2.
The Clash – London Calling
For me this is possibly the greatest rock album of all time. It’s a band playing at the absolute, height of their power. It’s very ambitious: it’s got elements of ska and funk, pop songs, soul, jazz, rockabilly, reggae – and in the end it’s got this really great blues energetic vibe. It just seems like they tossed it off and lyrically it touches on a lot of different subjects. Some of the songs are very political: ‘Spanish Bombs’ is about the Spanish civil war, ‘London Calling’ itself – that song is such an anthem.
The band had some commercial success after this album – with Combat Rock – but to me London Calling is the pinnacle of their song-writing. It is just a fantastic record with an iconic sleeve; that shot of Paul Simonon smashing his bass, it’s just incredible.
I saw The Clash play in Chicago when I was on tour and it was like electricity. They came out and they started with ‘London Calling’. The place was rammed with 5,000+ people and it went OFF! It was as if a bomb dropped and it was one of the most exciting concerts I’ve ever seen!
