Clash fans are snobs. They overanalyze everything and are hyper critical, which is one of the reasons this album has such a bad reputation. What other band's principle biography -- "Last Gang in Town" -- spends 400 pages tearing members apart and calling them phonies? Of course, fans have a reason to expect greatness. The Clash produced three of rock's best albums. Give Em Enough Rope isn't one of them but even a flawed Clash album trumps almost all the competition. There's classics aplenty here. I've owned the album at least 15 years and still get a thrill from the snare shot and guitar riff that kicks off "Safe European Home," which remains one of punk's best anthems. Same goes for the "Guns on the Roof," "Drug-Stabbing Time," "English Civil War," "Tommy Gun," and "Stay Free." The problem is a slight lack of material. Some of the songs are filler. Also, Strummer goes overboard on outlaw imagery, losing some of the rage he showed on the first album while not yet finding the subtle, sharp observer voice he displays on later works. But why quibble? Play it loud, overlook some of its weaknesses and enjoy the ride.