The Clash second album, Give 'Em Enough Rope, was released by CBS and produced by Sandy Pearlman in November, receiving largely positive reviews.
In February 1979, CBS released the single, "English Civil War", and in May the EP, The Cost of Living.
Produced by Guy Stevens, the double album was a mix of different styles, with greater maturity and production polish.
The album again reflected a broad range of musical styles, including extended dubs and the first forays into rap by a major rock band.
In November, CBS released the single, "This Is Radio Clash", which further demonstrated their ability to mix diverse influences such as dub and hip hop.
Combat Rock was originally planned to be a 2-LP set with the title Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg, but were unable to mix it to either the group's or to CBS's satisfaction.
Glyn Johns, brought in by manager Bernard Rhodes to edit and mix the album, reconceived it as a single LP and had Joe Strummer re-record several vocals.
[4] After Combat Rock was released, Topper Headon was asked to leave the band,[1][13] and then in September 1983, Mick Jones was fired.
Cut the Crap, the last studio album of the band, actually composed by Strummer, Simonon, Pete Howard, Nick Sheppard, and Vince White, was produced by Rhodes and released by CBS in November.
In 1988, Epic released the double-disc, 28-track compilation The Story of the Clash, Volume 1 presenting a relatively thorough overview of their career.
In 1993, Epic released Super Black Market Clash, a compilation that contains B-sides and rare tracks not available on their other albums.
It contains The Vanilla Tapes, missing recordings made by the band in mid-1979 during the London Calling sessions,[16] as a bonus disc, and a DVD featuring the making of the album, the music videos for "London Calling", "Train in Vain" and "Clampdown", and video footage of The Clash recording sessions in Wessex Studios.
Sound System had an enthusiastic reception,[20] and both the 12-CD box set and the best of compilation both entered the UK Albums Chart.