Last Word On The London Calling......2

Just sayin'......

Last Word On The London Calling......1

As I sit and write these posts a fabric version of Pennie Smith's pensionable piece stares down at me from our stairwell. Some years ago, early doors in her experimentation with various stitching techniques she has ago at London Calling.

The Palladium New York 20th and 21st September 1979

London Clanging!

The frame before the fame

Pennie Smith September 1979

Ok folks, here's one to debate..... and just for the record I don't really know the answer. Two great supporters of this site have passed on to me recordings of the two nights that The Clash played in late September 1979 at The Palladium in New York.

One purports to be the rarer recording of the 20th September date.

MP3: https://we.tl/t-sT9JtLq8ug

At the conclusion of 'White Riot' the clang of an instrument possibly hitting the floor two or three times is heard. 

Wikipedia backs up the fact that the shot was taken on 20th September.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Calling#Artwork

The other recording is from the following night, 21st September which is claimed from several sources to be the night that Paul Simenon did such a disservice to his Fender Precision bass. If I listen to this version there is a noise again at the end of 'White Riot', but I can hear less violence being done (which may also be due to tape fade). 

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-Hg8TzuQ7ER

Several other sources indicate that it was on 21st that Pauly had his tantrum.

https://www.snapgalleries.com/portfolio-items/pennie-smith/

https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-clashs-london-calling-album-artwork

Having listened to both recordings my money is on 20th September as being the night of his meltdown (in line with one donors claim and that of Wikipedia). My reasoning being that having seen the bass a couple of weeks ago and being familiar with the robustness of the Precision that level of damage was not achieved in one blow.

And so I leave it to you, the jury to decide.

London Calling 40th Anniversary - The Exhibition

The Andrews' family had planned a day out in London last Saturday and by happy coincidence the long awaited London Calling 40th Anniversary opened the day before.

The originally intended purpose of the visit was to buy Docs (Daughter Mo now has a part-time job in one of there shops... which works very well for a DM fixated family! There was also the International Sewing....... exhibition in the Farringdon area..... which I have to say was very good and one of Gunta's passions.

It was funny watching people arriving at the  The Museum of London. There seemed to be a high proportion of 50-something, grey haired men, of a somewhat geezer-ish nature with teenage children in tow converging on the site! Hey, I was one and it was good to see.

Ma and Pa

Toyah daughter

A few year's ago, a Clash pop-up shop appeared in Berwick street in Soho. I planned to go and was in the area at 10 am. However, the shop didn't open until noon, which under normal circumstances would not have been a problem but I was returning from a gig after no sleep so I gave up. A feature of that exhibition was Paul Simenon's broken bass (of course it was!).

This time I did get to see the goods!

That bass!

Other interesting pieces in the collection were the contemporary hand written lyrics of many of the songs that appeared on the album.

'Death Or Glory' lyrics in Joe's hand

Paul's 'Guns of Brixton'

Cartoonist Ray Lowery's draft of the iconic front cover

Finally, one of Joe Strummer's guitars

Get yourselves down to the Museum of London at London wall.... it's welll worth an hour of anyone's time.

London Calling at 40!

Next month sees the passing of another significant punk Ruby anniversary. 14th December marks the 40th anniversary of the UK release of ‘London Calling’, the third studio album offering from The Clash, hailed by the majority as their finest and by some, the finest ‘punk’ album of all time. Rolling Stone went even further, declaring it to be the greatest album of the entire 1980’s decade (the album was released in America in January 1980). From a personal perspective, I still prefer the rawness and anger that comes through on the first album (even if it does sound as tinny as hell), but even so I do recognise the quality of the material and appreciate the vast progression that the album makes from ‘Give ‘Em Enough Rope’.

The Clash took a risk in that they released ‘London Calling’ as a double album, a musical concept more closely associated with the ‘dinosaur’ rock bands that new bands such as The Clash and their contemporaries scorned as overindulgent, pampered has-beens who’s time was up. To follow in such sauropod footsteps just three years after punks ‘Year Zero’ was quite courageous, but the material was good enough to carry their new and varied sound across four sides of vinyl. Of course, the idea was pushed too far when the follow-up ‘Sandinista!’ was released twelve months later as a triple album. Even the most die-hard fans of the band that I know will freely admit that this was pure overindulgence on the part of The Clash!

Melody Maker

8th December 1979

The Clash however were used to courting negative press for their actions ever since they signed to major label CBS, flying in the face of punk’s sworn underground, DIY ethic. Nevertheless, The Clash rode that particular storm and by 1979 had become something of a regular gigging rock band following the tried and tested album/tour routine (in fairness to The Clash the same was true for many of the other survivors of The Summer of Hate). Joe Strummer seemed to recognise this contradiction in the band when he penned the lyrics to one of ‘London Callings’ finest cuts, ‘Death or Glory’.

‘And every gimmick hungry yob digging gold from rock 'n' roll

Grabs the mike to tell us he'll die before he's sold

But I believe in this and it's been tested by research

He who fucks nuns will later join the church’.

According to Nicky ‘Topper’ Headon, the key to the runaway success of the album was that, unlike the first two albums (where the creative process only started once the band entered the studio), so much ground work was done on ‘London Calling’ in advance of planned studio time.

Melody Maker

8th December 1979

Despite The Clash's earlier proclamations of being ‘so bored with the USA’, the band were at this time enjoying considerable success in America. In many ways this was achieved on the back of the ‘Give ‘Em Enough Rope’ album which was produced in a manner intended to appeal to the ear of the Stateside music consumer. This in turn lead to an American tour with its associated endless hours of arrow straight driving between cities that afforded the bands principal songwriters, Messers Strummer and Jones, ample time to craft songs  for the next album.

Joe Strummer at the piano

December 1979

Now pause for a second to consider the musical environment that existed in the UK at the very end of the 1970’s. The punk flame had burned with incredible intensity a maximum of 18 months, the Pistols had gone as had many of the first wave bands. Those that remained had to change to survive, none more so than The Clash. By now competent with their respective instruments (although in that respect Joe, Mick and Topper had something of a lead over Paul), The Clash had an added advantage in that the diverse musical tastes held across the band provided them with a huge range of possibilities. Were a fellow music fan to take the time to flick through the combined record collections of these four musicians, he or she would surely describe the results as eclectic ..... reggae of course, check by jowl with 1950’s rock ‘n’ roll, itself in bed with jazz! A real hotch-potch of 19 songs that somehow melded together to produce a coherent album! 

London Calling..... Rudie Can’t Fail (a big one in our household (Son is called Rudi!))...... Lost In The Supermarket..... Spanish Bombs.... The Right Profile.... Guns of Brixton... classics one and all!

To the old gezzers and she-geezers that occasionally take the time to read some of my ramblings, I urge you to take the time this coming weekend to dust down the vinyl and give ‘London Calling’ a birthday blast whilst raising a beer to a ground-breaking album.

Just ask Elvis!