Conversation overhead at a bar circa 2004:
Friend One: “What’s this song called?”
Friend Two: “Rock the Casbah.”
One: “Who sings it?”
Two: “The Clash.”
One: “Oh wow! This must be a great record.”
Wrong. So wrong. OK, not so wrong. But One has neglected that the Clash existed before the 1980s and that their second release, London Calling, successfully combined the punchy anti-establishment energy of both punk and reggae while remaining tuneful and original. This record alone spawned the ‘90s punk resurgence and its perennial favorites: Green Day, Anti-Flag, and Rancid. The entire Hellcat Records lineup (Epitaph subsidiary) could never have conceived their sounds if Joe Strummer and the boys had decided to focus more on art school and less on art.
The title track opens with a rhythm described as “not quite ska, not quite reggae, not quite punk…something new.” The simplicity of the two chords, four notes on the bass, and “boom-chick” drums propelling forth the eerie message of a fallen city introduce us to a record that never fears the unknown.
“Clampdown” is another example of new rhythms and politically minded lyrics that challenge rather than shock. Instead of the snarling Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen/Her Facist regime,” we have the thoughtful “You don’t owe nothing, so boy get runnin’/It’s the best years of your life they want to steal.”
“The Four Horesman” segue into “I’m not Down” shows the band’s skillful mixing and understanding of their craft, previously uncommon in punk music.
Bands since the Clash have tried to span the political and the introspective, and few have succeeded. Even their greatest emulators, Rancid, wind up writing the same song over and over with different lyrics. With London Calling, you get the pop reflections (“Lost in the Supermarket”), the political (“Guns of Brixton”), and the good ol’ fun cover(“Brand New Cadillac”), and no two songs leave you wondering whether the “really cool one” was track five or six. Now, number One, do you want to borrow my CD?
Essential Tracks:
“London Calling”
“Lost in the Supermarket”
“Guns of Brixton”
“Clampdown”
“I’m not Down”
“Train in Vain”
