A reminder about the local connection here... photographer Pennie Smith shot the album's iconic cover of Paul Simonon smashing his bass at the Palladium, 126 E 14th St. between Third Avenue and Irving Place... now an NYU dorm with a Trader Joe's ...
London Calling, like the Stones Exile, is a bit overrated IMO. The writing is mostly stick figure thin, the production could have used the Phil Spector wall of sound , and the whole shebang lacks the messy ferocity of their live shows. I much prefer the bootlegs of their extended stay at their Times Square bonds residency from this same time period. The Card Cheat might be my favorite, but again, compare the vibe on this song to Bob Dylan's Jack of Hearts and it just doesn't hit the mastery of Dylan's epic take of a barroom card game. Give "Em Enuogh Rope, their second album, is their thing moment for me. As a Brit take on Americana LC is not bad but it's never been high on my playlist. Quite frankly Rock Music was already played out at this point. Johnny Rotten's new band PIL was making far more interesting music. Metal Box, released around the same time as LC, made for a stunning original pivot from Punk to angular, modernist Post Punk. Welcome to synthesizers, disco beats, and Goth makeup.
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London Calling, like the Stones Exile, is a bit overrated IMO. The writing is mostly stick figure thin, the production could have used the Phil Spector wall of sound , and the whole shebang lacks the messy ferocity of their live shows. I much prefer the bootlegs of their extended stay at their Times Square bonds residency from this same time period. The Card Cheat might be my favorite, but again, compare the vibe on this song to Bob Dylan's Jack of Hearts and it
just doesn't hit the mastery of Dylan's epic take of a barroom card game. Give "Em Enuogh Rope, their second album, is their thing moment for me. As a Brit take on Americana LC is not bad but it's never been high on my playlist. Quite frankly Rock Music was already played out at this point. Johnny Rotten's new band PIL was making far more interesting music. Metal Box, released around the same time as LC, made for a stunning original pivot from Punk to angular, modernist Post Punk. Welcome to synthesizers, disco beats, and Goth makeup.
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