London Calling
| London Calling | |||||
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| Studio album by The Clash | |||||
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admission |
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| Label (s) |
Columbia Records Epic Records |
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Title (number) |
19th |
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running time |
65:07 |
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Guy Stevens, Mick Jones |
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Studio (s) |
Wessex Studios, London |
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London Calling is the third studio album by British rock band The Clash . The double album , on which the band combines different styles such as punk , reggae or pop , is considered a milestone in rock music and appears at the top of various leaderboards. It was released in December 1979.
publication
London Calling was released on December 14, 1979 as a double album in Europe by Columbia Records and in the USA by Epic Records . It was first released on CD in 1987.
On September 21, 2004, the London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition was released , which, in addition to a DVD on the creation of the album, also contains the demos preceding the studio recordings under the title Vanilla Tapes .
The London Calling: 30th Anniversary Edition on CD and DVD followed on December 11, 2009 .
Cover
The album cover , photographed by Pennie Smith , shows Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass during a concert and is also a reference to the cover of Elvis Presley's first LP . Simonon's pose itself has served as a template for several reminiscences, including the cover of the soundtrack for the video game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland based on this motif.
Press reactions upon publication
The reactions of the music press were quite different when the album was released:
New Musical Express (Great Britain): “'London Calling' is the first clash album that fully lives up to its myth, although it largely omits the more indigestible aspects of this myth. Sometimes it sounds like nothing they have ever recorded before, and yet this is ultimately the most clash-like clash record to date. [...] 'London Calling' is also - by no means an unimportant point - the first clash record (perhaps with the exception of 'The Cost Of Living'), which actually sounds exactly right. Guy Stevens produced The Clash the way it should have been produced from the start. [...] 'London Calling' makes up for the badly played rock'n'roll of the last decade. "
Melody Maker (Great Britain): "The fact that it doesn't come across as desperate or depressed as the previous album is basically due to two things: The Clash discovered America and through it themselves. [...] The usual criticism of double albums could be added here, and as there are some weaknesses, and rightly so. But that would miss the point: 'London Calling' shows The Clash in full, combative control over everything that once made them so great. It has become infinitely better than we ever expected. "
Sounds (UK): "Unable to move forward, they grabbed every straw and ended up going backwards because of Strummer's rhythm and blues past and Jones ' Keith Richards obsession with the Stones ' outlaw image and tired, old rock clichés. There is no hunger, no vision, no context and no personality of your own, no killer hammers - nothing that makes you say 'Wow!' to call. "
ZigZag (Great Britain): “'London Calling' is the most danceable clash album so far. They expand into a wide range of musical styles [...] Lively, exciting elements of everything that is great, clash-ized and condensed into a joyful, positive album. "
Rolling Stone (USA): “Despite the first-take rumble and guerrilla production, this double album is music that is meant to last. It is so rich and diverse that it not only makes you feel elated, but also downright enthusiastic and triumphantly alive. [...] 'London Calling' is generous and extravagant. It's packed with characters and stories like a great novel, and the band's new stylistic breadth - wind instruments, organs, here and there piano, blues melancholy, pop lightness and a reggae-dub influence that shines through almost every number - intensifies the density and richness of the sound. "
New York Times (USA): “This is an album that captures all the primal energy of the Clash, combines it with the brilliant production of Guy Stevens, and reveals a level of ingenuity and creativity that the previous work of the band would not have suggested . [...] The music is as phenomenal as it captures the diversity of everyday life in London's lower classes, and The Clash, armed with such song material, can be such a passionate band at their performances that it would be truly amazing if Epic Records included them Couldn't sell America to a mass audience. "
Musikexpress (Germany): “Clash have matured as individuals and as a band, have an even cleaner and clearer sound on 'London Calling' than on ' Give' Em Enough Rope ', […] and should therefore also reach those who have been with so far Police , Ian Dury and / or the Boomtown Rats were very satisfied. "
Sounds (Germany): “'London Calling' is a terrifyingly tired brew from a band that pretended to be number 1 in punk. They dug their own grave with their supermarket offerings. Please don't fool me about musical innovation. Nothing turns on the turntable here but a mediocre rock'n'roll. "
Der Spiegel (Germany): “On their latest double album 'London Calling', the Clash unfold a stylistic breadth that includes Beatles elements, rockabilly, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues and reggae and always swings fresh. Luscious, springy horn comments remove clash rock far from pale punk asceticism. "
reception
| source | rating |
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| Allmusic |
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| Rolling Stone |
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| Music Express |
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| Laut.de |
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Currently holds London Calling as the magnum opus of The Clash. The variety of styles used in the 19 songs is particularly surprising: punk , rockabilly , reggae , pop , hard rock , ska , rhythm and blues and even jazz . The album reached top places in numerous best lists, so the album, although released in 1979, was named the best album of the 1980s by the renowned music magazine Rolling Stone . In 2003 the album was voted 8th of the 500 best albums of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone . The song London Calling ranks 15th and Train in Vain 298 of the 500 best songs of all time .
In 2013, the New Musical Express voted the album 39th of the 500 best albums. London Calling ranks 23rd out of the 500 best songs.
Pitchfork leads London Calling at number 2 of the 100 best albums of the 1970s as well as Train in Vain at No. 104 and London Calling at number 48 of the 200 best songs of the decade.
The album ranks 23rd out of the 200 best albums in Uncut magazine .
The British daily The Guardian voted London Calling 17th of the 100 best albums.
Time magazine included it in the compilation of the 100 most important albums.
In 2007 the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame .
London Calling is one of the 1001 albums You Must Hear Before You Die .
The BBC describes London Calling as a “quintessential rock album” and judges: “Truly, a record so brilliant you'd have to be from another planet not to love it” .
The German magazine Musikexpress calls London Calling the "greatest rock album of the 20th century" in its review of the 25th Anniversary Edition published in 2004 .
Cover versions
In 2010 Bruce Springsteen released a live double DVD with a cover version of London Calling . The song was covered as Hamburg Calling by the Hamburg hip-hop band Fettes Brot and played live for the first time in 2007. It was released in 2008 on the single Bettina, please wear something .
The songs
Track list
| No. | title | Lead vocals | Written by | length |
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| 1. | London Calling | Joe Strummer | Mick Jones , Strummer | 3:20 |
| 2. | Brand New Cadillac | Strummer | Vince Taylor | 2:08 |
| 3. | Jimmy Jazz | Strummer | Jones, Strummer | 3:54 |
| 4th | Hateful | Strummer | Jones, Strummer | 2:44 |
| 5. | Rudie can't fail | Strummer, Jones | Jones, Strummer | 3:29 |
| 6th | Spanish bombs | Strummer, Jones | Jones, Strummer | 3:18 |
| 7th | The Right Profile | Strummer | Jones, Strummer | 3:54 |
| 8th. | Lost in the supermarket | Jones | Jones, Strummer | 3:47 |
| 9. | Clampdown | Strummer, Jones | Jones, Strummer | 3:49 |
| 10. | The Guns of Brixton | Simonon | Simonon | 3:09 |
| 11. | Wrong 'Em Boyo | Strummer | Clive Alphonso | 3:10 |
| 12. | Death or Glory | Strummer | Jones, Strummer | 3:55 |
| 13. | Koka Kola | Strummer | Jones, Strummer | 1:47 |
| 14th | The Card Cheat | Jones | Jones, Strummer | 3:49 |
| 15th | Lover's Rock | Strummer | Jones, Strummer | 4:03 |
| 16. | Four Horsemen | Strummer | Jones, Strummer | 2:55 |
| 17th | I'm not down | Jones | Jones, Strummer | 3:06 |
| 18th | Revolution rock | Strummer | Jackie Edwards, Danny Ray | 5:33 |
| 19th | Train in Vain (Stand by Me) | Jones | Jones, Strummer | 3:09 |
The theme song
According to Greil Marcus, the title song London Calling describes the simultaneous occurrence of all possible disasters:
"Now war is declared, and battle come down
... The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
Cause London is drowning, and I live by the river
... A nuclear error, but I have no fear "
25th Anniversary Legacy Edition
| London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition | ||||
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| Box set from The Clash | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) |
Epic Records Legacy Recordings |
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
40 |
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running time |
132: 15 |
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Guy Stevens, Mick Jones |
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Studio (s) |
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| source | rating |
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| Rolling Stone |
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| The Guardian |
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| Pitchfork Media |
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| Music Express |
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On September 21, 2004, Epic Records and Legacy Recordings released the 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition, an anniversary edition on 2 CDs, which spanned the studio album and a bonus CD called The Vanilla Tapes . The additional songs are demo recordings from 1979 from Vanilla Studios in London. In addition to the two CDs, a DVD is included, which contains the making of The Last Testament by Don Letts , archive recordings and music videos for London Calling , Train in Vain and Clampdown . The new release was rated very positively. The US website Metacritic , which summarizes reviews from various editors, aggregates the highest possible Metascore of 100 points for the 25th Anniversary Edition .
The Vanilla Tapes
- Hateful - 3:23
- Rudie Can't Fail - 3:08
- Paul's Tune - 2:32
- I'm not Down - 3:24
- Horsemen - 2:45
- Koka Kola, Advertising & Cocaine - 1:57
- Death or Glory - 3:47
- Lover's Rock - 3:45
- Lonesome Me - 2:09
- The Police Walked in 4 Jazz - 2:19
- Lost in the Supermarket - 3:52
- Up-Toon - 1:57
- Walking the Slidewalk - 2:34
- Where You Gonna Go (Soweto) - 4:05
- The Man in Me - 3:57
- Remote Control - 2:39
- Working and Waiting - 4:11
- Heart & Mind - 4:27
- Brand New Cadillac - 2:08
- London Calling - 4:26
- Revolution Rock - 3:51
Web links
- official homepage
- London Calling at Discogs
- London Calling Song Lexicon, October 8, 2013
Individual evidence
- ^ Sebastian Neighbor: Hall of Fame: The Clash - London Calling . Ed .: Bayerischer Rundfunk. September 10, 2013 ( br.de [accessed June 3, 2020]).
- ^ Elvis Presley - 1956 (album). In: Elvis Presley - The King. Accessed June 3, 2020 (German).
- ↑ A list of motifs that allude to the two motifs is available here .
- ^ Charles Shaar Murray, in: New Musical Express , December 15, 1979
- ↑ James Truman, in: Melody Maker , December 15, 1979
- ↑ Garry Bushell , in: Sounds , December 15, 1979
- ↑ Kris Needs, in: ZigZag Magazine, No. 99, December 1979
- ↑ Tom Carson, in: Rolling Stone , April 3, 1980
- ↑ John Rockwell, in: New York Times , January 4, 1980
- ↑ Review by Detlef Kinsler, in: Musikexpress 01/1980
- ^ Alfred Hilsberg , in: Sounds , January 1980
- ↑ Full steam ahead . In: Der Spiegel . No. 21 , 1980 ( online ).
- ↑ Review by Thomas Erlewine on AllMusic.com (accessed April 17, 2016)
- ↑ Review by Pat Blashill on RollingStone.com (archived) (accessed December 7, 2019)
- ↑ Review by Detlef Kinsler, in: Musikexpress 01/1980, issue 288, p. 33.
- ↑ Review by Sven Kabelitz on Laut.de (accessed April 17, 2016)
- ↑ See review in the All Music Guide
- ↑ At rollingstone.com ( Memento of the original from June 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Or the review ( memento of January 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) by Pitchfork Media
- ↑ Rolling Stone Magazine No. 565, November 16, 1989 (US Edition)
- ↑ Joe Levy (Ed.): Rolling Stone. The 500 best albums of all time . (Original edition: Rolling Stone. The 500 Greatest Albums of all Time . Wenner Media 2005). Translation: Karin Hofmann. Wiesbaden: White Star Verlag, 2011, p. 24f
- ↑ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time on rollingstone.com (accessed June 6, 2018)
- ↑ 500 Greatest Songs of All Time on rollingstone.com (accessed June 6, 2018)
- ↑ The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 100-1 on NME.com, accessed April 17, 2016
- ↑ The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time on nme.com, accessed December 7, 2019
- ↑ Top 100 Albums of the 1970s on pitchfork.com, accessed September 10, 2017
- ↑ The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s on pitchfork.com, accessed December 7, 2019
- ↑ The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s on pitchfork.com, accessed December 7, 2019
- ↑ Uncut: 200 Greatest Albums Of All Time on rateyourmusic.com, from: Uncut 02/2016 (accessed on June 28, 2018)
- ↑ The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever on discogs.com (accessed June 6, 2018)
- ↑ All-TIME 100 Albums on time.com (accessed June 6, 2018)
- ↑ GRAMMY Hall Of Fame on grammy.com (accessed December 7, 2019)
- ↑ The Clash London Calling - 25th Anniversary Edition Review on BBC.co.uk, Author: Mark Sutherland (accessed April 17, 2016)
- ↑ a b Review by Michael Sailer, in: Musikexpress 10/2004, issue 585, p. 106.
- ↑ Criticism on Now-On ( page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ↑ Greil Marcus: In the Fascist Bathroom: Punk in Pop Music 1977–1992 , 1993 /
- ↑ Review by Pat Blashill on RollingStone.com (accessed April 17, 2016)
- ↑ Review by Adam Sweeting on theguardian.com (accessed February 22, 2019)
- ↑ Review by Amanda Petrusich on Pitchfork.com (accessed April 17, 2016)
- ↑ Reviews for London Calling (25th Anniversary Legacy Edition) on Metacritic.com , accessed May 30, 2016
