The Clash -- "The Story of the Clash, Volume 2"

In 1988, Epic Records released a double CD titled The Story of the Clash, Volume 1. It was a compilation album featuring most of the band's well-known songs—basically a "best of" collection.

Volume 2 was planned but never released. There has been some debate as to exactly what songs were supposed to be on the second volume. I've read that it was to be either live tracks or rarities, or a combination of both. Perhaps there was a disagreement among parties, and that's why it never materialized. 

When it came to determining what tracks to use for The Story of the Clash, Volume 2, I decided to include both rarities and live material. If this was to truly be a "story of the band," I think both sum up The Clash along with the "hits" of Volume 1.

In the 1990s, there were several Clash compilation albums that came out with B-sides, rarities and live tracks. Two of those albums stood out to me -- From Here to Eternity: Live and Super Black Market Clash.

DISC 1 - Live

1. London's Burning (Victoria Park, East London, 30 April 1978)
2. What's My Name (Music Machine, London, 27 July 1978)
3. City of the Dead (Lyceum Theatre, London, 28 Dec. 1978)
4. I Fought the Law (Lyceum Theatre, London, 28 Dec. 1978)
5. Drug-Stabbing Time (Lyceum Theatre, London, 28 Dec. 1978)
6. English Civil War (Lyceum Theatre, London, 3 Jan. 1979)
7. Capital Radio (Lewisham Odeon, London, 18 Feb. 1980)
8. Armagideon Time (Lewisham Odeon, London, 18 Feb. 1980)
9. Complete Control (Bonds International Casino, New York City, 13 June 1981)
10. Train in Vain (Bonds International Casino, New York City, 13 June 1981)
11. The Guns of Brixton (Bonds International Casino, New York City, 13 June 1981)
12. Clash City Rockers (Orpheum, Boston, 7 Sept. 1982)
13. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais (Orpheum, Boston, 7 Sept. 1982)
14. London Calling (Orpheum, Boston, 7 Sept. 1982)
15. The Magnificent Seven (Orpheum, Boston, 7 Sept. 1982)
16. Know Your Rights (Orpheum, Boston, 7 Sept. 1982)
17. Should I Stay or Should I Go (Orpheum, Boston, 7 Sept. 1982)
18. Straight to Hell (Orpheum, Boston, 7 Sept. 1982)
19. Janie Jones (Orpheum, Boston, 7 Sept. 1982)
20. Career Opportunities (Shea Stadium, New York City, 13 Oct. 1982)

DISC 2 - Rarities

1. 1977 (B-side of "White Riot" single, 1977)
2. Listen (full version, 1977)
3. City of the Dead (B-side of "Complete Control" single, 1977)
4. Jail Guitar Doors (B-side of "Clash City Rockers" single, 1978)
5. The Prisoner (B-side of "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" single, 1978)
6. 1-2 Crush on You (B-side of "Tommy Gun" single, 1978)
7. Pressure Drop (B-side of "English Civil War" single, 1979)
8. Groovy Times (The Cost of Living E.P., 1979)
9. Gates of the West (The Cost of Living E.P., 1979)
10. Capital Radio Two (The Cost of Living E.P., 1979)
11. Justice Tonight / Kick It Over (dub version of "Armagideon Time," B-side of "London Calling" 12-inch single, 1979)               
12. Time Is Tight (from Black Market Clash, 1980)
13. Robber Dub (dub version of "Bankrobber" 1980)
14. Stop the World (B-side of "The Call Up" single, 1980)
15. The Cool Out (instrumental version of "The Call Up,” B-side of "The Magnificent Seven" single, 1981)
16. The Magnificent Dance (B-side of "The Magnificent Seven" single, 1981)
17. Radio Clash (B-side of "This Is Radio Clash" single, 1981)
18. First Night Back in London (B-side of "Know Your Rights" single, 1982)     
19. Long Time Jerk (B-side of "Rock the Casbah" single, 1982)
20. Cool Confusion (B-side of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" single, 1982)       
21. Mustapha Dance (dub version of "Rock the Casbah," B-side of "Rock the Casbah" single, 1982)      

In essence, From Here to Eternity: Live accomplishes the live portion. It includes tracks recorded from 1978 through 1982. At the risk of appearing lazy, I decided to simply take those tracks to make my "live" disc, with the main difference in that I put the tracks in chronological order. I also added a live version of "English Civil War" that appears on the compilation Clash on Broadway as there aren't any other tracks featured from 1979.

For Disc 2, I took a similar approach: I took the tracks of the rarities compilation Super Black Market Clash and reorganized the songs in chronological order.

I can't say whether this is close to the original plan for Volume 2, but I think it certainly showcases the band as both a live act and a group with diverse music. For a cover, I tried to mimic Volume 1 by taking another photo of The Clash and using a similar layout.