The Best of the Best: The Clash's London Calling

    I love The Clash. I love London Calling. Even the Elvis shoutout on the cover art is something grand, I believe. Though the cover art itself is very cool, and I'm surprised it's not splattered on every graphic t-shirt for edgy boys and girls all over the land. It should be though. 

    And it's a shock to think about how the band suffered from writers block during the writing and recording process. They hadn't written a song in over a year. The material featured on the album is very much inspired, and it would go on to inspire so many musicians. 

    The background on many albums seems to be "they were inspired by psychedelica, drugs, and struggles with fame." Not that that's bad. That has inspired TONS of unique records. What did the The Clash do during sessions for the album though? They played football! They drank at a local pub in between rehearsals. Though when it did come time to record, the producer, Guy Stevens, turned over chairs and destroyed stuff to create a "rock and roll atmosphere." Personally, I don't think The Clash is about that kind of rock (though the cover art suggests otherwise). London Calling lets loose, but it also stays prim and polished. Very British. 

    London Calling is a rare album where it starts off very strong, but it gets stronger track by track even through the end. The second half of the album is just as great as the first. There's little bursts of genres sprinkled throughout like reggae and ska that shake things up and keep it interesting. "Hateful" and "Rudie Can't Fail" are just as great as "London Calling" and "Jimmy Jazz." "Revolution Rock" and "Train in Vain (Stand By Me)" are just as great as "Clampdown."

    And it's just as strong lyrically as it is sonically. The lyrics are just begging to be dissected and discussed and probably have been by punk guys for years. Yet sonically, it's cohesive yet each song offers its own unique flavor. It's like the Baskin Robbins of albums.

    The album is playful and fun yet very professional. The Clash take what they do very seriously even when they're having fun. It's an enthralling listen. I was hooked upon my first listen through. And I revisit the album often. 

    Heck, if you remastered this album, maybe rerecorded a few parts here and there and released it today, it would bring mega critical acclaim. It will always and forever be a masterpiece that laid the groundwork for bands that came after The Clash. We're very thankful for this record, Clash!

Rank: S Rank

Recommendation: when you're British and want to rock.