I do think the Clash did it because they could, but that sort of oneupmanship seemed common in the '80s. "The River" was a double inspired by "London Calling." "Double Nickels on the Dime" was a double because of "Zen Arcade" ("Take that, Huskers!"). Were there more like this? The Clash I know also made a point of pricing it cheap, too, which was also a thing; they charged $14.98, which was about the price of a double (and coincidentally or not I guess a dollar cheaper than "The River"). This was also the era when Tom Petty, who refused to release "Hard Promises" at MCA's requested price, which I think was a dollar per LP increase.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 21 January 2022 22:13 (two years ago) link
The record doesn't sound like they made it that long for the money, but as a quixotic gesture (and almost to confuse the audience, giving them so much information it challenges interpretation).
― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 21 January 2022 22:18 (two years ago) link
The best quote about its length:
Mick Jones said, "I always saw it as a record for people who were, like, on oil rigs. Or Arctic stations. People that weren't able to get to the record shops regularly."
― visiting, Friday, 21 January 2022 22:25 (two years ago) link
They definitely didn't do it for the money; iirc, they agreed to be paid royalties as if it were a single in order to get the record company to agree to the triple.
― removing bookmarks never felt so good (PBKR), Saturday, 22 January 2022 02:50 (two years ago) link
yes, exactly
I love the sound on this record fwiw
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Saturday, 22 January 2022 03:32 (two years ago) link
I think I voted for "Charlie Don't Surf" in this poll (uh, 15 years ago, wow). Would probably pick "Magnificent 7" now. Besides the groove it has some of Joe's best one-liners.
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Saturday, 22 January 2022 03:43 (two years ago) link
Why a triple album? “I don’t care about all the artistic reasons,” Joe Strummer told Rolling Stone in 1982. “That’s all bullshit. We were having a joke because everyone said we were mad to release London Calling as a double and then Springsteen put out The River as a double. So we thought, ‘Right, Bruce. Suck on this!’”
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 22 January 2022 13:21 (two years ago) link
The only sane response would have been for Bruce to put out Nebraska as a 4 LP box.
― Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 22 January 2022 13:33 (two years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlS298gEQaE
― Maresn3st, Saturday, 22 January 2022 14:00 (two years ago) link
It's incredible to me how well they clean up for the studio.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 22 January 2022 14:04 (two years ago) link
Sounds great to me.
― removing bookmarks never felt so good (PBKR), Saturday, 22 January 2022 14:16 (two years ago) link
their "Police on My Back" >> Eddy Grant's. It sounds like the world's collapsing and I'm glad Jones sings it cuz he sounds terrified
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 22 January 2022 15:08 (two years ago) link
i love all the weird noises that weave through the background in it, like alarms and hissing steam or something(?)
― nobody like my rap (One Eye Open), Saturday, 22 January 2022 15:45 (two years ago) link
yeah its weird how the production does flatten everything out into this limited sonic palate, which hurts a lot of the songs but makes it cohere better as an album.
i think its kinda the opposite of this idk, the production is fine on a lot of the tracks individually (especially the strongest material) but it flattens out the eclecticism across the whole album which does it as a whole no favours
― ufo, Saturday, 22 January 2022 20:21 (two years ago) link
I've never had a problem with the production, but I've not had a problem with the production of "Exile on Main Street," either, and people have always held that one up as rough or erratic or sonically dubious. Not coincidentally, "Sandinista!" has a sort of similar backstory, iirc, with the studio reportedly running 24-7 and rarely more than a couple of the guys in there working together at once. Same thing went down with "Combat Rock."
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 22 January 2022 20:41 (two years ago) link
their "Police on My Back" >> Eddy Grant's
― enochroot, Saturday, 22 January 2022 21:09 (two years ago) link
I need to listen to this album again. My favourite songs on it are mostly the more "punky" songs like Somebody Got Murdered, and I suppose that's one of the songs on it that I would like to hear a 1977 Clash do. But it's years, probably over a decade since I actually listened to this thing, other than sticking random songs off it on mixes
― even the birds in the trees seemed to whisper "get fucked" (bovarism), Sunday, 23 January 2022 03:49 (two years ago) link
only about 1/4 of it is really very compelling at all, the rest is just curiosities
― ufo, Sunday, 23 January 2022 03:56 (two years ago) link
possibly. I have a high tolerance for the Clash though, I even like some of Cut The Crap
― even the birds in the trees seemed to whisper "get fucked" (bovarism), Sunday, 23 January 2022 04:04 (two years ago) link
I've grown to love Sandinista! immensely, but then again, I've only listened to the edited version I posted above, which is still about 90 minutes long.
Reportedly Paul and Topper wanted a double LP but were overruled by Joe and Mick...I wonder what that would have been like? It's possible my sequence would have been close since I didn't shake up the order much and I mostly dropped the dubs (the main thing they recorded/added to make the triple LP possible), but I also dropped "The Crooked Beat" and I imagine they would have kept it just so that all four members get at least one lead vocal.
― birdistheword, Sunday, 23 January 2022 04:35 (two years ago) link
xxp hard disagree, 3/4 is compelling to me
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Sunday, 23 January 2022 15:56 (two years ago) link
Cut the Crap is a cautionary tale.
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Monday, 24 January 2022 15:27 (two years ago) link
In the sense that they should have had the balls to go all-out and hire Trevor Horn to produce it, yes.
― but also fuck you (unperson), Monday, 24 January 2022 16:11 (two years ago) link
Worst track: Career Opportunities
Fuck that. It's the definitive version.
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 26 January 2022 05:59 (two years ago) link
Yeah, I enjoy that track, but I guess more as a novelty. Still I love the concept - if you can forget the familial relationship, how awesome would it be to see some random school kids singing Clash songs like that?
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 26 January 2022 19:03 (two years ago) link
They didn't really move in the weird/creepy direction too often. Triple-LP time seemed right for it.
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 26 January 2022 21:46 (two years ago) link
It's a brilliant concept and realization.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 27 January 2022 01:47 (two years ago) link
It shows how capitalism has seeped down to the "Another Brick in the Wall" level.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 27 January 2022 01:48 (two years ago) link
Kid: "Ah-ah, The guns of Brixton, ah-ah! The guns of Brixton." Still gets me.
― dow, Thursday, 27 January 2022 04:08 (two years ago) link
"Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone." Word to Prof Lord S.
― dow, Thursday, 27 January 2022 04:09 (two years ago) link
"That's enough now! I'm tired of singing."
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 27 January 2022 04:48 (two years ago) link
a lot of the little interlude parts of this record are so great, I sure used them on a lot of mixtapes back in the 80s and 90s (the kid singing 'Guns Of Brixton', "who holds the key that winds up Big Ben", etc)
― bad milk blood robot (sleeve), Thursday, 27 January 2022 06:28 (two years ago) link
"I'd just like to say, let's have some music now, eh?"
― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Thursday, 27 January 2022 06:53 (two years ago) link
"who holds the key that winds up Big Ben" - Den Hegarty, ex The Darts"I'd just like to say, let's have some music now, eh?" - Strummer, obv.
― Mark G, Thursday, 27 January 2022 11:10 (two years ago) link