Always love the context-clues-of-discovery, Matt, for those who discover artists and albums long past their original release! So, thanks for that! From boots-on-the-ground, I saw the Houston stop on the "London Calling" tour, and was taken by how they began the show!
Never to be mistaken for Kiss, say, their only real stab at "theatrics" was having their backs to the audience at the start of "London Calling" to start the show (you can kind of get a feel for it in the video you feature here, except, in concert, they were all positioned in a line, downstage, and kind of bouncing back'n'forth to the beat before Joe (and the other two) turns and steps to the mic to sing.
Like I say, not rockets shot from guitars or blood-spewing, but, for them, pretty dang impressive and effectively rockin'! This is a close approximation, but I seem to recall them all turning around at the same time; but, they may have altered it from time to time, or, it could just be my memory!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhwk9PTPOpU
I was given this for Xmas 1979 as I was already a huge fan and it still blows me away how good it is!
Double albums in the 70s usually meant self-indulgence but this is anything but and it uses the 4 sides to explore different themes and genres while keeping the songs themselves short and tight.
Was listening to this in the car yesterday. I had the 12 inch of London Calling single but found the album a bit too “rock ‘n roll” for my 14-yr old taste at the time. So I was very slow to get into the album but now it’s one of my favourites. The progression from the first album to this is extraordinary but that was normal for bands in the 60s and 70s.
Thanks for reading and commenting Paul! It’s true that you don’t get that level of experimentation on a lot of rock or pop records now. The demands of constantly putting out new material on streaming means it’s a far less common phenomenon, in any case.
One of my favorites ever!!
Excellent taste you have :) Thanks for reading David
Love it, Matt.
https://open.substack.com/pub/johnnogowski/p/the-clash-the-only-band-that-matters?r=7pf7u&utm_medium=ios
Thanks for sharing and commenting, John! :)
Always love the context-clues-of-discovery, Matt, for those who discover artists and albums long past their original release! So, thanks for that! From boots-on-the-ground, I saw the Houston stop on the "London Calling" tour, and was taken by how they began the show!
Never to be mistaken for Kiss, say, their only real stab at "theatrics" was having their backs to the audience at the start of "London Calling" to start the show (you can kind of get a feel for it in the video you feature here, except, in concert, they were all positioned in a line, downstage, and kind of bouncing back'n'forth to the beat before Joe (and the other two) turns and steps to the mic to sing.
Like I say, not rockets shot from guitars or blood-spewing, but, for them, pretty dang impressive and effectively rockin'! This is a close approximation, but I seem to recall them all turning around at the same time; but, they may have altered it from time to time, or, it could just be my memory!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhwk9PTPOpU
Wow, that video is a great find! Thanks for sharing Brad :)
I was given this for Xmas 1979 as I was already a huge fan and it still blows me away how good it is!
Double albums in the 70s usually meant self-indulgence but this is anything but and it uses the 4 sides to explore different themes and genres while keeping the songs themselves short and tight.
Thanks for commenting, Bill. I agree with you—for a double album, there’s very little filler present on this tracklist.
Was listening to this in the car yesterday. I had the 12 inch of London Calling single but found the album a bit too “rock ‘n roll” for my 14-yr old taste at the time. So I was very slow to get into the album but now it’s one of my favourites. The progression from the first album to this is extraordinary but that was normal for bands in the 60s and 70s.
Thanks for reading and commenting Paul! It’s true that you don’t get that level of experimentation on a lot of rock or pop records now. The demands of constantly putting out new material on streaming means it’s a far less common phenomenon, in any case.
So good
Yes! Thanks Jon :)
Top 5 for me!
Woooooooo! Thanks Quintin.
I bought this double album probably in 82 (we didn’t call it vinyl back then). Train in Vain was a “hidden track” not listed on the label or the cover
A lovely little treat for folks who bought it at that time :)