1976 the cover photo for the single "White Riot" is taken by Caroline Coon at the band's rehearsal studio in Camden Town.    

The Clash | Facebook - lots of comments

©Caroline Coon/CAMERA PRESS @centre_for_british_photography

Auytographed White Riot single 7"

7" single signed

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

Link

Clash issue 'Riot' anthem

Record Mirror 26 February 1977

Link or full edition

Link

Smash Hits White Riot lyrics

'White Riot' patch

Punk Memorabilia For Sale Or Trade | Facebook
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ULTIMATE CLASSIC ROCK
The Clash, 'White Riot' — Lyrics Uncovered

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-clash-white-riot-lyrics-uncovered/
The Clash, ‘White Riot’ — Lyrics Uncovered

Chris Moorhouse / Evening Standard, Getty Images

Just like their name suggests, the Clash were never a band to back down from a fight. With their very first single, 1977's 'White Riot,' the legendary British punk rockers came out swinging.

The lyrics to 'White Riot' sprouted from the real-life experience of singer-guitarist Joe Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon as observers of the riots at London's Notting Hill Carnival in 1976. The pair witnessed the confrontation, in which black youths clashed with police officers because they felt they were constantly being harassed.

Strummer left the event wondering why young white people didn't have the same courage to fight the establishment: "Black man gotta lot a problems / But they don't mind throwing a brick / White people go to school / Where they teach you how to be thick."

Many people originally misconstrued the tune as a call for a race war, but a deeper look into the lyrics makes it clear that the song is a call to action: "All the power's in the hands / Of people rich enough to buy it / While we walk the street / Too chicken to even try it."

'White Riot' set the tone for the Clash's modus operandi during their short, but prolific existence, as many of the band's songs had anti-establishment themes. One verse in particular served as a message the group would repeat in varied fashions throughout it's career: "Are you takin' over? / Or are you takin' orders? / Are you goin' backwards? / Or are you goin' forwards?"

In November 2002, after not playing live together for nearly 20 years, singer-guitarist Mick Jones joined Strummer onstage in London to perform three Clash songs, including 'White Riot.' Sadly, about a month later, Strummer died of a heart attack. Three months after that, the Clash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Watch The Clash's Joe Strummer and Mick Jones Performing 'White Riot' in 2002

Bonhams Auctions

THE CLASH - WHITE RIOT. Hand annotated lyrics1977. 33 by 21 centimetres.

Annotated song lyrics, original. Typed lyric sheets for the song 'White Riot' by the Clash - the sheet includes handwritten additions by Joe Strummer c.1977.

Originally given to by the group to their one time manager, Caroline Coon, when compiling her '1984-The Punk Explosion' book, in 1977.

A facsimile letter of provenance by Caroline Coon, plus additional provenance from renowned music memorabilia specialist's. Originally from the archive of the writer and Clash manager, Caroline Coon (DECEMBER 2010, BONHAMS)

These are the songs that became the tracks for the Clash's eponymously-titled album. Some lyric sheets were typed by Strummer and were annotated/amended as detailed above for Caroline Coon so that she could quote them in articles she was writing for Melody Maker, prior to the tracks being recorded, for her book, '1988 The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion' (1977), and also for the first Clash songbook which she was helping to produce.

Included in the lot is her press pass for the 'Anarchy In The UK' tour gig at Leeds Poly Assembly Hall, 6th December 1977: some of the lyrics were annotated backstage at various venues.

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: The Clash: There's a riot going on

Clash City Collectors | Facebook

19 March 1977 - Link 1 or Link 2 or Link 3 with advert

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

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)

Link

PETER COOK - SIGNED LIMITED EDITION PHOTOGRAPH - THE CLASH

Omega Auctions: A limited edition photograph by Peter Cook, signed by the photographer and numbered 1/30. To measure 29.5 x 42.5cm. Image depicts The Clash.

Rare images of The Clash (11 January 1977) taken during the recording of the LP version of White Riot for renowned music documentary director Julien Temple.

The recording predates the signing of their record contract with CBS on 25 January.

The Clash Official  |  Facebook

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

The Clash - White Riot (Official Video) Live

youtube.com/

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