#25: London Calling (1979), The Clash

Dan and Sam count down their 28 favorite albums of all time via e-mail conversation. To see the earlier ones in the list, click the tag "The 28".

Place on personal list: Sam--20, Dan--23

Favorite Song: Sam--"Rudie Can't Fail", Dan--"Wrong 'em Boyo"

We're gonna go ahead and skip favorite lines on this one.

Sam

As I alluded to last time, this is one of the albums I've listened to the
most in my life. London Calling was my absolute favorite album and
The Clash my absolute favorite band for a good couple of years in late middle
school into early high school. Rebellious, angry and political music always
appeals to younger kids more than older, but I've certainly maintained most
of my love over the years.

In a lot of ways, this is similar to Out of our Heads in that there's
nothing quite transcendent here, but it's consistently excellent. The
difference though is that OooH is ten songs long and about 33
minutes, London Calling nineteen songs, and over an hour. That's a
huge difference, and putting up great stuff consistently is a lot more
impressive with twice as many songs.

I would like to quibble, however, with the notion that this is one of the
essential punk albums. Their eponymous debut is certainly punk, maybe the
very definition of punk. It's loud, rebellious, fast and packed with short
song after short song ("Police & Thieves" notwithstanding).

London Calling is, on the other hand, slower, longer, calmer, much
more melodic, and even has a ton of horn work. Certainly it's still filled
with its share of anger and rebellion, but that alone does not a punk album
make. Genre distinctions are always iffy, but tell me that "Jimmy Jazz" or
"Train in Vain" are punk songs. This is more like reggae-influenced rock and
roll, not punk.

Actually, London Calling has some of the catchiest hooks on any album
outside of The Beatles' stuff, which may be its greatest strength.


1) London Calling (8.5)

A great tone setter, with a powerful, driving riff that does remind you of
that true punk Clash of their previous two albums. I like the apocalyptic
setting which is appropriate for the album as a whole, particularly "A
nuclear era, but I have no fear, / 'Cause London is drowning and I / Live by
the river."

2) Brand New Cadillac (7)

Perhaps the only genuine punk song on London Calling, and, I think
not coincidentally, the worst song the album too. It's far from bad though,
with a lot of power and some nice-sounding guitar work.

3) Jimmy Jazz (9)

I love this song. It reminds me a lot of my favorite Clash song, "Police &
Thieves," and I wonder if Operation Ivy even exists without The Clash
writing original, ska-influenced material like his.

"Jimmy Jazz" is a good example of the calmer, more tongue-in-cheek Clash we
see on this album, which is what makes London Calling so good. I was
actually very surprised to see that this song is only 3:55 long because it
feels a lot longer, but not in a bad way. It's a drawling (but certainly not
peaceful song) that's a great other look for the band to offer. I also love
how Joe Strummer sounds almost drunk singing it (and who knows, maybe he
was).

4) Hateful (8)

London Calling is a very diverse album, but over nineteen songs,
you're just about bound to have a bunch of similar sounding ones. "Hateful,"
with a catchy oft-repeated hook, is the first of a number of these songs.

5) Rudie Can't Fail (9)

This is probably the catchiest song on the album, and also probably my
favorite. The horns and guitar riff are fantastic here, and you hear a lot
more of that Caribbean influence that present throughout the rest of
LC.

6) Spanish Bombs (8.5)

Very catchy rock and roll again. The chorus might be repeated a few too many
times, but I don't mind. Political/protest kind of lyrics, which is okay,
but, as you know, I'm not too huge a fan of politics in music. I love the (I
assume) deliberate incorrect Spanish of "Yo te quera."

7) The Right Profile (8)

This has got a great riff, the horns are great and Joe Strummer drawls it
wonderfully. That said, it's just too repetitive, we hear the same chorus
too many times. This is, actually, the main problem with the album as a
whole-the catchiness is often undermined by how many times different things
are repeated.

8) Lost in the Supermarket (8)

When I began my Clash-listening life by purchasing The Essential
Clash, this was the song that grabbed me and kept me around long enough
to listen to the rest. It's not a great song, but it's a nice contrast to
the rest, with its pretty standard rock stylings.

9) Clampdown (9)

This is one of the other candidates for my favorite song. It's similar in a
lot of ways with "Rudie," with its catchy ska-influenced beat. God, just
makes you want to dance, right?

10) Guns of Brixton (9)

Probably the most distinctive and original song on the album, with a
fantastic, driving, almost ominous beat. This is, I guess, the most
Caribbean-influenced song too.

11) Wrong 'Em Boyo (8)

I love the little 40 second or so opening, which I believe is an abbreviated
cover, and then the horns are just awesome for the whole thing. The main
song is a cover too, though, so it does get a minor deduction, and it's also
a little over-repetitive as well.

12) Death or Glory (8.5)

"Death or Glory" has a more traditional rock feel than most of the album,
but it's as catchy as anything on the album. I also love that change toward
the end. Too much of that chorus though, man.

13) Koka Kola (7.5)

I like that this song is so short. I don't know that it could hold a full
three minutes, but it's very nice for a minute plus. The lyrics are
appropriately rebellious, I suppose, as well.

14) The Card Cheat (8)

I like this song. It's a nice contrast to the rest of the album.

15) Lover's Rock (8)

This is that "Hateful" kind of song that we hear a lot of on the album, but
I still really like it. I'm particularly fond of the ambiguity between
"lover's rock" meaning the kind of rock and roll music, or an actual rock
for lovers.

16) Four Horsemen (7.5)

Another one of those similar song, but not as good as the rest. It's fine
though.

17) I'm Not Down (8.5)

It's got a lot in common with "Death or Glory," more traditional rock that's
extraordinarily catchy. Gotta love it.

18) Revolution Rock (8)

More than any other song on the album, "Revolution Rock" suffers from
dragging and repetition. It might be my favorite song on the album if it
didn't just last too long. It's disappointing, but it's still excellent and
catchy. It also gets a minor deduction for being a cover.

19) Train in Vain (Stand by Me) (8.5)

Totally different from anything else on London Calling with its synth
(I think) riff. Gives a hint of where they would go with things like "Rock
the Casbah," except it's better than all that stuff. My understanding is
that this song was a last minute addition, which makes the length of
"Revolution Rock" more understandable, but I'm very glad it got added, as
it's a nice way to end a great album.


So, all in all, this is an incredibly consistent, diverse and original
album. I'm very happy at least with this ranking.

I'd also like to talk about the album cover for a minute. This picture of
bassist Paul Simonon destroying his guitar (well, bass guitar) during a
concert is an absolute classic. Combine that with the allusion to Elvis with
the pink and green writing, and you've got perhaps that greatest album cover
of all time, channeling the anger and rebellion into a perfect expression.

Dan

It took me a while to get into this album, but I really can't get enough of it. I agree that its consistency and lack of a real standout track makes it similar to our last album, but the length is a misleading detail. I know you think this too, but I can't stress how much it annoys me how long some of these songs drag. There is some absolutely brilliant material here, the type of genre-transcending, emotive music that at its best reminds me of the Beatles. Nevertheless, I think there is a bit of sloppiness in editing, obviously especially in length.

London Calling (8.5)-It would be an abomination if any other song started this album. The tone is set both musically and lyrically, I also definitely like the apocalyptic shit. Phony Beatlemania is dead just about sums up how they want to be perceived, and I think it works. The minor feel is really good, but what really makes it is the subtleties in the drums and bass that keep the music fresh while the guitar pounds out that riff.

Brand New Cadillac (6.5)-Even though I'm rating it lower than you I'm not sure its the worst track on the album. I like the recognition of musical tradition by covering what was probably a pretty influential track back in the day for young English rockers, its just not very well done, too much noise and not enough feel of the chords. Too bad cause I feel like there was a lot of potential here.

Jimmy Jazz (8.5)-Right from that distinctive sound in the intro you know this is a song that is unique. The whacky and playful feel combined with the tone of the lyrics reminds me of Maxwell's Silver Hammer in the effect it achieves. Also like many songs on this album the horns are used wonderfully, with a simple but nice tenor sax solo and cool backgrounds. I don't think it drags too much, although the vocal inflection actually annoys me a bit, not sure why I just don't like the way it sounds.

Hateful (7)-I don't think there's a whole lot here but its just a very well done, nice song. I like the chromatic chord movement before the verse restarts. Not sure it warrants an 8 from you, I mean it's great filler but in the grand scheme of things it's still filler.

Rudie Can't Fail (9.5)-So close to reaching the pinnacle it almost hurts the song because I want it to be perfect. Again, stellar use of the horn section. I also like how the drums drive the feel by throwing in those snare hits at the beginning of some of the verses. This song just makes you feel good, no? There's just a little bit missing that keeps it from the top, but I'm not sure I've figured out what it is.

Spanish Bombs (9)-A remarkable song, such an interesting and unique choice of subject matter (although I guess it kind of makes sense for a band like the Clash to be interested in this). The music has good momentum, and I really like during the chorus how the guitar accents two and four really heavily, which provides nice contrast to the more fluid guitar part throughout the song. Just not quite as good as the previous track, but it's right up there.

The Right Profile (8)-I really like the hook, and again great horns! The alternating feel between a pounding, but somewhat laid back verse and the much more intense chorus. Here's where the length starts to hurt though. The whole last minute seems to be searching for new material and coming up empty, and like what is even going on in the lyrics at 3:10? That's just not a pleasant sound. Too bad cause if it were maybe a minute shorter I think it would help a lot.

Lost in the Supermarket (6)-I really don't like this song very much, it's still worthy of a listen, but I find the melody much less interesting than much of the other work. Also the mellow feel doesn't really work for me, and I don't like the way the chords are moving. The drums, which have been much more free to this point on the album, are really constrained by the type of feel they were going for in this song, and I don't think it has the same type of forward motion that appears on much of the album. This is the type of song that reminds me we're in the late 70s, not a good thing at all.

Clampdown (8)-I cannot believe this is one of your favorite songs on the album. I will admit that the core of the song is quite good. The intro I find appalling, however. It sounds just like a louder version of the last track, and doesn't really make sense to me to throw in there. And I mean once it gets going it does have good rhythm, and I really like what happens musically around 1:35 with that kind of bridge section. But then here we go again with this last minute. What exactly is the point? It totally loses the musical qualities that make the middle enjoyable and just goes on too long. Great song, but I can't fully enjoy it when it takes time to get going and ends on a bad note.

The Guns of Brixton (8.5)-The intro to this song is so cool, and I also like the ominous feel and reggae-influenced rhythm. Also cool guitar work with all the neat sounds and intense vibrato. The drums do cool things throughout, I particularly like the fill like the one at 1:53 which actually happens a couple times I think.

Wrong 'em Boyo (9.5)-This is my favorite on the album. Again not quite at the apex, but I think along with Rudie it gets closer than any other song here. I don't like when the drums drop out so early in the song, that sounds like something that should happen at the end before one more loud, intense chorus, but the feel and melody is addictive. I love the reworking of the classic blues traditional Stagger Lee at the beginning. I think this captures the reggae/ska whatever you wanna call it feel better than any other track, and it is just too fun to listen too. Well, not TOO fun, I still listen to it all the time.

Death or Glory (7.5)-Yeah this one is pretty simple, but its definitely catchy, I love the melody and chord choices in the chorus, although yeah there's too much of it and by the end its not really as cool. I think the interlude before the chorus at 2:00 is cool, but again already hearing the chorus too much. I feel like everything after 2:40 doesn't add a whole lot though, and probably could have been done without.

Koka Kola (6.5)-I don't really find this as catchy as the rest, but I guess at least it's definitely not too long. I get my advice from the advertising world? Come on boys, you already proved on this album you can be a little more subtle than this without losing that hard core edge.

The Card Cheat (7)-This has a sort of different sound and I guess is nice but doesn't really do much for me. Also here's one of the few places where I don't think the horns are very good, those backgrounds really suck. I feel like there's too much of a mass of sound, you can really pick out parts on most of the other tracks and here things blend too much. Also lasts a long time. Too long.

Four Horsemen (7.5)-Yeah by this point basically the arguments for and against are the same as the rest of the mid-range tracks on this album.

I'm Not Down (7.5)-I don't really think this one's that great, the guitar work is really cool though. Not a bad song at all, but by this point in the album I begin to grow wearier of these well-above average fillers than I would normally, another reason why keeping songs briefer earlier in the album might have helped it overall.

Revolution Rock (8)-Make it stop! Such a good song, and it still is, but just way way too long. There is nowhere near enough material here to stretch this song 5:33. Really like the intro, and the whole song has good rhythm and feeling, but at the end things just start to break down, which I guess they appear to be doing intentionally. Baffling because it seems pretty obvious when you listen that they've just run out of things to do but it just keeps on going. I'll stick to the first two verses or so then move on, thank you very much.

Train in Vain (Stand by Me) (9)-This is a really unique flavor to end the album with, and I think it's a good closer. I actually am pretty sure the riff is just a heavily distorted guitar, but who really gives a shit, it's catchy as all hell. The melody lines are impeccable, and I like how at some points there is a lot of sound and then at others everything cuts out for seconds at a time except the drums. I think the feel of the song fits the lyrics so well, it sounds like the way you feel when you're trying to get on with shit in the face of personal issues. The varying parts rhythmic motifs at the end give the song a lot of power on its way out.

Lots of different feels, like you said, so that even though there are only a few standout tracks the album as a whole works really well. Maybe we should have started talking about cover art when we did Bringing it All Back Home, but I'm willing to start now by agreeing with you that this has a great cover. I think that like other great albums this one has a feel that is both nostalgic and ahead of its time, simultaneously, which the cover so succinctly captures. There's definite homage to a wide variety of musical things here while at the same time this album sounds like nothing I've ever heard. Great combination.

Sam

I object to how loosely you use the term "filler." There are probably a few songs here that could have been cut--"Koka Kola," "Four Horsemen," and "The Card Cheat" in particular. I don't know, I don't think it's a major concern because you recognize that what you call filler is ridiculously good for being that, but it's a loaded term that certainly shouldn't be applied to "Hateful" I don't think.

I'm perfectly willing to acknowledge that I may be overrating "Lost in the Supermarket" because it has sentimental value for me. It's certainly very 80sish sounding.

I really don't see what's so terrible about the "Clampdown" intro. It's a nice transition from the last song. I don't love it necessarily, but it hardly takes anything off the table for me. Perhaps it's just because I like "Lost in the Supermarket."

We basically agree on "Wrong 'Em Boyo" I think. It's a great medley, and when you correct for the slight deduction for not being original, I also think it's one of the 3-4 best songs. You know, I remembered it going on for longer with more chorus repetitions than it actually had, perhaps it deserves a revision to a 9.

I definitely should have been harsher on "Koka Kola's" lyrics. They suck. I was just so pleased that they ended a song too early instead of too late that I ignored that.

Finally, obviously a lot of songs drag. It's kind of impressive actually to have so many songs drag when only one exceeds 4:03. They should have just stuck to their punk roots and kept everything at 2-3 minutes long. I still think its overall length is a count in its favor. Maybe not length time-wise but track-wise. There are so many well above average tracks that they deserve credit for that.

Dan

Yeah I should have thought of a term for what I meant that didn't carry the negative connotations of "filler". Basically I just meant the songs in between the key tracks. I understand the general concept of deducting for covers, but with "Wrong 'em Boyo" I suggest listening to a version of Stagger Lee (I would recommend my favorite, and probably what is widely agreed to be the definitive version by Lloyd Price). It's more like a cover of scene and characters, because they take a lot of liberties in their "cover" that make it fit more appropriately thematically with the rest of the song. For me this has always added points in this particular situation.