I know, I know. Another post about the riots. But i'm not gonna do that! They are horrible and scary but they have reminded me of an awesome band and one of my favourite albums. So while everyone talks about serious things and doom and gloom I am going to wang on about music.
I am of course talking about The Clash! "London's Burning" was a track on their debut self-titled album released way back in 1977, but that isn't the album I want to talk about. I want to talk about "London Calling" - probably their most famous album. This was their 3rd album, released in 1979 and was quite a different style - a lot more reggae and ska with a hint of jazz too!
It is almost impossible for me to choose fave tracks as the whole album is brilliant but i'll give it a go, i'll give you a top 5 and chat about my top 3. I've stuck the youtube links up too so you can have a listen.
5. Hateful (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcq5pEv3xw)
4. I'm Not Down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyUsJWO-7jM)
3. Lost in the Supermarket (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsrEAWcAvRg)
2. The Guns of Brixton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqcizZebcaU)
1. Spanish Bombs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ertt3o1x65c)
So "Hateful" is about drugs, i'm not a huge fan of drugs but I am a huge fan of the song. So listen to this song and don't do drugs kids! "I'm Not Down" kicks butt. It's about not giving up, not bowing down to pressures, and maybe you haven't faced the worse yet but you can and you'll cope. This is an awesome song to listen to if you are feeling a bit rubbish/like you can't cope!
Lost in the Supermarket: this is a slow song compared to most of the album and features Mick Jones on vocals although it was written by Joe Strummer, it is one of the only tracks on the album to feature Jones on vocals. It is about someone struggling to come to terms with the changing world, the increased commercialisation and the consumerist nature that became more and more prevalent in the late 70's. This theme of youth disillusionment is common throughout the songs of The Clash and many of their contemporaries. It is this theme which makes the music still relevant today as disillusionment is as relevant for teens today as it was in the 80's.
The Guns of Brixton: ah....memories of being an angsty 15 year old listening to this (if I ever turned Nirvana off for long enough to listen to something else!). This song feels particularly relevant right now, it came before the race riots of the 80's but it sums up the feelings of the residents in the run up to the explosions. There was a recession on and the police were felt to be too heavy handed, a situation which echoes in many ways the one we are in at the moment. This was the first song to be written and featuring the bands bassist Paul Simonon. The distorted female vocals in this remind me of "Ghost Town" by The Specials (another of my favourite bands) - it lends that same creepyness to the song! Protest songs like this were popular and numerous during the 80's, it was a time of great social upheaval.
On a lighter note, for those of you that know Sandinista (another great Clash album) you will know the clip at the end of "Broadway" which features Maria Gallagher, daughter of Mick Gallagher who was a Hammond Organ player and recorded with The Clash, singing Guns of Brixton accompanied by her dad. I can't find out how old she was at the time but she sounds VERY young and its dead cute so have a listen! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOVeW3qDRls
Spanish Bombs: I don't know why this is my favourite track, its sad and angry and beautiful. Maybe that's why! The song is about the Spanish Civil War, stemming from a discussion about the ETA - a far-left terrorist Basque nationalist organisation founded in 1959 in Spain. The song praises the Republicans, those who fought and ultimately lost against Franco's facists. I don't want to give you a massive essay on the meaning of the song, you can find that kinda stuff online but it's my favourite so you should really check this track out!
Anyway, to quote Maria Gallagher, "That's enough now!"
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