Essential Albums: The Clash - London Calling
London Calling by The Clash—the double album that transcended punk with reggae, ska, rockabilly, and rock. Rolling Stone's #16 greatest album of all time.
London Calling Album Links → https://album.link/theclash-londoncalling
What if I told you a broke punk band, experiencing writer’s block and working with a “washed-up” alcoholic producer, created not just the best punk album—but one of the greatest albums ever made?
That’s exactly what happened with The Clash’s London Calling. Released in December 1979 (January 1980 in the US), this double album costs CBS Records exactly what they feared: control. The Clash demanded it be sold for the price of a single LP. They insisted on hiring Guy Stevens—a producer the label considered finished. They recorded 19 songs spanning punk, reggae, ska, rockabilly, jazz, and R&B.
Rolling Stone ranked it the best album of the 1980s. It sits at #16 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. The Royal Mail put its iconic cover on a postage stamp. And here’s the real story: London Calling didn’t just transcend punk—it saved The Clash, redefined what rock albums could be, and proved genre boundaries were meant to be smashed.
