Day 8 - London Calling by The Clash

Day 8 of 10, and nearing the finish line of my 10 all-time favorite albums that are STILL in rotation, even if only now and again. John Cari and Darius Gambino have offered a couple of surprises along the way, but my offering today will come as no surprise. It's "London Calling" by The Clash. Predictable? Yes. Worthy? Absolutely. It's been a favorite of mine since my brother brought it home in the early 80s. Hearing the Clash for the first time was like lightning had struck the Harson household, which until then was dominated by 1970s progressive rock. London Calling veers from punk to reggae, ska and dub -- offering a suburban kid like me an early entree into those genres.

London Calling is a sprawling double-album, something of an oddity for the get-to-the-point ethos of punk rock. But right off the bat, the point is made -- sharply and loudly -- with a martial beat and searing guitars building into a full frontal assault against war, police brutality, nuclear power, even climate change on the title track before it peters out with a Morse code signal spelling "S.O.S." The album's second track, a cover of 1959's "Brand New Cadillac", introduces rockabilly and by the end of side one -- the classic "Rudie Can't Fail", we're full on into ska.

Side Two may be the most accessible -- kicking off with "Spanish Bombs", a pop-rocker about the lingering effects of the Spanish Civil War. The swinging "The Right Profile" is about the troubled life of Montgomery Clift, while the poppy "Lost in the Supermarket" is the first Mick Jones contribution to the album. The side finishes strong -- and darkly -- with "Clampdown", another song that sounds right at home in the almost authoritarian era of 2018. The side closes with the reggae-tinged "The Guns of Brixton", penned and sung by bassist Paul Simonon.

All that and we're only halfway through.

The headliner on Side Three is "Death or Glory", about rock stars who swore they would die before growing old. Ironically, Joe Strummer ended up with that lot -- dying suddenly in 2002 at the age of 50. And the final side features "I'm Not Down" and "Train in Vain", two more radio-friendly offerings from Mick Jones.

London Calling clearly needs no introduction: It is a bona fide classic that has topped many a reviewer's best of list. It has played a major role in my life -- from childhood to college and into adulthood. And -- perhaps most importantly and most sadly -- the themes it dealt with in 1979 are just as relevant today.