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Revision as of 19:39, 7 January 2008

This article is about the album. For the song, see London Calling (song).
Untitled

London Calling is a double album released by The Clash in December 1979 in the UK, and the first week of January 1980 in the U.S. The album marked the band's critical and commercial breakthrough.[1] Besides straightforward punk rock, it featured a much wider array of styles than the Clash's earlier albums, with sophisticated pop songwriting that incorporates elements of rockabilly, 1960s-style pop music, lounge music, R&B, ska, rocksteady, hard rock, and reggae in tracks such as "Train in Vain", "Clampdown", "Spanish Bombs", "Jimmy Jazz", and the title track "London Calling".[2][3][4]

History

Themes

Continuing Clash practice, the record is politically motivated lashing out against injustice and rebelling against the establishment. This double album explores many themes like the end of the world in the title track "London Calling", an apocalyptic song, detailing the many ways the world could end, including the coming of the ice age, starvation, and war,[5] denouncing drug addiction in "Hateful", passing through the American folk legend Stagger Lee, in which Stagger Lee is explicitly the hero and Billy the villain, in "Wrong 'Em Boyo", or the young rebels growing up and getting old in "Death or Glory". The rise of far-right politics under British Prime Minister of the time, Margaret Thatcher, is exploited in the pummeling antifascist broadside "Clampdown", or commemorating the Spanish Civil War, a major conflict that devasted Spain from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939, in "Spanish Bombs".[6] "The Right Profile" was a homage to the American method actor Montgomery Clift,[7] "Koka Kola" denunciates the growing power of media advertising and corporations, while "Lost in the Supermarket" is a condamn to the American consumerism, and even "Lover's Rock", that refers to the Pill question.[8]

Two for the price of one

The album was a double LP but sold for the price of a single one, which was the product of some record company duping by the band; they asked the record company if they could include a free 12" single with the album, and upon agreement from record executives, took it upon themselves to make the second disc a full length. This was one of the first showings of the band's anti-establishment/pro-listener position, as their mission was not to make money or please executives, but to get as much music out to Clash fans as possible.

Addition of "Train in Vain"

Main article: Train in Vain

"Train in Vain" was a last minute addition to the album, after the deal for The Clash to write a song for an NME flexi disc fell through, and as Mick Jones commented "This is a bit too good to give away on the NME".[9] The result of its late addition was that it was the only song without lyrics printed on the insert, and was not listed as a track on the sleeve, although the text "Track 5 is Train In Vain" was scratched into the run-out groove area on the B-side of the second disc. Nevertheless, there was some confusion over the track's name, and it is often referred to as "Stand by Me" because of the song's refrain. However on every reissue since the original it has been listed as "Train in Vain".[10][11][12]

Cover

The cover features a photograph by Pennie Smith of Paul Simonon smashing his bass guitar against the stage, at The Palladium in New York City - which was at the time the Mecca of punk and new wave music - on 21 September 1979 during the "Clash Take the Fifth" U.S. tour. The picture is surrounded by typography similar to Elvis Presley's debut album.[9] The picture was later voted the best rock and roll photograph of all time by Q, although at the time Smith did not want the picture used. She did not feel it was a technically good shot because the photograph is slightly out of focus (as she was backing away from Simonon to avoid getting hit). However, Joe Strummer convinced her to use the shot. The broken remains of Simonon's bass are in the permanent collection of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Critics' praise

It was voted the best album of the year in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics poll. In 1989, it was ranked #1 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s (although it was released in 1979 in the UK, its U.S. release was in 1980).[13] In his 1995 book, "The Alternative Music Almanac", Alan Cross placed the album in the #10 spot on the list of '10 Classic Alternative Albums'. In 1998 Q magazine readers voted London Calling the 32nd greatest album of all time, while in 2000 the same magazine placed it at number 4 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2001, the TV network VH1 placed it at number 25 on its survey of the 100 greatest albums. Template:RS500[14] Pitchfork Media ranked it number two on their Top 100 Albums of the 1970s. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named it the greatest rock album of all time. It is also the only album on Metacritic to get an average of 100 from various reviewing medias. In 2006, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation conducted a poll to determine its viewers' favourite album. "London Calling" was 26th on the list.[15] In 2006, the album was chosen by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 best albums of all time.[16]

Effect on music and musical genres

Upon its release in 1979 (1980 in the U.S.), London Calling had an immediate effect on popular music and culture. It was the first album of its kind, as it fused together three uncommon music genres: ska, reggae, and punk music.[2][3][4] After the initial punk rock explosion in Britain, there was a mad rush for record companies to sign punk bands, seeing it as a newly formed “cash-cow.” When asked if he was even aware of the phenomenon caused by the release of the album, bassist Paul Simonon responded “...Well, it (punk music) hadn’t really started. The Pistols were doing their occasional shows, but punk was something that really came about after the Grundy thing. Then it was called punk ya know.”

Template:Multicol

London Calling was really the album that marked a lot of changes because a lot of our musical interests sort of came all to the forefront. Like, I'm interested in reggae music which I suppose living in London we heard a lot of.

— Paul Simonon to MTV Rockumentary, [1]

Template:Multicol-break

I think by the time of London Calling, punk music was painting itself into a corner or something. And I think we attempted to show that we could play any type of music and that is what we continued to do from that point on.

— Mick Jones to MTV Rockumentary, [1]

Template:Multicol-end

London Calling on the big and small screens

A number of songs from London Calling have been sold to various corporations for various commercial purposes. Examples include the use of the album's title track in the James Bond film Die Another Day, in Bravo Two Zero, in the season finale of the fourth season of the hit TV show Friends, in the movie What a Girl Wants, in the motion picture Billy Elliot, in a Jaguar car commercial, and Australian shoe company, Globe Shoes, released a limited edition shoe with lyrics from the song printed on the side. Similarly, Rudy Giuliani used "Rudie Can't Fail" as his entrance music when he presented a statue at the 2002 MTV Music Video Awards. The use of these songs have annoyed many fans who consider the band's public persona to be representative of a left-wing, anti-establishment, and, by extension, anti-corporate worldview.

Reissues

In January 2000, London Calling, along with the rest of the Clash's catalog was remastered and re-released.

On 21 September 2004, Epic Records and Legacy Recordings released a Legacy Edition of the album which included not only the original remastered album (first released in 2000) but also The Vanilla Tapes, long rumoured lost, which contained rough rehearsal sessions for the album named after the studio in London where the recordings took place and a DVD containing a documentary and promos about the making of the album.

Track listing

All songs written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "London Calling" – 3:19
  2. "Brand New Cadillac " (Vince Taylor) – 2:09
  3. "Jimmy Jazz" – 3:51
  4. "Hateful" – 2:47
  5. "Rudie Can't Fail" – 3:26

Tracks 1–4 are sung by Joe Strummer. Track 5 is sung by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones.

Side two

  1. "Spanish Bombs" – 3:18
  2. "The Right Profile" – 4:00
  3. "Lost in the Supermarket" – 3:47
  4. "Clampdown" – 3:50
  5. "The Guns of Brixton" (Paul Simonon) – 3:07

Tracks 2 and 4 are sung by Joe Strummer. Track 3 is sung by Mick Jones. Track 5 is sung by Paul Simonon. Track 1 is sung by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones.

Side three

  1. "Wrong 'Em Boyo" (Clive Alphonso) – 3:10
  2. "Death or Glory" – 3:55
  3. "Koka Kola" – 1:45
  4. "The Card Cheat" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Topper Headon) – 3:51

Tracks 1–3 are sung by Joe Strummer. Track 4 is sung by Mick Jones.

Side four

  1. "Lover's Rock" – 4:01
  2. "Four Horsemen" – 3:00
  3. "I'm Not Down" – 3:00
  4. "Revolution Rock" (Jackie Edwards, Danny Ray) – 5:37
  5. "Train in Vain" – 3:11

Tracks 2 and 4 are sung by Joe Strummer. Tracks 3 and 5 are sung by Mick Jones. Track 1 is sung by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones.

25th anniversary edition bonus disc

The 25th anniversary edition of the album contains The Vanilla Tapes as a bonus disc.

  1. "Hateful" – 3:23
  2. "Rudie Can't Fail" – 3:08
  3. "Paul's Tune" (Simonon) – 2:32
  4. "I'm Not Down" – 3:34
  5. "4 Horsemen" – 2:45
  6. "Koka Kola, Advertising & Cocaine" – 1:57
  7. "Death or Glory" – 3:47
  8. "Lover's Rock" – 3:45
  9. "Lonesome Me" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Headon) – 2:09
  10. "The Police Walked in 4 Jazz" – 2:19
  11. "Lost in the Supermarket" – 3:52
  12. "Up-Toon (Inst.)" – 1:57
  13. "Walking The Sidewalk" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Headon) – 2:34
  14. "Where You Gonna Go (Soweto)" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Headon) – 4:05
  15. "The Man in Me" (Bob Dylan) – 3:57
  16. "Remote Control" – 2:39
  17. "Working and Waiting" – 4:11
  18. "Heart & Mind" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Headon) – 4:27
  19. "Brand New Cadillac" (Taylor) – 2:08
  20. "London Calling" – 4:26
  21. "Revolution Rock" (Edwards, Ray) – 3:51

Samples

Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end

Personel

Additional personel

Production

Chart information

  • In the United Kingdom the album charted at #9 and stayed on the British charts for 20 weeks.
  • In the United States the album peaked at #27 spending 33 weeks on the chart and reaching Platinum status.

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1980 Billboard Pop albums 27

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1979 "London Calling" UK Charts 11
1980 "London Calling"/"Train in Vain (Stand By Me)" Billboard Club Play Singles 30
1980 "Train in Vain (Stand By Me)" Billboard Pop Singles 23

Certifications

Organization Level Date
BPI – UK Gold 31 December 1979
RIAA – USA Gold 4 December 1991
RIAA – USA Platinum 14 February 1996

References

  1. ^ a b c Interviewer: Unknown; Presenter: Kurt Loder. "MTV Rockumentary". MTV. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |began= and |ended= (help); External link in |transcripturl= (help); Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |transcripturl= ignored (|transcript-url= suggested) (help)
    Related news articles:
    • "MTV Rockumentary Part 2". londonsburning.org. Retrieved 2007-12-06. Kurt Loder: The loud and fast punk style became a straitjacket for many bands but with the masterful 1979 double album London Calling, the band broke free creating a multi-faceted sound that was all their own.
      Paul Simonon: London Calling was really the album that marked a lot of changes because a lot of our musical interests sort of came all to the forefront. Like, I'm interested in reggae music which I suppose living in London we heard a lot of.
      Mick Jones: I think by the time of London Calling, punk music was painting itself into a corner or something. And I think we attempted to show that we could play any type of music and that is what we continued to do from that point on.
  2. ^ a b Metzger, John (2004). "The Clash London Calling 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition". The Music Box. Retrieved 2007-11-19. Overflowing with ideas, the songs effortlessly leapt from rockabilly to reggae to hard rock, while folding in elements of blues, jazz, R&B, and folk, and all of it was delivered with the pummeling fury of a tempest unleashed. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b "The Clash". Artist History. Aversion.com. Retrieved 2007-11-20. With the release of London Calling, the band had pushed punk in a hundred different directions. From the rockabilly cover of Vince Taylor's "Brand New Cadillac," to the ska of "Wrong 'Em Boyo," or "Spanish Bomb's" classical guitar, the Clash proved punk was more than the simple "1-2-3-4! Go!" of its early days.
  4. ^ a b Sinclair, Tom (2004-09-24). "The Best Album of All Time". Fall Music Preview. EW. pp. pp. 2. Retrieved 2008-01-06. So it was goodbye to raging three-chord rama lama, hello to a fresh panoply of styles that included rockabilly (Brand New Cadillac), ska-reggae (Revolution Rock), R&B (Wrong 'Em Boyo), ballads (Lost in the Supermarket) -- even touches of jazzbo cool (Jimmy Jazz). It wasn't about just limiting ourselves to one sound, says Simonon. It was all about, What about that sound over there, and that music over there? What if we mix that with this, and then put it like this? {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  5. ^ "London Calling by The Clash Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  6. ^ "Franco and the Spanish Civil War". New Forum. 2002. Retrieved 2008-01-06. The punk band The Clash recorded "Spanish Bombs" in 1979, a song commemorating the Spanish Civil War.
  7. ^ "The Right Profile by The Clash Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  8. ^ Sinclair, Tom (2004-09-24). "The Best Album of All Time". Fall Music Preview. EW. pp. pp. 1. Retrieved 2008-01-06. From the apocalyptically chilling title track to the giddy closing choogle of Train in Vain, the album was a wild, genre-jumping joyride. Whether denouncing drug addiction (Hateful), paying homage to ill-fated actor Montgomery Clift (The Right Profile), or delivering a pummeling antifascist broadside (Clampdown), the Clash was clearly a band at the top of its game. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  9. ^ a b "The Uncut Crap - Over 56 Things You Never Knew About The Clash". NME. 3. London: IPC Magazines. March 16, 1991. ISSN 0028-6362. OCLC 4213418. a) "Train In Vain" isn't listed on the sleeve credits for "London Calling" because it was originally going to be a flexi give-away with NME. Unfortunately, the idea proved too expensive and the track went on the LP instead.
    b) The cover of the "London Calling" is a rip-off of Elvis' "Rock And Roll" LP from '56 and was taken by our own Pennie Smith.     {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
    Related news articles:
  10. ^ Black, Johnny (2002). "The Greatest Songs Ever! "Train in Vain (Stand by Me)" Article on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More" (ASPX). Blender. Retrieved 2008-01-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Janovitz, Bill. "Train in Vain". Song Review. All Music Guide. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  12. ^ "Train in Vain The Clash". The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Rolling Stone. 2004-12-09. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  13. ^ "Clash star Strummer dies" (STM). Entertainment. BBC News World Edition. 2002-12-27. Retrieved 2007-11-20. Rolling Stone voted London Calling, their classic 1980 album (released in 1979 in the UK) as the best album of the Eighties.
  14. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Special Collectors Issue. Rolling Stone. 2003-11-18. Retrieved 2007-11-18. Recorded in 1979 in London, which was then wrenched by surging unemployment and drug addiction, and released in America in January 1980, the dawn of an uncertain decade, London Calling is nineteen songs of apocalypse fueled by an unbending faith in rock & roll to beat back the darkness.
  15. ^ "My Favourite Album". ABC. Retrieved 2008-01-04. My Favourite Album is ABC's national viewer poll to find Australia's favourite music albums of all time.
    26. The Clash — London Calling
  16. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (2006-11-13). "The All-TIME 100 Albums". Time. Retrieved 2007-12-21. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
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