Classic Album: The Clash – London Calling

By 1979 punk music had come and gone, and The Clash was expected to follow the Sex Pistols into oblivion by most critics.  How wrong they were.  The Clash proved what could happen when a punk band could actually play their instruments and this grab-bag of musical styles proves it.  London Calling is like a crazy witches’ brew of reggae, punk, old rock-and-roll, and even pop that never lets up over 19 songs.  This is an album I have listened to for 20+ years and almost every time I do I pick a new favorite song from it.  Good trivia – the last song, “Train in Vain” was not listed as an official track on the original album (and still isn’t today) because The Clash thought it was too pop.  They didn’t want people to buy the album thinking all the songs were going to be like that.  Still, it’s an unbelievable song and one you probably already know.