Can't help ya, Tom.

Been listening to London Calling since I picked it up on CD. (Seems oddly like cheating that "Train in Vain" is on the tracklisting. Also, missing the scratched in note in the runout groove on the LP.)

It is, of course, an absolute classic rock album so I won't restate it's many many virtues. What I am particularly noticing on this go-round are little things - all the little asides Mick and Joe mumble and murmur into the mic that gives the whole album such a conversational feel. Like they're responding to each other in the studio and you feel like you're in that room chatting about the Spanish Civil War and Montgomery Clift's accident and pre-Beatles British rock and roll. Two other things: (1) I always felt it was a very conscious reclamation of British rock history, pulling in Vince Taylor and Dub and Ska/Rock Steady and skiffle elements into a new mix; and (2) Love Topper Headon's drumming which just has great little inventive touches and latin and Jamaican rhythms and does so much more than merely power the song forward. (Though he does that too.)

I remember talking about London Calling with Gilbert Hernandez when I worked at Fantagraphics. He said, "You just knew it was a classic album on the first listen. You just knew."

"London Calling" was the first punk song that I got into (maybe the first one I ever heard). There was an AOR station in Appleton, WI that I listened to (lot's o' Pink Floyd and Zep) that put "London Calling" on heavy rotation. I remember driving my parents' '73 Mercury Marquis on mainstreet of my small hometown, and opening all the windows and cranking up the stereo when "London Calling" came on.

But because London Calling was a double album, I didn't buy it until sophomore year of college.

I'm having a Razormaid day. Just threw a whole buttload of tracks on the playlist and feel like I'm back at one of those clubs I went to in '86.

But because London Calling was a double album, I didn't buy it until sophomore year of college.

Back when being a double album really meant something. (Grand Statement or Inglorious Pretense!)

Nowadays most CD releases are the equivalent in time of a double-album.

Nowadays most CD releases are the equivalent in time of a double-album.

Yeah. For the longest time, the issue for me was, "Is the album less than 45 minutes, so I can fit it on one side of a 90 minute tape?" Eventually I discovered that my tape deck was a little on the slow side, so I could fit almost 47 minutes on one side of a 90 minute tape. Once or twice I made my turntable go just a wee bit too fast in order to fit something on a tape.

I remember 20 years ago or so, when the average album was about 40 minutes, so I'd sometimes record an extra song after the album so I wouldn't have the annoyance of having to fast-forward through five minutes of blank tape at the end of an album.

Yes, I was somewhat anal about my tapes. Including the use of Dolby NR and the proper setting of the recording level and bias.

Eventually I discovered that my tape deck was a little on the slow side, so I could fit almost 47 minutes on one side of a 90 minute tape.

I don't think your deck was slow. Most tapes had a couple of extra minutes on them.

I don't think your deck was slow. Most tapes had a couple of extra minutes on them.

Oh, that makes sense.

I would usually buy Maxell UDXL-II tapes (I'm surprised I remember that.)

My first car's tapedeck was a little fast (an aftermarket cheapo deck). Sometimes I'd really notice the pitch change.

Oh, and getting albums to fit when recording to blank 8-track was a whole 'nother story....

I rarely taped whole albums, since the whole reason I bought a tape deck was to make mix tapes. But I did have a big stock of short songs and snippets to take the outro down to the last couple seconds.

I rarely taped whole albums, since the whole reason I bought a tape deck was to make mix tapes. But I did have a big stock of short songs and snippets to take the outro down to the last couple seconds.

Hec is me on the taping front. Even down to having 30 second songs to fill up the last few moments (God bless the Minutemen, and D. Boon).

London Calling and Sandanista were my introductions to the Clash (and, I think, punk rock) via my brother (who also introduced me to Kate Bush, Ken Russell, Oh Lucky Man and a myriad of other off-the-wall cultural touchstones - we've been paying each other back in kind ever since). I think London Calling is by far the better record (duh), but Sandanista, despite the self-induldgent sprawl, is just STELLAR. Even the self-indulgent crap is fun, IMNHO.

despite the self-induldgent sprawl

I have an image of ginormous spliffs by the pallette during the recording of Sandinista.

I am interviewing Sloan tomorrow, then probably seeing them open for Jet at the Fillmore. Oooh la la!