London Calling (1979) Album Review

Expert Review Summary

Music critics combined give London Calling a score of 3.8229 out of 4

based on (25) reviews

Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating

Excellent

Music critics combined give London Calling a score of 4 out of 4

(18)

Very Good

Music critics combined give London Calling a score of 3 out of 4

(3)

Good

Music critics combined give London Calling a score of 2 out of 4

(0)

Fair

Music critics combined give London Calling a score of 1 out of 4

(0)

Poor

Music critics combined give London Calling a score of 0 out of 4

(4)

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Rolling Stone

In 1979,London Callingwas sold with a sticker declaring that the Clash were the only band that matters, and they acted as if they believed their own hype. Broadcasting from the middle of the wild-eyed mess that was English punk rock, a milieu that
Read more about London Calling on Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

By now, our expectations of the Clash might seem to have become inflated beyond any possibility of fulfillment. It's not simply that they're the greatest rock & roll band in the world–indeed, after years of watching too many superstars
Read more about London Calling on Rolling Stone

The Daily Vault Album Reviews

As many of the punk bands of the late 70s blew their brains out with a double-barrel shotgun of nihilism, The Clash were given the uneasy honor of making some of the first sounds of a new decade. Punk's remaining trump card pulled out a full betrayal
Read more about London Calling on The Daily Vault Album Reviews

Rolling Stone

Recorded in 1979 in London, which was then wrenched by surging unemployment and drug addiction, and released in America in January 1980, the dawn of an uncertain decade, London Calling is nineteen songs of apocalypse fueled by an unbending faith in rock
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Paste Magazine

With the 25th anniversary edition of London Calling, Epic/Legacy has outdone itself.
Read more about London Calling on Paste Magazine

Pitchfork

A quarter-century after its first release, London Calling is still the concentrate essence of The Clash's unparalleled fervor.
Read more about London Calling on Pitchfork

The Guardian

London Calling itself stands tall as the band's masterpiece, the showcase for all their musical tastes and inclinations.
Read more about London Calling on The Guardian

PopMatters

Easily one of the best classic re-releases yet.
Read more about London Calling on PopMatters

Pitch Fork Media

The 25th anniversary reissue of The Clash's London Calling is satisfyingly thick and protected by a thin plastic sleeve. The package sits fat at three stories high; the spine is broad, smooth and silver. Pennie Smith's unfocused, emblematic cover
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All Music Guide

Give 'Em Enough Rope, for all of its many attributes, was essentially a holding pattern for the Clash, but the double-albumLondon Callingis a remarkable leap forward, incorporating the punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music.
Read more about London Calling on All Music Guide

All Music Guide

It's fitting that an album that truly deserves an expanded edition not only gets the deluxe edition it deserves, but one that makes a convincing argument that the sometimes ridiculous practice of expanded, multi-disc editions has a purpose after all.
Read more about London Calling on All Music Guide

Filter

When asked recently how he felt about people's claims that the Sex Pistols had changed their lives, dear old Johnny Lydon replied, marvelously, that people should be changing their own bloody lives. Just like that, he restated the punk manifesto for
Read more about London Calling on Filter

The Onion (A.V. Club)

The Clash's London Calling stands as one of the few unimpeachably perfect albums... but it doesn't necessarily gain from the added scrutiny.
Read more about London Calling on The Onion (A.V. Club)

Austin Chronicle

Sketchy sound quality (on The Vanilla Tapes), to be sure, but its rawness makes the final product that much more impressive.
Read more about London Calling on Austin Chronicle

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Music Album Reviews: London Calling

London Calling

by Clash

ALBUM RANKINGS:

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All Time

of 457,333

6

1970's

of 2,829

1

1979

of 271

1
Genres
- Alternative Rock
  - Alternative Rock
    
    of 49,285
    
    1
  - Hardcore & Punk
    
    of 14,074
    
    1
  - New Wave & Post-Pun
    
    of 4,757
    
    1
  - British Punk
    
    of 620
    
    1
  - Punk
    
    of 8,757
    
    1
  - New Wave
    
    of 3,355
    
    1
- Hard Rock & Metal
  - Hard Rock & Metal
    
    of 19,074
    
    2
  - Hard Rock
    
    of 8,073
    
    2
- International
  - International
    
    of 74,357
    
    2
  - Europe
    
    of 14,363
    
    2
  - British Isles
    
    of 5,393
    
    2
  - Britain
    
    of 4,730
    
    2
- Pop
  - Pop
    
    of 264,669
    
    6
  - Pop Rock
    
    of 64,981
    
    5
- Rock
  - Rock
    
    of 108,263
    
    5