On this day in 1977, The Clash dropped their self-titled debut album on CBS Records, and it still stands up as one of punk’s most essential releases. With their speedy and reckless yet musically adept political punk rock, The Clash arguably became the most influential punk band of their era. On their debut LP, frontman Joe Strummer took on uncomfortable topics like class warfare and imperialism, and their gritty songs exuded a frantic rage and the spirit of alienated youth.
On March 8, 1980, The Clash performed at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, N.J. following the release of London Calling a few months prior (which Paste recently named the greatest album of 1979). That night, the band performed three cuts from their debut record—“Janie Jones,” “Police and Thieves” and “Garageland.”
The Clash performed a rumbling, slightly sped-up rendition of “Janie Jones,” their cover of Junior Murvin’s reggae classic “Police and Thieves” and a mashup of “Garageland” with “English Civil War” from their 1978 album Give ‘Em Enough Rope. Paste named both “Police and Thieves” and “Janie Jones” on our list of the 18 best Clash songs. Check out the full list here.
Watch The Clash perform “Janie Jones,” “Police and Thieves” and “Garageland” live in 1980 below.
