#16 The Clash, 'London Calling' (1979)
Previously #8
London in 1979 was plagued by surging unemployment and rampant drug use. The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher had just come to power and there was growing discontentment with the youth. London’s premiere punk band, The Clash were in disarray themselves. Following their second release, they had parted ways with their manager, left their rehearsal studio and hit a major period of writer’s block. One thing was for certain, though, their musical interests had extended beyond punk music and they were keen to explore other genres; Rock ‘n Roll, Ska, Reggae, Rockabilly, Jazz and even an influence from the sounds coming out of New Orleans. They were set up at a new rehaearsal studio and found themselves in a very disciplined and regimented schedule; afternoon rehearsals, followed by late afternoon football, drinks at the pub, and finally more rehearsals. The band created a strong bond with each other during this time which led them to start writing during these rehearsal sessions. And writing and writing. The drought was over and music started flowing out of Mick Jones and Joe Strummer, with contributions from Topper Headon and Paul Simonon.
The result is a two-LP Post Punk record spanning multiple genres and killer songs. The title track discusses the rising unemployment, racism and drug use in England. ‘Rudie Can’t Fail’ is about a fun-loving man with a refusal to grow up; “How you get a rude and a reckless?/Don't you be so crude and feckless/You been drinking brew for breakfast/Rudie can't fail (no, no).” It’s a fun Reggae-Pop song featuring a horn section. ‘The Guns Of Brixton’ is bassist, Simonon’s first recorded composition with The Clash, inspired by the film, ‘The Harder They Come’ (soundtrack featured at #174). Recorded in no more than two takes, Simonon sang his lead vocal while staring directly at a CBS executive that had visited the band in studio. ‘Lost In The Supermarket,’ one of the pop songs on the record, deals with an increasingly commercialised world and rampant consumerism. Inspired by a Taj Mahal concert he’d seen the night before recording, drummer, Topper Headon replaced his snared with a tom-tom drum, giving the drums a non-conventional sound. Brilliant drum performance on this track! While this album spans so many different styles and genres, it remains cohesive throughout. A tight collection of 19 well-crafted songs. It ends with the uncredited ‘Train In Vain,’ a song added after the sleeves were printed, it became The Clash’s first song to enter the Top 30 in the US. Trainspotters might find the drums in the intro sound familiar. Garbage sampled the beat for their 1995 hit single, ‘Stupid Girl.’ Another record with an iconic cover, it features Paul Simonon smashing bis bass on stage in New York because security wouldn’t let audience members stand out of their seats. The cover is a parody of Elvis Presley’s debut record, or a homage, if you will. In the 24 years since the release of that record, Rock ‘n Roll had changed and grown bigger than anyone could have ever expected. Similar to The Clash, they weren’t just another punk group, they had established themselves as a diverse band that had created a refreshing album for the time. To be honest, it still sounds as fresh as ever.
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