Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Give ‘Em Enough Rope, for all of its many attributes, was essentially a holding pattern for the Clash, but the double-album London Calling is a remarkable leap forward, incorporating the punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music. Before, the Clash had experimented with reggae, but that was no preparation for the dizzying array of styles on London Calling. There’s punk and reggae, but there’s also rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock; and while the record isn’t tied together by a specific theme, its eclecticism and anthemic punk function as a rallying call. While many of the songs — particularly “London Calling,” “Spanish Bombs,” and “The Guns of Brixton” — are explicitly political, by acknowledging no boundaries the music itself is political and revolutionary. But it is also invigorating, rocking harder and with more purpose than most albums, let alone double albums. Over the course of the record, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (and Paul Simonon, who wrote “The Guns of Brixton”) explore their familiar themes of working-class rebellion and antiestablishment rants, but they also tie them in to old rock & roll traditions and myths, whether it’s rockabilly greasers or “Stagger Lee,” as well as mavericks like doomed actor Montgomery Clift. The result is a stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded.
Track list:
01.London Calling
02.Brand New Cadillac
03.Jimmy Jazz
04.Hateful
05.Rudie Can’t Fail
06.Spanish Bombs
07.The Right Profile
08.Lost In The Supermarket
09.Clampdown
10.The Guns Of Brixton
11.Wrong ‘Em Boyo
12.Death Or Glory
13.Koka Kola
14.The Card Cheat
15.Lover’s Rock
16.Four Horsemen
17.I’m Not Down
18.Revolution Rock
19.Train In Vain
200MB – 400kbps AAC / M4A
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