London Calling

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London Calling

London Calling is the third album by English punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock....
band The Clash

The Clash

The Clash were an English Rock music band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, ska, Dub music, funk, Hip hop music and rockabilly....
, released 14 December 1979, on CBS Records

CBS Records

CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 in music to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties distributed by CBS Paramount Television....
in the UK and in January 1980 on Epic Records

Epic Records

Epic Records is an United States record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was founded in 1953 as a jazz label, and was eventually expanded to several genres of music....
in the United States. The album represented a change in The Clash's musical style, and featured elements of ska

Ska

Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and Calypso music with United States jazz and rhythm and blues....
, pop

Pop music

Pop music is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, melodies and hook , a mainstream style and a conventional structure.The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal" , but since the 1950s it has been used in the sense of a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternat...
, soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the African American culture through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, Secularity testifying." The genre occasion...
, rockabilly

Rockabilly

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a Portmanteau word of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development....
and reggae

Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
music. The album's subject matter included unemployment

Unemployment

File:World map of countries by rate of unemployment.pngUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work, but the person is without Wage labour....
, racial conflict, drug

Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function....
use, and the responsibilities of adult

Adult

The term adult has at least three distinct meanings. It can indicate a biologically grown or mature person. It may also mean a plant, animal, or person who has reached full growth or alternatively is capable of reproduction, or a person who has attained the legally fixed age of majority; as opposed to a minor....
hood.

The album received highly positive reviews and was ranked at number eight on Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.

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Encyclopedia

London Calling is the third album by English punk rock

Punk rock

The Clash

CBS Records

Epic Records

Ska

Pop music

Soul music

Rockabilly

Reggae

Unemployment

Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function....
use, and the responsibilities of adult

Adult

Rolling Stone

London Calling (song)

"London Calling" is a song from the double album London Calling by the United Kingdom punk rock band The Clash; it is also the album's first track....
" was a top twenty single. It has sold over two million copies worldwide, and was certified platinum

Music recording sales certification

Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording has shipped a certain number of copies.Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum and diamond ....
in the United States.

Recording and production

After recording their 1978 album Give 'Em Enough Rope
Give 'Em Enough Rope

Give 'Em Enough Rope is the second album by The Clash, released in 1978. In the US it was their official debut, preceding the U.S. version of The Clash ....
in the United States, the band separated from their manager Bernard Rhodes. This separation meant that the band had to leave their rehearsal studio in Camden Town

Camden Town

Camden Town is the name of an area within the London Borough of Camden, situated in London, England. It is occasionally shortened to Camden....
and find another location to compose their music. Drawing inspiration from rockabilly

Rockabilly

Ska

Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
and jazz, the band began work on the album during the summer of 1979. Tour manager Johnny Green had found the band a new place to rehearse called Vanilla Studios in Pimlico

Pimlico

Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster that is primarily residential and well known for its collection of small hotels and impressive Regency architecture....
, which was located in the back of a garage

Automobile repair shop

An automobile repair shop is a place where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and electricians....
. The band quickly wrote and recorded demo

Demo (music)

A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for musicians to approximate their ideas on Magnetic tape or compact disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, Record producers or other artists....
s, with Jones composing and arranging much of the music and Strummer supplying the lyrics.

In August 1979, the band entered Wessex Studios

Wessex Sound Studios

Wessex Sound Studios was a recording studio located in Highbury, London, England. Many renowned popular music artists recorded there, including the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Sinceros , Queen ...
to begin recording London Calling. The Clash asked Guy Stevens

Guy Stevens

Guy Stevens worked in a number of different roles in the United Kingdom music industry including Record producer and music management. He gave the rock bands Procol Harum and Mott the Hoople their distinctive names....
to produce the album, much to the dismay of CBS Records. Stevens had alcohol and drug problems and his production methods were unconventional. While recording he would often swing ladders and throw chairs around the band to create an emotional atmosphere. The entire album was recorded within a matter of weeks, with many songs recorded in one or two takes.

Artwork

The album's cover features a photograph of Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass

Fender Precision Bass

The Fender Precision Bass is an bass guitar, and was the first widely-available model of the instrument. It was designed by Leo Fender and brought to market in 1951....
against the stage at The Palladium

Palladium (music venue)

The Palladium was a concert hall and later a nightclub in New York City. It was located on the south side of East 14th Street, between Irving Place and 3rd Avenue....
in New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
on 21 September 1979 during the "Clash Take the Fifth" US tour. Pennie Smith

Pennie Smith

Pennie Smith is a Photography born in London, England, renowned for having photographed several famous Rock music musicians. She specialises in black and white photography....
, who photographed the band for the album, originally did not want the photograph to be used. She thought that it was too out of focus, but Strummer and graphic designer

Graphic designer

A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design....
Ray Lowry

Ray Lowry

Ray Lowry was an English people cartoonist, illustrator and Satire, possessing a highly distinctive style and wit. He contributed to The Guardian, Private Eye, Punch and the NME amongst many other publications....
thought it would make a good album cover. In 2002, Smith's photograph was named the best rock and roll photograph of all time by Q
Q (magazine)

Q is a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 130,179 as of June 2007.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology — from artists suc...
magazine, commenting that "it captures the ultimate rock'n'roll moment - total loss of control".

The cover artwork was designed by Lowry and was a homage to the design of Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was an United Statesn singer, actor, and musician. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as "Elvis", and is also sometimes referred to as "List of honorific titles in popular music" or "The King"....
's debut album

Elvis Presley (album)

Elvis Presley is the self-titled debut LP album by Elvis Presley released on RCA Victor in monaural, catalogue number LPM 1254, in March 1956....
. The cover was named the ninth best album cover of all time by Q magazine in 2001.

Release

Though London Calling was released as a double album

Double album

A double album is an sound album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold . A double album is typically, though not always, released because the recording is longer than the capacity of the medium....
it was only sold for the price of a single album. The Clash's record label, CBS, at first denied the band's request for the album to be released as a double. In return CBS gave permission for the band to include a free 12-inch single

12-inch single

The 12-inch single gramophone record came into existence with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. The first 12" single was actually a 10" acetate used by a mix engineer in need of a Friday night test copy for famed disco mixer Tom Moulton....
that played at 33?

33?

33? is a series of books written about music albums, featuring one author per album. The series is published by Continuum Books, a division of the Continuum International Publishing Group, and is edited by David Barker....
rpm

Revolutions per minute

Revolutions per minute is a units of measurement of frequency: the number of Turn completed in one minute around a rotation around a fixed axis....
. Ultimately, the planned 12-inch record became a second nine-track LP

LP album

Long play record albums are 33? rpm Polyvinyl chloride Gramophone records , generally either 10 or 12 inches in diameter. They were first introduced in 1948, and served as a primary release format for Sound recording and reproduction until the compact disc began to significantly displace them by 1988, and eventually leaving the mainstr...
.

London Calling sold approximately two million copies. The album peaked at number nine in the United Kingdom and was certified gold

Music recording sales certification

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
and number four in Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
. In the United States, London Calling peaked at number twenty-seven on the Billboard Pop Albums

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling Albums and extended play in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine....
chart and was certified platinum in February 1996.

In 2000, along with the rest of the band's catalogue, London Calling was remaster

Remaster

Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began. The measure of its success depends on: 1....
ed and reissue

Reissue

A reissue is the repeated issue of a Publishing work. In common usage it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....
d in compact disc

Compact Disc

A Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store Data , originally developed for storing digital audio. The CD, available on the market since October 1982, remains the standard physical medium for sale of commercial Sound recording and reproduction to the present day....
format in the United States by Epic Records

Epic Records

Epic Records is an United States record label. It is owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment. The label was founded in 1953 as a jazz label, and was eventually expanded to several genres of music....
. Four years later the album was released as a Legacy Edition, which had a bonus CD and DVD

DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc,"is a popular optical disc data storage device media format. Its main uses are video and data storage....
. The bonus CD features the The Vanilla Tapes

The Vanilla Tapes

The Vanilla Tapes were Demo recorded by the England Punk rock band The Clash -- in essence, an early version of their album London Calling ....
, missing recordings made by the band during the summer of 1979. The DVD includes The Last Testament - The Making of London Calling, a film by Don Letts

Don Letts

Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together Punk rock and reggae music....
, as well as previously unseen video footage and music video

Music video

A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a pop music or rock music song with lyrics. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings....
s.

London Calling produced two of the band's most successful singles. "London Calling

London Calling (song)

"London Calling" is a song from the double album London Calling by the United Kingdom punk rock band The Clash; it is also the album's first track....
" preceded the album with a 7 December 1979 release. It reached number eleven on the UK singles chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being printed in Music Week magazine , ChartsPlus , and published online on various sites ....
. The song's music video, directed by Letts, featured the band performing the song on a boat in the pouring rain with the River Thames

River Thames

The Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Berkshire and Windsor, Berkshire....
behind them. In the U.S., "Train in Vain

Train in Vain

"Train in Vain" is a song from the album London Calling by the United Kingdom punk rock band The Clash. The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing,c) ?Train in Vain,? written in one night and recorded the next day, was initially going to be given away as a promotion with the British rock magazine New Musical Express....
" backed by "London Calling" was released as a single in February 1980. It reached number twenty-three on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and number thirty on the Billboard Club Play

Hot Dance Club Play

Billboard 's Hot Dance Club Play chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. nightclubs. It is compiled by Billboard exclusively from playlists submitted by nightclub disc jockeys who must apply and meet certain criteria to become "Billboard-reporting DJs."...
chart.

Songs

"London Calling", the album's opening track

Opening track

The opening track is used to refer to the first track or song on an album. It is particularly of importance in compiling an album because it is usually the first impression the buyer of one receives of the material, and is very crucial in getting the listener to either listen to the rest of the album, or to stop listening before he completes...
, was partially influenced by the March 1979 meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island

Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station

Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station is a civilian nuclear power plant located on Three Mile Island in the Susquehanna River Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States....
in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
. Strummer's lyrics

Lyrics

Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song, either by speaking or singing. The word 'lyric' comes from the Greek word ,lyricos, meaning "singing to the lyre"....
also discuss the problems of rising unemployment, racial conflict and drug use in Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
. The second track, "Brand New Cadillac

Brand New Cadillac

Brand New Cadillac, a 1958 12-bar blues song by Vince Taylor, It was originally released as a b-side. Featured musicians on the released recording are: Joe Moretti , Lou Brian , Brian Locking and Brian Bennett ....
", was originally recorded by Vince Taylor

Vince Taylor

Vince Taylor was a British rock and roll singer.As the frontman for The Playboys, Taylor was successful primarily in the UK and Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s, afterwards falling into obscurity amidst personal problems and drug abuse....
. The band cite the song as "one of the first British rock'n'roll records" and had initially used it as a warm up song before recording. "Rudie Can't Fail", the album's fifth song, features a horn section

Horn section

In music, a horn section refers to two separate groups of musicians. In can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play Horn . In modern music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a band....
and mixes elements of pop, soul and reggae music together. Its lyrics chronicle the life of a fun-loving young man who is criticised for his inability to act like a responsible adult.

"Spanish Bombs

Spanish Bombs

"Spanish Bombs" is a song by The Clash, sung by Joe Strummer, and featured on their 1979 double album, London Calling. The song is about the Spanish Civil War and was written after travelling home from Wessex Studios when Joe Strummer was talking with Gaby Salter about ETA, an armed Basque nationalist separatist organisation founded in 1...
" was influenced by terrorist

Terrorism

Terrorism, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is the systematic use of terror, "violent or destructive acts committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands." At present, there is no internationally agreed upon definition of terrorism....
bombings in Spain and Ireland. It received positive reviews from critics, with one reviewer stating that its "combination of thoughtful lyrics and an energetic performance" made it a "highlight of London Calling". The album's eighth track, "Lost in the Supermarket

Lost in the Supermarket

"Lost in the Supermarket" is a 1979 song by The Clash. Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones and produced by Guy Stevens, it is credited to the Strummer/Jones songwriting partnership....
", was written by Strummer who imagined Jones' childhood growing up in a basement with his mother and grandmother. "Clampdown

Clampdown

"Clampdown" is a single and a song by The Clash, on the album London Calling. The song began as a instrumental track called "Working and Waiting"....
" began as a instrumental track called "Working and Waiting". Its lyrics comment on people who forsake the idealism of youth and urge young people to fight the status quo

Status Quo

Status Quo, also known as The Quo or just Quo, are an England rock music band whose music is characterized by the twelve-bar blues....
. The tenth track, "The Guns of Brixton

The Guns of Brixton

"The Guns of Brixton" is a song by The Clash on their third album, London Calling, released in 1979. It was written and sung by bassist Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, south London....
", was the first song recorded by the band to be composed by Simonon and to feature him as lead vocalist. He was originally doubtful about the song's lyrics, which discuss an individual's paranoid outlook on life, but was encouraged to continue working on it by Strummer.

The album's twelfth track, "Death or Glory", features Strummer looking back at his life, acknowledging the complications and responsibilities of adulthood. While working on "The Card Cheat", the band recorded everything twice to create a "sound as big as possible". "Revolution Rock", a reggae song, received mixed reviews from critics, and Strummer and Jones were criticized by NME
NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition....
for their inability to compose credible love song

Love song

A love song is about falling in love and the happiness it brings. By contrast, a heartbreak song is about a relationship breaking down, or the sadness of a love that has died....
s. The final track, "Train in Vain

Train in Vain

"Train in Vain" is a song from the album London Calling by the United Kingdom punk rock band The Clash. The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing,c) ?Train in Vain,? written in one night and recorded the next day, was initially going to be given away as a promotion with the British rock magazine New Musical Express....
", was originally not included on the album's back cover. The song was initially going to be given away for free through a promotion with NME, but when the deal fell through it was added to the album at the last minute.

Reception, influence and accolades

The album received positive reviews from critics, and has since become widely accepted as one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
magazine ranked London Calling at number one on its 1989 list of the 100 Best Albums of the Eighties despite its 1979 release. In 1993, NME
NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition....
ranked the album at number six on its list of The Greatest Albums of the '70s. Vibe magazine included the double album on its list of the 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century. Q magazine ranked London Calling at number four on its 1999 list of the 100 Greatest British Albums, and, in 2002, included the album in its list of the 100 Best Punk Albums.

Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau is an United States essayist, music journalist, and self-declared "Dean of American Rock Critics". In print, he often abbreviates his name as Xgau....
described London Calling as "warm, angry, and thoughtful, confident, melodic, and hard-rocking" and called it "the best double-LP since Exile on Main Street
Exile on Main St.

Exile on Main St. is an album by the English rock music band The Rolling Stones. Released as a double album?and drawing on influences from rock & roll, blues, country music and soul music?Exile was initially greeted with lukewarm reviews, but is now widely considered the band's finest work and one of the defining masterpieces of the r...
". Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that London Calling was "invigorating, rocking harder and with more purpose than most albums, let alone double albums" and called it "one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded".

Alternative Press included London Calling on its 2001 list of the 10 Essential '80s Albums. Tom Carson of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
said it "celebrates the romance of rock & roll rebellion in grand, epic terms" and ranked London Calling number eight on its 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In the same year, Mojo
Mojo (magazine)

Mojo is a popular music magazine published by Bauer Verlagsgruppe, monthly in the United Kingdom.Following the success of the magazine Q , publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music....
magazine ranked the album at number twenty-two

Twenty-Two

"Twenty Two" is an episode of the American television series The Twilight Zone ....
on its Top 50 Punk Albums. London Calling was named album of the year by Stereo Review
Stereo Review

Stereo Review was a magazine first published in 1958 by Ziff-Davis with the title HiFi and Music Review. It was one of a number of magazines then available for the individual interested in high fidelity....
for 1980.

In 2004, Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication devoted to music journalism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews....
reviewer Amanda Petrusich named "London Calling" the album's best song and wrote that "The Clash do not let go; each track builds on the last, pummeling and laughing and slapping us into dumb submission". The website ranked the album at number two on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 70s, Sal Ciolfi of PopMatters

PopMatters

PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism. Its scope is broadly cast on all things pop culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater, visual arts, travel, and the Internet...
called the album a "big, loud, beautiful collection of hurt, anger, restless thought, and above all hope" and wrote that "if released tomorrow would still seem relevant and vibrant", and the College Music Journal
College Music Journal

College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company most famous for its annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada....
ranked it at number three on its Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1980.

In 2007, London Calling was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame

Grammy Hall of Fame Award

The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"....
, a collection of recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer

John Graham Mellor , better known by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash....
and Mick Jones

Mick Jones (The Clash)

Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones was the lead guitarist and a singer of the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and later Big Audio....
, except where noted.

Side one

"London Calling
London Calling (song)

"London Calling" is a song from the double album London Calling by the United Kingdom punk rock band The Clash; it is also the album's first track....
" – 3:19
"Brand New Cadillac
Brand New Cadillac

Brand New Cadillac, a 1958 12-bar blues song by Vince Taylor, It was originally released as a b-side. Featured musicians on the released recording are: Joe Moretti , Lou Brian , Brian Locking and Brian Bennett ....
" (Vince Taylor
Vince Taylor

Vince Taylor was a British rock and roll singer.As the frontman for The Playboys, Taylor was successful primarily in the UK and Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s, afterwards falling into obscurity amidst personal problems and drug abuse....
) – 2:09
"Jimmy Jazz" – 3:51
"Hateful" – 2:47
"Rudie Can't Fail" – 3:26

Side two

"Spanish Bombs
Spanish Bombs

"Spanish Bombs" is a song by The Clash, sung by Joe Strummer, and featured on their 1979 double album, London Calling. The song is about the Spanish Civil War and was written after travelling home from Wessex Studios when Joe Strummer was talking with Gaby Salter about ETA, an armed Basque nationalist separatist organisation founded in 1...
" – 3:18
"The Right Profile" – 4:00
"Lost in the Supermarket
Lost in the Supermarket

"Lost in the Supermarket" is a 1979 song by The Clash. Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones and produced by Guy Stevens, it is credited to the Strummer/Jones songwriting partnership....
" – 3:47
"Clampdown
Clampdown

"Clampdown" is a single and a song by The Clash, on the album London Calling. The song began as a instrumental track called "Working and Waiting"....
" – 3:50
"The Guns of Brixton
The Guns of Brixton

"The Guns of Brixton" is a song by The Clash on their third album, London Calling, released in 1979. It was written and sung by bassist Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, south London....
" (Paul Simonon
Paul Simonon

Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. His most recent work is his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007....
) – 3:07

Side three

"Wrong 'Em Boyo" (Clive Alphonso) – 3:10
"Death or Glory" – 3:55
"Koka Kola" – 1:45
"The Card Cheat" (Jones, Strummer, Simonon, Topper Headon
Topper Headon

Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon , known as 'Topper' , is a British rock and roll drummer, best known for his membership in the punk rock band , The Clash....
) – 3:51

Side four

"Lover's Rock" – 4:01
"Four Horsemen" – 3:00
"I'm Not Down" – 3:00
"Revolution Rock" (Jackie Edwards, Danny Ray
Danny Ray

Danny Ray, is an American tenor saxophone, known for his exploding sax style, evolved from early punk rock and R&B roots.Currently , playing in an eclectic project called Mad Juana, with rock bassist Sami Yaffa , Karmen Guy , Marni Rice , Dustin Luna , Paul Garisto , Nico Camargo , Fernando Apondaca and Steve Rodriguez ....
) – 5:37
"Train in Vain
Train in Vain

"Train in Vain" is a song from the album London Calling by the United Kingdom punk rock band The Clash. The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing,c) ?Train in Vain,? written in one night and recorded the next day, was initially going to be given away as a promotion with the British rock magazine New Musical Express....
" – 3:11

On the original record, "Train in Vain" was not listed on the sleeve nor the label on the record.

25th Anniversary Legacy Edition

The 25th Anniversary Edition of the album was released in 2004 and contains The Vanilla Tapes
The Vanilla Tapes

The Vanilla Tapes were Demo recorded by the England Punk rock band The Clash -- in essence, an early version of their album London Calling ....
as a bonus disc, and a DVD featuring the making of the album, the music videos and video footage of The Clash recording in Wessex Studios.

Bonus disc track listing

"Hateful" - 3:23
"Rudie Can't Fail" - 3:08
"Paul's Tune" (Paul Simonon
Paul Simonon

Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. His most recent work is his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007....
) - 2:32
"I'm Not Down" - 3:24
"4 Horsemen" - 2:45
"Koka Kola, Advertising & Cocaine" - 1:57
"Death or Glory" - 3:47
"Lover's Rock" - 3:45
"Lonesome Me" (The Clash
The Clash

The Clash were an English Rock music band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, ska, Dub music, funk, Hip hop music and rockabilly....
) - 2:09
"The Police Walked in 4 Jazz" - 2:19
"Lost in the Supermarket
Lost in the Supermarket

"Lost in the Supermarket" is a 1979 song by The Clash. Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones and produced by Guy Stevens, it is credited to the Strummer/Jones songwriting partnership....
" - 3:52
"Up-Toon" (Instrumental) - 1:57
"Walking the Slidewalk" (The Clash
The Clash

The Clash were an English Rock music band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, ska, Dub music, funk, Hip hop music and rockabilly....
) - 2:34
"Where You Gonna Go (Soweto)" (The Clash
The Clash

The Clash were an English Rock music band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, ska, Dub music, funk, Hip hop music and rockabilly....
) - 4:05
"The Man in Me
The Man in Me

"The Man in Me" is a song from Bob Dylan's 1970 album New Morning. It is featured in the soundtrack to the 1998 Coen Brothers film The Big Lebowski....
" (Bob Dylan) - 3:57
"Remote Control" - 2:39
"Working and Waiting" - 4:11
"Heart & Mind" (The Clash
The Clash

The Clash were an English Rock music band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, ska, Dub music, funk, Hip hop music and rockabilly....
) - 4:27
"Brand New Cadillac" (Vince Taylor
Vince Taylor

Vince Taylor was a British rock and roll singer.As the frontman for The Playboys, Taylor was successful primarily in the UK and Europe during the late 1950s and early 1960s, afterwards falling into obscurity amidst personal problems and drug abuse....
) - 2:08
"London Calling
London Calling (song)

"London Calling" is a song from the double album London Calling by the United Kingdom punk rock band The Clash; it is also the album's first track....
" - 4:26
"Revolution Rock" (J. Edwards, D. Ray) - 3:51

DVD track listing

The Last Testament - The Making of London Calling
"London Calling" music video
"Train in Vain" music video
"Clampdown" music video
Home video footage of The Clash recording in Wessex Studios

Personnel

Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer

John Graham Mellor , better known by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash....
– vocals, rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar

Rhythm guitar is the use of a guitar to provide rhythmic chord al accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a musical ensemble. In ensembles or "bands" playing within the country music, blues music, rock music or Heavy metal music genres , a guitarist playing the rhythm part of a composition supports the melodic lines and solos play...
, piano
Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
Mick Jones
Mick Jones (The Clash)

Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones was the lead guitarist and a singer of the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and later Big Audio....
– guitar, vocals, piano
Paul Simonon
Paul Simonon

Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. His most recent work is his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007....
– bass guitar
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
, vocals
Topper Headon
Topper Headon

Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon , known as 'Topper' , is a British rock and roll drummer, best known for his membership in the punk rock band , The Clash....
– drum
Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion instrument group, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of implement such as a drumstick, to produce sound....
s, percussion
Mickey Gallagher
Mickey Gallagher

Mickey Gallagher is a British keyboardist, best known for his membership of Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and for contributions to three albums by The Clash....
– organ
Organ (music)

The organ is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard played either Manual or Pedal clavier. The organ is one of the oldest musical instruments in the European classical music....
The Irish Horns – brass
Brass instrument

A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular resonator. They are also called labrosones, literally meaning "lip-vibrated instruments" ....
Guy Stevens
Guy Stevens

Guy Stevens worked in a number of different roles in the United Kingdom music industry including Record producer and music management. He gave the rock bands Procol Harum and Mott the Hoople their distinctive names....
– producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
Bill Price
Bill Price (record producer)

Bill Price is a Record producer and Audio engineer famed for his work with The Clash, The Sex Pistols and Guns N' RosesHe has remained out of the public eye but has contributed to documentaries about The Clash such as 'Westway To The World'....
– chief engineer
Audio engineering

Audio engineering is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of sound through mechanical and electronic means. The field draws on many disciplines, including electrical engineering, acoustics, psychoacoustics, and music....
Jerry Green – second engineer
Pennie Smith
Pennie Smith

Pennie Smith is a Photography born in London, England, renowned for having photographed several famous Rock music musicians. She specialises in black and white photography....
– photographer
Ray Lowry
Ray Lowry

Ray Lowry was an English people cartoonist, illustrator and Satire, possessing a highly distinctive style and wit. He contributed to The Guardian, Private Eye, Punch and the NME amongst many other publications....
– design

Charts

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Swedish Albums Chart	2
UK Albums Chart	9
Chart (1980)	Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart	17
Norwegian Albums Chart	4
U.S. Billboard Pop Albums	27
Chart (2004)	Peak position
Norwegian Albums Chart	17
Swedish Albums Chart	45
Swiss Albums Chart	72
UK Albums Chart	26

External links

Mix Magazine, 2000 - Very detailed article with recording setup details from the album's engineer, Bill Price.

London Calling

Recording and production

Artwork

Release

Songs

Reception, influence and accolades

Track listing

Side one

Side two

Side three

Side four

25th Anniversary Legacy Edition

Personnel

Charts

Further reading

External links