Album
London Calling
London Calling is the third studio album by the Clash, following their self-titled debut in 1977 and Give 'Em Enough Rope in 1978. It came out as a double album on 14 December 1979 on CBS. The band recorded it with producer Guy Stevens at Wessex Sound Studios in London over five or six weeks from August 1979, after a change of management and a spell of writer's block for Joe Strummer and Mick Jones.
What makes it so rewarding is how far it stretches beyond straight punk. Reggae, rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz and hard rock all find a place, while the lyrics deal with social displacement, unemployment, racial conflict, drug use and the weight of adult responsibility. It reached the UK top ten, its title track was a top 20 single, and it has sold over five million copies worldwide. Rolling Stone placed it at number 8 in its 2003 and 2012 lists of the greatest albums.
London Calling on Riffology
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London Calling: tracklist, credits and charts
19 tracks · 1:04:52Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1London CallingMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:19
- 2Brand New CadillacVince Taylor2:08
- 3Jimmy JazzMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:54
- 4HatefulMick Jones and Joe Strummer2:44
- 5Rudie Can’t FailMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:27
- 6Spanish BombsMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:19
- 7The Right ProfileMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:53
- 8Lost in the SupermarketMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:46
- 9ClampdownMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:47
- 10The Guns of BrixtonPaul Simonon3:08
- Disc 2
- 1Wrong ’Em BoyoClive Alphanso3:10
- 2Death or GloryMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:55
- 3Koka KolaMick Jones and Joe Strummer1:48
- 4The Card CheatMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:49
- 5Lover’s RockMick Jones and Joe Strummer4:03
- 6Four HorsemenMick Jones and Joe Strummer2:56
- 7I’m Not DownMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:06
- 8Revolution RockJackie Edwards and Danny Ray5:33
- 9Train in VainMick Jones and Joe Strummer3:07
- Produced by
- Guy Stevens, Mick Jones
- Recorded at
- Wessex Sound Studios (London), 中野サンプラザ
- Recorded
- August–November 1979
- Engineered by
- Bill Price
- Labels
- CBS, Epic
- Length
- 1:04:52
Line-up
- Topper Headon · drums (drum set), percussion
- Mick Jones · guitar, vocals, guitar family
- Paul Simonon · bass guitar
- Joe Strummer · guitar, vocals
Singles
- “London Calling” · 7 December 1979
- “Clampdown” · 1980 (Australia only)
- “Train in Vain” · 12 February 1980
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1979–1980 | 9 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1979–1980 | 27 |
| Swedish Albums · 1979–1980 | 2 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1979–1980 | 4 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1979–1980 | 8 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1979–1980 | 12 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1979–1980 | 12 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1979–1980 | 16 |
| Austrian Albums · 1979–1980 | 17 |
| Scottish Albums · 2015–2016 | 21 |
All 18 charts
| Ireland 2 · 2003 | 23 |
| Portuguese Albums · Combined | 25 |
| French Albums · 2015–2016 | 36 |
| Polish Albums (OLiS) · 2011–2012 | 38 |
| US Catalog Albums · 2011–2012 | 38 |
| Italian Albums · 2003–2004 | 39 |
| Spanish Albums · 2009 | 52 |
| Swiss Albums · 2003–2004 | 72 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1980 | Gold |
| France · 1982 | Gold |
| Italy · 2019 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2025 | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2019 | Silver |
| United States · 1996 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
93.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
13k
ListenBrainz listeners
305k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
120k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 14 December
Every year →
More from The Clash
Full discography →
The Clash
1977
Give ’Em Enough Rope
1978
The Cost of Living E.P.
1979
Black Market Clash
1980
Sandinista!
1980
Combat Rock
1982
Cut the Crap
1985
The Story of The Clash, Volume 1
1988
1977 Revisited
1990
The Singles
1991
Clash on Broadway
1991
From Here to Eternity: Live
1999
The Essential Clash
2003
The Singles
2006
The Singles
2007
Live at Shea Stadium
2008
Sound System
2013
5 Studio Album CD Set
2013
Hits Back
2013
The best of 1979
All of 1979 →
The Wall
Pink Floyd · 1979
Highway to Hell
AC/DC · 1979
In Through the Out Door
Led Zeppelin · 1979
Three Imaginary Boys
The Cure · 1979
Dynasty
KISS · 1979
Tusk
Fleetwood Mac · 1979
Communiqué
Dire Straits · 1979
Lodger
David Bowie · 1979
Van Halen II
Van Halen · 1979
2000 Man
KISS · 1979
Time Waits for No One
The Rolling Stones · 1979
Down to Earth
Rainbow · 1979
More on CBS
The label →The Rolling Stones Terrifying / Blue Sky Mine / It's Party Time (Tonite) 1990
Terrifying / Blue Sky Mine / It's Party Time (Tonite)
The Rolling Stones · 1990
Combat Rock
The Clash · 1982
Facelift
Alice in Chains · 1990
British Steel
Judas Priest · 1980
Sandinista!
The Clash · 1980
No Rest for the Wicked
Ozzy Osbourne · 1988
Killing Machine
Judas Priest · 1978
Sin After Sin
Judas Priest · 1977
Ram It Down
Judas Priest · 1988
Tribute
Ozzy Osbourne · 1987
Three
U2 · 1979
Greatest Hits
Fleetwood Mac · 1971
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 December 1979 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 14 December 1979 | |
| Wikidata | 14 December 1979 | |
| UK / Europe release | 14 December 1979 | earliest UK or European date |
45 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | Columbia | 5099746011420 | other |
| — | XE | Columbia | 5099749534728 | other |
| — | US | BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. | other | |
| — | US | Epic | 074643632829 | other |
| 1979 | XE | CBS | other | |
| 1979 | JP | Epic | other | |
| 1979 | GB | CBS | other | |
| 14 December 1979 | GB | CBS | original | |
| 1980 | PT | CBS | other | |
| January 1980 | US | Epic | 074643632812 | other |
| 1987 | GB | CBS | 5099746011420 | other |
| 1987 | US | Epic | 074643632829 | other |
| 1987 | CA | Epic | 074643632829 | other |
| 1987 | US | Epic | 074643632829 | other |
| 1987 | CA | Epic | 77749906396902 | other |
| 1 August 1988 | JP | Epic/Sony | 4988010221850 | other |
| 21 December 1990 | JP | Epic Records | 4988010521424 | other |
| 1991 | ZA | Columbia | 6001208312005 | other |
| 1991 | GB | Columbia | 5099746011420 | other |
| 21 October 1996 | JP | Epic | 4988010761523 | other |
| 1999 | US | Epic | 074646388525 | other |
| 1999 | US | BMG Direct | other | |
| 1999 | MX | Epic | 7509906388524 | other |
| 1999 | GB | Columbia | 5099749534711 | other |
| 1999 | CA | Epic | 074646388525 | other |
| 1999 | XE | Columbia | 5099749534728 | deluxe |
| 1 October 1999 | DE | Columbia | 5099749534728 | remaster |
| 8 October 1999 | AU | Columbia | 9399700070729 | other |
| 2001 | FR | Columbia | 5099750506820 | other |
| 2004 | XW | Epic | 0888880348937 | deluxe |
| 20 September 2004 | GB | Columbia | 5099751792833 | deluxe |
| 21 September 2004 | US | Epic | 827969292327 | deluxe |
| 17 November 2004 | JP | Epic Records International | 4562109409475 | other |
| 14 December 2004 | US | Epic | 074646388518 | other |
| 24 December 2008 | JP | Sony Music Japan International Inc. | 4547366042672 | other |
| 11 December 2009 | DE | Columbia | 886976183929 | other |
| 14 December 2009 | GB | Columbia | 886976183929 | other |
| 2013 | US | Epic | 887254469926 | other |
| 9 September 2013 | XW | Sony Music UK | 886443520721 | remaster |
| 9 September 2013 | XW | Columbia | other | |
| 9 September 2013 | GB | Columbia | other | |
| 15 October 2013 | US | Epic | 887254469919 | other |
| 2019 | XE | Columbia | 190759786727 | deluxe |
| 28 June 2019 | AU | Columbia | 190759599228 | other |
| 15 November 2019 | JP | Epic | 4547366424003 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |