[troutman]

peter12 is in Seattle, seeing The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers (I'm jealous).

peter12 takes as his next pick in the draft, in the rock category, LONDON CALLING, by The Clash (1979):



http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...0:jifoxqe5ld6e

Give 'Em Enough Rope, for all of its many attributes, was essentially a holding pattern for the Clash, but the double-album London Calling is a remarkable leap forward, incorporating the punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music. Before, the Clash had experimented with reggae, but that was no preparation for the dizzying array of styles on London Calling. There's punk and reggae, but there's also rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock; and while the record isn't tied together by a specific theme, its eclecticism and anthemic punk function as a rallying call. While many of the songs — particularly "London Calling," "Spanish Bombs," and "The Guns of Brixton" — are explicitly political, by acknowledging no boundaries the music itself is political and revolutionary. But it is also invigorating, rocking harder and with more purpose than most albums, let alone double albums. Over the course of the record, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (and Paul Simonon, who wrote "The Guns of Brixton") explore their familiar themes of working-class rebellion and antiestablishment rants, but they also tie them in to old rock & roll traditions and myths, whether it's rockabilly greasers or "Stagger Lee," as well as mavericks like doomed actor Montgomery Clift. The result is a stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded. [In 2000 Columbia/Legacy reissued and remastered London Calling.]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_calling

The album received positive reviews from critics. Rolling Stone magazine ranked London Calling at number one on its 1989 list of the 100 Best Albums of the Eighties despite it's 1979 release.[35] In 1993, NME ranked the album at number six on its list of The Greatest Albums of the '70s.[36] Vibe magazine included the double album on its list of the 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century.[37] Q magazine ranked London Calling at number four on its 1999 list of the 100 Greatest British Albums,[38] and, in 2002, included the album in its list of the 100 Best Punk Albums.[39]

Robert Christgau described London Calling as "warm, angry, and thoughtful, confident, melodic, and hard-rocking" and called it "the best double-LP since Exile on Main Street".[40] Stephen Erlewine of All Music Guide wrote that London Calling was "invigorating, rocking harder and with more purpose than most albums, let alone double albums" and called it "one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded".[41]

Alternative Press included London Calling on its 2001 list of the 10 Essential '80s Albums.[42] Tom Carson of Rolling Stone said it "celebrates the romance of rock & roll rebellion in grand, epic terms"[43] and ranked London Calling number eight on its 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[3] In the same year, Mojo magazine ranked the album at number twenty-two on its Top 50 Punk Albums.[44]

In 2004, Pitchfork Media reviewer Amanda Petrusich named "London Calling" the album's best song and wrote that "The Clash do not let go; each track builds on the last, pummeling and laughing and slapping us into dumb submission".[45] The website ranked the album at number two on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 70s,[46] Sal Ciolfi of PopMatters called the album a "big, loud, beautiful collection of hurt, anger, restless thought, and above all hope" and wrote that "if released tomorrow would still seem relevant and vibrant",[47] and the College Music Journal ranked it at number three on its Top 20 Most-Played Albums of 1980.[48]

In 2007, London Calling was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a collection of recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.[49]