London Calling (25th Anniversary Edition/+DVD) [Digipak] [Remastered] - Clash (The)

...from the council estates of London to form a rock band that became synonymous with the punk movement as well as achieving that rarity amongst bands of that time and type by conquering the American market. Having released “The Clash “ in 1977 and “Give ‘Em Enough Rope” the following year, the band followed up in 1979 with the classic double album “London Calling”. 25 years on and THE album of The Clash period has been celebrated in an anniversary ...
...a background to all things London and I heard it only the other day on a radio ad promoting the tourist aspects of our First City. "London Calling" is an anthemic, dystopian tale of all things London and you could be forgiven for thinking it was about the capital being the subject of a nuclear attack as Strummer wails “…a nuclear error but I have no fear, cos London is drowning and I live by the river.” Accepted now as a reverie of the ... more

The term iconic is an overused term when it comes to the music industry with any reasonably successful band attracting the tag after just one or two hit albums. Of course, the real deal when it comes to that particular place in the Sun belongs to but a few. For the record, The Clash was just about as iconic as they come.

The Clash released their first album in 1977 at the inception of the recognised punk rock era. Ostensibly, The Clash was Mick Jones on guitars, vocals, Joe Strummer on vocals and rhythm guitar, Paul Simonon on bass, vocals and Topper Headon on drums and percussion. The Clash was born from the council estates of London to form a rock band that became synonymous with the punk movement as well as achieving that rarity amongst bands of that time and type by conquering the American market. Having released “The Clash “ in 1977 and “Give ‘Em Enough Rope” the following year, the band followed up in 1979 with the classic double album “London Calling”. 25 years on and THE album of The Clash period has been celebrated in an anniversary CD release for those wanting to either reminisce over a time when rock was taken back to its absolute fundamentals or those wanting to buy an introduction to one of the great bands of its generation.

The anniversary CD is a triple offering of an updated version of the 1979 album, an extra CD of long lost rehearsal recordings called "The Vanilla Tapes" and a DVD entitled “The Last Testament” featuring 30 minutes of interviews and rare footage of the band.

The original LP features 19 tracks including a number of classic Clash hits. The best known is “London Calling” – a tune that has been associated with the nation’s capital ever since its release. Even today, “London Calling” is used as a background to all things London and I heard it only the other day on a radio ad promoting the tourist aspects of our First City. "London Calling" is an anthemic, dystopian tale of all things London and you could be forgiven for thinking it was about the capital being the subject of a nuclear attack as Strummer wails “…a nuclear error but I have no fear, cos London is drowning and I live by the river.” Accepted now as a reverie of the 1979 Winter of Discontent, the disaster of Three Mile Island as well as the social tensions of that time resulted in a homage to London using the river Thames as dark inspiration for several references in the song.

With an album like "London Calling", the greatness is derived from the diversity and the rockabilly, bass guitar dominated “Brand New Cadillac” takes the listener back to a grating 50’s sound that typified the rock aspect of the band’s musical influences. It was that combo of rock and reggae that the Clash did so well that fused many aspects of their song writing. In a London that was home to a large immigrant population, the black influence is present for all to hear in “Rudie Can’t Fail”, “The Guns of Brixton” and “Revolution Rock”. In particular, “The Guns of Brixton” is a testimony to the racial tension between the police and the mainly West Indian community of Brixton with never a hint of racism from the songwriting itself but merely a real life reflection of the social problems of the late 70’s. “…When they kick at your front door, how you gonna come? With your hands on your head or on the trigger of your gun?”

“Lost in the Supermarket” takes its inspiration from SW10 World’s End and the supermarket there. With something of a softer sound, the song is a reverie of mendacity as dreams of fame are blurred by the daily drag of shopping and the daily grind. In an era of high unemployment and general social decay, that mendacity was fertile ground for many bands lyrically and it’s that boredom in general that gave rise to bands like The Clash.

One of the things that hit you about the time is how so many songs can sound upbeat and yet lyrically concentrate on the pessimistic side of life. “Koka Kola” and “Lovers Rock” both lament for the future of forthcoming pop with a nod to drugs never too far away from “Koka Kola”.

Stagger Lee was a 19th century hustler shot dead in an argument over a hat in St Louis. Lamented in “Wrong ‘Em Boyo”, The Clash expose their influence to Ska and it’s that London gangster type of feel that gave the band its sense of cool as well as a hard edge that penetrated many of the lyrics that drove their songs.

Musically and lyrically, "London Calling" is not for the feint hearted but that’s why so many in Britain and the US came to revere the boys from London.

“The Vanilla Tapes” are the so-called band rehearsals/recordings that got lost on the London tube in 1979. Having just returned from a tour of the US, the band needed a studio to record a new album on and so they tried Vanilla studios on Causton Street in Pimlico. Rediscovered in March 2004 in a cardboard box in Mick Jones’ house, the tapes were of those 37 songs strung together to sell to their record label of that day although the anniversary CD only reproduces the best 21 sounds. Differences to the "London Calling" album include: “Paul’s Tune”, “Lonesome Me”, “The Police Walked in 4 Jazz”, “Up Toon”, “Walking The Sidewalk”, “Where You Gonna Go (Soweto), “The Man in Me”, “Remote Control”, “Working and Waiting” and “Heart and Mind”. Of course, some are the original working titles of songs that were eventually re-named on release and the Vanilla Tapes are a chance to hear the raw blend of jazz, funk and disco that gets chopped up in the band’s mumbling as they strive to piece together a set for recording.

The Vanilla Tapes are for aficionados only. In a time where the consumer insists on crystal clear sounds a la digital broadcasts, these rehearsals are as raw as they come and will only appeal to muso anoraks or fans of the band who are happy to listen to undistilled sounds with plenty of joy and enthusiasm about them.

The Last Testament" is a DVD offering that was inspired by 2 video-tapes sent to Paul Simonon by former PR man, Kosmo Vinyl. Based on original hand held filming done by the band themselves during the making of the “London Calling” album, the footage was produced into a watchable format by Don Letts. Also featuring promos of “London Calling”, “Train in Vain” and “Clampdown”, the DVD will appeal to muso historians as well as excitable fans trying to rediscover better times in a post-Strummer world.

The25th Anniversary Collection is a true triumph for fans of The Clash. With an impressive collaboration of what was probably the band’s best album, a Holy Grail find of rare rehearsals and a DVD including priceless archive footage then this is a must for collectors. I was lucky enough to get this as a present at Christmas but if you want to buy it then it currently retails at £15.99 at Amazon although it pays to shop around. You will recognise the CD from the front picture (photo taken at the New York Palladium 21.9.79) as it is the same as the one that appeared on the original album with the embellishment of “25th Anniversary Edition” emblazoned down the left-hand side. This offering will appeal to fans of rock music who prefer their music raw and with an edge. In today’s terms, maybe Green Day would be as up to the minute as I can think but The Clash do belong on a level all of their own. The Clash is among my all time favourite musical acts and one of my great regrets is never having seen them perform live. I can’t recommend them and this package highly enough.

Thanks for reading

Marandina

***Full track listing for "London Calling"***
London Calling, Train in Vain, Brand New Cadillac, Wrong 'Em Boyo, Jimmy Jazz, Hateful, Death or Glory, Rudie Can't Fail, Koka Kola, Spanish Bombs, The Card Cheat, The Right Profile, Lover's Rock, Lost in the Supermarket, Four Horseman, Clampdown, I'm Not Down, The Guns of Brixton, Revolution Rock.

CD published by Columbia as a trademark for Sony Music - 2004.

 

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