- Audio Cassette (17 Oct 1990)
- Format: Import
- Label: Sony
- ASIN: B0000025HV
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | Vinyl | Mini-Disc | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
Jubilee Offer: Patriot Classics for £2.50 |
Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. London Calling |
| 2. Brand New Cadillac |
| 3. Jimmy Jazz |
| 4. Hateful |
| 5. Rudie Can't Fail |
| 6. Spanish Bombs |
| 7. Right Profile |
| 8. Lost in the Supermarket |
| 9. Clampdown |
| 10. Guns of Brixton |
| 11. Wrong 'Em Boyo |
| 12. Death or Glory |
| 13. Koka Kola |
| 14. Card Cheat |
| 15. Lover's Rock |
| 16. Four Horsemen |
| 17. I'm Not Down |
| 18. Revolution Rock |
| 19. Train in Vain |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Punk's death knell had already been called, but London Calling found The Clash fighting a heroic rear guard battle. Having shelved the no-frills heads-down thunder of The Clash and Give 'Em Enough Rope, London Calling was an extravagant benchmark. Ostensibly about the ideological and real struggles that rent British society asunder at the end of the 1970s, London Calling was couched in the language of revolutionary desperadoes. Influenced by reggae and ska, and augmented by the Irish Horns, the result was one of the most heady, celebratory rock & roll records to have come out of the punk movement. For every traditional rabble-rouser like "Rudie Can't Fail" or "Revolution Rock", though, there was a starker truth to London Calling found in "Guns Of Brixton", or a shred of poignancy in "Lost In The Supermarket" that confirmed The Clash's ideological importance to a generation. Seldom, if ever, had punk sounded so gloriously righteous, but so damn right. --Louis Pattison
From Amazon.com
Bursting at the seams with creative energy, the Clash's stunning 1979 double album more than made up for the artistic and commercial disappointment of its predecessor, '78's tried-too-hard Give 'Em Enough Rope. With ex-Mott the Hoople producer Guy Stevens harnessing their sound as never before, the band yielded what proved to be the best work of their career. Bouncing from hard-rock (the apocalyptic-vision of the title track) to rockabilly ("Brand New Cadillac") to reggae ("Rudy Can't Fail") to pop (the Top Forty hit, "Train in Vain"), the Clash knocked down all musical walls and, in the process, ended the argument over punk's viability in the U.S. --Billy Altman
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
London Calling was one of my first purchases as a young teenager many years ago...which was a long time ago:-).. It sounded great then, just as it does today, brilliant production, every song is just as good as the one before as you go through the playlist and in my eyes, the best Clash album of all time.
The demo cd is just that, so dont expect anything too fancy. It is what it is, a pre album demo with some interesting takes of the songs at the early stage of composition. Some takes don't have vocals, some do, but above all, still amazing to listen to after all these years and the unreleased songs are more intersting than you could forsee.
The DVD is a bit hit and miss. The interviews were from the same session as "Westway to the world", but leaning towards the london calling era, that I am sure wasn't on the afore mentioned Westway DVD.
The black and white studio footage is priceless, with Guy Stevens shown getting up to his jinks such as throwing chairs and swinging ladders about in the live room, but it doesn't really feature the band actually doing much other than jamming for 13 minutes and joe doing a vocal take.
Live Features; "Clampdown" (complete song), Train in vain and the London Calling promo video.
5 stars for the original album, it would be four stars for the extra material to be honest, but definitly worth the money overall.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Don't listen to all the rubbish about sold out, not stuck to their roots etc etc etc. This album is just superb, it is as fresh now as it was when originally recorded. Personally I fail to find a poor track on it, admittedly some are stronger than others, but definately no fillers here. Buy it, enjoy it, and you'll still be enjoying it for many many years to come.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Remember the scene in the film "Hi Fidelity" where Jack Black berates a customer of the record shop he works in for not having Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde". Some albums really should be available on the national cirriculum. Thus in the same vein if you do not own the Clash's "London Calling" hang your head in shame, don't speak to anyone until you get a copy and greatly worry about the sanity of the person on Amazon who describes this album as "over rated". Green Day and Fall out Boy are better than this? Oh dear your poor deluded soul, get help quick and hope that no ever finds out who you are for you will be forever mocked and subject to the cruel chiding of street urchins.
London Calling has it all, the great Elvis derived cover, the driving title track where you should seek out the Clash's video of this anthem played in sheets of black rain on the banks of the river Thames for the sheer attack that the band pounds into the song. Then there is the barnstorming cover of Vince Taylor's "Brand New Cadillac", the hidden gem that is "Train in Vain" the wonderful "Spanish bombs" and "Lost in a supermarket". Oh look stop me now since I about to go off on one and the dog needs walking. All in all probably the best British rock, punk, psychobilly, r and b and whatever you choose album of the 1970s and therefore one of the greatest albums ever. It has enough energy to power the national grid and increase global warming. Joe Strummer is one of the most missed individuals to depart the planet in recent years and sadly that long desired Clash reunion was always on a hiding to nothing. I still have great memories of a fantastic gig he did with the Pogues (he was producing "Hells Ditch" at that time) and what can only be described a a roaring "Irish" version of London Calling. Poor old Shane was on the sauce of course.
Finally if you also find yourself getting the first album you will be equally blessed, indeed "Janie Jones" is almost worth the full asking price on its own. Was it Tom Robinson who said that he bought "White Man in the Hammersmith Palais" and didn't own a record player? Whatever the case you know what he means.
London Calling has it all, the great Elvis derived cover, the driving title track where you should seek out the Clash's video of this anthem played in sheets of black rain on the banks of the river Thames for the sheer attack that the band pounds into the song. Then there is the barnstorming cover of Vince Taylor's "Brand New Cadillac", the hidden gem that is "Train in Vain" the wonderful "Spanish bombs" and "Lost in a supermarket". Oh look stop me now since I about to go off on one and the dog needs walking. All in all probably the best British rock, punk, psychobilly, r and b and whatever you choose album of the 1970s and therefore one of the greatest albums ever. It has enough energy to power the national grid and increase global warming. Joe Strummer is one of the most missed individuals to depart the planet in recent years and sadly that long desired Clash reunion was always on a hiding to nothing. I still have great memories of a fantastic gig he did with the Pogues (he was producing "Hells Ditch" at that time) and what can only be described a a roaring "Irish" version of London Calling. Poor old Shane was on the sauce of course.
Finally if you also find yourself getting the first album you will be equally blessed, indeed "Janie Jones" is almost worth the full asking price on its own. Was it Tom Robinson who said that he bought "White Man in the Hammersmith Palais" and didn't own a record player? Whatever the case you know what he means.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Buying this album is a no-brainer
From the iconic cover to every track on the album... to put it simply, the best Clash album is one of the finest albums ever. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Paisley T
Only for the musically open minded.
If you buy this, thinking that you are going to hear a punk album only, you will be very disappointed indeed. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. C. D. Watson
An absolute classic
Better late than never... I finally purchased this album and it did not disappoint! 19 amazing tracks with obvious favourites like Guns of Brixton, London Calling and Rude Can't... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hayley
London Calling
It's worth buying just for London Calling.Its the stand out track. The rest of the album is OK but London Calling is where it's at.
Published 3 months ago by bishwop
Great Album
This prooves that punk didn't ruin music it is an exceptional album and you should all give it a chance
Published 6 months ago by malmac
London Calling: The Clash - Death or glory for the Clash, as they...
There seem to be many parallels between today and the late seventies. A time of economic depression, a working class trodden down by the conscienceless political rulers and... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Victor
One of the all time great albums
For some The Clash failed to excite when they left the punk movement behind after their self titled debut of fierce but very well played noise. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mr. M. L. Hawes
Simply the best album ever made
As title says, simply encapsulates all that was great about music before the 80's put a surface sheen on thngs of little substance. Buy it, if you haven't already.
Published 17 months ago by dq1967
The Clash London Calling
Fantastic album, do be miss lead by the cover this a brilliantly clever album that sums up the times of punk on the run, you will be amazed at that amount of tracks that you find... Read more
Published 17 months ago by DoRon
A classic, and let's not forget...
....that along with the brilliance of Strummer and Jones, this album also features the finest drumming performance in the entire history of pop/rock/punk/whatever, bar none. Read more
Published 20 months ago by juno60jr
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