The late Joe Strummer is still the only punk-rocker to have had an obituary in The Times. Which puts him in the kind of establishment company he often railed against.

Nevertheless, as the frontman of and driving force behind The Clash, he's earned his place in history. London Calling, of course, is the group's seminal work, but Combat Rock, their final long-player (with the original lineup) showed renewed verve after a duff triple-album (Sandinista!). Moreover, it scored the Clash's first US Top 10 hit with the insanely catchy Rock The Casbah.

When Strummer kicks off with 'This is a public service announcement WITH GUITARS!' on the opening cut, Know Your Rights, you can hear he's on fire again. Guitarist Mick Jones delivers the usual sparkly fretwork, and some incendiary fresh licks. And the album fairly blazes along, with Should I Stay Or Should I Go and Straight To Hell two of many standouts. And, as to be expected, there's apocalyptic (Car Jamming), white reggae (Ghetto Defendant) and rasping hyena vocalising throughout. The only misstep here is the atrocious Overpowered By Funk.

You have to wonder why they bothered with funk. It was probably Joe's idea. He always was a contrary old goat. But also a great and restless talent, whose subsequent Clash and solo recordings showed he needed Mick Jones as much as McCartney needed Lennon, or Morrissey needed Marr, to really soar. Combat Rock was the final proof of this alchemy.