LogFAQs > #953834045

238. The Clash London Calling (1979)
from the album London Calling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfK-WX2pa8c

Key lyrics:
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
Cause London is drowning, and I live by the river

On the individual level, punk as a genre is never meant to last. The idea that your music represents a movement where anyone can pick up and play starts to fade after a few years of active experience. Few artists transitioned as well between punk and post-punk as The Clash, with London Calling acting as a signifier of changing times. Gone was the crude aggression of earlier singles like White Riot, replaced by a world-weary dread. This is a sound that suggests the coy playfulness of their earlier works is no longer enough; these issues are real and need to be directly addressed.

The intro perfectly sets the scene, an aggressive drumbeat supporting a stellar bassline and a guitar repetition that slowly grows like a siren before the first verse. Joe Strummer is at his vocal best on this track, giving out animalistic howls between verses. Theres an instrumental interlude after the second chorus that finds The Clash at their most fiery and paranoid, with a brief, scene-stealing guitar solo. The key to their evolving sound is that this still carries the punk aesthetic. An anger directed toward society at large and aggressive calls for action remain; they are simply more articulate through experience.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/