The Clash “London Calling” turns 45 today

JOEJOEJOE

This album changed my life…..the band was so important in defining my musical taste!

Anyone else?

nicknyr15

Love the clash, top 10 album for me. 

josevolution

JOEJOEJOE said:

This album changed my life…..the band was so important in defining my musical taste!

Anyone else?

nicknyr15 said:

Love the clash, top 10 album for me. 

Agreed with both! Miss Joe what a great song writer and a decent human being, if you guys get a chance look up Rude boy 

brianlux

Like most fans (but not all), London Calling was and always will be my favorite Clash album. When that album came out, I had heard their self-titled debut.  That first album of theirs both impressed me, and scared the hell out of me.  I had grown up on Beach Boys and then all the 60's bands and blues-rock, and Tull and Neil Young, so I found this new music with its rage and fury intimidated me.  The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks had done the opposite.  I found that album to be not only fun and almost comical, but energizing and thrilling at the same time.

But The Clash were another story.  They were brutal.  So when London Calling came out, I was a bit hesitant.  But once I heard it for the very first time, I was hooked right now!  It's still an album at the top of its class.

But then after that, some interesting things started to happen.  By the time Combat Rock came out, I had become a big fan of the band and I got to see them tour behind that album in '82.  It was a great show, but by then it was almost all over and we didn't even realize it.  In the middle of a song about half way through the show, Joe Strummer leaded into his mic, gave us the finger very forcefully, and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Fuck all of you!", and went into full choral attack mode on his guitar.  We just thought he was being really punk, but he wasn't.  He was sick to death of all of us for loving him and the band for all the wrong reasons.  For too many of us fans, it was all about being "punk".  For Joe, it was all about life and hard realities.  

I learned a lot from that show, but the lesson took years for it all to sink in.  Strummer was the man, and we didn't even really understand what the meant- what he was actually all about.  I wish I could do it all over again.

Loujoe

Interesting as always^

EL91640

Incredible album that introduced me to a lot of other artists. 

JOEJOEJOE

Combat Rock was such a departure from London Calling and Sandinista.....I wish they would have stuck to their old sound as opposed to songs such as "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I stay or Should I go"

brianlux

JOEJOEJOE said:

Combat Rock was such a departure from London Calling and Sandinista.....I wish they would have stuck to their old sound as opposed to songs such as "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I stay or Should I go"

Yeah, good point.  Although you gotta love.  "Hey fellas, hey fellas, Lauren Bacall... IN A CAR JAM!"

lexicondevil

brianlux said:

Like most fans (but not all), London Calling was and always will be my favorite Clash album. When that album came out, I had heard their self-titled debut.  That first album of theirs both impressed me, and scared the hell out of me.  I had grown up on Beach Boys and then all the 60's bands and blues-rock, and Tull and Neil Young, so I found this new music with its rage and fury intimidated me.  The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks had done the opposite.  I found that album to be not only fun and almost comical, but energizing and thrilling at the same time.

But The Clash were another story.  They were brutal.  So when London Calling came out, I was a bit hesitant.  But once I heard it for the very first time, I was hooked right now!  It's still an album at the top of its class.

But then after that, some interesting things started to happen.  By the time Combat Rock came out, I had become a big fan of the band and I got to see them tour behind that album in '82.  It was a great show, but by then it was almost all over and we didn't even realize it.  In the middle of a song about half way through the show, Joe Strummer leaded into his mic, gave us the finger very forcefully, and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Fuck all of you!", and went into full choral attack mode on his guitar.  We just thought he was being really punk, but he wasn't.  He was sick to death of all of us for loving him and the band for all the wrong reasons.  For too many of us fans, it was all about being "punk".  For Joe, it was all about life and hard realities.  

I learned a lot from that show, but the lesson took years for it all to sink in.  Strummer was the man, and we didn't even really understand what the meant- what he was actually all about.  I wish I could do it all over again.

Cool story. A big regret of mine is that I never got to see the Clash. They are an important band in my life, and I remember sitting in my parent's living room and listening to this record over and over, while reading the inner lyrics sleeves. London Calling wins by a hair for me if I had to choose between that one and the S/T album.

lexicondevil

JOEJOEJOE said:

Combat Rock was such a departure from London Calling and Sandinista.....I wish they would have stuck to their old sound as opposed to songs such as "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I stay or Should I go"

Yeah, with those two songs, they became almost parodies of themselves. I was so confused watching the "Rock the Casbah" video on MTV. Even back then it just seemed like sellout time, to me.

Loujoe

Listening to my copy of LC. Skips like a motherf..ker!

brianlux

lexicondevil said:

brianlux said:

Like most fans (but not all), London Calling was and always will be my favorite Clash album. When that album came out, I had heard their self-titled debut.  That first album of theirs both impressed me, and scared the hell out of me.  I had grown up on Beach Boys and then all the 60's bands and blues-rock, and Tull and Neil Young, so I found this new music with its rage and fury intimidated me.  The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks had done the opposite.  I found that album to be not only fun and almost comical, but energizing and thrilling at the same time.

But The Clash were another story.  They were brutal.  So when London Calling came out, I was a bit hesitant.  But once I heard it for the very first time, I was hooked right now!  It's still an album at the top of its class.

But then after that, some interesting things started to happen.  By the time Combat Rock came out, I had become a big fan of the band and I got to see them tour behind that album in '82.  It was a great show, but by then it was almost all over and we didn't even realize it.  In the middle of a song about half way through the show, Joe Strummer leaded into his mic, gave us the finger very forcefully, and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Fuck all of you!", and went into full choral attack mode on his guitar.  We just thought he was being really punk, but he wasn't.  He was sick to death of all of us for loving him and the band for all the wrong reasons.  For too many of us fans, it was all about being "punk".  For Joe, it was all about life and hard realities.  

I learned a lot from that show, but the lesson took years for it all to sink in.  Strummer was the man, and we didn't even really understand what the meant- what he was actually all about.  I wish I could do it all over again.

Cool story. A big regret of mine is that I never got to see the Clash. They are an important band in my life, and I remember sitting in my parent's living room and listening to this record over and over, while reading the inner lyrics sleeves. London Calling wins by a hair for me if I had to choose between that one and the S/T album.

Oh man, bummer.  I'm sorry you didn't get to see them.  But I know that feeling.  I've seen a lot of great band but missed some of the greats.  And yeah, the s/t took me a while to catch up to, but is great and I love it too!