The Clash - London Calling

London Calling is the third studio album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 through CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 through Epic Records. The album represented a significant change in The Clash's musical style, which now featured major elements of ska, pop, soul, jazz, rockabilly and reggae far more prominently than in their previous two albums.[1] The album's subject matter included social displacement, unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood.[2]

The album received unanimously positive reviews and was ranked at number eight on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.[3] London Calling was a top ten album in the UK, and its lead single "London Calling" was a top 20 single.[4] It has sold over two million copies worldwide,[3] and was certified platinum in the United States.

"London Calling", the album's opening track, was partially influenced by the March 1979 accident at a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. Strummer's lyrics also discuss the problems of rising unemployment, racial conflict and drug use in Britain.[28] The second track, "Brand New Cadillac", was written and originally recorded by Vince Taylor and was the first track recorded for London Calling.

The band cite the song as "one of the first British rock'n'roll records" and had initially used it as a warm up song before recording.[29][30] "Rudie Can't Fail", the album's fifth song, features a horn section and mixes elements of pop, soul, ska and reggae music together. Its lyrics chronicle the life of a fun-loving young man who is criticised for his inability to act like a responsible adult.

"Spanish Bombs" is a song about the Spanish Civil War.[31] It received positive reviews from critics, with one reviewer stating that its "combination of thoughtful lyrics and an energetic performance" made it a "highlight of London Calling".[32] The album's eighth track, "Lost in the Supermarket", was written by Strummer who imagined Jones' childhood growing up in a basement with his mother and grandmother.

"Clampdown" began as a instrumental track called "Working and Waiting".[31] Its lyrics comment on people who forsake the idealism of youth and urge young people to fight the status quo.[34] The tenth track, "The Guns of Brixton", was the first Paul Simonon composition the band recorded, and the first to feature him on lead vocals. Simonon was originally doubtful about the song's lyrics, which discuss an individual's paranoid outlook on life, but was encouraged to continue working on it by Strummer.

The album's twelfth track, "Death or Glory", features Strummer looking back at his life, acknowledging the complications and responsibilities of adulthood.[35] While working on "The Card Cheat", the band recorded everything twice to create a "sound as big as possible".[36] "Revolution Rock", a reggae song, received mixed reviews from critics, and Strummer and Jones were criticised by NME for their inability to compose credible love songs.

The final track, "Train in Vain", was originally not included in the track list printed on the album's back cover.[38] The song was initially going to be given away for free through a promotion with NME, but when the deal fell through it was added to the album at the last minute.