#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.

“I’m Sorry, But I’m Not Interested in Gold Mines, Oil Wells, Shipping, or Real Estate”* Or: Citizen Kane Review

*You know, I’ve been listening to the White Stripes’ “Union Forever” for years with no awareness that the whole song is basically an allusion to this movie. I liked it before, now I like it even more.

Citizen Kane is a great movie, but not considering the context of the way it (supposedly) “reinvented movies” as my Netflix case says, I have a hard time seeing how this is the best movie of all time.

For starters, the opening “News on the March” sequence is just lazy storytelling. I know that standards were different at the time, and it may even have been pretty original for Welles to have his voiceover actually grounded in the story. Still this isn’t Casablanca where a modern director would find a way to tell us what we need to know through dialogue, but it’s hard to imagine anyone relating those details in a genuine way. No, everything that we learn in “News on the March” could be told in a more organic way in the story proper, and, in fact, we are told most of it again anyway.

Voiceover should be used only if you absolutely cannot tell it in a different way, or if it adds a lot. Certainly moviemakers didn’t think like that then, and that’s fine, but even then it must have been frowned upon to use it when it is completely unnecessary, and, if not, revolutionary Welles should have realized that anyway, no?

That’s not to say the scene serves no purpose. It sets a frame for the whole film, but that’s easily solvable. The shots of Xanadu and the quotation from “Kubla Khan” sets a stark, symbolic contrast with the haunted house feel it’s given in the first scene, and that certainly is important.

It also lets us know all the basic details of Kane’s life before the story begins, which Welles must have thought was important. But wouldn’t it have been nicer to only know that he was this super rich guy who died, and let us fit in the other stuff as the movie went along?

I guess that’s actually my only serious criticism. I was a little skeptical of this being told as a “frame story” through a series of flashbacks, but it’s necessary for the “rosebud” mystery, and even without that, it would be totally worth it just for seeing Jedediah as an old man—man, that dude was awesome. That the flashbacks all travel linearly through time is a little unbelievable, but I’ll forgive that.

Otherwise, Citizen Kane really is a great movie and would probably be even better if I didn’t know what rosebud was. If you’re one of the ten people in the world that doesn’t know what it is, I won’t ruin it for you, but it is a wonderful bit of symbolism, the “missing piece” that, in a way, explains everything.

The acting is generally superb—particularly for such an old movie, when standards were somewhat different—the cinematography is great, especially the shots inside Xanadu toward the end though the aforementioned “haunted house” shots do feel a little tacky. Also, the make-up work on Welles as Kane gets older is also pretty amazing for 1941.

It does suffer a little from There Will Be Blood syndrome in that the emotional context is mostly dark, repressed emotion. It didn’t bother me so much this time though. In fact, I think I may be overcoming that mental block, actually.

Also, I just want to mention how awesome it is that Welles gives essentially all the principal actors their own screen in the credits, and then sticks his own credit for playing Kane as one line on a screen with ten others. Now that’s modesty.

So, all in all, Citizen Kane is great, but I wasn’t blown away the way I was with Casablanca, or Network, or even Adaptation, American Beauty or Memento. There are enough minor flaws, the symbolism sometimes a bit too overdone, the storytelling occasionally weak enough to keep it out of the “perfect” category and consideration of best movie I’ve ever seen, but those are minor complaints. A

Also, totally unrelated, but I just acquired my copy of Juno (view count: 4), and on the back it proclaims—it, not a critic mind you—that “Juno delivers huge laughs…without even trying!” Ugh. This is why people hate Juno. Why must it market itself as the self-conscious super “indie” film that all its detractors think it is. I don’t know, maybe Diablo Cody thought that, but Jason Reitman clearly saw how much more it could be. Man, it’s really well-directed. Anyway, that’s all.

"The Circus Is in Town" Or: A Lyrical Analyis of Dylan's "Desolation Row," Verse 1

Rating songs is often little more than an exercise in futility. Sure, I can be pretty sure that I think “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” is better than “It Wasn’t Me,” or even, say, “Play with Fire,” but when songs are close, it’s almost impossible to draw important distinctions between them, and even when you can, it is likely to be dramatically different a week later.

That said, I’m pretty confident that “Desolation Row” and “Visions of Johanna,” from Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde respectively, are my two favorite songs of all time. They’re pretty similar too—long, sprawling epics with dense lyricism.

That dense lyricism is one of the main attractions, but it also can leave me confused. So I’ve decided to try to understand them as best I can by going through the lyrics and analyzing them. If this works out well (which it probably won’t—writing about poetry has never been my strength), I’ll also do Dylan’s other epics*, which would make the complete list this (in order of goodness): “Visions of Johanna,” “Desolation Row,” “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” (Bringing It All Back Home), “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” (BoB) and “Chimes of Freedom” (Another Side of Bob Dylan).

*Am I missing any? And don’t say “Hurricane.”

Considering it took me 700+ words just to do the first verse of “Desolation Row” (there are ten just in this song), it could be quite a while before I get through all of this, but that’s okay.

I should also add that I owe a lot to my high-school English teacher, Mr. Sluyter, for this first verse analysis. One class when I was sixteen, instead of having us talk about whatever book we were reading, he came into the classroom, turned this song on, wrote the first verse’s lyrics on the board and asked us what it meant. I was just happy that I recognized the song, but it ended up being a very awesome experience. I believe he did the same thing with his class the previous year, except using “Visions of Johanna” instead. That guy’s got some taste, eh?

Anyway, the point is that I got a lot of these ideas from that conversation.

Also, the same qualifications apply as with all poetry, except maybe especially with Dylan: I have no idea if he meant any of this, but considering that great artists are all inspired by gods anyway, intention isn’t relevant, only the result is.

Verse 1:

They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in townHere comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonightFrom Desolation Row

We start off with an ominous description of “selling postcards of the hanging.” There is probably a racial element here too, as it was standard practice in the south during slavery and afterwards to sell postcards with photographs of lynched blacks, which connects nicely with the descriptions of “brown” passports. What’s most striking about this line is of course the utter lack of sensitivity it requires to be involved in this kind of action—first, in trying to make money of someone’s violent and public death; second, presumably there are people spending money to send a picture of a dead man to a friend or relative.

I wonder if “they’re painting the passports brown” suggests that these nebulous “they” are marking all the passports in such a way that no one will be able to leave the place they control, presumably Desolation Row. Of course “Lady and I” are looking out from Desolation Row, not on it, but this song is more than a little surreal, and I don’t think any fact is truly concrete. At the very least, this image portrays more, well, desolation and despair with simple, clear words.

I have two conflicting ideas of the next line. I tend to think “the beauty parlor is filled with sailors” is only the prelude of scary bizarreness to which “the circus is in town” is the conclusion. On the other hand, I’m not sure if it’s totally unheard of for sailors to be in a beauty parlor, looking for women. If that’s the case, then it’s another image of emotional coldness, now only caring about sex. I suppose the answer is that it’s probably both.

“The circus is in town” has been my favorite line of this verse ever since that day back in Mr. Sluyter’s class where we discussed this song. The phrase is normally an exciting, happy one. Imagine a little child saying, “Oh, yay, the circus is in town!” But because of the context Dylan has placed it in, it instead means something terrifying and disconcerting. Brilliant.

Then you’ve got this mysterious “they” in control of the commissioner too, the guy who’s supposed to be running the show. It’s again a very disturbing image—saying they’ve got him in a trance is a powerful way to say they’ve got him in their pocket. And then he’s on the edge of falling—“one hand tied to the tight-rope walker”—and that once again brings the circus back into the picture. Even more damning of the commissioner, he’s got that other hand in his pants, jerking off. Sit back in awe at the way Dylan has painted the guy as an incompetent, unscrupulous guy through evocative images. This is the creative writer’s creed of “show don’t tell” beautifully in action.

“The riot squad they’re restless, / They need somewhere to go” is, I think, pretty obvious, but it really deepens the despair and terror of this place as well.

The last line is nicely ambiguous. Are “Lady and I” looking out at all of this happening somewhere else from Desolation Row, or are they looking away from all of it, which is happening on Desolation Row, as an escape, a short mediation on what else could be possible away from this place? I always assumed it was the former before, but now I think the latter is more likely. I’m sure Dylan intended both meanings to be present, but the second one fits in better, I think.

The other thing that needs to be addressed is the “they” that seem to be responsible for everything that’s going wrong. I like how the first four lines begin “they,” “they,” “the,” “the,” and then there are two others that begin with “theys.” But that’s just more of a stylistic issue rather than a thematic one. It adds a lot though not to define the “they” in any way. They are a mysterious, foreboding presence that hangs over the whole verse.