The Clash -- London Calling (1977) -- CBS Records
The opening chords – as iconic and jarring now as they were in 1979 – present London Calling as a cleaner, yet somehow darker, interpretation of Punk Rock Phenomenon that swept through Britain in the later half of the 70s. That said, you could be forgiven for not noticing at once that this is an album from a band that were formed a little more than 2 years prior to release, with the sole intention of rivalling the Sex Pistols. For all the clout and aggression that can be found in their first two offerings – Self-titled, The Clash (1977) and Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978) – there never was the same simmering madness that The Pistols were able garnish the high-tempo, driving riffs and rage-filled run-on lyrics with in Never-mind the Bollox (1977).
As the melody of the title tracks founds out under Strummer's howls, the surprisingly Elvis-era Rock 'n' Roll tones of Brand New Cadillac ring true and it becomes clear that this is no mere punk fare. Later tracks provide wonderfully catchy melodies with influences from reggae, ska and even jazz styles which is ultimately leads to a beautifully paced and balanced work overall. Rather than the half-hour wall of clashing guitars and sporadic drum rhythms that normally signify a punk record, the listener is treated to sixty-five minutes of oddly mellow music. The band themselves recall writing the album and “grasping with fingernails” but honestly, the entire things feels incredibly well put together, each track and it's place in the album carefully measured and considered. The overall sound is wholesome and thick and each track is distinct but complements those surrounding so well as to form a harmonious whole without getting boring. Guns of Brixton, with it's sinister undertones is juxtaposed between Lost in the Supermarket and Wrong 'Em Boyo (ignoring Clampdown which is the only track that feels like it brings nothing new to the table and is arguable repetitive filler).
So then, is this not a true Punk Album? Arguably, London Calling is the first post-punk album since it applies Punk Rock ideology to a broader range of musical styles. But to deny perhaps the second-most iconic punk album in history (and almost certainly the best) it's correct genre, would be sacrilege, regardless of what Wikipedia and Mark Kidel may think, and to refuse to acknowledge the change The Clash had already begun to display in their second album towards a cleaner and easier sound. If anything, London Calling is simply a more mature and polished form of punk, which understands, and acknowledges, it's place amongst it's brethren styles of Rude Boy and Oi! The lyrics are as bitter and anti-establishment as The Pistols, and are made possibly even more vicious by their intelligence, or at the very least, wit and self-awareness (“He who fucks nuns, will later join the Church”, Death or Glory).
The messages in London Calling, of the soul-destroying dangers of continuous consumerism, of the effects of civil war, of the difficulties of grasping the responsibility that comes with adulthood are all still very applicable to many people today, however, some of those people are now in their fifties, rather than 15 so the angst of youth has gone. The sheer fact that a punk album is still so accessible to those that grew up with it, on more than a sheerly nostalgic level, and that it is able to provide a fresh and new listening experience to those who are recently discovering it, is arguably why it will stand the test of time. The richness and vast size of the album, in the very nature of it's diversity of sound throughout rather than in sheer mind-blowing scale a la Dark-Side of the Moon (after all, London Calling is a pub rock work to be playing in small dingy lit venues not 40,000 capacity venues), is why it will stand as, not only one of the best British Punk Albums of all time, but as one of the best albums of all time, perhaps in the world.
theartofmadeline
janainaart
vaporwave
kianamaiart