Give 'em Enough Rope

• Artist: The Clash
• Rating:
• Release Date: November 10, 1978
• Total Time: 36:57
• Type: Lyrics are included with the album
• Genre: Rock

Review

For their second album, the Clash worked with the American hard rock producer Sandy Pearlman, best-known for his work with Blue Öyster Cult and the Dictators. The teaming was quite controversial within the punk community, and the sound of Give 'Em Enough Rope is considerably cleaner, yet the more direct sound hardly tamed the Clash. While the record doesn't burn with the same intense, amateurish energy of The Clash, it does have a big, forceful sound that is nearly as powerful. What keeps Give 'Em Enough Rope from being a classic is its slightly inconsistent material. Many of the songs are outright classics, particularly the first half of the record ("Safe European Home," "English Civil War," "Tommy Gun," "Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad") and "Stay Free," but the group loses some momentum toward the end of the record. Even with such flaws, Give 'Em Enough Rope ranks as one of the strongest albums of the punk era. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Safe European Home (Lyrics)	Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones	The Clash	(3:50)
English Civil War (Lyrics)	Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Traditional	The Clash	(2:35)
Tommy Gun (Lyrics)	Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones	The Clash	(3:17)
Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad (Lyrics)	Mick Jones, Joe Strummer	The Clash	(3:03)
Last Gang in Town (Lyrics)	Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones	The Clash	(5:14)
Guns on the Roof (Lyrics)	Mick Jones, Topper Headon, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, Mick Jones	The Clash	(3:15)
Drug-Stabbing Time (Lyrics)	Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Mick Jones	The Clash	(3:43)
Stay Free (Lyrics)	Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones	The Clash	(3:40)
Cheapskates (Lyrics)	Mick Jones, Mick Jones, Joe Strummer	The Clash	(3:25)
All the Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)	Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones	The Clash	(4:56)

Credits

Joe Strummer (Guitar), The Clash (Arranger), Paul Simonon (Bass), Dennis Ferrante (Engineer), Corky Stasiak (Mixing), Bob Whitney (Remastering), Bill Price (Remastering Supervisor), Ray Staff (Remastering), Kevin Dalimore (Engineer), Corky Stasiak (Engineer), Chris Mingo (Engineer), Joe Strummer (Vocals), Mick Jones (Guitar), Mick Jones (Vocals), Sandy Pearlman (Producer), Gregg Caruso (Engineer)