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The Clash “London Calling” turns 45 today

JOEJOEJOEJOEJOEJOE Posts: 10,581
in Other Music
This album changed my life…..the band was so important in defining my musical taste!

Anyone else?

Comments

  • nicknyr15nicknyr15 Posts: 8,576
    Love the clash, top 10 album for me. 
  • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,942
    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 
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,310
    edited December 16
    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.
    Post edited by brianlux on
    "Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
    -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

    "Try to not spook the horse."
    -Neil Young













  • LoujoeLoujoe Posts: 9,801
    Interesting as always^
  • EL91640EL91640 Posts: 143
    Incredible album that introduced me to a lot of other artists. 
    "For when the music hits, I feel no pain at all"
  • JOEJOEJOEJOEJOEJOE Posts: 10,581
    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"
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,310
    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!"
    :lol:
    "Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
    -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

    "Try to not spook the horse."
    -Neil Young













  • lexicondevillexicondevil Posts: 2,071
    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.
    1991- Hollywood Palladium, California with Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains -RIP Magazine Show Oct. 6th
    1992- Lollapalooza, Irvine, California
    Nothing since then. I suck.
    2016- Fenway Park, Boston - Both glorious nights
    2022- Oakland Night 2
    2024 Sacramento, CA
  • lexicondevillexicondevil Posts: 2,071
    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.
    1991- Hollywood Palladium, California with Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains -RIP Magazine Show Oct. 6th
    1992- Lollapalooza, Irvine, California
    Nothing since then. I suck.
    2016- Fenway Park, Boston - Both glorious nights
    2022- Oakland Night 2
    2024 Sacramento, CA
  • LoujoeLoujoe Posts: 9,801
    edited December 17
    Listening to my copy of LC. Skips like a motherf..ker!
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,310
    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!
    "Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
    -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

    "Try to not spook the horse."
    -Neil Young













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