FOT Forum

The Best Show on WFMU => Mike And His Ilk. => Topic started by: B_Buster on December 31, 2009, 12:31:14 AM

Title: London Calling
Post by: B_Buster on December 31, 2009, 12:31:14 AM
After reminiscing about the The Clash's London Calling album tonight, I gave it a spin when I got home from the show. Thirty years later, it's still kicking! Listen to it again. You'll be happy you did.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Smelodies on December 31, 2009, 12:34:34 AM
I didn't know they played that Big Lebowski tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x4JbW6L8BM

Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: B_Buster on December 31, 2009, 01:06:39 AM
Neither did I. Great find!
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: dave from knoxville on December 31, 2009, 09:55:26 AM
Yeah buddy, this is a great one from start to finish. AFK's intro to punk music, though they made it easy on him by kicking in about 12 different styles.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: buffcoat on December 31, 2009, 09:56:22 AM
"The Card Cheat" is the lost gem of that record.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Christina on December 31, 2009, 01:10:27 PM
After reminiscing about the The Clash's London Calling album tonight, I gave it a spin when I got home from the show. Thirty years later, it's still kicking! Listen to it again. You'll be happy you did.

One of the best albums ever.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Steeley Chris on January 01, 2010, 12:33:01 PM
I love this album and the band more and more with every listen.

"There’s that old cheese greater
Rubbing me down"

minus 100 points from Henry from Chucklet for this tweet:
"There is no punk band more overrated than The Clash. If they weren't on Sony, they'd have aged as well as any given bar band. FACT."
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: masterofsparks on January 01, 2010, 01:26:22 PM
I could never get into The Clash. For some reason, their stuff reminds of Springsteen (who I don't really like either).

It's been awhile since I've listened to them, and I'm always game to give stuff another chance, especially when it's obviously well-respected like The Clash. Would London Calling be a good starting place for someone seeking entrance into their catalog? Or should I start with the debut?
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: B_Buster on January 01, 2010, 01:44:14 PM
If you want straight ahead punk, go with the debut. If you want to hear a band that's not going to be confined by the punk label, go with London Calling.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Stupornaut on January 01, 2010, 01:44:47 PM
I could never get into The Clash. For some reason, their stuff reminds of Springsteen (who I don't really like either).

It's been awhile since I've listened to them, and I'm always game to give stuff another chance, especially when it's obviously well-respected like The Clash. Would London Calling be a good starting place for someone seeking entrance into their catalog? Or should I start with the debut?

I figure that if you don't like the Clash for being trad-bar-rock and/or Springsteeny to go with Sandinista!, which is their big "it's the future-world of 1980 so let's dink around with everything that is interesting and international and cutting-edge" album. It's big and sprawling and a lot of it is just completely baffling, but at least it's not predictable.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Christina on January 01, 2010, 02:29:13 PM
I love this album and the band more and more with every listen.

"There’s that old cheese greater
Rubbing me down"

minus 100 points from Henry from Chucklet for this tweet:
"There is no punk band more overrated than The Clash. If they weren't on Sony, they'd have aged as well as any given bar band. FACT."

"I can no longer shop happily"

Also, Henry Chunklet thinks The Jesus Lizard are geniuses despite piles of evidence to the contrary. So factor that in.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: masterofsparks on January 01, 2010, 03:01:03 PM
I could never get into The Clash. For some reason, their stuff reminds of Springsteen (who I don't really like either).

It's been awhile since I've listened to them, and I'm always game to give stuff another chance, especially when it's obviously well-respected like The Clash. Would London Calling be a good starting place for someone seeking entrance into their catalog? Or should I start with the debut?

I figure that if you don't like the Clash for being trad-bar-rock and/or Springsteeny to go with Sandinista!, which is their big "it's the future-world of 1980 so let's dink around with everything that is interesting and international and cutting-edge" album. It's big and sprawling and a lot of it is just completely baffling, but at least it's not predictable.

I should also mention that I really don't like it when they (or, really, any punk band besides The Ruts) tries their hand at reggae, so an album with a minimum of that sort of thing would be a plus.

Thanks for the recommendations!
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: nec13 on January 01, 2010, 03:59:12 PM
Overrated, but good album.

BTW, does anyone know how many times London Calling has been reissued since 1979?
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: masterofsparks on January 01, 2010, 06:38:25 PM
Overrated, but good album.

BTW, does anyone know how many times London Callling has been reissued since 1979?

More times than the Bowie catalog but less than the Elvis Costello.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Steeley Chris on January 01, 2010, 09:14:05 PM
I could never get into The Clash. For some reason, their stuff reminds of Springsteen (who I don't really like either).

It's been awhile since I've listened to them, and I'm always game to give stuff another chance, especially when it's obviously well-respected like The Clash. Would London Calling be a good starting place for someone seeking entrance into their catalog? Or should I start with the debut?
I'd start with the debut, but don't discount "Give 'em Enough Rope". And don't discount "Police and Thieves" if you get the UK version of the debut (which better than the US version).
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: ChrisRawk on January 01, 2010, 10:30:10 PM
I'm with you, Mike.  I've loved that album since I was a teenager.  Every song is just perfect. 
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Stupornaut on January 02, 2010, 12:07:04 AM
I love this album and the band more and more with every listen.

"There’s that old cheese greater
Rubbing me down"

minus 100 points from Henry from Chucklet for this tweet:
"There is no punk band more overrated than The Clash. If they weren't on Sony, they'd have aged as well as any given bar band. FACT."

"I can no longer shop happily"

Also, Henry Chunklet thinks The Jesus Lizard are geniuses despite piles of evidence to the contrary. So factor that in.

He also totally overproduced the last couple Patton Oswalt albums. Dial it down a notch, Mutt Lange.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Christina on January 02, 2010, 12:49:21 AM

Also, Henry Chunklet thinks The Jesus Lizard are geniuses despite piles of evidence to the contrary. So factor that in.

He also totally overproduced the last couple Patton Oswalt albums. Dial it down a notch, Mutt Lange.

How so? I am ape-eared and curious.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: ChrisRawk on January 02, 2010, 08:16:17 AM

Also, Henry Chunklet thinks The Jesus Lizard are geniuses despite piles of evidence to the contrary. So factor that in.

He also totally overproduced the last couple Patton Oswalt albums. Dial it down a notch, Mutt Lange.

How so? I am ape-eared and curious.

They could have lost the string section, for one thing.  And all the overdubs on the KFC Bowls joke kind of ruins it.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: masterofsparks on January 02, 2010, 08:28:35 AM

Also, Henry Chunklet thinks The Jesus Lizard are geniuses despite piles of evidence to the contrary. So factor that in.

He also totally overproduced the last couple Patton Oswalt albums. Dial it down a notch, Mutt Lange.

How so? I am ape-eared and curious.

They could have lost the string section, for one thing.  And all the overdubs on the KFC Bowls joke kind of ruins it.

If you listen on headphones, you can hear Henry's commentary track playing ALONGSIDE Patton. At least restrain yourself enough to put that in the special features on the DVD, Owings.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: buffcoat on January 02, 2010, 09:57:08 AM
He put himself in the crowd noises, too, right?  I swear I could hear him say "Patton Oswalt is a genius; subscribe to Chunklet" every time the applause started.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Steeley Chris on January 03, 2010, 03:36:44 PM
I should also mention that I really don't like it when they (or, really, any punk band besides The Ruts) tries their hand at reggae
You like The Ruts*, but not the Clash? Yer nuts.








*not questioning you liking The Ruts - they're great, but c'mon.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: masterofsparks on January 03, 2010, 03:57:39 PM
I should also mention that I really don't like it when they (or, really, any punk band besides The Ruts) tries their hand at reggae
You like The Ruts*, but not the Clash? Yer nuts.








*not questioning you liking The Ruts - they're great, but c'mon.

What I actually said was that I think the Ruts do a better job at reggae than The Clash. I'm not generally a fan of punk bands throwing a reggae tune onto their albums (it seems to me like the punk equivalent of the hair metal power ballad), but I think The Ruts are the exception since I generally enjoy their reggae cuts.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Smelodies on January 03, 2010, 05:29:24 PM
Amazing how reggae brought so many disparate rock groups together.  Simon and Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, The Police, they all gave reggae a shot.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Christina on January 03, 2010, 05:35:08 PM
Amazing how reggae brought so many disparate rock groups together.  Simon and Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, The Police, they all gave reggae a shot.

Also punk tango. I loved that song "I'm Gonna Kill You, You Bitch".
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: buffcoat on January 03, 2010, 05:41:12 PM

What I actually said was that I think the Ruts do a better job at reggae than The Clash. I'm not generally a fan of punk bands throwing a reggae tune onto their albums (it seems to me like the punk equivalent of the hair metal power ballad), but I think The Ruts are the exception since I generally enjoy their reggae cuts.


I think Gwen from No Doubt would be singing a different tune.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Pat K on January 04, 2010, 09:55:37 AM
"The Card Cheat" is the lost gem of that record.

Buffcoat dropping the TRUTH BOMB, as usual.

The best parts about London Calling for me, all these years later, are all of Joe Strummer's goofy vamps and ad-libs in between verses and during the outros and stuff all through the album. So much great stuff. He does that on every other Clash album, too, but London Calling is like ground zero for it.


They could have lost the string section, for one thing.  And all the overdubs on the KFC Bowls joke kind of ruins it.

I heard that Patton was going to be issuing something called "Frankensteins and Gumdrops...NAKED", but until now I assumed that was going to be something completely different.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Steeley Chris on January 04, 2010, 02:41:48 PM
The best parts about London Calling for me, all these years later, are all of Joe Strummer's goofy vamps and ad-libs in between verses and during the outros and stuff all through the album. So much great stuff. He does that on every other Clash album, too, but London Calling is like ground zero for it.
He did a lot of that in the 101ers, too. I highly recommend checking them out if you're not adverse to pub rock.

Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Pat K on January 04, 2010, 03:47:13 PM
He did a lot of that in the 101ers, too. I highly recommend checking them out if you're not adverse to pub rock.

Joe Strummer: Even in his own tunes, he could never keep his mouth shut.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: nec13 on January 08, 2010, 07:56:22 PM
"Death or Glory" has to be one of the five or ten greatest songs ever recorded. Unbelievably good.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: daveB from Oakland on January 08, 2010, 08:13:42 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGpOZey-jfE


The crypt-keeper vocals of present-day Bob are well-suited to this song. "Zombies of Death", indeed.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: fonpr on January 08, 2010, 10:54:57 PM
"Death or Glory" has to be one of the five or ten greatest songs ever recorded. Unbelievably good.


Ditto: Rush.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: chuck from cedar rapids on January 13, 2010, 01:33:19 AM
I could never get into The Clash. For some reason, their stuff reminds of Springsteen (who I don't really like either).

It's been awhile since I've listened to them, and I'm always game to give stuff another chance, especially when it's obviously well-respected like The Clash. Would London Calling be a good starting place for someone seeking entrance into their catalog? Or should I start with the debut?
I'd start with the debut, but don't discount "Give 'em Enough Rope". And don't discount "Police and Thieves" if you get the UK version of the debut (which better than the US version).

"Give 'em Enough Rope" really doesn't get enough love. The first three Clash albums are all incredible albums. "Sandanista" and "Combat Rock" are both very good, but can't quite capture the magic.

Don't forget the mountain of singles they issued. I recommend checking out the Singles boxset if you want to track down some rarities: http://www.amazon.com/Singles-CD-version-Clash/dp/B000HCPU0Q/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1263364288&sr=8-36 (http://www.amazon.com/Singles-CD-version-Clash/dp/B000HCPU0Q/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1263364288&sr=8-36)

Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: chuck from cedar rapids on January 14, 2010, 02:11:23 PM
A couple more things: this is a great Clash coffee table book with lots of great artwork, interviews and photos: http://www.amazon.com/Clash/dp/0446539732/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263496115&sr=8-11 (http://www.amazon.com/Clash/dp/0446539732/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263496115&sr=8-11)

Also, Westway to the World is a fantastic DVD. A lot of the text in the above volume was taken from interviews conducted for this film.

My nominee for best Clash song: Gates of the West.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Pat K on January 14, 2010, 02:42:37 PM
Also, Westway to the World is a fantastic DVD.

I agree.


My nominee for best Clash song: Gates of the West.

I agree. That tune beats em all.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: mackro on January 18, 2010, 03:16:32 PM
London Calling is great, but it could have been edited down to a single LP masterpiece. Same with Sandinista

So, while I like it, Give 'Em Enough Rope is still the Clash's best.
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: chuck from cedar rapids on January 18, 2010, 11:49:37 PM
I must politely disagree. London Calling is already a masterpiece. Yes it could be edited down to one LP, but I really think that would do a disservice to the album.

Editing it down to one LP would make it a more focused album. A one LP album could actually be taken in several more focused directions (reggae, straight ahead punk rock, etc.) but I think that would take away from the musical awareness and versatility they display on that album.

The Clash, Give 'Em Enough Rope, and London Calling (as well as the numerous singles and EPs issued during that period) really did make them "The Only Band That Matters". They managed to convert the nihilism present in punk rock and convert it into a more productive political awareness.

After that, inter-band squabbling managed to eliminate and dilute the impact their music had. Sandinista is a flawed masterpiece. The sheer length of the album makes it hard to digest.

Wow, that was some passionate Clash writing. I think I need to go lay down!
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: ChrisRawk on January 20, 2010, 10:10:51 AM
'London Calling' is one of the few double albums I can think of where every song is great.  I honestly can't think of anything I'd want to cut if I were to trim it down to a single album. 
Title: Re: London Calling
Post by: Pat K on January 20, 2010, 10:50:31 AM
'London Calling' is one of the few double albums I can think of where every song is great.  I honestly can't think of anything I'd want to cut if I were to trim it down to a single album. 

I've got no problem coming up with songs I'd cut from LC, but still not enough to get it down to a single album.