When I was a kid, like 12 or 13, punk rock exploded. It was even on the news, they would talk about how aggro the music was and how crazy the fashion was. I remember watching this lengthy segment on the Sex Pistols, maybe when they came to town or something. My dad wouldn't let me listen to them, I remember he said "punk rockers are bad people" even though there was absolutely no way he knew one or had even met one.
I kinda just went on with life and the first punk band I discovered on my own in high school was the Ramones (via Rock n' Roll High School), maybe around 81 or 82. I never went further than that for whatever reasons. Nobody I knew listened to the Sex Pistols or The Clash or anyone else for that matter. I was never exposed to any of it and I went through the rest of the 80s blissfully(?) ignorant.
By the end of the 80s, I was a huge music geek. I thought I was so knowledgeable but the reality was I didn't know shit. Around this time, Rolling Stone had published their issue that included their top 100 albums of the 80s. So, realizing that I didn't know it all, I decided to track down (either buy or borrow and record onto cassette) and listen to every album on that list.
I went through the listen and the biggest revelation was when I got to number one, London Calling by The Clash. Remember, I was never exposed to any kind of punk outside of the Ramones. I was expecting some kind of tuneless cacophony for whatever reason. And when I put it on, BOOM. It was incredible. My jaw slowly made its way to the floor. My eyes kept getting wider. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. And my feelings slowly turned to outrage. A whole decade and nobody bothered to tell me about this shit. NOBODY. Fuckers.
After that, I put it on repeat and tracked down the rest of the albums. Joe Strummer is like a hero to me.
So, happy 40th birthday to London Calling, one of the all-time greats. Also, the reason the album was on that best of the 80s list is because the US release was in January of 1980. Today, 14 DEC, is the real birthday.
If you haven't heard it and were maybe on the fence about it, please give it a shot (here's a handy Spotify link), it's really worth it.
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