London Calling

On their second album Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978), the Clash had started to depart from the punk rock sound. While touring the United States in 1979, they chose supporting acts such as rhythm and blues artists Bo Diddley, Sam & Dave, Lee Dorsey, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins, as well as neotraditional country artist Joe Ely and punk rockabilly band the Cramps. The Clash's growing fascination with rock and roll inspired their direction for London Calling.{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-clash-mn0000075747|title=The Clash|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=9 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604093734/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-clash-mn0000075747|archive-date=4 June 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}

After recording Give 'Em Enough Rope, the Clash separated from their manager Bernard Rhodes.Gilbert 2005, pp. 212–213. This meant they had to leave their rehearsal studio in Camden Town. Tour manager Johnny Green and drum roadie Baker found a new place to rehearse, Vanilla Studios, in the back of a garage in Pimlico.Green 2003, p. 156.Sweeting, Adam. "Death or Glory". Uncut. October 2004. p. 58.Gray 2010, p. 88.

The Clash arrived at Vanilla in May 1979 with no new songs prepared for their third album.Gray 2010, pp. 89, 91. Main songwriters Mick Jones and Joe Strummer had experienced a period of writer's block and had not written a new song in over a year; their recently released Cost of Living EP featured a cover song and three other songs that had all been written over a year earlier.Gray 2010, p. 91.

Rehearsal were held in Vanilla Studios over mid-1979. The Clash began playing covers from genres including rockabilly, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and reggae.{{cite magazine| last=Sinclair |first=Tom |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,698325,00.html |title=The Best Album of All Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725043431/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C698325%2C00.html |archive-date=25 July 2014 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=24 September 2004 |access-date=20 February 2008}}Gray 2010, pp. 93–97. In contrast to previous rehearsal sessions, the band kept these rehearsals private, and did not allow hangers-on to attend.Gray 2010, p. 90. This seclusion allowed the band to rebuild their confidence without worrying about the reaction from outsiders, who were familiar with the band's punk rock style.Gray 2010, p. 97.

The band developed an "extremely disciplined" daily routine of afternoon rehearsals, broken by a late-afternoon social football game, which fostered a friendly bond between the band members. The football was followed by drinks at a local pub, followed by a second rehearsal in the evening.Gray 2010, pp. 98–100.

The band gradually rebuilt their confidence, with the styles of the session's early cover songs setting the template for the diverse material that would be written for London Calling.Gray 2010, p. 98. The band were also encouraged by a growing recognition of drummer Topper Headon's skills, which they realised could be used to perform music in a wide array of genres and styles beyond punk rock.Gray 2010, p. 95.

During these rehearsals in the early summer of 1979, a series of demos dubbed The Vanilla Tapes (after the name of the rehearsal studio) were made on a TEAC 4-track recorder. These tapes contain early versions of 15 of the 19 songs that would eventually appear on London Calling, sometimes in very rudimentary forms (several lack the lyrics, musical structure, or titles of their final versions -- the instrumental track titled Paul's Tune would eventually be recorded for London Calling under the title The Guns of Brixton, while the instrumental tracked titled Up-Toon would ultimately be released as The Right Profile, for example).{{cite web| url = https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/the-clash-london-calling-and-the-vanilla-tapes| title = The Clash – London Calling and The Vanilla Tapes| last = Myers| first = Ben| date = October 22, 2007| website = recordcollectormag.com| publisher = Metropolis International Group Limited| access-date = May 8, 2025}} They also include covers that did not make the final album, including Sonny Okosun's Where You Gonna Go (Soweto) and a reggae version of Bob Dylan's The Man in Me (possibly influenced by London-based reggae band Matumbi's 1976 version), as well as never-officially-released Clash tunes like Heart and Mind (described by rock journalist Pat Gilbert as "a rocker"), and the country-inflected Lonesome Me. Notably, they do not include the London Calling tracks Spanish Bombs, Wrong ‘Em Boyo, The Card Cheat, or Train in Vain, suggesting that these tracks were written (or, in Wrong 'Em Boyo's case, selected) later, possibly during the actual album sessions.{{cite web| url = https://www.openculture.com/2014/11/the-clashs-vanilla-tapes.html | title = Hear The Clash's Vanilla Tapes, Demos of Nearly Every Song From London Calling| last = Jones| first = Josh| date = November 6, 2014| website = openculture.com| access-date = May 8, 2025}} These tapes, believed lost in 1979 (roadie Johnny Green claimed in his 1999 autobiography A Riot Of Our Own that he had lost them on the London Underground prior to the album's recording), were rediscovered by Mick Jones while he was moving in 2004, and 21 were curated for release on the 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition of London Calling.{{Cite AV media notes |title=London Calling 25th Anniversary Edition |first=Pat |last=Gilbert |others=The Clash |date=2004 |page=27-33 |type=booklet |publisher=Legacy Recordings}}

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The Clash wrote and recorded demos at Vanilla Studios, with Mick Jones composing and arranging much of the music and Joe Strummer writing most of the lyrics.Gray 2010, pp. 100–103. Strummer wrote "Lost in the Supermarket" after imagining Jones' childhood growing up in a basement with his mother and grandmother.London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition. "The Last Testament – The Making of London Calling". Information about the recording of London Calling. Retrieved 18 February 2008. "The Guns of Brixton" was the first of bassist Paul Simonon's compositions the band would record for an album, and the first to have him sing lead. Simonon was originally doubtful about its lyrics, which discuss an individual's paranoid outlook on life, but was encouraged by Strummer to continue working on it.

In August 1979, the band entered Wessex Studios to begin recording London Calling. The Clash asked Guy Stevens to produce the album, much to the dismay of CBS Records.Gilbert 2005, p. 235. Stevens had alcohol and drug problems and his production methods were unconventional. During a recording session he swung a ladder and upturned chairs – apparently to create a rock & roll atmosphere. During another session, Stevens poured a bottle of wine over a piano that Strummer was playing to either to make it sound better or to simply make him stop.{{cite web|url=https://www.theringer.com/2019/12/17/music/the-clash-london-calling-40th-anniversary|title= The Siren Sound of the Clash's 'London Calling,' 40 Years Later|work=The Ringer|first=Elizabeth|last=Nelson|date=17 December 2019|access-date=19 May 2025}} The Clash, especially Simonon, got along well with Stevens, and found Stevens' work to be very helpful and productive to both Simonon's playing and their recording as a band. The album was recorded during a five- to six-week period involving 18-hour days,{{cite web|url=http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_london_calling_clash/ |title=Classic Tracks: The Clash's 'London Calling' |first=Chris |last=Michie |date=1 November 2000 |work=Mix |access-date=18 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901182906/http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_london_calling_clash/ |archive-date=1 September 2012}} with many songs recorded in one or two takes.

The first track recorded for London Calling was "Brand New Cadillac", which the Clash had originally used as a warm-up song before recording.Sweeting, Adam. "Death or Glory". Uncut. October 2004. p. 65.Gilbert 2005, p. 237. "Clampdown" began as an instrumental track called "Working and Waiting".Sweeting, Adam. "Death or Glory". Uncut. October 2004. p. 67. While working on "The Card Cheat", the band recorded each part twice to create a "sound as big as possible".Sweeting, Adam. "Death or Glory". Uncut. October 2004. p. 68.

London Calling is regarded by music critic Mark Kidel as the first post-punk double album, as it exhibits a broader range of musical styles than the Clash's previous records.{{cite news|newspaper=New Statesman|last=Kidel|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Kidel|title=Explorations of Heartache|page=225|volume=99|year=1980|location=London}} Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the album appropriated the "punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music", while incorporating a wider range of styles such as punk, reggae, rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock. "Brand New Cadillac", the album's second track, was written and originally recorded by Vince Taylor and was cited by the Clash as "one of the first British rock'n'roll records". The fifth song, "Rudie Can't Fail" features a horn section and mixes elements of pop, soul, and reggae music together.

The Clash's embrace of specific musical traditions for London Calling deviated from what Greg Kot viewed as punk's iconoclastic sensibilities.{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=13 February 2000|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/02/13/rebel-recall/|title=Rebel Recall|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=9 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319220923/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-02-13/news/0002130301_1_combat-rock-mick-jones-band/2|archive-date=19 March 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} Speaking on the album, Jack Sargeant remarked that "whether the Clash completely abandoned their punk roots or pushed punk's musical eclecticism and diversity into new terrain remains a controversial issue."{{cite book|title=No Focus|last1=Barber|first1=Chris|last2=Sargeant|first2=Jack|author-link2=Jack Sargeant (writer)|page=[https://archive.org/details/nofocuspunkonfil00manc/page/41 41]|publisher=Headpress|year=2006|isbn=1-900486-59-8|url=https://archive.org/details/nofocuspunkonfil00manc/page/41}} According to rock historian Charles T. Brown, the album led to the band's association with new wave music,{{cite book |title=The Art of Rock and Roll |page=247 |last=Brown |first=Charles T. |year=1992 |publisher=Prentice-Hall |isbn=9780130448927}} while music academic James E. Perone considers the album "new wave rock".{{cite book |title=Listening to New Wave Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre |page=45 |last=Perone |first=James E. |date=September 7, 2018 |isbn=9781440859694 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uw5pDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22the+clash%22+%22london+calling%22+%22new+wave%22&pg=PA45}}

The album's songs are generally about London, with narratives featuring both fictional and life-based characters, such as an underworld criminal named Jimmy Jazz and a gun-toting Jimmy Cliff aspirant living in Brixton ("Guns of Brixton"). In the opinion of PopMatters journalist Sal Ciolfi, the songs encompass an arrangement of urban narratives and characters, and touch on themes such as sex, depression and identity crisis.{{cite web |work=PopMatters |date=10 March 2004 |first=Sal |last=Ciofli |title=The Clash: London Calling > Album Review |url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/14505/clash-londonmft |access-date=22 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607010747/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/clash-londonmft |archive-date=7 June 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} "Rudie Can't Fail" chronicles the life of a fun-loving young man who is criticised for his inability to act like a responsible adult.Guarisco, Donald A. [{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t3298492|pure_url=yes}} "Rudie Can't Fail Review"]. AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2008. "Clampdown" comments on people who forsake the open-minded idealism of youth and urges young people to fight the status quo.Guarisco, Donald A. [{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t3298496|pure_url=yes}} "Clampdown Review"]. AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2008. "The Guns of Brixton" explores an individual's paranoid outlook on life, while on "Death or Glory", Strummer examines his life in retrospect and acknowledges the complications and responsibilities of adulthood.Gilbert 2005, p. 259. "Lover's Rock" advocates safe sex and planning.{{cite book|page=44|last=Spicer|first=Al|year=1999|title=Rock: 100 Essential CDs : The Rough Guide|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=1-85828-490-2}}

Some songs have more widely contextualised narratives, including references to the "evil presidentes" working for the "clampdown", the lingering effects of the Spanish Civil War ("Spanish Bombs"), and how constant consumerism had led to unavoidable political apathy ("Lost in the Supermarket").{{cite book|last=Taylor|first=Steve|page=67|title=The A to X of Alternative Music|year=2006|publisher=Continuum|isbn=0-8264-8217-1}} "London Calling", the album's title track and opener, was partially influenced by the March 1979 accident at a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. It also discusses the problems of rising unemployment, racial conflict and drug use in Great Britain.[https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595860/london_calling "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: The Clash London Calling"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409085334/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595860/london_calling |date=9 April 2010 }}. Rolling Stone. 9 December 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2008. According to music critic Tom Carson, "while the album draws on the entirety of rock and roll's past for its sound, the concepts and lyrical themes are drawn from the history, politics and myths associated with the genre".

File:LondonCallingLogotype.png.]]

The album's front cover features a photograph of bassist Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass (now on display at the Museum of London,"https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london/whats-on/exhibitions/clash-simonon-bass-guitar-display "The Clash: Paul Simonon's bass guitar" Retrieved 7 July 2021. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210707094650/https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london/whats-on/exhibitions/clash-simonon-bass-guitar-display |date=7 July 2021}} formerly Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)[http://www.rockhall.com/images/Large_Guide.pdf "Exhibit and Information Guide."] p. 5. Retrieved 17 May 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117050807/http://www.rockhall.com/images/Large_Guide.pdf |date=17 January 2010 }} against the stage at the Palladium in New York City on 20 September 1979.Green 2003, pp. 195–196.Sweeting, Adam. "Death or Glory". Uncut. October 2004. p. 70.{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-did-a-famous-guitar-smashing-occur-one-fan-insists-everyone-has-it-wrong-1528212278 |first=Cameron |last=McWhirter |title=When Did a Famous Guitar-Smashing Occur? One Fan Insists Everyone Has It Wrong |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=5 June 2018 |access-date=5 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180606034058/https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-did-a-famous-guitar-smashing-occur-one-fan-insists-everyone-has-it-wrong-1528212278 |archive-date=6 June 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} Simonon explained in a 2011 interview with Fender that he smashed the bass out of frustration when he learned that the bouncers at the concert would not allow the audience members to stand up out of their seats; "I wasn't taking it out on the bass guitar, cos there ain't anything wrong with it", Simonon said.{{cite web|last=Baker|first=Alex|title=You Destroy the Things You Love: The Story of London Calling's Iconic Cover|url=https://www.fender.com/articles/gear/you-destroy-the-things-you-love-the-story-of-london-callings-iconic-cover|publisher=Fender|access-date=September 22, 2019}} Pennie Smith, who photographed the band for the album, originally did not want the photograph to be used. She thought that it was too out of focus, but Strummer and graphic designer Ray Lowry thought it would make a good album cover.{{cite news|last=Godwin|first=Richard|title=London Calling again|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/article-23845073-london-calling-again.do|access-date=16 June 2010|newspaper=London Evening Standard|date=15 June 2010|quote=Lowry: "Actually, I had no idea it was out of focus. Half-blind at the best of times and half-pissed at the time, that simply had to be the one."|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617014630/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/article-23845073-london-calling-again.do|archive-date=17 June 2010|df=dmy-all}} In 2002, Smith's photograph was named the best rock and roll photograph of all time by Q magazine, commenting that "it captures the ultimate rock'n'roll moment – total loss of control".Judd, Terri. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020124/ai_n9669465 "One hundred timeless rock'n'roll moments, and the photographers who ..."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227154511/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20020124/ai_n9669465 |date=27 December 2008 }}. The Independent. 24 January 2002. Retrieved 17 February 2008.

File:Paul Simonon london calling Fender Precision Bass.JPG

The cover artwork was designed by Lowry and was an homage to the design of Elvis Presley's self-titled debut album, with pink letters down the left side and green text across the bottom.Green 2003, p. 194.Tryangiel, Josh. [http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,London_Calling,00.html "The All-TIME 100 Albums: London Calling"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202053102/http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0%2C27693%2CLondon_Calling%2C00.html |date=2 February 2011 }}. Time. 13 November 2006. Retrieved 17 February 2008. The cover was named the ninth best album cover of all time by Q magazine in 2001.O'Connor, Mickey. [https://ew.com/article/2001/03/19/100-best-album-covers-ever/ "London's Q magazine picked these; what are yours?"] . Entertainment Weekly. 14 March 2001. Retrieved 17 February 2008. In 1995, Big Audio Dynamite (a band fronted by former Clash member Mick Jones) used the same scheme for their F-Punk album. The album cover for London Calling was among the ten chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of "Classic Album Cover" postage stamps issued in January 2010.{{cite web|title=Classic Album Covers: Issue Date – 7 January 2010 |url=http://www.royalmail.com/portal/stamps/content1?catId=32300674&mediaId=112400790 |publisher=Royal Mail |access-date=8 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219004400/http://www.royalmail.com/portal/stamps/content1?catId=32300674&mediaId=112400790 |archive-date=19 February 2012}}{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/jan/08/coldplay-album-stamp-approval | title=Coldplay album gets stamp of approval from Royal Mail | work=The Guardian | date=8 January 2010 | access-date=8 January 2010 | location=London | first=Sean | last=Michaels | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111051931/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/08/coldplay-album-stamp-approval | archive-date=11 January 2010 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }} The cover art was later parodied for the soundtrack to Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/20/tony-hawks-american-wasteland-soundtrack |title=Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Soundtrack |publisher=IGN |date=October 20, 2005 |access-date=August 22, 2012}}

The album was released in the United Kingdom on vinyl on 14 December 1979, and in the United States on vinyl and 8-track tape two weeks later in January 1980.{{cite book |first=Frank |last=Hoffmann |year=2005 |title=Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound |page=397 |publisher=Routledge}} A gatefold cover design of the LP was only released in Japan. Though London Calling was released as a double album it was only sold for about the price of a single album. The Clash's record label, CBS, at first denied the band's request for the album to be released as a double. In return CBS gave permission for the band to include a free 12-inch single that played at 33⅓ rpm. Ultimately, the planned 12-inch record became a second nine-track LP. The final track, "Train in Vain", was originally excluded from the back cover's track listing.Green 2003, p. 218. It was intended to be given away through a promotion with NME, but was added to the album at the last minute after the deal fell through.{{cite web| last=Back | first=Johnny | url=http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=299 | title=The Greatest Songs Ever! "Train in Vain (Stand by Me) | website=Blender | date=April 2002 | access-date=18 February 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221070346/http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=299 | archive-date=21 February 2009 }}

Upon its release, London Calling sold approximately two million copies. The album peaked at number nine in the United Kingdom{{cite web|url=http://www.everyhit.co.uk/|title=UK Chart Archive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417080442/http://www.everyhit.co.uk/ |archive-date=17 April 2016|website=everyHit.co.uk.|date=17 February 2008}} and was certified gold in December 1979.[http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=21849 "British gold certification for London Calling] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207133548/http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=21849 |date=7 December 2008 }}. British Phonographic Industry. 31 December 1979. Retrieved 17 February 2008. The album performed strongly outside the United Kingdom. It reached number two in Sweden[http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Clash "Discography The Clash"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609075350/http://swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Clash |date=9 June 2008 }}. SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved 17 February 2008. and number four in Norway.[http://norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+Clash "Discography The Clash"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210511/http://norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The%20Clash |date=3 March 2016 }}. NorwegianCharts.com. Retrieved 26 October 2008. In the United States, London Calling peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3913/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} "The Clash > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums"]. AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2008. and was certified platinum in February 1996.{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH|title=RIAA Searchable Database|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626050454/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |archive-date=26 June 2007|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=17 February 2008}} The album produced two of the band's most successful singles. "London Calling" preceded the album with a 7 December 1979 release. It peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video, directed by Letts, featured the band performing the song on a boat in the pouring rain with the River Thames behind them.Sweeting, Adam. "Death or Glory". Uncut. October 2004. p. 69. In the United States, "Train in Vain", backed with "London Calling", was released as a single in February 1980. It peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and "London Calling"/"Train in Vain" peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Disco Top 100 chart.[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3913/charts-awards/billboard-singles|pure_url=yes}} "The Clash > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles"]. AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2008.

London Calling was met with widespread critical acclaim.{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Martin Charles|author-link=Martin C. Strong|year=2006|page=206|title=The Essential Rock Discography|publisher=Canongate U.S.|isbn=1-84195-860-3}} Reviewing the album for The New York Times in 1980, John Rockwell said it finally validates the acclaim received by the Clash up to that point because of how their serious political themes and vital playing were retained in innovative music with a broad appeal. "This is an album that captures all the Clash's primal energy, combines it with a brilliant production job by Guy Stevens and reveals depths of invention and creativity barely suggested by the band's previous work", Rockwell said.{{cite news|last=Rockwell|first=John|author-link=John Rockwell|page=C12|date=4 January 1980|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B04E0D9173BE732A25757C0A9679C94619FD6CF|title=The Pop Life; 'London Calling' helps the Clash live up to billing|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=4 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606204731/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B04E0D9173BE732A25757C0A9679C94619FD6CF|archive-date=6 June 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}{{subscription required}} Charles Shaar Murray wrote in NME that it was the first record to be on-par with the band's hype, while Melody Maker critic James Truman said the Clash had "discovered themselves" by embracing American music styles.Gray 2010, p. 412. Rolling Stone magazine's Tom Carson claimed the music celebrates "the romance of rock & roll rebellion", adding that it is vast, engaging, and enduring enough to leave listeners "not just exhilarated but exalted and triumphantly alive".{{cite news |newspaper=Rolling Stone |issue=314 |date=3 April 1980 |first=Tom |last=Carson |title=The Clash London Calling > Album Review |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/london-calling-19800403 |access-date=22 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221093058/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/london-calling-19800403 |archive-date=21 December 2010 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} In a five-star review, Down Beat journalist Michael Goldberg said the Clash had produced "a classic rock album which, literally, defines the state of rock and roll and against which the very best of [the 1980s] will have to be judged."{{cite journal|journal=Down Beat|location=Chicago|pages=4, 32–35|last=Goldberg|first=Michael|year=1980|volume=47|title=The Clash}} Some reviewers expressed reservations, including DJ and critic Charlie Gillett, who believed some of the songs sounded like poor imitations of Bob Dylan backed by a horn section. Garry Bushell was more critical in his review for Sounds, giving the record two out of five stars while claiming the Clash had "retrogressed" to Rolling Stones-style "outlaw imagery" and "tired old rock clichés".

At the end of 1980, London Calling was voted the best album of the year in the Pazz & Jop, an annual poll of American critics published by The Village Voice.{{cite news |newspaper=The Village Voice |date=9 February 1981 |title=The 1980 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres80.php |access-date=21 March 2005 |ref=PazzJop |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308112003/http://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres80.php |archive-date=8 March 2005 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} Robert Christgau, the poll's creator and supervisor, also named it 1980's best record in an accompanying essay and said, "it generated an urgency and vitality and ambition (that Elvis P. cover!) which overwhelmed the pessimism of its leftist world-view."{{cite news|date=9 February 1981|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pj80.php|title=The Year of the Lollapalooza|last=Christgau|first=Robert|newspaper=The Village Voice|access-date=9 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815185537/http://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pj80.php|archive-date=15 August 2013|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}

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| title = Retrospective professional ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/london-calling-mw0000189413|title=London Calling – The Clash|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=7 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606061423/http://www.allmusic.com/album/london-calling-mw0000189413|archive-date=6 June 2012|url-status=live}}

| rev2 = Blender

| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Wolk|first=Douglas|author-link=Douglas Wolk|date=21 August 2007|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/54673/london-calling.html|title=The Clash: London Calling|magazine=Blender|location=New York|access-date=31 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090702235137/http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/54673/london-calling.html|archive-date=2 July 2009|url-status=dead}}

| rev3 = Chicago Sun-Times

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|4}}{{cite news|last=McLeese|first=Don|date=16 March 1987|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB36D59A47BB5A5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Husker Du proves its wide range|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|access-date=9 July 2013|page=36|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104035616/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB36D59A47BB5A5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|archive-date=4 January 2014|url-status=live}}

| rev4 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev4score = A+{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1990|chapter=The Clash: London Calling|chapter-url=http://robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=3540|access-date=21 September 2011|title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|publisher=Pantheon Books|isbn=0-679-73015-X|page=[https://archive.org/details/christgausrecord00chri/page/92 92]}}

| rev5 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|year=2011|chapter=Clash|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=Omnibus Press|edition=5th concise|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8}}

| rev6 = Los Angeles Times

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|4}}{{cite news|last=Cromelin|first=Richard|date=7 April 1987|title='London Calling.' The Clash. Epic (AAD).|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}

| rev7 = Q

| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|title=The Clash: London Calling|magazine=Q|location=London|issue=159|date=December 1999|pages=152–3}}

| rev8 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev8score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|year=2004|chapter=The Clash|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA167|access-date=24 September 2011|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Fireside Books|location=London|edition=4th|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/167 167–8]}}

| rev9 = Select

| rev9score = 5/5{{cite magazine|title=Clash Reissues|magazine=Select|location=London|issue=114|date=December 1999|page=88}}

| rev10 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev10score = 7/10{{cite book|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-link=Eric Weisbard|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|year=1995|chapter=Clash|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=84–5}}

}}

London Calling has since been considered by many critics to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time,{{cite web|last1=D'Angelo|first1=Joe|last2=Kaufman|first2=Gil|date=23 December 2002|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459257/joe-strummer-clash-dead-at-50.jhtml|title=Joe Strummer Of The Clash Dead At 50|publisher=MTV News|access-date=9 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004224354/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459257/joe-strummer-clash-dead-at-50.jhtml|archive-date=4 October 2013|url-status=dead}} including AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, who said that it sounded more purposeful than "most albums, let alone double albums". "This epic double album, from its iconic sleeve to its wildly eclectic mash-up of styles, is surely the quintessential rock album", wrote BBC Music journalist Mark Sutherland.{{cite web|last=Sutherland|first=Mark|year=2004|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/c3cz/|title=Review of The Clash - London Calling - 25th Anniversary Edition|website=BBC Music|access-date=19 May 2021}} In Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990), Christgau called it the best double album since the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main St. (1972) and said it expanded upon, rather than compromised, the Clash's driving guitar sound in a "warm, angry, and thoughtful, confident, melodic, and hard-rocking" showcase of their musical abilities. According to the English music writer Dave Thompson, London Calling established the Clash as more than "a simple punk band" with a "potent" album of neurotic post-punk, despite its amalgam of disparate and occasionally disjointed musical influences.{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Thompson (author)|year=2000|title=Alternative Rock|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=0-87930-607-6|page=271}} Don McLeese from the Chicago Sun-Times regarded it as their best album and "punk's finest hour", as it found the band broadening their artistry without compromising their original vigor and immediacy. PopMatters critic Sal Ciolfi called it a "big, loud, beautiful collection of hurt, anger, restless thought, and above all hope" that still sounds "relevant and vibrant". In a review of its 25th anniversary reissue, Uncut wrote that the songs and characters in the lyrics cross-referenced each other because of the album's exceptional sequencing, adding that "The Vanilla Tapes" bonus disc enhanced what was already a "masterpiece".{{cite magazine|title=Capital Gains|magazine=Uncut|location=London|issue=89|date=October 2004|page=122}}

{{quote box|quoted = 1|quote=London Calling is honored for many excellent reasons, not least its audacity: a double album by the band that personified punk anti-'commercial' brevity and defiance going long and ranging far in both songwriting and instrumentation—the horn-fed 'The Card Cheat' features M. Jones on piano! It was where they announced that they wanted to play with the big boys and buried most of them forthwith.|source=—Robert Christgau, El País (2019){{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=16 December 2019|url=https://robertchristgau.substack.com/p/playing-with-and-burying-the-big|title=Playing With (and Burying) the Big Boys|website=And It Don't Stop|publisher=Substack|access-date=29 December 2019}}|width=20em|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}

In 1987, Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times named it the fourth-best album of the previous 10 years and said, while the Clash's debut was a punk masterpiece, London Calling marked the genre's "coming of age" as the band led the way into "fertile post-punk territory".{{cite news|last=Hilburn|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Hilburn|date=17 May 1987|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-17-ca-396-story.html|title=10 Years Later: A Critic's List of the Best Albums of the Decade|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=26 October 2020}} In 1989, Rolling Stone ranked the 1980 American release as the best album of the 1980s.{{cite magazine|last1=Azerrad|first1=Michael|author-link1=Michael Azerrad|last2=DeCurtis|first2=Anthony|author-link2=Anthony DeCurtis|date=16 November 1989|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-eighties-20110418/the-clash-london-calling-19691231|title=The 100 Best Albums of the Eighties: The Clash, 'London Calling'|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|issue=565|access-date=30 June 2008|page=53|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421081435/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-eighties-20110418/the-clash-london-calling-19691231|archive-date=21 April 2011|url-status=live}} In the 1994 All Time Top 1000 Albums, Colin Larkin named it the second-greatest punk album;{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|year=1994|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|title-link=All Time Top 1000 Albums|publisher=Guinness Publishing|edition=1st|isbn=978-0-85112-786-6|page=234}} it was also voted number 37 in Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|year=2000|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|title-link=All Time Top 1000 Albums|publisher=Virgin Books|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=52}} In 1999, Q magazine named London Calling the fourth-greatest British album of all time,{{cite magazine|title=100 Greatest British Albums|magazine=Q|location=London|issue=159|date=December 1999|page=90}} and wrote that it is "the best Clash album and therefore among the very best albums ever recorded". The magazine later ranked it 20th on its list of the 100 Greatest Albums Ever.{{cite magazine|title=The 100 Greatest Albums Ever!|magazine=Q|location=London|issue=235|date=February 2006|page=66}} It has also been ranked as the sixth-greatest album of the 1970s by NME,{{cite magazine|title=The Greatest Albums of The '70s|magazine=NME|location=London|date=11 September 1993|page=18}} and the second-best in a similar list by Pitchfork,{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5932-top-100-albums-of-the-1970s/10/|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1970s|website=Pitchfork|date=23 June 2004|access-date=17 February 2008|page=10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326061143/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5932-top-100-albums-of-the-1970s/10/|archive-date=26 March 2013|url-status=live}} whose reviewer Amanda Petrusich said that it was the Clash's "creative apex" as a "rock band" rather than as a punk band.{{cite web|last=Petrusich|first=Amanda|author-link=Amanda Petrusich|date=21 September 2004|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1490-london-calling-25th-anniversary-legacy-edition/|title=The Clash: London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition|website=Pitchfork|access-date=26 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628043541/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1490-london-calling-25th-anniversary-legacy-edition/|archive-date=28 June 2017|url-status=live}} In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it eighth on their list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,{{cite book|last=Levy|first=Joe|year=2006|orig-year=2005|chapter=London Calling – The Clash|chapter-url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/london-calling-the-clash-19691231|access-date=26 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219155621/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/london-calling-the-clash-19691231|archive-date=19 December 2010|url-status=dead|title=Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|title-link=Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|publisher=Turnaround|location=London|edition=3rd|isbn=1-932958-61-4|oclc=70672814|ref=RS500}} maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/the-clash-london-calling-2-52521/|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|date=31 May 2012|access-date=23 September 2019}} The rating dropped to 16 in Rolling Stone{{'}}s revised list in 2020.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/the-clash-london-calling-6-1063217/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|date=22 September 2020|access-date=23 September 2020}} Entertainment Weekly{{'}}s Tom Sinclair declared it the "Best Album of All Time" in his headline for a 2004 article on the album.{{cite magazine|last=Sinclair|first=Tom|date=24 September 2004|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,698325,00.html|title=The Best Album of All Time|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|location=New York|access-date=6 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614054943/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,698325,00.html|archive-date=14 June 2012|url-status=dead}} In 2007, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a collection of recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/hall-of-fame|title=Grammy Hall Of Fame|date=18 October 2010 |publisher=The Recording Academy|access-date=26 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707235113/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame|archive-date=7 July 2015|url-status=live}} In 2009, the album was profiled in the BBC Radio 1 Masterpieces series, denoting it as one of the most influential albums of all time.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/zanelowe/masterpieces/2009/|title=Masterpieces|publisher=BBC Radio 1|date=2 December 2009|access-date=3 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113041006/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/zanelowe/masterpieces/2009/|archive-date=13 November 2010|url-status=dead}}

{{clear|left}}

{{Album ratings

| MC = 100/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/london-calling-25th-anniversary-legacy-edition/the-clash|title=Reviews for London Calling [25th Anniversary Legacy Edition] by The Clash|website=Metacritic|access-date=April 1, 2021}}

| rev1 = The Guardian

| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/sep/10/popandrock.shopping|title=The Clash, London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition|author=Sweeting, Adam|author-link=Adam Sweeting|work=The Guardian|date=September 9, 2004|access-date=April 1, 2021}}

| rev2 = Pitchfork

| rev2score = 10/10{{cite web|last=Petrusich|first=Amanda|author-link=Amanda Petrusich|date=September 21, 2004|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1490-london-calling-25th-anniversary-legacy-edition/|title=The Clash: London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition|work=Pitchfork|access-date=April 1, 2021}}

| rev3 = Rolling Stone

| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/london-calling-25th-anniversary-legacy-edition-249357/|title=London Calling [25th Anniversary Legacy Edition]|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=September 22, 2004|access-date=April 1, 2021|last=Blashill|first=Pat|author-link=Pat Blashill}}

}}

In 2004, a 25th-anniversary "Legacy Edition" was released with a bonus CD and DVD in digipack packaging. The bonus CD features The Vanilla Tapes, missing recordings made by the band in mid-1979.Gilbert, Pat. "The 'Vanilla Tapes'". London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition (CD liner notes). September 2004. The DVD includes The Last Testament – The Making of London Calling, a film by Don Letts, as well as previously unseen video footage and music videos. A limited-edition picture disc LP was released in 2010.

The edition was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, it has an average score of 100 out of 100, based on 12 reviews. PopMatters hailed it as "easily one of the best classic re-releases yet", while Paste said "Epic/Legacy has outdone itself." However, Blender recommended consumers opt for the original edition instead, claiming "the demo versions ... sound like an incompetent Clash cover band rehearsing in a sock".

{{clear}}

All lead vocals by Joe Strummer, except where noted.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| all_writing = Strummer and Mick Jones, except where noted

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title1 = London Calling

| extra1 =

| length1 = 3:19

| title2 = Brand New Cadillac

| writer2 = Vince Taylor; originally performed by Vince Taylor and his Playboys

| extra2 =

| length2 = 2:09

| title3 = Jimmy Jazz

| extra3 =

| length3 = 3:52

| title4 = Hateful

| extra4 =

| length4 = 2:45

| title5 = Rudie Can't Fail

| extra5 = Strummer, Jones

| length5 = 3:26

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title1 = Spanish Bombs

| extra1 = Strummer, Jones

| length1 = 3:19

| title2 = The Right Profile

| extra2 =

| length2 = 3:56

| title3 = Lost in the Supermarket

| extra3 = Jones

| length3 = 3:47

| title4 = Clampdown

| extra4 = Strummer, Jones

| length4 = 3:49

| title5 = The Guns of Brixton

| writer5 =Paul Simonon

| extra5 = Simonon

| length5 = 3:07

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side three

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title1 = Wrong 'Em Boyo

| writer1 = Clive Alphonso; originally performed by the Rulers; including "Stagger Lee"

| extra1 =

| length1 = 3:10

| title2 = Death or Glory

| extra2 =

| length2 = 3:55

| title3 = Koka Kola

| extra3 =

| length3 = 1:46

| title4 = The Card Cheat

| extra4 = Jones

| length4 = 3:51

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side four

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title1 = Lover's Rock

| extra1 =

| length1 = 4:01

| title2 = Four Horsemen

| extra2 =

| length2 = 2:56

| title3 = I'm Not Down

| extra3 = Jones

| length3 = 3:00

| title4 = Revolution Rock

| writer4 = Jackie Edwards, Danny Ray; originally performed by Danny Ray and the Revolutionaries

| extra4 =

| length4 = 5:37

| title5 = Train in Vain

| note5 =

| extra5 = Jones

| length5 = 3:09

}}

• On the original version of the album, "Train in Vain" was not listed on the sleeve, nor the label on the record itself, but a sticker indicating the track was affixed to the outer cellophane wrapper. It was also scratched into the vinyl in the run-off area on the fourth side of the album. Later editions included the song in the track listing.

{{Track listing

| headline = 25th anniversary edition bonus disc – "The Vanilla Tapes"

| title1 = Hateful

| writer1 = Strummer, Jones

| length1 = 3:23

| title2 = Rudie Can't Fail

| writer2 = Strummer, Jones

| length2 = 3:08

| title3 = Paul's Tune

| note3 = Instrumental, early version of "The Guns of Brixton"

| length3 = 2:32

| writer3 = Simonon

| title4 = I'm Not Down

| writer4 = Strummer, Jones

| length4 = 3:24

| title5 = Four Horsemen

| writer5 = Strummer, Jones

| length5 = 2:45

| title6 = Koka Kola, Advertising & Cocaine

| note6 = Early version of "Koka Kola"

| writer6 = Strummer, Jones

| length6 = 1:57

| title7 = Death or Glory

| writer7 = Strummer, Jones

| length7 = 3:47

| title8 = Lover's Rock

| writer8 = Strummer, Jones

| length8 = 3:45

| title9 = Lonesome Me

| note9 = Does not appear on "London Calling"

| length9 = 2:09

| writer9 = The Clash

| title10 = The Police Walked in 4 Jazz

| note10 = Instrumental, early version of "Jimmy Jazz"

| writer10 = Strummer, Jones

| length10 = 2:19

| title11 = Lost in the Supermarket

| writer11 = Strummer, Jones

| length11 = 3:52

| title12 = Up-Toon

| note12 = Instrumental, early version of "The Right Profile"

| writer12 = Strummer, Jones

| length12 = 1:57

| title13 = Walking the Slidewalk

| note13 = Instrumental, does not appear on "London Calling"

| length13 = 2:34

| writer13 = The Clash

| title14 = Where You Gonna Go (Soweto)

| note14 = Does not appear on "London Calling"

| length14 = 4:05

| writer14 = Sonny Okosun

| title15 = The Man in Me

| note15 = Does not appear on "London Calling"

| length15 = 3:57

| writer15 = Bob Dylan

| title16 = Remote Control

| note16 = Does not appear on "London Calling"

| writer16 = Strummer, Jones

| length16 = 2:39

| title17 = Working and Waiting

| note17 = Instrumental, early version of "Clampdown"

| writer17 = Strummer, Jones

| length17 = 4:11

| title18 = Heart and Mind

| note18 = Does not appear on "London Calling"

| length18 = 4:27

| writer18 = The Clash

| title19 = Brand New Cadillac

| length19 = 2:08

| writer19 = Taylor

| title20 = London Calling

| writer20 = Strummer, Jones

| length20 = 4:26

| title21 = Revolution Rock

| length21 = 3:51

| writer21 = Edwards, Ray

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bonus DVD

| title1 = The Last Testament: The Making of London Calling

| title2 = London Calling

| note2 = Music video

| title3 = Train in Vain

| note3 = Music video

| title4 = Clampdown

| note4 = Music video

| title5 = Home video footage of The Clash recording in Wessex Studios

}}

• Joe Strummer – lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
• Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals, piano, harmonica
• Paul Simonon – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "The Guns of Brixton"
• Topper Headon – drums, percussion

• Mickey Gallagher – organ

The Irish Horns

• Ray Bevis – tenor saxophone
• John Earle – tenor and baritone saxophone
• Chris Gower – trombone
• Dick Hanson – trumpet, flugelhorn

• Guy Stevens – producer
• Bill Price – engineer
• Jerry Green – additional engineer
• Ray Lowry – design
• Pennie Smith – photography

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for London Calling}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=The Clash|title=London Calling|award=Gold|relyear=1980|certyear=1980}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=France|artist=The Clash|title=London Calling|award=Gold|relyear=1980|certyear=1982|source=infodisc}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Italy|artist=The Clash|title=London Calling|award=Platinum|relyear=1979|certyear=2019|id=1460|access-date=24 April 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=The Clash|title=London Calling|award=Platinum|id=3959-1068-2|salesamount=457,788|salesref={{cite web|last=Jones |first=Alan |url=http://www.musicweek.com/businessanalysis/read/official-charts-analysis-the-maccabees-s-marks-to-prove-it-takes-no-1-albums-slot/062530 |title=Official Charts Analysis: The Maccabees's Marks To Prove It takes No.1 albums slot |work=Music Week |date=7 August 2015}}{{dead link|date=September 2016}}|note=original release}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=The Clash|title=London Calling - 25Th Anniversary

|award=Silver|relyear=2004|certyear=2019|id=15642-1068-2|note=25th anniversary release}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=The Clash|title=London Calling|award=Platinum|relyear=1980|certyear=1996}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

• Album era

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Pat |title=Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash |orig-year=2004 |edition=4th |year=2005 |publisher=Aurum Press |location=London |isbn=1-84513-113-4 |oclc=61177239 |pages=212–213, 235–237, 259–260 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Green |first=Johnny |author2=Garry Barker |title=A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day with The Clash |orig-year=1997 |edition=3rd |year=2003 |publisher=Orion |location=London |isbn=0-7528-5843-2 |oclc=52990890 |pages=156–158, 161–162, 165, 194–196, 218–219 }}

{{Refend}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book |last=Clash |first=The |title=The Clash: Strummer, Jones, Simonon, Headon |year= 2008 |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-84354-788-4 |oclc=236120343 |ref=_note-The Clash-Strummer_Jones_Simonon_Headon }}
• {{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=206–207|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}}
• {{Cite book |last=Gray |first=Marcus |title=The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town |orig-year=1995 |edition=5th revised |year=2005 |publisher=Helter Skelter |location=London |isbn=1-905139-10-1 |oclc=60668626 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Gray |first=Marcus |title=Route 19 Revisited: The Clash and London Calling |year=2010 |publisher=Soft Skull Press |isbn=978-1-59376-293-3 }}
• {{Cite video |people=Letts, Don; Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon, Terry Chimes, Rick Elgood, The Clash |year=2001 |title=The Clash, Westway to the World |medium=Documentary |publisher=Sony Music Entertainment; Dorismo; Uptown Films |location=New York, NY |time=49:30–55:00 |isbn=0-7389-0082-6 |oclc=49798077 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Lowry |first=Ray |author-link=Ray Lowry |title=The Clash |year=2007 |publisher=Angry Penguin |location=Warwick |isbn=978-1-906283-36-0 |oclc=165412921 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Miles |first=Barry |author-link=Barry Miles |title=The Clash |year=1981 |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London and New York |oclc=7676911 |ref=_note-Miles-The_Clash |isbn=0-7119-0288-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/clash00tobl }}
• {{Cite book |last=Needs |first=Kris |author-link=Kris Needs |title=Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash |date=25 January 2005 |publisher=Plexus |location=London |isbn=0-85965-348-X |oclc=53155325 |url=https://archive.org/details/joestrummerlegen00need }}
• {{Cite book |last=Quantick |first=David |author-link=David Quantick |title=The Clash |series=Kill Your Idols |year=2000 |publisher=Unanimous |location=London |isbn=1-903318-03-3 |oclc=59417418 }}
• {{Cite book |author1=Tobler, John |author2=Barry Miles |name-list-style=amp |title=The Clash |year=1983 |publisher=Omnibus |location=London and New York |isbn=0-7119-0288-7 |oclc=21335564 |url=https://archive.org/details/clash00tobl }}
• {{Cite book |last=Topping |first=Keith |author-link=Keith Topping |title=The Complete Clash |orig-year=2003 |edition=2nd |year=2004 |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn |location=Richmond |isbn=1-903111-70-6 |oclc=63129186 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120901182906/http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_london_calling_clash/ "London Calling" By The Clash] Mix Magazine, 2000 – Very detailed article with recording setup details from the album's engineer, Bill Price.

{{Refend}}

• {{Official website|http://www.theclash.com/gb/music/albums/london-calling}}
• {{Discogs master|type=album|19382}}
• {{MusicBrainz release group|mbid=8d73e45e-7ca1-3cb4-ae28-6da76196c17c|name=London Calling}}
• [https://www.staggerlee.com/artists/the-clash.php Wrong 'Em Boyo] at The Stagger Lee Project

{{The Clash}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Good article}}

Category:1979 albums

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