10 Albums That Were Hated Before They Even Came Out

For all of the cynicism that comes up in punk, the Clash seemed every bit like a punk rock family. The Beatles may have paved the way for what rock could do, but the Clash were the next logical answer to them, making the power of rock and roll mean something more than just artistic expression. This was music that was meant to change the world, until the Lennon/McCartney like partnership started crumbling down in the '80s.

Just when it looked like the Clash were going to own the next decade, Combat Rock's stadium tour was capped off with Mick Jones getting sacked, playing up the rock star appeal of the band a bit too much. This wasn't some no name either, being as integral to the band as Joe Strummer was by providing a melodic counterpoint to all of the overt politics. Eventually needing two people to replace him when they went into the next record, Cut the Crap might be one of the most aptly named titles in rock history, as Strummer went in and tried desperately to hold the core band together, with songs that aren't even past the demo stage.

Gone are all of the immediate hooks and all we're left with is songs like Dictator, which fall somewhere between the unlistenable schlock of what the MTV generation was doing and the band struggling to figure out what you're supposed to do in the studio. While a song like This is England has held up surprisingly well over the years, this is far from another Clash classic. It's a nice shroud to put over the band's final years.