May 9 - London Calling

I think I know how I first heard The Clash. It was through the song Should I Stay Or Should I Go, which was used in a Levi's commercial. A solid, poppy rock'n'roll song. However, I really discovered The Clash - and how antithetical the use of their music in a commercial really was - when I browsed the record collection of my friend Vegard and found the double vinyl album London Calling. He also had Combat Rock, which is where the aforementioned song was found, but I quickly blew that one off. London Calling, on the other hand, blew me away.

From the opening title track to the last minute final song, Train In Vain, which became the biggest hit, but really wasn't supposed to be there, London Calling is a tour-de-force through punk rock, rock'n'roll, ska, and reggae - and with eminently danceable bass lines, such as in the masterful Guns Of Brixton. The music of London Calling is for the body. I can't help the fact that my extremities start moving, enticing my entire body to join in (don't worry, it rarely happens and never in public). And on this album, when the music moves my body, the lyrics engage my mind. The lyrics are highly political, clever, and thought provoking - and they helped set a standard for what I looked for in punk rock. I always looked for songs with meaningful lyrics, and The Clash, especially on their first two albums, fully delivered in that respect.

I think The Clash is a great band to kick off a punk rock week, and London Calling is the right song for it.