Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 01/25/2000
Run Time: 64:59
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. [In 2000
Columbia/
Legacy reissued and remastered
London Calling.]
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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