Category: Classic Album Reviews

The Clash – London Calling

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Album artwork for London Calling

In many people’s eyes, The Clash are the definitive punk band. They are widely regarded as the best punk band of all time and have influenced countless acts and musicians. In many ways The Clash were to punk what the late Michael Jackson was to pop—revolutionary. With this analogy it would be fair to say that the Clash’s third studio album, London Calling, was their very own ‘Thriller.‘

London Calling was released in the UK in December 1979 and in the United States a month later. The album helped propel The Clash to great heights and it wasn’t long before they were being branded ‘The Only Band That Matters’. Since then the Clash have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and have been voted 28th on the list of the ‘greatest artists of all time’ by Rolling Stone. London Calling has sold over five million copies worldwide and has been certified platinum in the United States.

The Clash took a different approach with London Calling and expanded on their punk style and sound, which showed through so prominently on their previous two albums, The Clash and Give ‘Em Enough Rope. London Calling contained many more elements from the musical spectrum such as: ska, reggae, jazz, pop and rockabilly. It’s crammed with stand-out tracks and all 19 songs on the album live long in the memory for one reason or the other.

Album artwork for London Calling

Album artwork for London Calling

The opening and title track of the album London Calling, was the first single released from the album. It contains a reggae influenced bass line which creates a dark, dingy, haunting feel to it. This reflects the late Joe Strummer’s lyrics in the song which voice concerns about world events at the time, such as police brutality and rising debt levels. The second track, Brand New Cadillac, is more upbeat and is a cover of a Vince Taylor song. It’s a rock and roll song with a blues riff and the band cite it as being ‘one of the first British rock ‘n’ roll records.’

Rudie Can’t Fail, the fifth track from London Calling, contains the Clash’s signature punk/reggae sound with an added element of ska. This is evident in the horn section of the song which helps to create a very uplifting sound. The song is about a young man who challenges his elders’ way of life and decides to live life his own way, such as ‘drinking booze for breakfast.’

Other ska inspired songs on the album include Lost in the Supermarket and Spanish Bombs—the latter being inspired by events that took place in the Spanish Civil War. The Clash illustrate their musical diversity further on the tracks The Card Cheat and Train in Vain. The Card Cheat is different to most other songs on the album as it encompasses a grand piano but despite the experimentation in the song, it fits right at home on London Calling with all the others. Train in Vain rounds the album off nicely with a very catchy, pop inspired sound.

In truth every single song on the album stands out for all the right reason including the jazz inspired, aptly named Jimmy Jazz and the quite brilliant Guns of Brixton. Sometimes when bands experiment with certain songs, they don’t fit in—they don’t feel at home on the album. What’s important and unique about London Calling is that The Clash weren’t experimenting with their sound as such—they were expanding it. They were pushing and stretching the limits of the punk genre as far as it would go and because of this, they created arguably the finest punk rock record ever made. Every song on the album feels exactly right at home.

The Clash are one of the most important British bands of all time. They have helped keep punk alive by influencing many of the punk rock bands around the world today, such as Green Day and Rancid. Without The Clash and in particular, without London Calling, punk wouldn’t have just ‘died’ a long, long time ago—it would hardly have been born.

Guns n’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction

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Very few bands have had as turbulent a history as Guns n’ Roses. In the golden years of Guns, which were indisputably the late 80’s up until the very early 90’s, their wild and tempestuous nature earned them the nickname “The Most Dangerous Band In The World”. They were the dark horse of the Hollywood rock scene – not quite glam rock, not quite punk rock, but hell bent on creating their own unique sound.

Los Angeles was the place where Guns n’ Roses began their epic rise to international stardom, and in a small rehearsal space in the seediest, most decadent corner of L.A, they practiced a selection of songs that would soon form one of the greatest Rock n’ Roll albums ever conceived.

 

And on July 21, 1987, it was born.

 

This is Slash's original artwork for the cover of Appetite For Destruction.

Appetite For Destruction vinyl album cover, with Slash’s original artwork.
Photograph by Henrik Djärv

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ironically enough, the album was not an immediate hit. Sure, it racked up plenty of sales figures, but they were by no means instantaneous. However, sales of the album picked up pace when GNR started playing more and more of the album live, and now it’s sold more than 28 million copies worldwide, and hit platinum in the U.S.A not once, not twice, but EIGHTEEN times.

The album encompasses twelve classic tracks, including the globally renowned “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Welcome To The Jungle” and the lesser known but equally brilliant “Think About You”. Some might even say that this is a greatest hits album in itself. Every song is as raw and evocative as the one preceding it, and every member of the band is joined in a glorious unification of debauchery, passion and rage. This was the period of time before GNR began coming apart at the seams – before drugs and alcohol had sunk their claws deeper into the band, and before they knew how each of them would react to super-stardom.

At this point the comradery was unbreakable – you can almost hear it in the music. This is one reason why the album stands out as one of the greats. They were there for each other through thick and thin, and without any strife or friction between each member, they were a real hot prospect in 80’s Hollywood.

In my opinion, their bonds to each other brought out some of their finest qualities. Duff Mckagan’s basslines are expertly crafted, with that unique bass tone, he sticks to drummer Steven Adler like glue. Between them they create a rythmn section that is somehow both aggressive and groovy at the same time.

How they managed that, I have no idea.

Axl’s trademark wail is, as we know it can be, banshee-like in it’s volume and range. Slash’s guitar playing also seems subtly more vibrant and bluesy than his later work, and Izzy was there behind the scenes making the songs work with his superlative songwriting talents and well-placed guitar chops.

Of course this album is, in a strange way, the pride before the fall – it put them in the brightest spotlight, a place that they were doomed never to leave until the each member of the band slowly dispersed throughout the 90’s. Nevertheless, Gun’s n’ Roses continue to make great music to this day, and in the later years, although tensions in the band could run high at times, the music never really suffered.

Because in the eyes of GNR, and the eyes of all us religious fans, the music is what matters.

 

Nirvana – Nevermind

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Back in 1991, a band crept out of the Seattle Grunge underground to release an album which would transform the music industry forever. Nirvana’s second studio album, Nevermind,  brought alternative rock to to the large mainstream audience and paved the way for many of the alternative rock bands we hear today.

Nobody in the world, including the band, could have predicted the level of success Nevermind would enjoy. In January 1992, it knocked pop icon Michael Jackson’s album off the top of the Billboard charts and of today, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. The album spawned four hit singles—the first being the hugely popular track, Smells Like Teen Spirit, which can still be heard shaking the foundations of nightclubs today. The other three singles released were Come as You Are, Lithium and In Bloom.

Nevermind cover art

Nevermind cover art

The late Kurt Cobain was the front man and main songwriter in Nirvana. He cited bands such as the Pixies and the Meat Puppets as his biggest influences when writing the songs for Nevermind. The album starts with arguably the most famous alternative rock track of all time, Smells Like Teen Spirit. As soon as Cobain’s simple four-chord, clean guitar intro subsides, the song and album come to life, exploding with the sound of crashing symbols and distortion. This is a regular theme throughout the album, with the band sounding quite mellow in the verses before surprising the listener by erupting in the choruses.

Make no mistake though, Nirvana and the album Nevermind have a lot more in their locker than the surprise element. Tracks such as Come as You Are show the band’s talent as it contains perhaps, one of the most recognizable guitar riffs and bass lines ever created. The fourth track on the album, Breed, is full of aggression, driven by drummer Dave Grohl’s relentless drumming and bassist Krist Novoselic’s pounding bass line.

Kurt Cobain’s lyrics add the gloss to these songs. Whether he’s singing lyrics from somewhere deep inside or screaming at the top of his lungs, he has the voice which compliments every song on the album in its own unique way.  The seventh track, Territorial Pissings, is just over two minutes of punk rock onslaught where as the song Polly, is a beautiful acoustic track, showing there’s far more to Nevermind than loud amps and distortion pedals.

In truth, there’s not a weak song on the album and every track has something memorable about it. Nirvana opened the doors of success for many of the bands around today, including Flyleaf and Staind who both cite Nirvana as major influences. It’s 21 years on since the release of Nevermind and the album still sounds like it could have been released in this day and age.

For me, albums which stand the test of time are the best ones and that’s why Nirvana’s Nevermind, will go down as one of the greatest albums of all time.