318) The Clash - London Calling

Warning this is one of those reviews that’s about me, not the album.

If you have read my About page you will know my love (better half says it’s an obsession) for music started when I first heard Should I Stay or Should I Go? at a friend’s house and Combat Rock was purchased.

What I don’t tell you is he went with me to purchase Combat Rock and was telling me of all these bands I needed to listen to, Sex Pistols, Damned, SLF and Siouxsie & the Banshees.

He also told me that The Clash had made a brilliant double album called London Calling, I was sceptical as my mother still had all my late fathers records, my dad liked Don Williams, no Beatles, Stones records left to me when he died but his only double album was the Paint Your Wagon soundtrack and that was crap.

Secondly whilst I was buying Combat Rock he bought Some Product by the Sex Pistols and on the way home on the bus was telling me that it was a brilliant album and contained some of their best songs, I had no reason to doubt him.

We went back to his and he put Some Product on and as I’m sure you all know it’s basically the Pistols being interviewed, okay to hear once but never again as far as I was concerned.

I asked him and he said he knew it was interviews, he was just testing my knowledge, as I left I knew he was lying as he knew my knowledge was zero and I’m not so sure his was much more, I wouldn’t be buying that overblown London Calling that he recommended.

Never Mind the Bollocks, Rattus Norvegicus were bought and luckily that year The Clash returned and ex Clash member Mick Jones was on The Tube with his new band, BAD, both purchased, Cut the Crap, oh my God, good job I’d never bought that double album or that treble album that I’d now heard of.

Around this time I got a Saturday job in Littlewoods and each lunchtime I’d buy a record as my knowledge and collection increased.

One weekend there was nothing new out and this London Calling had eighteen tracks (I had no idea about the hidden Train in Vain) and was under a tenner.  I’d already wasted money on Cut the Crap and a Thompson Twins album (what was I thinking) so let’s take a chance.

I have four favourite records and I still can’t choose which is the best, The Smiths The Queen is Dead, That Petrol Emotion Chemicrazy, The Fall Hex Enduction Hour and of course The Clash London Calling. 

You all know it’s wonderful and if you are a regular reader (I wish) that I can be an idiot, well I proved it by resisting buying this magnificent record which from the title track to Train in Vain does not put a foot wrong, simply stunning.

I have not seen this guy since the day we left school but wherever he is he was right on London Calling but I do wonder if he ever listened to Some Product again.

10/10

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