Ghetto defendant, Allen Ginsberg with Joe Strummer and Mike Jones of the Clash.
I always have a playlist. One primary playlist, so when I'm not craving anyone in particular, or shuffle just isn't providing, I've got a playlist with all of my current favorites that will provide with nothing but just what I'm feeling.
Eeeeeee!!! Mick Jones.
The Clash absolutely blindsided me. Of the twenty-one songs on my playlist, all but three are by the Clash. And yet, I'm still plagued by this slight tendency to never completely take the Clash seriously. Aside from London Calling, which I'm obviously quite fond of and will get to later, the Clash can be very take-it-or-leave-it for me.
Paul Simonon as a tot.
Aesthetically, the Clash are flawless. From their ratty mesh and Pollock paints to their Humphrey Bogart trench coats and fedoras, they certainly never failed to look the part. While their seemingly effortless approach to their 'look' hardly ever failed (except when Mick Jones was wearing a bandana over his face), they were only occasionally musically brilliant. I respect Mick Jones as he is apparently the music brains behind the operation, and master arranger. So while his guitar playing hardly ever leaves me breathless (though I love its jangly, warm sound), I can appreciate his talent.
Baby Joe Strummer on the left.
That's the thing. For me, the Clash only put out one sufficiently magnificent, awing, super-laudable album, but its fucking perfect. Throw in their irresistable flair and overall empowering attitude, and you've got me staying up too late in London to watch every Clash documentary, scouring the internet for photos, and becoming utterly infatuated with everything about them. I'll never agree that the Clash are 'the only band that matters', but they had just the right amount of poise, that I don't want to kick them in the face for saying that (though I'm not entirely sure that they even personally coined it). They probably will never be ranked among my favorites (though London Calling might), but thats okay. I'm still proceeding with this phase, aren't I? (In other words, I'm really happily shaking it to "This is Radio Clash" right now, aren't I? Yes, yes, yes.)
I first listened to London Calling all the way through, in its running order, because of my mission to devour Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (which I'll get back to eventually, but for now, no way). It ranked at number eight, and before embracing this record, I thought that was utter bullshit. Even still, I could probably name more than eight records I love more than London Calling, but alas, I do deem it worthy of such praise. (Side note: The list is riddled with worthy arguments -- like Abbey Road > London Calling -- but is still plenty of musical education.) I listened it to once, which I realize now is destructive. It stays true to my theory that its rare for entirely new music to jump out at you after one listen. True brilliance takes a little longer to seep in. But after a series of events (fostering a healthy crush on Paul Simonon, and wanting to appreciate more than his James Dean good looks), I gave it another go. I found myself pleased with the results, and before I knew it, it was the soundtrack of my days. I played it over and over, and soon, I was London bound with London Calling -- a lovely coincidence.
From the opening riffs of "London Calling", complete with Simonon's dramatic bass, its difficult to expect anything other than an adventure. The entire track is thundering and each performance is fiery and exciting, most notably the vocals (backing included) and the backwards guitar solo. Their cover of Vince Taylor's "Brand New Cadillac" does not waver away from the apocalyptic energy, as Joe Strummer yells with admirable strength. "Jimmy Jazz" opens with that entirely Mick Jones sounding guitar. I've listened to this album countless times now, and 'jangly' is the only fucking word I can think of to describe it. It does no such justice (mainly because it makes me think of the Byrds). As I said previously, his skill as a guitar player does not floor me, but I am captivated by the sound of his guitar. While "Brand New Cadillac" and "Jimmy Jazz" did not make it onto my playlist, "Hateful" did. It makes me reminiscent of stuff that happened last week, which is silly, but this album will always remind me of walking and taking the train to and about London. Again, there is nothing astonishing going on, which I actually kind of love. There's no momentous solo to keel over, but its the overall feel. I love Mick Jones' backing vocals and the uptempo delivery. "Rudie Can't Fail" keeps with the uptempo feel, employing a horn section, and again -- with duel vocals by Mick Jones and Joe Strummer that make me so giddy. Their imperfect pronunciation is probably my favorite element, and I love at a little after two minutes when Mick Jones says "pork pie hat". The end refrain demands to be sung along with and its just a fucking happy number. Maybe my favorite song off the album, "Spanish Bombs" captures the optimistic magnificence better than any other track. As later demonstrated on "Should I Stay or Should I Go", the band were rather fond of employing the Spanish language. The track is bouncy and energetic, and showcases Mick Jones' scrumptious guitar sounds wonderfully. I'm quite literally sitting here attempting to figure out what makes this song work so well, but I really can't say. Its everything going on. The guitars, drums, bass, and especially vocals. Its not particularly complex, but its lovely and timeless. If "Spanish Bombs" is my favorite, then "The Right Profile" is very least favorite. I don't know why I don't like this song, but I just don't. The horns are alright and I love when Mick Jones says "New York, New Yooooooork", but I decided very early on that this track was not for me. My only memories of this song are skipping it, and I mean, its not that dreadful, but it never clicked. And hey! I even like Montgomery Clift, but I don't know... Are the horns too much? Is the song overall too repetitive? Maybe. But one quickly forgets about the lacklustre of "The Right Profile" because a string of excellence follows it. Starting with "Lost in the Supermarket" which has a delicately effective vocal performance by Mick Jones. The perfect word to describe it is 'squishy', but as that is a word I use (frequently) out of its normal context, it probably only makes sense to me -- which suits me fine. I've recently become quite intrigued by Simonon's galloping bass and the equally pulsating drums via Topper. A lovely moment comes as Joe Strummer subtly supports Jones' dainty vocals. Completely unlike "Lost in the Supermarket" is "Clampdown" which may be my actual favorite. As I flew over America, entirely too eager to touch down in LA, I listened to "Clampdown" -- a huge, dippy grin spread across my face as I thought, "You fucking did it." It being so much more than one thing. It was everything! It was: "You don't owe nothing. Boy get runnin'! It's the best years of your life they want to steal." As if all of that wasn't enough, its the contagious energy and unrestrained delivery which they all perform with. As I attempt to crack the secret behind London Calling and the Clash, that's a major factor. They perform with ferocious intensity, that gives everything a sublime authenticity and stirs up a wildly optimistic mood. But there is always an underlying intelligence to it. It isn't "Fuck everything, let's party." Its "You deserve to do what you want to do. Find your purpose!" -- a notion I couldn't agree with more. (Hello sweet relevance to my life, right now.) I've said it before, and I stand by it... To have an INCREDIBLE album, each song must be no less than perfection (permitting a "The Right Profile" like once), but also greatly vary from its cohorts. What follows the alluring and encouraging enthusiasm of "Clampdown" is both perfection and drastically difficult. While each member of the Clash's front line had attended art school, Paul Simonon was the only one with genuine desires to be an artist. He was apparently quite skillful when designing posters or clothing, but "You don't get paid for designing posters or doing the clothes, you get paid for doing the songs." So the least musically inclined member of the Clash forayed into songwriting, and fuck yeah, Paul Simonon... "The Guns of Brixton" is a glorious first song to put your name on. With a broody and sexy bass line, good scratching guitars, and a funky reggae groove, "The Guns of Brixton" follows up "Clampdown" amazingly well. I don't know if I'd classify any member of the Clash as a classically good singer, but each of their voices as its own endearing quality, including Simonon. It isn't exactly what you'd expect from his appearance, but I'm so into it. Especially when he is backed by the never-fail backing vocals of Mick Jones. The song is aggressive and carries a raunchy attitude, and its remarkable. Aaaah, and just the false start of "Wrong 'Em Boyo" makes me love the Clash even more. In an entirely different way from "The Magnificent Seven" and "This is Radio Clash", I cannot sit still to "Wrong 'Em Boyo". This would be defined as ska, right? I don't even listen to ska! But I am currently! Thank you for expanding my range. Backing vocals are such an asset to this record, and they're so much fun. While the horns may have been too much for "The Right Profile", they make "Wrong 'Em Boyo" what it is. Its a cover, I don't know whose originally (Writing credit goes to the Wikipedia-less Clive Alphonso), but right on -- they did it justice. Next is "Death or Glory" which I like (enough for it to make the playlist), but its probably my least favorite of that lot. Its got that punch that we've now come to expect from this record, the breakdown is laudable (especially when it builds back up and explodes), and the guitars sound delectable, but it fails to leave me stunned like "Spanish Bombs" or "Clampdown". Its followed by "Koka Kola", and by now, the magnificence run that began with "Lost in the Supermarket" has run a little dry. The best part of "Koka Kola" is unsurprisingly the backing vocals, and the howling laughter they supply. Its short, its quick, and then you get "The Card Cheat". YES. Mick Jones referred to it as "Phil Spector-ish" and I'm sure there is some sort of punk taboo in that statement, but it is deliciously rich. They recorded everything and then double-tracked the entire song, and it sounds luscious. Jones' voice has a peculiar strength -- peculiar because you aren't quite sure if his fragile chords will be able to make it to the end! They do, and again, the imperfections make it raw and relatable. The following track, "Lover's Rock", could probably be dismissed as cheesy -- but how could I when Mick Jones is thrusting out those girlish harmonies? I LOVE it. For some reason, my first impression of the Clash is that they were fairly unintelligent YOUNG men. The unintelligent notion probably stemmed from the 'punk' thing (... What? I don't think the Sex Pistols were geniuses), but I've since gone back on that thought. And young men because they look like BABIES in early promo stills. I mean, cheek-squeezing worthy. I think I'm still adjusting to the fact that Mick Jones' hairline is basically diminished, and that he is no longer a wide-eyed youngin. To put this back on topic, it makes "Lover's Rock" a strange listening experience. It makes me think, "You can't talk about taking off clothes and loving in a thousand go's when you look about twelve years old in the face!" Its also why when I found a photo of the Clash (in New York?) in a car, bursting with female companions, I felt all weird and laughed at it. I'm sure they got laid a lot and had lots of "Lover's Rock"-esque fun, but I'll never fail to think of them as babies (even though they're all old enough to be my dad -- no biggie). Anyway, following "Lover's Rock" is "Four Horsemen" ... Doesn't Metallica have a song with the same title? Strange. (Yeeeaaaah. Released four years later!) "Four Horsemen" never quite annoyed me in the way that "The Right Profile" did, but it never struck me as freakishly amazing either. Its not terrible, its just there, to give me a break between the strange greatness of "Lover's Rock" and the vivacious enthusiasm of "I'm Not Down". The drum breakdown of "I'm Not Down" makes me want to dance (The Clash are really good for that, obviously) and I don't love Mick Jones' gutsy yet frail vocals any less. "Revolution Rock" is the best way to kind of end an album. It didn't make the playlist, because its a little long-winded, but I enjoy it when listening to the album in its entirety. I love how the Clash almost always have that underlying reggae feel -- its absolutely contagious. The horns do the song incredible justice, and the band are working it out. But alas, I've said all I need to say on the track, and it isn't over yet. When it finally does end, its damn worth it. "Train in Vain" was my very first introduction to the Clash. When I listened to the album first, "Train in Vain" did get me. How could it not?! It was the Clash's first single to crack the top thirty, and once I found this out, I felt lame. I fell for the single! So obvious. But it is sooooo good. Its bouncy and upbeat, and must be played quite loud. Another throaty Jones performance, whining about his failed relationship with Viv Albertine of the Slits. I think its funny that the Clash's first and last big hits (both penned by Mr. Jones) were both about his failing relationships. He wore heartbreak really well, apparently.
Mick Jones with then-girlfriend, Ellen Foley. Notable for singing the duet on Meat Loaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", her turbulent relationship with Mick Jones provided influence for "Should I Stay or Should I Go". She also sang a duet with Mick on "Hitsville UK" -- a song off Sandinista! that I find rather dull.
So, I can readily admit that you will probably never read the words "Goodness, Sandinista! is a fucking masterpiece. Each of the thirty-odd tracks is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY" on this blog. (I mean, maybe I'll be able to give it credit some day, but I haven't even phased on HALF the tracks. Give me some time.) Also, I will always think "Rock the Casbah" is a little silly. But I can say, yes, I love the Clash. I do! I can really respect the Clash for what they were going for. And they weren't just going for it, they GOT it. They weren't trying to be musical geniuses, and yet, they produced one of the best damn records I've ever heard (and I've squeezed a lot in my years!) and it IS genius. Its angry, yet encouraging, its warm, its RELATABLE, and it carries a message, and a mood. There's a reason behind London Calling, and unlike other double albums, it isn't just a collection of songs. Its an ALBUM. Its big, its loud, and its beautiful. Its vibrant and timeless, and if only for four sides of vinyl, I'm championing each member of the Clash as an unsung genius. I respect that band and I respect what they stand for. Recently, someone asked what I was listening to at the moment. I said the Clash. They said, "The Clash is a little lame..." I replied, "I know! I thought so too! Until I listened."
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