“The Magnificent Seven”), anthems are born (“London Calling”) and legendary pop songs take shape (“Train In Vain”, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”, “Rock The Cashbah”, etc.). It points out just where The Clash became megastars and when they self-destructed.

What separates this from the rest is simply the band’s input and timing. They’re just being inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame and have been on the cover of every important music magazine, gaining the attention legends deserve. Essential is a perfect opportunity for those who never got into the band to seize the moment, and for those who love the band to get an admirable collection the band wanted to be remembered for. It is The Clash according to The Clash. Buy this: you won’t regret it.