The Clash: Sandinista! | Pop Culture Graveyard Ep 35

[@vinylgv6661]

Criminally underrated album. Well done exposing the greatness that is Sandinista.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you, my friend. Always glad to meet another Sandinista fan!

[@ericmalone3213]

What do you mean "underrated"? Who has underrated it? The Clash are well slated in the rock pantheon.

[@vinylgv6661]

@@ericmalone3213 Underrated Clash album, not underrated band.

[@ericmalone3213]

@@vinylgv6661 Again, underrated by whom, where? Is there a Rating Czar somewhere who has placed it at a low rating? Anyone who knows The Clash knows how great Sandinista is. When The Stones Rolling released Exile On Main Street, critics complained about it, it wasn't a big seller, etc. 30 years later, it's "Iconic" "A Classic" etc etc. Flashes-in-the-pan were highly "rated" when they flashed, & were then forgotten.

[@sheldondavid4442]

Back in the day, I LOVED Sandinista much more than London Calling. The creative aspects of Sandinista draws the artistic mind to listen and listen, over and over. A thousand listenings would not be too much to hear everything being revealed. Joe's power, passion, and voice should go down as one of the best band leads ever.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I'm totally with you. When someone tells me London Calling is the better album (and they do!), I won't argue with them. But if I were on a desert island (with electricity!), I'd rather have Sandinista with me. I mean, they designed this album for guys on oil rigs or working on a pipeline--people with plenty of time to unwrap its layers. [Then again, I'd prefer the original Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg that Mick wanted to put out over the Glynn Johns LP. So I'm a special case.] In any case, Sandinista is many things, but boring is never one of them!

[@rugbyguy59]

I’m one of those who wasn’t ready for this album but somewhere in the mid-90s it took hold. It is a masterpiece and I think you’ve explained exactly why something can be kind of a mess and maybe too long and yet still be a masterpiece. Great job. One More Time is my fav.

[@irishtino1595]

London Calling - is the slick calling card for the Clash, amazing album. Sandinista shows what they could do when allowed to riff like the Beatles at Abbey Road Studios.

[@normanswindon518]

Best album The Clash ever did, a masterpiece.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

We are in definite agreement! Thanks for the comment, my friend.

[@normanswindon518]

@@PopCultureGraveyard I saw them in Newcastle in the late 70s I was 17 and they were, "magnificent!"

[@albertoostinelli8946]

Probably the mix could have been better... my dream would be to re record it with today studio full possibilities and mick jones producono..

[@leoninocat5070]

The mix is astonishingly good

[@elosoguapo8137]

Sandanista is basically the clash giving the fans an intelligence test. This record has incredible songs on it and the stuff that isn’t great still makes you pause, think, and re-evaluate your musical tastes. That is unless you’re in the…not punk rock enough…knuckle dragger camp. The clash transcend punk rock. Sandanista is an example of why they became the only band that mattered at that time.

[@danielmaher7108]

You are absolutely right- it DOES grow with you. I must admit that I was not sure what to make of it at first. But I love it now- it kind of reminds me of the Beatles White Album, the sound of a family that is growing apart. If there were any justice, not only would The Magnificent Seven be a Top 10 single everywhere, but so would Charlie Don't Surf.

[@philipscannell9220]

¡SANDANISTA! The gift that keeps on giving.❤❤❤❤❤. If you look at the silent bands between the last track and the record label of each side, etched into the vinyl it reads in sequence" in space no one can hear you clash!"

[@connorlynch3785]

A masterpiece when I first heard it and still a masterpiece today. Still listening to it today with the great feeling of expectation that I had the very first day I put it on.

[@hansschjlberg172]

it does not get more punk rock than this! TRUE!!! 🙂

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks, Hans! Yes, true punk-rock spirit runs through this whole album!

[@josdan19]

If I were trapped somewhere for all time and could only bring one album, it would be Sandinista.

[@montyplatters9066]

Thank you, as huge clash fan since I was a kid in west London, I’ve always struggled with this album, now I’m ready to learn to love it.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you, my friend! So glad to give you a nudge

[@daviddarling8642]

Wow, your mom bought you this when you were 8 or 9? It worked. You seem to have a broad and nuanced understanding of music and of course the brilliance of the Clash. Took 1.5 hrs to get thru this as I had to go back and listen to many of the tunes I had mostly forgotten. Much appreciated!!

[@davidstanton1261]

Thank you Dude! You've just repeated what I have been saying fro 40 years!! Love Love LUV this LP!!!

[@ihavenoquarrelwithyou3249]

I will have to stop watching these videos as each one is exceptional and hammers home how much we have lost that you are not doing these anymore. I bought The Call Up single on release but have been that basic bitch Sandinista fan for decades. Thanks for helping me find a way into this labyrinthine experience. My mom at the record store story was sending her to buy PIL's Flowers of Romance on release day and the clerk told her what a great mom she was and to go out for the afternoon and let me play the album loud.

[@joyfarrell5378]

Thank you for this! Just recently discovered this album and I love It!

[@giausername]

this album has had me in chokehold for the past few years i keep finding a new song i love i HAD to search for someone talking about because it’s just so amazing Junco Partner and Version Pardner are my favs they keep me coming back

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

So glad I'm not the only one in it's chokehold! Such a killer collection of songs, and I can't fault your choices of Partner/Pardner. And my favorites keep changing, the mark of a killer album!

[@turnipsreturn716]

Cannot agree more! Up in heaven my favorite too, so many haunting tracks on this album and they never get old

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

You have great taste! Haunting is a good word for this album. There's a certain sound this 3LP has, maybe it's due to the echo effects, but it always makes me very nostalgic in the best way. Thanks for your comment!

[@Pad78vw]

How refreshing to see someone who knows his Clash onions, good work fella 👍

[@MIO_816]

HEY. You are SO RIGHT. I met this album (youngly) back in the day, because Rolling Stone gave this album 5 stars (Jan 81) and said only this album begins to heal and give hope after the loss of Lennon .... SO I bought it, and they were right! ... And those idiots who try to diminish it now/since, eff them. YOU set the record straight. THANKS & so many UPVOTES.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you, my friend! That was one of those rare cases where Rolling Stone actually got something right. So glad you enjoyed the video, and nice to meet a fellow Sandinista lover. Welcome to the channel!

[@hansschjlberg172]

After they did London Calling I was ready for everything! And they delivered! I was only 13 back then but I also liked other crazy bands like Focus and Sparks. Sandinista was what we in scandinavia would call a smorgasbord! A table of delicious tastes!

[@roberthendrickson6505]

😊😊 From Start to Finish a Totally Mesmerizing Recording of the Clash at their very Best! 🇬🇧

[@versioncity1]

Loving your channel. I've just stumbled across it by chance and am now working my way through. - You, being American commenting on all the British stuff is really interesting. Apart from knowing your geekology of the records, being an 'outsider' of British life gives a different perspective to what it is growing up with all these records in the UK. - And yes Sandinista is the best clash LP. I've had the same argument many times over for many years.....

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you! Sadly stumbling across my channel by chance is the main way people find me so far. I sometimes feel like the Bates Motel, only getting the occasional guest who got lost. So nice hearing that I was able to bring a fresh perspective to the table. And I'm happy to know that my love of the music didn't lose anything in the translation. Glad we're in sync on Sandinista's greatness, and welcome to the channel!

[@ianreynolds6845]

Yes ! Yes! Yes ! I loved this album when I first heard it in the mid 80's . Love the variety of sounds . Never bored by this album .

[@sonicbob5746]

Love your thorough and in depth analysis of this tremendous album! I agree with you, that it’s their finest record. Thanks so much for posting this vid-cast!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks a lot, Bob! So glad you enjoyed the episode on this classic album!

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

My friend said : " Listen dude , what Clash could done after " London Calling " ? London Calling part.2 " ? This was very rational move . We provide best - now we gonna provide something world never see ! " Agree with him since that day 20 years ago .

[@accel10s]

Your Deep Dive review did this iconic masterpiece justice; and that is the highest praise I could conjure. Thanks for all of your efforts to put this together. I'm sure it was a labor of love but at the same time it was a loving tribute to a band (and a time) that should be immortalized.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks so much, Doug! Glad you enjoyed it! You're so right that this was a labor of love, so I'm really glad that it came across.

[@ericmalone3213]

Cheers & Kudos to Pop Culture Graveyard for a superb overview of a great & rare gem in the rock pantheon. My hunch has always been that the general Clash production approach for Sandinista was a consequence of their having been produced, in succession, by Sandy Pearlman & Guy Stevens. Talk about extremes.The Clash had experienced American AOR production with mucho "guitars-per-square inch" overdubs & repeated takes (which became too monotonous for Paul Simenon, who was also disappointed that Pearlman didn't "get" reggae), followed by an anarchic drunken madness so shambolic that the band had to lie to Guy Stevens, telling them they were taking a couple of days off, so they could concentrate on recording overdubs without the barmy ranting inebriated producer staggering about, yelling & spraying spittle in everyone's face, wrestling Bill Price away from the mixing desk & pushing all the faders full up, etc etc. As evidenced by their Cost of Living EP, The Clash were especially good at producing themselves. Sandinista's main sensibility is a combination of New York's downtown psyche & nascent rap culture, combined with a heavy reggae dub stoner aesthetic (when in or out of doubt: more reverb, more echo, more track drop-outs, more bass, more farting synthesizer, more fader-playing, more tape hiss with reverb on it, more tape splicing, more Red Stripe, & keep skinning those spiffs, Mon!) previously set into motion, now reaching critical mass. The Guy Stevens production aesthetic inspired The Clash to endeavor several musical directions over the making of London Calling, and this escalated on the Sandinista sessions. The critical accusations of self-indulgence that befell Sandinista upon its release were a misunderstanding, if not total uncomprehending of, the heavy reggae dub stoner aesthetic (stick those short-sighted and oblivious critics in the spliff bunker for a two month recording session & then see what their perspective might be!). "Mensforth Hill" is an obvious example of The Clash having a great laugh in delivering what the average rock listener would expect from groups that release three LP albums--some backwards psychedelic bollocks! Where did the "psychedelic sound" begin? With The Beatles, et al, recording sound sources backwards. (PIL's "Fodderstompf" recorded off the cuff at the 11th hour, to fill out their First Edition album, may also have been an inspiration for this track). "Somebody Got Murdered" arose from director (The French Connection, The Exorcist, Sorcerer) William Friedkin asking The Clash to contribute a song to his film "Cruising." The band delivered, but Friedkin never followed up. One ingredient that makes "Corner Soul" especially haunting and stunning is Ellen Foley's backing vocal, sounding like it was sent thru a tremolo effect, or a Leslie rotating speaker. Her utterly compelling voice closes out the track. The "screeching" sound during the fade-out/fade-in on "Up In Heaven" is from a field recording The Clash made on a NYC subway train. Big kudos to Pop Culture Graveyard for pointing out the Phil Ochs reference & the meaning of "Alianza dollars", utterly lost on fans and critics in 1980. (Clash lyrics played a significant role in my ongoing liberal education. At age 14, listening to "Washington Bullets", a pal said, "Hey, this song is a Noam Chomsky primer on US foreign policy." I said, "Who's Noam Chomsky?" Within the hour I was putting the squint on Manufacturing Consent--and one book opens another. Thanks, Joe!) I was appalled to read a Clash biographer dismissing "The Crooked Beat" as "a bore." Did he get dropped on his head when he was a baby? What is the effect used on Topper's snare? Could it be an Eventide harmonizer? One big challenge for a composer is in writing a melody that is very simple yet very substantial. "The Crooked Beat" bass line meets the requirements (as does "Up In Heaven's" melodic line). Brian Eno pointed out that untrained musicians will often come up with great contributions that schooled musicians wouldn't happen upon. Paul's "Guns of Brixton" & "Crooked Beat" bass bits are very simple, they're right there quite easily under the fingers--close-interval melodies--yet Paul found them, no one else did, and they hold up with all the other classic riffs in the rock pantheon. I always have a laugh, listening to Paul's vocal, since hearing Mick describe it as "a Jamaican Marlene Dietrich"! (Paul once described Mick's guitar synthesizer as "the Dalek's hand bag"!) When Martin Scorsese first conceived of "Gangs of New York", he saw The Clash acting in it. During the Sandinista sessions, Scorsese invited The Clash to do a cameo in King of Comedy as a bunch of louts menacing Sandra Bernhard on the sidewalk. In the finished film, you barely get a glimpse of Gabby Salter and Kosmo Vinyl. Scorsese had taken the band to the bar where he'd filmed de Niro as the overweight Jake LaMotta being heckled on stage, in Raging Bull. One afternoon, the band visited Scorsese at his penthouse apartment. As they popped a cassette into his formidable sound system, the sky turned black, & a huge lighting storm erupted around them. The song blasting out of the massive speakers? "Lose This Skin". Sandinista is an intentional mixed bag that never dates from its period, only gets better with time, remaining timelessly fresh & exciting. In appreciating The Clash, one must understand their humor, which may require Americans to become reasonably viable Anglophiles. Back in the day, Gary Lucas at CBS came up with a Clash publicity tag line, "The only band that matters." That can easily be amended to 2024 terms: One of the few bands that continues to matter! CHEERS.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Well said! Thanks for the super-rich comment. A lot of good stuff there for folks to sink their teeth into!

[@chrismaris]

As an old British Clash fan who saw them a dozen times or so, I just found this and am hooked.

[@burmajones803]

Really fun deep dive. A mammoth task, kudos for tackling it. I already loved this album but am looking forward to digging in with some new insights into the songs. Have you heard Chris Whitley's cover of The Call Up? It's on his War Crimes Blues album. Very much in the spirit of the Clash.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Wow! I hadn't heard that cover before. You're so right; I think Joe especially would have loved it. Listening to it I was actually surprised the death-rattle-era Clash didn't do that acoustic version during their skiffle bus tour. Seems like a natural in retrospect. Thanks a lot for the heads up and the kind words!

[@electricleg207]

Great review ,the record is often overshadowed by LC ,which is great ,but Sandanista was world music and as Joe once said he defended it 'warts and all'. The Clash are the best group ever ,everything I've heard since just doesn't have the same impact.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks for the comment! I couldn't agree more, and I wish more bands had that "This is who we are right now, warts and all" attitude when putting out a record.

[@ericblowtorch]

Well done, man. You really nailed it. But wait! What about “The Sound of Sinners”?

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks, Eric! Love their foray into gospel. If that track accidentally wound up on the cutting room floor, my apologies. It was hard to keep track of all the tracks on this glorious beast of an album!

[@burmajones803]

I did not realize this album was released 40 years ago. Sadly, no big celebrations like we had the year before with London Calling. Love the story about your mom buying this for you!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks, Eric! That was my Mom's great shining moment. You're right, I can't understand why people didn't make a bigger deal over the Sandinista anniversary--even if it was to write more think pieces on how people haven't embraced it. Yet another example of how the album is still ahead of its time. Thanks for the comment!

[@martinbarba9732]

This is also my fav “the clash” record. I love all the songs on there, some took me a while to love tbh, but they’re all great 🤩

[@irishtino1595]

Sandinista is by far the best Clash album, snuffed by all the douchebag critics. Can't wait in the next 50 years when it will get it's critical due. For some reason I got the CBS label version, maybe got it in NYC. Anyway - this album comes with a little comic book with lyrics for each song, which is cool. The entire three records take you on a trip through early 80s landscape London and New York, politics, revolution, industrial war complex, and other things. Wonderful, wonderful piece of art.

[@garethgriffiths1674]

Superb analysis! You should be getting 100s of thumbs-ups!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks a lot, Gareth! I certainly wouldn't mind hundreds of thumbs up, but as you know we Sandinista fans walk a lonely path. So glad you found my channel!

[@garethgriffiths1674]

@@PopCultureGraveyard The album is certainly my favourite by the band. I bought my own copy in Portugal in 1982, a local pressing of the CBS/UK version with "stickers" in Portuguese, which in fact are not stickers but printed on. It also included the lyrics sheet. I only ever got to see them play live once, in Stockholm in 1986 after the launch of "Cut the Crap": sadly, a terrible gig and a horrendous album. Keep up the great work!

[@timaddison868]

2:41. Each record of the original British version came with an etched-in message between the label and the final track. I seem to recall one of them said "In space no one can hear you clash."

[@TranzparentMethods]

My favorite Clash album as well. The most diverse album of all time, without losing the listeners attention. The album was put together SO WELL!!! You've got early Hip Hop to start the double album, then Hitsville, UK, TOTALLY DIFFERENT from The Magnificent Seven, Then you get Junco Partner and then just for a loop, the next song is Ivan Meets G.I. Joe, a very political song, not just that, but it's a FREAKING DISCO song, sung by the drummer Topper Headon!!! Now the first four songs tell you what kind of album this is!!! AND I LOVE IT!!! Not to mention, Let's Go Crazy, which is the most "island" style song EVER written by four white guys.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Very well said, Slippy! This album takes you on a journey--no matter who you are, and whether you want to join them or not! I have nothing but respect for a band who have total creative confidence in themselves. To me, there's no difference between the Clash putting their more experimental tracks on a triple album, and the band choosing artists such as Bo Diddly, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Bad Brains, Kraut, Lee Scratch Perry, etc., as their opening acts at Bonds. They wanted to give the fans a taste of who they were at that moment, not who the fans needed them to be. Classic!

[@Richardkv2112]

Waahington bullets mentions Victor Jara. The first time I discovered it I found it fascinating (I'm Chilean). Sandinista is my favorite album from them

[@Alsatiagent]

Somebody Got Murdered received a cheer of approval when they played it in Toronto, 1981. It was the concert of my dreams. For forty years I thought Corner Soul was about right wing death squads approaching an innocent El Salvador village."beat the drums tonight Alfonzo, spread the news all over the grove" I loved that line and hated what Reagan was doing to Central America. Ah well. My friends did not like Sandinista but they all said they caught themselves humming melodies from it weeks later. Painting the apartment with your partner? Play this album.

[@Souker69]

Sandinista! fan through and through here, youtube just brought me to this page. I understand why people say London Calling is their best album but to me Sandinista! was, is and will always be their best. Some say it should have been a 2-record set, others say it's their White Album but after listening to it for 40 odd years i decided i wouldn't take anything out of it and if it is their White Album, it is a much better version of it! Whereas the Beatles put a lot of junk to be done with their label (and a lot of great stuff too, don't get me wrong), the Clash showed more respect to their audience and only included what they thought would be a best offer and the result is still stunning after all these years. So many great tracks but for me the best one is Broadway with the best cover version of Guns of Brixton ever! On to watch your video now, cheers! p.s. i recently also found out about the Rat Patrol outtakes and what a different, much better album it is than Combat Rock...

[@jackwilburn2259]

Sandinista is one of the greatest albums ever conceived. But “I Love A Rainy Night” also slaps.

[@josephsweeney4219]

Really appreciate this deep dive. This came out when I was 13 years old. I was already a Clash fan, but was nowhere near ready for the musical depth and breadth of this album. Now it's one of my favorite albums of al time. I can listen to The Street Parade ten times in a row on repeat. To me, tracks like that are a glimpse of what would come with the deeply layered songs like Bhindi Bhagee of Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.

[@brentmcintyre5529]

By far best Clash album. 🍸🥂👍🍀 My parents bought me the Clash's debut, the Great R&R Swindle for xmas when I was 9. My aunt had a hand in those choices. Too have those years in front of me again. Cheers

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

What great memories to have, Brent! I hope you still thank you Aunt from time to time. Relatives with music taste are hard to come by when we're growing up! Thanks for the comment!

[@chessandearl]

Thank You for doing this, great job here! I still remember the day I bought this in 1980......I had to go to the big city of Halifax Nova Scotia to get it.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks a lot, Kendrick! It's definitely worth a trip to the big city! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jeffsims8270]

This 3×LP gets better with every spin!!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Absolutely right! Thanks for watching!

[@sethcohen4119]

Something About England is an updated Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and a very effective one. It's off-and-on my favorite song on the album.

[@justinainsworth8635]

Long time Clash fan here, I had no idea Spirit of St Louis existed. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

You're very welcome! Always nice to meet a fellow Clash fan. Welcome to the channel, brother!

[@danielmaher7108]

I loved The Spirit Of St. Louis, but a lot of my friends couldn't stand it. I would buy all of their import singles at a great record store in San Diego called Off The Record. I even bought Clash T Shirts there!

[@andrewzibuck5860]

Spectacular

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you!

[@indiegroundvid]

My only problem with S! is that is too damn SHORT ! A masterpeice my favorite Clash album, and my favorite album of all time. Thx for the vid mate

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Haha! I agree completely! Too much Sandinista is never enough for me. Thanks for stopping by!

[@bhdctn]

Bought this album when it came out after seeing the Clash on Fridays a few months earlier. Was 13 at the time and was puzzled on first listening but soon started loving it! The most adventurous album I've ever heard!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

That is such a blistering set they did on Fridays! Fridays had better musical guests and gave them more time and more freedom than SNL during that period. I love that it still comes across as adventurous to this day, which vindicates the band's choices.

[@cooperlangford1833]

I don't have a favourite Clash album, but I love Sandinista. I just put it on and get lost in it. There's not a bad moment if you simply go with the chaotic flow. It's hypnotic and hyper all at once.

[@Hiajarock]

To me, this is real revolutionary punk

[@mike.mcconnell]

Terrific stuff, thanks comrade!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it!

[@mentalmickey1459]

Great story and long love The Clash!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you, my friend!

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

Gotta love the exclamation point.

[@mikeituarte2573]

Unless you are a 80s teenager, you will not understand how much great music, was being produced all at the same time... I am still trying to catch up with all the great sounds, songs and styles... Cheers 🍻 80s rule 👊

[@yl9698]

wow! great deep dive; maybe too deep; just beg everyone to listen and let it go. but honestly that was incredibly insightful. nice to hear from a fan who has the same feelings, with a lot of details i had never known. could be greatest modern music presentation of all time.

[@robertsunseri6268]

I agree! It's an underrated masterpiece. I compare it to The Beatles White Album in its breadth and density. Maybe I missed it but I wish you would've discussed one of my favorite tracks, THE SOUND OF SINNERS. Joe Strummer goes Gospel!

[@dezmod1644]

My teenage friends didn't like it, all these years later I still have the album

[@gregoryyoung502]

I was punk as you could be.I was Stunde stupid.I can still sing word for word most of the songs ( Washington bullets and junko partner especially)

[@VagueRANT100]

I love SANDINISTA as much as I love EXILE ON MAIN STREET......both SPRAWLING MASTERPIECES

[@jimmurphy1166]

I’m way behind here on PCG but damn this was impressive. Lots of ground to cover and you nailed it. Plus, cameo appearances from Diane Lane, Ellen Foley, Phil Ochs and Ann Smith.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Haha! Ann Smith was the real star! Thanks a lot, Jim. So glad you enjoyed it. You're so right, LOTS of ground to cover, but it was a labor of love. Glad you're getting caught up!

[@clash79]

Fantastic video! I still like London Calling the most, but Sandinista is a respectable 2nd place

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks, Barry! Nothing wrong with that ranking.

[@chriskim1650]

Hey Hollis, super that I found your vids! I love your deep dives. Would you consider doing an extended deep dive into all of the Clash's discography sans Cut the Crap (well bc it is)? Bar none, the Clash is my favorite band and would love to hear your dive into em. Thanks, man! Rock on!!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Hi Chris, thanks for the kind words. I will definitely think about doing something like that. I think the Clash lend themselves to super deep dives on one album at a time; like a London Calling episode and a Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg (Combat Rock) episode. I'll put them on the list. Take care!

[@bookpickup3542]

Thanks man. Looking forward to it!! And btw, we prolly were at the same bunch of shows in NYC, when we had the pleasure of attending them. Rock on 🤘

[@joenunz]

Woah, deep dive brother. Loved it. Can it still be the greatest single album ever too?

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Ha! For you, yes! I still envy you for seeing one of the Bond's shows on that tour. Who opened when you saw them? Was it Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five?

[@joenunz]

Truth be told, I had a ticket, but (and I have no recollection of “why”) I had to give it up. If I misled you at some point, it was Clash Braggadocio talking.I did see them open for The Who at Shea, which of course was not nearly as cool as the Bond shows... Merry Christmas, Hollis. (Also, Merry Christmas *in* Hollis. How about a Run DMC PCG in 2021)

[@mentalmickey1459]

It's :Like Mick Jones said , he saw it as great value for people working on oil rigs etc x

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Yes, I always loved that line!

[@Pad78vw]

You’re right 👍

[@georgestetson5572]

Magnificent seven was a huge radio hit in NYC the summer of 81

[@curly_wyn]

A great album, although, if I had to cut into a double album, it would be: 1. The Magnificent Seven 2. Hitsville U.K. 3. Junco Partner 4. Rebel Waltz 5. Somebody Got Murdered 6. One More Time 7. Up in Heaven (Not Only Here) 8. Let’s Go Crazy 9. If Music Could Talk 10. The Sound of Sinners 11. Police on My Back 12. The Call Up 13. Washington Bullets 14. Charlie Don’t Surf 15. Mensforth Hill 16. The Street Parade Either way, great album! But London Calling is objectively their best album lol

[@davidstanton1261]

Btw where did you get that awesome shirt? :)

[@sheldondavid4442]

I would really love you (you are a smart reviewer!) to review the original Ultravox (with John Foxx). They were an important band, and John was and is a great artist. thx.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Great suggestion! I'll definitely put them on the list. I'm a big fan of Foxx-era Ultravox (and solo Foxx), and they were such an influence on lots of artists I revere--Gary Numan included! And thanks for the kind words!

[@jciwallcrawler3673]

I can not rank the clash albums from worst to best. My favourite is the debut but Sandinista is amazing.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I'm totally with you! I don't know if there's a tougher band to rank album-wise. Such a rich, varied catalog.

[@blazak]

Dig it - I think this is 6 sides of the world!

[@Rockstardust69]

The greatest band ever

[@PritchDringle]

The first time I heard it, which bear in mind was when I was sixteen and had been getting deeply into Punk for about a year, I think I liked one or two songs on it. It was just so different from the first album which is the one that Drew Me In. That's kind of how I felt when I first heard London Calling as well. It didn't have that sound I had grown addicted to. Now I can honestly say I love five or six tracks on it. I'm definitely glad it was made.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I hear you. Hopefully you keep loving more and more tracks every year!

[@HUTSVILLEHITSUK]

Magnificent review.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thank you, my friend!

[@hatsuhioki9361]

up in the heaven is my fav song there

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I'm totally with you! It may be their most underrated song ever.

[@patrickfitzgerald409]

A truly brilliant song!

[@genogeno6643]

I hunted down Ras Babo! He is a DJ in California now. I Emailed him and asked him about the Interruption on WBAI and he said only, "You hunted me down...Lightning strikes twice"

[@genogeno6643]

Charlie Don't Surf!

[@giorgiopalmas7934]

...and we think he should.

[@HCODRUM]

I was 14 when I first heard the clash in the early 90’s… they quickly became one of my favorite bands. Honestly the 1st album was my least favorite. I loved Sandinista. Friend of mine almost killed himself when He got into a traffic accident while listing to a mix tape of Sandinista I snuck in his stereo… My friend told me he was listening to Somebody got murdered while trying to drive with his knees simultaneously lighting a cigarette just before he hit a telephone pole and flipped his car. I think my buddy was subconsciously instructed to suddenly smoke. Still my favorite track.

[@Mark54115]

This is is not up for debate, and no offense to anyone, but London Calling is not only the best Clash album, but the best album in the history of rock and Roll, period. Having said that, the dissertation of Sandinista by PCG is superb, and I must admit I had no interest for Sandinista when I purchased it in the mid 80's.......but it has grown on me......aged well I guess, as they say.......

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

I love the confidence of your "this is not up for debate" opening on a KZbin comment section. I know many people share opinion on London Calling being the best r'n'r album ever. I will even give you that it's the best Clash album. That said, Sandinista is my favorite. And that's...not up for debate. Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for the comment!

[@Mark54115]

@@PopCultureGraveyard Mr. Pop Culture Graveyard, I am having a blast watching your videos, the knowledge, the anecdotes in regards to the topic in question, but most of all the sense humour is very refreshing. I could go on, but I do not want you to rest on your laurels !!!!!!!!!! You also happen to be a fan of The Jam (you left out " Ghosts " from The Gift, the lyrics mate, go back to those lyrics written by a very young Paul Weller) and The Mats.......what can I say, together with the Clash, the holy trinity !!!!! Keep up the good work, next stop the Ramones, and the top 10 Jazz albums.

[@johnnada7568]

You lucky bastard. When I was 9, my mum (cultural difference...can’t say “mom”) bought me Disney’s Greatest Hits, on cassette. I’m still scarred “Zip~A~Dee~Fucking~Doo Dah”.... Sandinista not my fav Clash album though...Too overwhelming. My wee brain can’t cope...

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Haha, can't blame your Mom for wanting to keep you safe from the Clash! I can see Sandinista feeling overwhelming. But I think it's a real grower compared to other Clash albums that immediately hit harder. I used to think Sandinista had one good side, then one good disc, then two good ones, etc. Can't say it'll grow on you, but I really like its unexpected qualities, especially after listening to (and exhausting) their other albums.

[@johnnada7568]

@@PopCultureGraveyard I once read that what the Clash had essentially done with Sandinista, was to give everyone their own , instant, dub collection. I hadn’t twigged that your Magnificent Sevens were homage to the Clash, I had assumed you were a Yul Brynner, Chuck Bronson kind of guy. My Mom wouldn’t have known who the Clash were but thought all pop stars were degenerate. She may have been right, Sir Jimmy Saville once jumped into her bed but mercifully did not assault her.

[@georgestetson5572]

Love this album “but” The smarter move should have been a double album and put out a remix/dub EP a few months after .....love it all none the less 🤙🏻

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Yeah, hindsight's 20/20--but for his part, toward the end of his life, Joe Strummer said he wouldn't change any of it. I also suspect that, though it might have resulted in a better album, making it a 2LP wouldn't have resulted in a better legend. This album has been discussed, torn apart, argued over, edited, vilified, rediscovered, torn apart again, etc., for years. It's a "legendary mess." If they had done a double album, they'd probably just have a double album that people say they like a bit less than London Calling. And they probably would have brought in Glyn Johns or someone to edit it, and he'd have probably cut three or four songs I absolutely LOVE. So I'm very grateful no one could tell the band anything back then, and that we have the sprawling album we have. Thanks for the comment!

[@georgestetson5572]

@@PopCultureGraveyard totally agree I have no problem with it as much as it seems everyone else does ....my biggest complaint is just the order the tracks are in I would prefer them in a little different order and I think the album would flow better (for me anyway) but that’s my only complaint really 🤷🏻

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

Hitsville UK!

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Solid track!

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

@@PopCultureGraveyard I was in 11th grade when this album first came out. I was just about time leave for school when Timmy Elliot who lived across the street came running over "I got the new Clash album!" We popped the cassette of Sandinista in my tape deck and smoked a bowl of hash as we listened on the way to school.There were only about 5 or 6 kids that I knew of that listened to the Clash at that time.

[@ustheserfs]

Lots of filler when I heard it for the first time and for years after... a new venture into the album(s) I feel now the dub work in it is astounding even by today's production standards like Scratch Perry sat by the console. This album was the middle finger to CBS Strummer had dreamed of brandishing. Nice encapsulation of an album that many believe isn't even their third best.

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Thanks a lot! So glad you enjoyed it! You're so right about the dub work. That's Mikey Dread all the way. He was so instrumental to the authenticity of those tracks in particular, but his fingerprints are all over the album. Dread was definitely at the controls. And it was a middle-finger to CBS, but unfortunately, as with most aspects of the band's lousy contract, it ended up hurting the band's wallet even more than CBS's. Such a sprawling concoction all its own, and the fact that it could never happen today is part of its charm.

[@robinhazell6019]

I thought 'Armagedion Times' was on Sandinista.

[@willdenham]

I appreciate the LP's. It's just dwarfed by London calling which is double of nothing but classic after classic. I do have a few tracks from it in rotation however.

[@lucasroche8639]

I don't know what this yoot is on about most Clash fans loved this LP when it came out.

[@cheda_]

So are we now pretending that Sound Of The Sinners doesn't exist?!?!?! Been throught the whole video and not a single mention of my favorite tune... Why this criminal omission??? In 1981 I got 2 copies of the album, one from Canada, like the American one, plain white sleeves and boring Epic label... and one from London with all the bells and whistles, insert with lyics, cartoons... 2 weeks later, on my 18th birthday, I was playing Hitsville UK and The Sound Of The Sinners on my acoustic guitar... C'mon man... give it all you got!

[@maxwellpekich4985]

I was wondering if anyone else shared my love of somebody got murdered

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

You are not alone! Thanks for watching!

[@karllux-d6g]

''Carl Perkins meets the Profumo Affair''. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ what else can one say?

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

Haha! The people must have something good to read on a Sunday!

[@aleksandarfrick2656]

I'm not sure people understand concept and layers behind layers on this triple album even in 2023.

[@rockrecordreport7136]

I disagree, this version of "Career Opportunities" is wonderful and melodic and not Muzac at all. It simply shows off a different melodic sensibility of the Clash. Just beautiful. Stretch out your musical tastes a bit.

[@iggypopisgod9]

i am of the thought that dbl lps could very easily have been single ...and x 3 should never be made 😂😂😂😂

[@PopCultureGraveyard]

You must love singles.

[@exitthelemming145]

So you don't think 'the best friend you've never met' might have been motivated by having your Mom hand over sufficient shekels to buy a triple album rather than a single album? Practically every successful musical artist has had their 'bad day at the office album' e.g. Yes with 'Tales of Topographic Oceans' Metallica had 'St Anger' the Rolling Stones had 'Their Satanic Majesties' the Beach Boys with 'Summer in Paradise' U2 with 'Songs of Innocence' the Stone Roses had 'the Second Coming' the Kinks with 'Preservation Acts 1 & 2' Lou Reed's 'Metal Machine Music' ELP's 'Love Beach' and Genesis with 'Calling All Stations' (the list goes on) but it's unusual that the Clash effectively had two such diaper burritos with 'Cut the Crap' and 'Sandinista' For me, the former is beyond redemption while the latter would have been a very good single album, a spotty double but a bloated and bo-toxed triple. Sandinista is a fantasist's realpolitik of a litany of human rights abuses carried out by the right wing (read BAD) that can be remedied by a litany of human rights abuses perpetuated by the left (read GOOD) Strummer might actually have been sufficiently gauche to believe his own zero sum cartoon revolution but I've always had him down as an opportunistic (albeit very endearing) snake oil salesman. This leaves Mick Jones as the only band member with credible working class origins (Strummer was the son of a diplomat, Simonon went to Art School and Headon was a Grammar School boy. 'No future' indeed...) Of the 36 tracks, 6 are very lazy and self indulgent Dub reworkings of other tracks that Bill Laswell and Lee Perry probably just dismiss as 'white mischief'. 8 tracks however, are certainly worth the wait for any discerning listener: Junco Partner, Somebody Got Murdered, Police On My Back, The Call Up, Washington Bullets, Broadway, Lose This Skin and Charlie Don't Surf. The remainder is just plain vanilla chaff that has not aged gracefully in the interim.

[@matthewfrazee3352]

One of my favorite albums but I do laugh the millionaires play acting as communists.

[@brettblyth1857]

And yet another Clash commentary by an American that didn't really get it, please stop

[@tonyskull4031]

Its by far the Clash's worst album