London Calling Tracklist
London Calling, the third album by English rock band The Clash, was released on December 14, 1979 in the United Kingdom and January of 1980 in the United States. The album’s overall theme is post-punk, incorporating a wide variety of music styles including punk, reggae, rockabilly, ska, hard rock, pop, lounge jazz, and New Orleans R&B.
London Calling has impressive subject matter coverage; topics range from racial conflict, unemployment, and drug use to safe sex, the tragic life of actor Montgomery Clift, and social displacement. The final track on the album, “Train In Vain”, was intended to be a giveaway promotion deal with NME, but the deal ended up being cancelled at the last minute and the song was added to the album.
The album has enjoyed an enormous amount of praise and critical acclaim, from the time of its release to the present day. London Calling was on the Top 10 Album Chart in the United Kingdom, and its title track “London Calling” was a Top 20 Single. Rolling Stone ranked the album #8 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time and #1 on their list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s as it was released in the US in January 1980.
