"Capital Radio" is a song and an extended play by English

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

. The original song has been included as "Capital Radio" or "Capital Radio One" on the ''Capital Radio'' EP (1977), '' Black Market Clash'' (1980), '' The Story of the Clash, Volume 1'' (1988), '' Clash on Broadway'' (1991), '' From Here to Eternity: Live'' (1999), ''

The Essential Clash ''The Essential Clash'' is a career-spanning greatest hits compilation album, album by The Clash first released in 2003. It is part of the ongoing 'The Essential' Sony BMG compilation series. The album is dedicated to Joe Strummer, who died durin ...

'' (2003), and '' Singles Box'' (2006).

Lyrics

Lyrically, the song is an attack on the music policy of what was (at the time) London's only legal commercial music radio station, which played sophisticated pop, some mainstream chart hits but little punk, though they did playlist The Jam's first single 'In The City', while the Sex Pistols' 'Pretty Vacant' made the Top 3 of their 'Capital Countdown' playlist. The Clash song mentions the station's then-Head of Music, Aidan Day"He picks all the hits they play/to keep you in your place all day": The song ends with a parody of one of Capital's actual

jingles A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meanings that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

of the period; the band replaces the lyric "in tune with London" with "in tune with nothing". The parody is heightened by the use of a variation on the ending riff from "I'm Only Dreaming" by the

Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...

''Capital Radio'' E.P.

The extended play ''Capital Radio'' was released on 9 April 1977, but was not sold commercially.George Gimarc, ''Punk Diary'', p. 61. Instead, it was given away free to readers who sent off a coupon printed in the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', plus the red sticker found on the band's debut studio album ''

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

'' (1977). The EP was produced by Mickey Foote and engineered by Simon Humphrey. The interview with the band was conducted by the ''NME''s writer Tony Parsons and was recorded during a trip on a

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

train on the Circle line.

Track listing

Personnel

"Capital Radio"

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...

lead vocal, rhythm guitar * Mick Jonesbacking vocals, lead & rhythm guitar *

Paul Simonon Paul Gustave Simonon (; born 15 December 1955) is an English musician and artist best known as the bassist for the Clash. More recent work includes his involvement in the supergroup the Good, the Bad & the Queen and playing on the Gorillaz alb ...

bass guitar *

Terry Chimes Terence Chimes (born 5 July 1956, Stepney, London, England) is an English musician, best known as the original drummer of punk rock group the Clash. He played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again from ...

drums

"Listen"

* Mick Joneslead guitars *

lead guitar *

bass guitar *

drums

Capital Radio Two

By late 1978, the original EP had become very rare in the UK, and started to be sold for high prices by collectors and some unscrupulous record shops. Partly to prevent this profiteering from what they had originally intended as a free gift to fans, the group decided to re-record "Capital Radio" for a new extended play record '' The Cost of Living'', which was released on 7-inch vinyl on 11 May 1979 through

CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records, a former name of Sony Music, a global music company * CBS/Sony, a former name of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, a Japanese music company division of Sony * CBS Records International, a label for Columbia Re ...

. This new version, later titled "Capital Radio Two", is longer (3:19) than the original version, mainly because of a protracted intro and outro. "Capital Radio Two" has been included on ''

Super Black Market Clash ''Super Black Market Clash'' is a 1993 compilation album released by the English punk rock band The Clash. It contains B-sides and rare tracks not available on the group's regular studio albums. The album is an expanded repackaging of the 1980 r ...

'' (1994) and '' Singles Box'' (2006), whereas "Capital Radio One" was included on the original version of the former, ''Black Market Clash''.

Personnel

lead vocal, rhythm guitar * Mick Jonesbacking vocals, lead & rhythm guitars *

bass guitar *

Topper Headon Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955) is an English drummer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer of punk rock band the Clash. Headon was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the Clash in 2003. ...

drums

References

Sources

* {{authority control 1977 songs The Clash songs