White Riot (1977) - search results | Facebook

The Clash release their debut single ‘White Riot'

18th March 1977, The Clash | Facebook

On 11th March 1977, The Clash perform a live show at Harlesden Coliseum

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Clash issue 'Riot' anthem

Record Mirror 26 February 1977

Link or full edition

Link

Smash Hits White Riot lyrics

POSTERS

White riot 7" poster

Original 1977 CBS Records UK Promo Poster

NME, The answer is a brick

March 19th

NME: The answer is a Brick ...

NME, 19th March 1977

Melody Maker: There's a riot going on

Clash City Collectors | Facebook

77 03 19 Link 1 or Link 2

Sounds: Single of the Week

Clash City Collectors | Facebook

77 03 19

Acton Gazette - Thursday 5 May 1977

CLASSIC TRACKS: The Clash 'White Riot', Engineer: Simon Humphrey

Sound on Sound / SOS ezine
Recording > Classic Tracks
By Richard Buskin

Published October 2013

Link or archived PDF

Clash Crash

Unknown review

SOUNDS: The 1977 Single of the Week

White Riot / The Clash / review

Source and date unknown

White Riot / The Clash / review

NME

MELODY MAKER: The Clash: there's a riot goin' on ...

Record Hunter: The first 12 months

February 1991, a review of the bands record releases in 1977.

The Story Behind The Song ‘White Riot'

Far Out Magazine

The Clash's misunderstood punk masterclass

Link

Dream Deferred | The Clash a riot of our own

By Hassan Mahamdallie |
8 January 2018
Added to BMC July 2024

Online or Archived PDF

Punk and New Wave exploded onto the musical stage in 1976-77. The new music brought the bloated rock scene that came before it crashing down - and punk has shaped much of the music that has come since. Two years ago Hassan Mahamdallie began his occasional series on this blog - a personal, musical and political journey. He ends the series looking at one of the most important - if not the most important - punk bands of all time, the Clash.

Retrospective review of

White Riot 7"
Police and Thieves
Clash City Rockers 7"
Compleet Control 7"
Armagideon Time (LC12)
Live at Lyceum December, 1978

Video: This cultural immersion greatly influenced The Clash's debut record.

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On this day in 1977, THE CLASH released their debut single, WHITE RIOT, a powerful song that would become one of their most iconic tracks. Despite being frequently misunderstood, 'White Riot' is a rallying call to arms for unity and hope.

The song was written by Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon, who lived in Notting Hill during the summer of 1976. The neighbourhood was divided between affluent high society members and low-income families, including Jamaican immigrants. This cultural immersion greatly influenced The Clash's debut record. The oppression felt by the working class transcended race and culture, and this idea became a driving force behind 'White Riot'.

The duo witnessed police brutality and oppression in their predominantly Black neighbourhood. Tensions between residents and the police reached a breaking point at the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival, where riots and police violence erupted. Strummer and Simonon wondered why white kids weren't fighting for justice too, and 'White Riot' was their call to action.

Strummer explained the song's controversial lyrics to NME: "The only thing we're saying about the Blacks is that they've got their problems and they're prepared to deal with them. But white men, they just ain't prepared to deal with them—everything's too cosy. They've got stereos, drugs, hi-fis, cars. The poor Blacks and the poor whites are in the same boat."

Despite the true intentions behind 'White Riot', the song was often misused by undesirable factions and misinterpreted as a document of white power. Strummer, determined to maintain control of the narrative, continued to perform the song even when venues asked them to stop. The band's political and social justice-driven approach to punk rock solidified their place as an important force in the movement.

Billy Bragg once said of The Clash, "were it not for The Clash, punk would have been just a sneer, a safety pin and a pair of bondage trousers." Their razor-sharp wit and politically charged lyrics raised the bar for what was possible in punk rock. They were a furnace of ideals and ethics, the kind that could solidify the porcelain thoughts of punk rock and propel the movement forward. Decade 77-87 - a grown up disco: new wave, punk, postpunk, goth & indie

Ghast Up fanzine (issue #1)

Front and inside pages

New Wave fanzine (issue #3)

Front and inside pages

Sniffin Glue fanzine

from Sniffin' Glue fanzine, issue #8 (1977) - White Riot reviewed - Link

48 Thrills fanzine, issue no3 (1977)

White Stuff fanzine, issue #2 (1977)

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The Clash Official  |  Facebook

1. All FB posts on Clash Official
2. All FB posts

Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from the Roxy gig and the pre-White Riot period

Archive - Topper joins - Snippets - UK articles / magazines - Fanzines - Audio / Video - 1977 General