Until recently, the few Clash songs I'd heard were limited to 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go', 'Rock The Casbah' and 'London Calling', and I felt that these presented a rather one-dimensional view of the band. Then, on a magazine's free CD, I came across 'Train In Vain', which appears on the London Calling album. Train in Vain is an amazing funky, upbeat song, which shows an entirely different side to the band, and yet you can still tell it is a Clash song.
After hearing Train in Vain, I was considering buying the album, but was not entirely convinced I would enjoy a whole Clash album, and even less sure I would fork out £10 or so to find out. It is highly acclaimed, and in all the top 100 albums lists, but can you ever believe the hype? I was lucky enough to pick up the 2CD + 1DVD box set for just £2.50 in a local clearance shop - but having enjoyed it thoroughly, I would have not regretted it if I'd paid full whack.
The set is nicely packaged, a rarity for multi-disc gatefold releases. The first CD is the original album, 19 tracks which just get better and better the more you listen to them. Although the songs are diverse in their own way, there is a definite theme to the album, which makes it greater than the sum of its part (the hallmark of a great album, rather than a collection of songs). Don't ask me to describe each of the songs, I'll just say that they are individually good, and collectively, even better.
The second disc is 'The Vanilla Tapes', a collection of demos/prototypes/alternate songs for the main album. The disc is so named because of the place where they were recorded. I must say that this doesn't really compare to the original LP, but does give some valuable insight into the development of the better tracks, and it does make you appreciate the original album a bit more. I would suggest that this would be of most use to long-term Clash fans who are buying the album on CD for the first time, or if you're just an obsessed collector.
The final disc is a DVD with a half-hour documentary on the making of the album, plus videos for 3 songs; London Calling, Train In Vain and Clampdown. The documentary is great, and it developed my interest in the album further, but probably won't withstand subsequent viewings. What is most incredible is the behaviour of the band's producer when recording this album. They had to calm him down to stop him throwing furniture around the studio and punching the walls of the sound booth before they could record a track! This DVD shows some home video footage of him in action.
Also (!) in the pack is a poster, which shows the lyrics of 18/19 tracks, sadly omitting those of Train in Vain. But yes, you can definitively find out what Rudie had for breakfast and what the woman in Lover's Rock had to swallow. Finally, there is a 36-page booklet which is a genuinely fascinating essay on the themes and stories behind the album's content. It then features hand-written synopses and/or doodles for each of the songs and a section on the Vanilla tapes.
To sum up, and to use a well-worn cliché, if you are serious about your music collection, this is an essential choice. I think I've heard that said dozens of times before and I didn't believe it until I'd heard the album properly.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Thanks! I wasn't sure about the hype either, but I'm definitely going to get this now! The Clash are noticeably missing from my CD collection, so this should fill in the gap nicely :o)
chappy_sandler 08.07.2005 22:56
Good review. Great band. Legend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Boozey182 05.07.2005 12:05
Nice review!!! Always wanted to get into the Clash, this looks like a good start!!! Good work!! BOOZEY!!
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