By 1980, the British punk rockers were introduced in New York as “The Most Important Band.” A wave of punk bands were springing up in Britain around that time and during the late 1970s, including one called London SS that closely matched what the most successful punk groups were doing. The London SS eventually broke up, but from its ashes arose a newer, purer group, who called themselves, in the spirit of the times, The Clash.

On this day, April 8, in 1977, the group’s debut album, also called The Clash went on sale. The group was signed by a CBS-affiliated record company for 100,000 British pounds, an unprecedented sum for a group who had little noteworthy performance history.

Many of the punk establishment criticized the group for selling out, but the records were recieved well in the UK. The Clash’s sound was still raw and harsh, and label executives considered the album in its current form unpalatable to the North American audiences. A more refined version of their debut album came two years later, entitled London Calling.