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<DIV>Just bought the remastered CD of The Clash's 1980 masterpiece "Sandinista!"
Haven't heard it in maybe 15 years, and never really thought much of it
save for a few Clash-like rockers here and there -- "Police On My Back," the
most direct. When "Sandinista!" was released, I was still listening to The
Clash's "London Calling," which came out the year before. Now, for most Clash
fans, "LC" is <EM>the</EM> album, and back then it seemed like I-don't-know-what
-- The Clash had moved beyond blunt punk riffs into rockabilly, reggae and pop,
and they did it on their terms, filled those forms with the rough, poetic Clash
sound. "LC" really blew the water wide. Then came "Sandinista!," a
three-record set that encompassed reggae, dub, gospel, children's music, early
techno, early rap, calypso, classical, psychedelic. Most of the Clash fans I
knew didn't know what to make of it, especially with "LC" still in our heads.
Some considered it inferior. Some thought it a flawed if noble effort that went
on too long. Me, I went back to "LC" for comfort. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Well, after listening to "Sandinista!" now for days on end, I can't believe
how much I missed the first time around. The thing is fucking great -- not only
the varied sounds that merge and flow together, but the lyrics as well, covering
topics such as death squads, US, Brit, Soviet and Chinese violence, independent
music, the draft, street parties, poor children playing in the road after dark,
murder for money, the Cold War (as video game), police brutality, and more. I
saw some critic say that "Sandinista!" is punk's "White Album." So it is. Check
it out. It deepens with each listening. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>DP</DIV></BODY></HTML>