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'''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. 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."
History
Themes
Continuing Clash practice, the record is politically motivated. Lyrical themes include: the end of the world ("London Calling"), drug addiction ("Hateful"), American folk legend Stagger Lee ("Wrong 'Em Boyo"), young rebels growing up and getting old ("Four Horsemen"), the rise of far-right politics ("Clampdown"), the Spanish Civil War ("Spanish Bombs"), troubled American method actor Montgomery Clift ("The Right Profile"), the growing power of media advertising and corporations ("Koka Kola"), and even the Pill ("Lover's Rock").
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"
"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". 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".
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. The picture was later voted the best rock and roll photograph of all time by Q (magazine), 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 Paul 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''
In 2006, the album was chosen by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 best albums of all time. [1]
''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 (film)'', 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 Mick Jones and Joe Strummer, except where noted.
# "London Calling" – 3:19
# "Brand New Cadillac" (Vince Taylor) – 2:08
# "Jimmy Jazz" – 3:54
# "Hateful" – 2:44
# "Rudie Can't Fail" – 3:29
# "Spanish Bombs" – 3:18
# "The Right Profile" – 3:54
# "Lost in the Supermarket" – 3:47
# "Clampdown" – 3:49
# "The Guns of Brixton" (Paul Simonon) – 3:09
# "Wrong 'Em Boyo" (Clive Alphonso; credited as "C. Alphanso") – 3:10
# "Death or Glory" – 3:54
# "Koka Kola" – 1:47
# "The Card Cheat" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Topper Headon) – 3:49
# "Lover's Rock" – 4:03
# "Four Horseman" – 2:55
# "I'm Not Down" – 3:06
# "Revolution Rock" (Jackie Edwards, Danny Ray) – 5:33
# "Train in Vain" – 3:10
Tracks 1–4, 6–7, 9, 11–13, 16 and 18 are sung by Joe Strummer. Tracks 8, 14, 17 and 19 are sung by Mick Jones. Track 10 is sung by Paul Simenon. Tracks 5 and 15 are 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.
# "Hateful" – 3:23
# "Rudie Can't Fail" – 3:08
# "Paul's Tune" (Simonon) – 2:32
# "I'm Not Down" – 3:34
# "4 Horsemen" – 2:45
# "Koka Kola, Advertising & Cocaine" – 1:57
# "Death or Glory" – 3:47
# "Lover's Rock" – 3:45
# "Lonesome Me" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Headon) – 2:09
# "The Police Walked in 4 Jazz" – 2:19
# "Lost in the Supermarket" – 3:52
# "Up-Toon (Inst.)" – 1:57
# "Walking The Sidewalk" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Headon) – 2:34
# "Where You Gonna Go (Soweto)" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Headon) – 4:05
# "The Man in Me" (Bob Dylan) – 3:57
# "Remote Control" – 2:39
# "Working and Waiting" – 4:11
# "Heart & Mind" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Headon) – 4:27
# "Brand New Cadillac" (Taylor) – 2:08
# "London Calling" – 4:26
# "Revolution Rock" (Edwards, Ray) – 3:51
Samples
Personnel
★ Joe Strummer – vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
★ Mick Jones – guitar, vocals, piano
★ Paul Simonon – bass, vocals
★ Topper Headon – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
★ Mickey Gallagher – organ
★ The Irish Horns – brass
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 |
| 2000 | Rolling Stone Best 500 albums ever | 7 |
| 2007 | Metacritic All-time Best albums | 1 |
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 |
External links
★ "It's just the beat of time, the beat that must go on" essay on ''London Calling'' at Complicated Fun
★ Paul Simonon on ''London Calling's cover art. From the Super Seventies RockSite.
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