Should have been quicker on the draw with this, but this post needed to be made after blastmaster got out-of-pocket in his Elvis Costello thread. This album > Elvis Costello's career.
I don't know whether this album is the best album since the late 70s, like some people claim, but it's easily in the top 10. It houses three timeless hits (the title track, "Rudie Can't Call," and "Train in Van (Stand by Me)") and some of the most engaging songs about youth and political rebellion and poverty ever made (the immediate urgency of the "London Calling," the swinging "Spanish Bombs," the straight-rocking "Death or Glory," the rude boy defiancy of "Guns of Brixton," or the melancholy anthem "Lost in the Supermarket").
The thing about The Clash though is that while they're known for their politics they would of been popular if they just sung about pop subject matter because they make good music, plain and simple. Mick Jones' guitar, Joe Strummer's songwriting, and their rhythm section are impeccable.
Here's the album:
Here's some sample tracks:
"London Calling" (the best album opener ever?)
"Rudie Can't Fail"
"Train in Van (Stand by Me)"
"Spanish Bombs"
"Death or Glory"
"Guns of Brixton"
"Lost in the Supermarket"