The Clash star in Rock Legends: the documentary airing on Rai5

A permanent revolution, from the flames of punk London to the international stage and the world's conscience. On Saturday 17 January at 11:35pm, Rai5 (with a repeat airing later on RaiPlay) will broadcast an episode of Rock Legends entirely devoted to the Clash. The English band's story has been "a permanent revolution", because – as a note from the programme puts it – the Clash defined a sound and image that has never dated. A saga that managed to condense the spirit of a generation, projecting it into the age that followed. From the Westway to eternity.

The documentary retracing their history, directed by Lyndy Saville, was made in 2017.

Active from 1976 to 1986, they were one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the era. The line-up was built mainly around Joe Strummer (vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, vocals), Paul Simonon (bass, vocals) and Nick "Topper" Headon (drums, percussion). The Clash were known for the sheer range of their music (their repertoire took in reggae, dub, rap, rockabilly, ska and more), for their especially intense live shows, and for the lyrical and political sophistication of their songs, which set them apart from most of their peers in the punk movement. They won over critics and audiences alike, particularly in the UK, with the release of their debut album "The Clash" (1977) and its follow-up, "Give 'Em Enough Rope" (1978).

But the Clash saga reaches its peak with the album "London Calling". Released in England in December 1979 and arriving in the US in January 1980, "London Calling" was the album that cemented the Clash's legendary status. The band's third record, following the successful "The Clash" and the less successful (but equally strong) "Give 'Em Enough Rope", the new album immediately came across as an ambitious work, destined to leave its mark for decades to come: a double LP produced by Guy Stevens, whose cover soon became a rock icon in its own right. On that note, not everyone may know that it quotes the cover of Elvis Presley's debut album, dated 1956. Twenty years earlier, in 1976, the Clash were the young men singing "no Elvis, Beatles and Rolling Stones". In 1977 the punk movement exploded, and that same year, Elvis Presley died.

By the dawn of 1980, a great deal had changed: the Sex Pistols had split up, Sid Vicious was dead, and English punk had conquered the States. The Clash, who had nonetheless remained the movement's standard-bearers, began to change shape: shedding their "city rockers" look and leaving behind a certain naivety, the four of them began not only to look to the future but, for the first time, also tried to come to terms with the past that punk had so often rejected. The revolution of '77 had burned out early because it hadn't known how to build, or rather hadn't been able to rebuild after destroying; the Clash, however, taking their own path, managed to do just that: by reclaiming the past, they sought out values to give meaning to the present, so as to project them into the future. A future that would shine again with the extraordinary stylistic patchwork of their next double album, "Sandinista!".

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