I’ve never been much of a Rock ‘n’ Roll fan, the 50’s was way before my time and although I understand the importance of Elvis Presley, Bill Haley etc. to that generation, their records sounded very tame to me. The Rock ‘n’ Roll I did lend an ear to was rawer in nature than the watered down hits, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent,  Little Richard and Eddie Cochran.

Back in the early 80’s we had two great friends, Rick and Eddie, a couple of Rockers who’d moved up from Walthamstow to Birmingham with their parents. Their families were Turkish so both were dark skinned with jet black hair which was teased into outlandish, greased quiffs. Their attire of choice was biker jackets, Levi’s and brothel creepers. They looked like a pair of Anatolian Stray Cats, very cool. They were both fanatical Eddie Cochran fans and through them I got to hear more than the “Summertime Blues” and “C’mon Everybody” you might occasionally hear on the radio, fantastic records tho’ both are, “C’mon Everybody” in particular featuring a killer, almost surf style, guitar sound which was really unusual for 1958.

“Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie”, the proto-Punk “Somethin’ Else” and “Weekend”, are banging teen anthems of the most optimistic kind. “Cut Across Shorty” is a hybrid country/bluesy tale of the tortoise and the hare, and then there are my personal favourites, “Nervous Breakdown” a song I’m sure must have been a favourite with The Cramps and “20 Flight Rock”, a rockin’ tale of the lengths a fella will go to to see his girl (if anyone out there knows the Moving Sidewalks garage-psych classic “99th Floor” it’s pretty much the same story). Cochran had first performed “20 Flight Rock” in the movie “The Girl Can’t Help It” when he was just 18 !

Eddie Cochran died tragically young at 21 in a car accident in Wiltshire, UK in 1960 while on tour. Who knows what the future held for him.

Nervous Breakdown - https://youtu.be/rY5MDivdcEE

“London Calling” is the second album I’ve written about during this exercise that holds a permanent place in my top 5 favourite albums. It was released (in the UK) on the 14th December 1979, my 17th birthday. It’s been shining a light on future possibilities for me ever since. One of the greatest and most important albums ever made. 

I’ve written about “London Calling” in this blog before, in fact in my very first post here listing those top 5 albums and my reasons why (you can read it here  https://www.whiterabbitrecords.co.uk/blog/read_142215/welcome-to-the-white-rabbit-records-blog.html to save me repeating myself, it all still applies). 

To many, The Clash were “the only band that mattered”. They didn’t quite hold that position in my life back in ‘79, that spot was reserved for The Jam at the time. However, in later years I find myself turning to their debut and “London Calling” far more often than I do to “All Mod Cons” or “Setting Sons”. I think that may well be as a result of my relationship with Joe Strummer and Paul Weller’s solo records than any lack of love for The Jam. We’ll get to both of those guys eventually and I can explain more. 

“London Calling” carries absolutely none of what the music of Punk Rock was accused of peddling, nihilism. There’s no belief that everything is meaningless on this album, no pessimism, exactly the opposite in fact. In 1980 Rolling Stone magazine described the album as being "merry and tough, passionate and large-spirited" and a celebration of "the romance of rock & roll rebellion in grand, epic terms”.

A friend recently opined “Good record. Always think it tails off towards the end…” and it struck me that on Side 4 you get, one after the other to end on, “Four Horsemen”, “I’m Not Down”, “Revolution Rock” and “Train In Vain”…most bands can’t muster that many great songs on a single album yet that’s The Clash tailing off.

“London Calling” is the sound of a band having a great time, exploring what they are capable of and communicating that life is great if you grab hold of your own and do something worthwhile with it, whatever you decide that that is. 

I’m Not Down - https://youtu.be/uV6-vY4O5us

I gotta admit that when my 14 year old self first heard this it came as something of a disappointment. To me back then, sat next to the singles by the Sex Pistols I’d been devouring, this sounded a bit weedy compared to those huge Pistols singles. In the years that followed I did of course beat a good measure of sense into myself and came to love this record as I should have from the off. 

From the cover pictures (the back sleeve picture taken during the Notting Hill Carnival “riot” in 1976) to the music within this is the sound of unrest in the UK but more specifically London during that long hot summer of ‘76 when most of this was written. We’re hearing about hookers, the unemployed, calls to revolt, booze, drugs crap TV and wild weekends. 

The whole album is a twitchy rush. The opening drum intro to “Janie Jones” arguably sets the scene for how this whole thing is gonna go. Having said that the following “Remote Control” could almost be what came to be known as Power Pop. For a band that later embraced and were embraced by the USA “I’m So Bored With The USA” is quite the statement.

And then at track 4 we have The Clash’s first really important song, possibly one of THE most important songs in all of Punk Rock. “White Riot” is not only a scream of anger, a call to arms and an absolute whirlwind it’s also one of the most intelligently written lyrics I can think of. Calling a song “White Riot” and with that chant it could have been easily misrepresented as something it isn’t. The lyric calls out apathy and expresses admiration for black communities and their willingness to fight back against oppression (Notting Hill ‘76 for instance). It’s a brilliant piece of writing and I’ve consequently never heard “White Riot” being accused of being in any way suspect in content.

On it hurtles. “Police And Thieves” is something of a clumsy try at reggae (they got better eventually) and the closing “Garageland” sees The Clash starting to self-mythologise. It’s a brilliant debut and my 14 year old self really did need a good talking to.

White Riot - https://youtu.be/t6cF3ayJgM4