Today’s Terrific Tune comes from the glory years of English punk, the late seventies and early eighties. But don’t let that punk word scare you. The Clash (learn more, web site) burst on to the music scene with a self-titled first album featuring a bunch of great punky tunes. But a few things set them apart. For one, they always had an interest in reggae and it crept into their music. And as they progressed, some pop touches crept in too, along with some jazzy touches, world music and a taste for experimenting. Their biggest experiment (with mixed results), the 3-LP “Sandinista“, was a sprawling affair that had more musical genres than ten normal bands. They had a few pop hits over the years (Train In Vain, Should I Stay Or Should I Go, Rock The Casbah) , but their body of work is much deeper than that. The first album, “The Clash“, is still a classic and their cover of “I Fought The Law” sets a high standard for cover songs. That album’s “White Man In Hammershith Pallais” brought in the reggae influence and still sounds fresh.
That first album caught on quick, and the record companies didn’t know what the hell was going on. The UK and US versions of it contained numerous different tracks based on what the US company thought we should like. As a result, the import version was widely sought after and sold very well even in the US. But it was their third album, the double-LP (sold for the price of one) “London Calling“, that was their high point and still remains a classic must-have album today. The single, “Train In Vain” wasn’t even listed on the jacket, being a hidden track at the end of side four. “London Calling” is a tour-de-force of an album, not just punk, but pop, jazz, reggae, dub, rock, what have you. And it works!
So, finally, today’s Terrific Tune is song one, side one, from that outstanding album. It’s the video for the title track “London Calling”. It’s more of a straight-ahead rocker with some punk sensibilities too. Watch the video a few times, then click the link below it to shop for some music by The Clash. Buy “London Calling” (at least)! I wouldn’t steer you wrong. That being said, now, for your viewing pleasure…
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