London Calling
September 1, 2013 7:11 AM Subscribe
Surviving members of The Clash discuss the song and the album.
Never expected to find this sort of thing at The Wall Street Journal.
Never expected to find this sort of thing at The Wall Street Journal.
Look, when someone's swinging a ladder around and you have to keep ducking, the music is definitely alive.
Or you are on the set of a Frank Spencer comedy.
Either way, as sad as his life was at the end, we are all improverished by the lack of Strummer.
Never expected to find this sort of thing at The Wall Street Journal.
Punk at the WSJ? Seems perfect.
posted by Mezentian at 7:37 AM on September 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
Or you are on the set of a Frank Spencer comedy.
Either way, as sad as his life was at the end, we are all improverished by the lack of Strummer.
Never expected to find this sort of thing at The Wall Street Journal.
Punk at the WSJ? Seems perfect.
posted by Mezentian at 7:37 AM on September 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
At the very end, it seemed his life was on an upturn---finally found a band and a musical style that was unique and exciting, successful tour, personal revitalization.... Part of what's so tragic about his death is that it happened just as he seemed about to start a really great second phase.
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 7:42 AM on September 1, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 7:42 AM on September 1, 2013 [4 favorites]
Recently, the band's surviving original members Mick Jones, 58, Paul Simonon, 57, and Topper Headon, 58
I feel so old.
posted by Mezentian at 7:45 AM on September 1, 2013 [7 favorites]
I feel so old.
posted by Mezentian at 7:45 AM on September 1, 2013 [7 favorites]
I've been writing a young adult novel set in 1990, in which the protagonist is obsessed with the Clash. Though I always respected them, they never meant as much to me as other bands did, but it's been fascinating going back and listening to their records with fresh ears. I'm also kicking myself that I had the opportunity to see Joe and the Mescaleros in 2000/2001-ish? and passed it up because I was broke and I'd catch him the next time they came around. ARGH.
. for Joe.
posted by pxe2000 at 8:18 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
. for Joe.
posted by pxe2000 at 8:18 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
The WSJ is not the place where I expect to be reading an article about The Clash.
posted by tommasz at 8:19 AM on September 1, 2013
posted by tommasz at 8:19 AM on September 1, 2013
Punk at the WSJ? Seems perfect.
I love The Clash and always will, but this isn't punk at the WSJ, it's old men mythologizing about Glory Days, which fits most any established paper just fine. That said, it's taken me years to realize what a fantastic arranger of music Mick Jones was and is.
posted by yerfatma at 8:33 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
I love The Clash and always will, but this isn't punk at the WSJ, it's old men mythologizing about Glory Days, which fits most any established paper just fine. That said, it's taken me years to realize what a fantastic arranger of music Mick Jones was and is.
posted by yerfatma at 8:33 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Thankful he left us with Streetcore - such a great album.
posted by davebush at 8:34 AM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by davebush at 8:34 AM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
The WSJ is not the place where I expect to be reading an article about The Clash.
Well, it does say in the article: "The Clash's 12-disc box of remastered recordings, "Sound System," will be released from Sony Sept. 10."
posted by Mister Bijou at 8:38 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Well, it does say in the article: "The Clash's 12-disc box of remastered recordings, "Sound System," will be released from Sony Sept. 10."
posted by Mister Bijou at 8:38 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Awesome article, surprising venue. And this reminds me that I walsways want to evangelize avout Marcus Gray's Route 19 Revisited: The Clash and London Calling as one of my favorite pieces of music writing. Hiiiiiighly recommended. Reading it kicked off a Clash bender that lasted at least 18 months...
posted by COBRA! at 8:39 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by COBRA! at 8:39 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Coincidentally, I watched this "Roots of Punk" doc last night. It's just ok (much of the same self-mythologizing), but it tipped me to the fact a lot of the music I like now feels connected to the pub rock tradition that gave us The Clash and others. It's a neat circle to come back to bands that simply rock without artifice or pretense.
posted by yerfatma at 8:40 AM on September 1, 2013
posted by yerfatma at 8:40 AM on September 1, 2013
It's common knowledge who took the photo for the front cover of 'London Calling'. But who designed the artwork? Whoever it was, they must have had Elvis Presley's first record album at home.
posted by Mister Bijou at 8:41 AM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Mister Bijou at 8:41 AM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
"The Clash's 12-disc box of remastered recordings, "Sound System,"
Does that mean the old 4-disc box set has had grandkids? It's only 20 years later!
posted by yerfatma at 8:41 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Does that mean the old 4-disc box set has had grandkids? It's only 20 years later!
posted by yerfatma at 8:41 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
The WSJ is not the place where I expect to be reading an article about The Clash.
Perhaps they're trying to atone for their recent musical blunders.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:50 AM on September 1, 2013
Perhaps they're trying to atone for their recent musical blunders.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:50 AM on September 1, 2013
At one point he said, "OK, that's a take." I said, "No, it's not. It speeds up a bit." He said, "All great rock 'n' roll speeds up. That's a take."
This was "Brand New Cadillac," the first track recorded for London Calling, and a song that the band would use to warm-up during recording sessions. They had no intention of it being a finished take. They were just playing it for no-one but themselves.
posted by ogooglebar at 8:59 AM on September 1, 2013
This was "Brand New Cadillac," the first track recorded for London Calling, and a song that the band would use to warm-up during recording sessions. They had no intention of it being a finished take. They were just playing it for no-one but themselves.
posted by ogooglebar at 8:59 AM on September 1, 2013
Mister Bijou: It's common knowledge who took the photo for the front cover of 'London Calling'. But who designed the artwork? Whoever it was, they must have had Elvis Presley's first record album at home.
They did, and it was intentional.
For the past few months, I've basically been listening to nothing but London Calling, so this is perfect.
posted by inertia at 9:07 AM on September 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
They did, and it was intentional.
For the past few months, I've basically been listening to nothing but London Calling, so this is perfect.
posted by inertia at 9:07 AM on September 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
Thanks, inertia, I came to find out about the Elvis thing.
posted by Meatbomb at 9:47 AM on September 1, 2013
posted by Meatbomb at 9:47 AM on September 1, 2013
OK, here's where you read about The Clash:
New Musical Express, 13 October 1979 - Cover Story: Clash USA '79
35Mb PDF file. That's in my Dropbox which will probably die due to excess bandwidth usage, so try again later if it doesn't work.
This is presented in the spirit of Fair Use, solely for commentary and criticism. I bought this magazine in 1979. In 2003, I painstakingly photographed this on a copy stand with my hideously expensive 5MP digital camera, and manually rebalanced the severely yellowed newsprint pages to restore it back to decent quality. I did a pretty damn good job with the technology available, if I do say so myself. But it's just newsprint so the image quality never was that good in the first place.
Highlights:
Page 2 NME Charts
UK Top 10 Singles
1. Message In A Bottle, Police
2. Dreaming, Blondie
3. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson
4. Video Killed The Radio Star, Buggles
5. Live On Stage, Kate Bush
6. What Ever You Want, Status Quo
7. Cars, Gary Numan
8. If I Said You Had A Beautiful, Bellamy Brothers
9. Since You've Been Gone, Rainbow
US Top 10 Singles
1. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson
2. Sail On, Commodores
3. Sad Eyes, Robert John
4. Rise, Herb Alpert
5. My Sharona, The Knack
6. Pop Muzik, M
7. I'll Never Love This Way Again, Dionne Warwick
8. Lonesome Loser, Little River Band
9. Dim The Lights, Donna Summer
10. Heaven Must Have Sent You, Bonnie Pointer
You should see the rest of that US Top 30 list. Just reading the top 10 takes me back to the feeling I had in 1979 when I heard pop music on the radio: I want to die.
Page 15, drawings and commentary from the Clash US tour
Page 37, Clash USA '79
Page 54 Nationwide Gig Guide
Holy shit look on p56 and see who's on tour. UK Subs, Slaughter & The Dogs, Destroy All Monsters, Siouxsie & the Banshees with Special Guests The Cure, Stiff Little Fingers, Sham 69, Lene Lovich, Jane Aire and the Belvederes, The Selecter, The Undertones, The Ruts, The Skids, Lou Reed, and that's just the big ads. Let's look at the fine print on p54. The Merton Parkas, Au-Pairs, Angelic Upstarts, Stranglers, The Adverts, Mekons, Swell Maps, Madness, The Motels, Boomtown Rats, Gang of Four, The Vapors. Holy shit I could live in that weekend forever.
Page 61, extended review of Buzzcocks and The Stranglers on tour.
Page 74, Gasbag
The NME letters to the editor are legendary. Excerpts:
I am puzzled as to why everybody is getting so emotional about seeing their fave group slagged by some elitist hack. You gotta realise that punk, mod, whatever isn't a way of life --if it is, that's pretty sad--it's all just you at an aural crossroads.
OK, so it's a fun expression of human emotions but it isn't a substitute for human relationships. The reason I like it is that I prefer it to other equally false games that society throws up.
Nick Noyes, London W8
Double secret exactly --M.S.
(That letter almost made me throw up.)
Bob Dylan is to religion what E. J. Thribb is to poetry.
Mick Millett, Nottingham (temporarily)
That good, eh? --M.S.
(I had to look up EJ Thribb. I LOLed.)
Judging by the man and his marketing, might I suggest that perhaps Mr. Lydon's "Metal Box" could be likened to Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" -- a "Let's see how many suckers actually buy it" ploy?
Michael Sandy, Luton, Beds.
(I bought it. I have the metal box itself sitting on the shelf next to me right now.)
I used to be in a band once, but it's cheaper in the audience. I was under the impression that times were changing!
A.G., Bristol
--
OK the file is finished uploading, I'm done. Have at it, go kill my Dropbox bandwidth.
posted by charlie don't surf at 9:58 AM on September 1, 2013 [16 favorites]
New Musical Express, 13 October 1979 - Cover Story: Clash USA '79
35Mb PDF file. That's in my Dropbox which will probably die due to excess bandwidth usage, so try again later if it doesn't work.
This is presented in the spirit of Fair Use, solely for commentary and criticism. I bought this magazine in 1979. In 2003, I painstakingly photographed this on a copy stand with my hideously expensive 5MP digital camera, and manually rebalanced the severely yellowed newsprint pages to restore it back to decent quality. I did a pretty damn good job with the technology available, if I do say so myself. But it's just newsprint so the image quality never was that good in the first place.
Highlights:
Page 2 NME Charts
UK Top 10 Singles
1. Message In A Bottle, Police
2. Dreaming, Blondie
3. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson
4. Video Killed The Radio Star, Buggles
5. Live On Stage, Kate Bush
6. What Ever You Want, Status Quo
7. Cars, Gary Numan
8. If I Said You Had A Beautiful, Bellamy Brothers
9. Since You've Been Gone, Rainbow
US Top 10 Singles
1. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson
2. Sail On, Commodores
3. Sad Eyes, Robert John
4. Rise, Herb Alpert
5. My Sharona, The Knack
6. Pop Muzik, M
7. I'll Never Love This Way Again, Dionne Warwick
8. Lonesome Loser, Little River Band
9. Dim The Lights, Donna Summer
10. Heaven Must Have Sent You, Bonnie Pointer
You should see the rest of that US Top 30 list. Just reading the top 10 takes me back to the feeling I had in 1979 when I heard pop music on the radio: I want to die.
Page 15, drawings and commentary from the Clash US tour
Page 37, Clash USA '79
Page 54 Nationwide Gig Guide
Holy shit look on p56 and see who's on tour. UK Subs, Slaughter & The Dogs, Destroy All Monsters, Siouxsie & the Banshees with Special Guests The Cure, Stiff Little Fingers, Sham 69, Lene Lovich, Jane Aire and the Belvederes, The Selecter, The Undertones, The Ruts, The Skids, Lou Reed, and that's just the big ads. Let's look at the fine print on p54. The Merton Parkas, Au-Pairs, Angelic Upstarts, Stranglers, The Adverts, Mekons, Swell Maps, Madness, The Motels, Boomtown Rats, Gang of Four, The Vapors. Holy shit I could live in that weekend forever.
Page 61, extended review of Buzzcocks and The Stranglers on tour.
Page 74, Gasbag
The NME letters to the editor are legendary. Excerpts:
I am puzzled as to why everybody is getting so emotional about seeing their fave group slagged by some elitist hack. You gotta realise that punk, mod, whatever isn't a way of life --if it is, that's pretty sad--it's all just you at an aural crossroads.
OK, so it's a fun expression of human emotions but it isn't a substitute for human relationships. The reason I like it is that I prefer it to other equally false games that society throws up.
Nick Noyes, London W8
Double secret exactly --M.S.
(That letter almost made me throw up.)
Bob Dylan is to religion what E. J. Thribb is to poetry.
Mick Millett, Nottingham (temporarily)
That good, eh? --M.S.
(I had to look up EJ Thribb. I LOLed.)
Judging by the man and his marketing, might I suggest that perhaps Mr. Lydon's "Metal Box" could be likened to Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music" -- a "Let's see how many suckers actually buy it" ploy?
Michael Sandy, Luton, Beds.
(I bought it. I have the metal box itself sitting on the shelf next to me right now.)
I used to be in a band once, but it's cheaper in the audience. I was under the impression that times were changing!
A.G., Bristol
--
OK the file is finished uploading, I'm done. Have at it, go kill my Dropbox bandwidth.
posted by charlie don't surf at 9:58 AM on September 1, 2013 [16 favorites]
Oh damn, I forgot why I wrote a highlights list in the first place:
Page 22, Phony Beatlemania
posted by charlie don't surf at 10:25 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
Page 22, Phony Beatlemania
posted by charlie don't surf at 10:25 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you're ever in Cleveland, you can see Simonon's bass from the cover shot (or what's left of it) in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
posted by rocket88 at 11:36 AM on September 1, 2013
posted by rocket88 at 11:36 AM on September 1, 2013
charlie don't surf ... no one better to provide Clash background. Thanx!
Mick Jones, 58, Paul Simonon, 57, and Topper Headon, 58
yeah, looks close to Median Age for WSJ readers, but most of them were probably listening to Michael Jackson or Herb Alpert in 1979...
but then again... HEY, THEY'RE MY AGE, and I realize what I was doing while they were recoding London Calling... yipes.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:02 PM on September 1, 2013
Mick Jones, 58, Paul Simonon, 57, and Topper Headon, 58
yeah, looks close to Median Age for WSJ readers, but most of them were probably listening to Michael Jackson or Herb Alpert in 1979...
but then again... HEY, THEY'RE MY AGE, and I realize what I was doing while they were recoding London Calling... yipes.
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:02 PM on September 1, 2013
For those of you license fee payers who want something a little less WSJ, a little more from the horse's mouth...
BBC 6 A Special Celebration of the Clash
And for those of you relishing/recoiling at that feeling old feeling, Mick at our local library, looking like an accountant but feeling a bit rock n roll
Mick Jones at the library, Portobello, Train in Vain
posted by C.A.S. at 2:44 PM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
BBC 6 A Special Celebration of the Clash
And for those of you relishing/recoiling at that feeling old feeling, Mick at our local library, looking like an accountant but feeling a bit rock n roll
Mick Jones at the library, Portobello, Train in Vain
posted by C.A.S. at 2:44 PM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
.
posted by humboldt32 at 2:54 PM on September 1, 2013
posted by humboldt32 at 2:54 PM on September 1, 2013
Hey I just discovered, there is a part 2 of this series, it appeared in the next week's NME.
New Musical Express, 20 October, 1979
45Mb PDF. Go kill my Dropbox bandwidth allocation again.
Page 22, Clash USA '79 - The Fastest Gang In The West (Part 2)
BTW the photographer is Pennie Smith, who took the photo on the cover of London Calling. I am pretty sure she took that photo while covering this tour for this NME article. The NME articles were about 2 months before London Calling was released. I think it was just before the album was recorded.
posted by charlie don't surf at 3:03 PM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
New Musical Express, 20 October, 1979
45Mb PDF. Go kill my Dropbox bandwidth allocation again.
Page 22, Clash USA '79 - The Fastest Gang In The West (Part 2)
BTW the photographer is Pennie Smith, who took the photo on the cover of London Calling. I am pretty sure she took that photo while covering this tour for this NME article. The NME articles were about 2 months before London Calling was released. I think it was just before the album was recorded.
posted by charlie don't surf at 3:03 PM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
I wonder if Gorillaz fans, having seen Mick and Paul play live (or seen videos) have went back and explored the Clash. I know Mick took BAD on tour again as a result of his experience on the Gorillaz tour.
I absolutely loved most of the Libertines' Up the Bracket and was not at all surprised to learn Mick produced it.
posted by juiceCake at 3:19 PM on September 1, 2013
I absolutely loved most of the Libertines' Up the Bracket and was not at all surprised to learn Mick produced it.
posted by juiceCake at 3:19 PM on September 1, 2013
Recently, the band's surviving original members Mick Jones, 58, Paul Simonon, 57, and Topper Headon, 58
I feel so old.
So do I. Old enough, in fact, to know that Topper Headon was not an original member of The Clash.
posted by layceepee at 5:32 PM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
I feel so old.
So do I. Old enough, in fact, to know that Topper Headon was not an original member of The Clash.
posted by layceepee at 5:32 PM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
The Gray Lady is the perfect place for nostalgic faux-countercultural fluff.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:47 AM on September 3, 2013
posted by Joseph Gurl at 1:47 AM on September 3, 2013
Damn. I did indeed completely forget about Terry Chimes.
And now I discover that he's a teetotal vegetarian working as a chiropractor in Essex, having been turned onto the magic of chiropractic manipulation by Black Sabbath's personal chiropractor.
Strange world.
posted by Mezentian at 11:00 PM on September 4, 2013
And now I discover that he's a teetotal vegetarian working as a chiropractor in Essex, having been turned onto the magic of chiropractic manipulation by Black Sabbath's personal chiropractor.
Strange world.
posted by Mezentian at 11:00 PM on September 4, 2013
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Love it.
posted by dry white toast at 7:32 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]