General Article name: London Calling
Genre: Heavy Metal Product type: LP (Vinyl) Label: COL Number of tracks: 19 Tracklist LP - 1 1. The Clash - London Calling 2. The Clash - Brand New Cadillac 3. The Clash - Jimmy Jazz 4. The Clash - Hateful 5. The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail 6. The Clash - Spanish Bombs 7. The Clash - Right Profile 8. The Clash - Lost in the Supermarket 9. The Clash - Clampdown 10. The Clash - Guns of Brixton   Tracklist LP - 2 11. The Clash - Wrong 'Em Boyo 12. The Clash - Death or Glory 13. The Clash - Koka Kola 14. The Clash - Card Cheat 15. The Clash - Lover's Rock 16. The Clash - Four Horsemen 17. The Clash - I'm Not Down 18. The Clash - Revolution Rock 19. The Clash - Train in Vain   Description Description

Give 'Em Enough Rope, for all of its many attributes, was essentially a holding pattern for the Clash, but the double-album London Calling is a remarkable leap forward, incorporating the punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music. Before, the Clash had experimented with reggae, but that was no preparation for the dizzying array of styles on London Calling. There's punk and reggae, but there's also rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock; and while the record isn't tied together by a specific theme, its eclecticism and anthemic punk function as a rallying call. While many of the songs -- particularly "London Calling," "Spanish Bombs," and "The Guns of Brixton" -- are explicitly political, by acknowledging no boundaries the music itself is political and revolutionary. But it is also invigorating, rocking harder and with more purpose than most albums, let alone double albums. Over the course of the record, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (and Paul Simonon, who wrote "The Guns of Brixton") explore their familiar themes of working-class rebellion and antiestablishment rants, but they also tie them in to old rock & roll traditions and myths, whether it's rockabilly greasers or "Stagger Lee," as well as mavericks like doomed actor Montgomery Clift. The result is a stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded. [In 2000 Columbia/Legacy reissued and remastered London Calling.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Contributors Artist: The Clash Record Label: Sony Music