All The Young Punks (New Boots and Contracts)

Album: Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978)
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Songfacts®:

  • With a title inspired by a combination of the David Bowie-written hit for Mott the Hoople, "All The Young Dudes," and Ian Dury and the Blockheads' album New Boots and Panties (released a year before Give 'Em Enough Rope), this track bookends the Give 'Em Enough Rope album and acts both as a mythologized story of The Clash's roots and growth as a band, and a warning to other young Punk bands - basically saying that it's not as glamorous or wealthy as some people may think, with those "some people" probably including detractors like the Sniffin' Glue fanzine who accused the band of selling out when they signed to the major CBS records.
  • This was recorded at Basing Street studios along with most of the material on Give 'Em Enough Rope. The 1980 movie Rude Boy features a scene with frontman Joe Strummer laying down a vocal take from these sessions. It featured briefly in the band's live set.

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