By Taylor Long
With the advancement of technology, society has become fixated with making things bigger and better, newer and more improved. One would think that an art form as pure as music could survive this phenomenon unscathed, but it too has been subjected to this modern day obsession with “the best.” Old classics have been re-mastered, re-issued, re-everything-ed countless times, each time being more unnecessary than the last. Sure, we want to hear our favorite old records with “improved sound,” but just how many times can you improve on a good thing? With the 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition of The Clash’s epic London Calling, there is finally a good reason (and, actually, more than one) behind a re-issue.
The first fabulous reason behind this new edition of London Calling is The Clash singer/guitarist/songwriter Mick Jones’ discovery of the Vanilla Tapes, the rehearsal sessions for London Calling, that were thought to be lost. Named after the studio they were recorded in, the Vanilla Tapes contain working versions of songs that later ended up on London Calling. Some songs are different in tempo, different lyrically, stylistically, and some are hardly different at all. Considering the rough state of the tracks, they all sound surprisingly good, and are an interesting listen for any Clash fan, or anyone curious about the evolution that takes place during the music writing process.
The other good reason behind this 25th Anniversary Edition is the discovery of old video tapes that contain footage of The Clash recording London Calling at Wessex Studios with the notoriously ridiculous producer, Guy Stevens. The tapes, which include scenes of Stevens throwing ladders and chairs, were woven with interviews from the documentary on the Clash from 2000, Westway To The World, to create a 50-minute-long DVD.
Oh, and lest we forget among all these tagged-on extras, London Calling is an eye-opening album from one of the bands that pioneered their respective rock and punk movements. Not only did The Clash show that rock music could be strong musically and carry an important message, they showed that the “rock” or “punk” label didn’t have to fit a particular sound-the band’s signature sound is laced with influences from a feast of genres, including country, reggae, jazz and ska.
With the release of the 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition of London Calling, there is no better time to get re-acquainted (or acquainted, for that matter) with the remarkable band that is The Clash.
