The Clash - Sandinista!
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Free Music Notes for Sandinista!
Free Music Review: It can only be what it is
Hit: 4 Stars
I originally bought !Sandinista! as a 3 lp set when it was released. I was 15 at the time and being a huge Clash fan more than a little confused and disappointed. Like many people I believed that there was a great single album in the midst of all of the experimentation with different genres that the Clash were trying. Boy was I wrong.
This isn't a brilliant album despite its sprawling, undisciplined ambition. It's a brilliant album because of its sprawling, undisciplined ambition. Trying to boil it down to one album would turn it into Combat Rock without the hits. Take it for what it is, and thank the god of your choice that the Clash didn't try to do it any other way.
Rest in peace Joe. We miss you.
Free Music Review: Roll your own
Hit: 3 Stars
To understand why this album is such a bloated mess, read _Last Gang in Town_ by Marcus Gray. Basically, the Clash wanted to stick it to their record company and reward their fans by releasing 3 LPs for the price of one. Unfortunately, the single LP price only applied in the UK; those of us in the US paid top whack. Even more unfortunately, the band didn't have enough decent material to fill out all three LPs, so they wound up scraping the bottom of the barrel. Which was a pity, because there is some very good music in here, but it is obscured by the crap.
The other thing you have to understand is that the Clash had a hard time writing singles. All their famous tunes were afterthoughts. _Sandinista_ in particular suffers in this respect. "Magnificent Seven" was released as the single, but it's about as catchy as ... a forgettable tune. If _Sandinista_ had one or two good singles, its reputation would be vastly enhanced. (_Combat Rock_ is a much worse album than _Sandinista_, but is not nearly as reviled because it had a couple of good singles.) So, all the good tracks on _Sandinista_ are 'album tracks', i.e., not singles, which is to say they aren't necessarily tunes that you'll find yourself humming. But listen to "The Street Parade", for example, and tell me it doesn't stick in your head.
Here are the good tracks:
105. The Leader
110. Somebody Got Murdered
111. One More Time
112. One More Dub
113. Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice) (edit)
114. Up In Heaven (Not Only Here)
115. Corner Soul
116. Let's Go Crazy (edit)
201. Police On My Back
202. Midnight Log
205. Washington Bullets
206. Broadway
211. Kingston Advice
212. The Street Parade
213. Version City (edit)
Those marked 'edit' will benefit from having their beginnings or endings truncated in your favorite music editing software.
If you're going to burn these to disc, include "Rock The Casbah"
and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" from the otherwise miserable _Combat Rock_ as your singles, et voila: the lost Clash album!
Free Music Review: Some fillers, but contained herein is the Clash's finest album
Hit: 4 Stars
You have to hear this album at least once in your life, if just for the pure scope of the thing. Thirty-six tracks that feature the group doing reggae, dub, funk, hip-hop, music hall, rockabilly, pop, jazz, Motown, avant-garde, some crazy stuff that can't be classified, and yes, some punk. You thought London Calling was ambitious? You haven't heard ambitious until you've heard this. And maybe I'm out of my mind, but I like it loads, and not just because of the awesome cover art and huge smorgasbord of styles on display. Plenty of these songs are classics (or "Clashics"?). "The Magnificent Seven", the hip-hop song I talked about, leads the way and just might be the greatest Clash song in history. Joe Strummer sounds so cool delivering the black-humored lyrics, and he's one of the few convincing white rappers out there. "Hitsville, U.K." is a wonderfully adorable Motown ditty. "Junco Partner" is a brilliant pub reggae song. "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" uses brilliantly creative synthesizers to simulate gunfire. "Something About England" is an inspired duet between Mick and Joe. "The Crooked Beat" is an awesome reggae song with a marching band rhythm. "Somebody Got Murdered" rules in its New Wave/pop/anti-violence goodness. "One More Time" is another awesome reggae song, like everything else related to reggae on this album. And I don't mind the dub version, "One More Dub", even though many tend to despise it. It really allows me to soak in the song's mood. I love that one's mood, so the more of it I can get, the better. "Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)" is a kick-butt return to "Magnificent Seven"-esque funk. "If Music Could Talk" is a fun fusion of lounge jazz and ska. I think I may be the only person on Earth who likes it, by the way. Whatever. Screw people. Anyway, "Police on My Back" totally rocks, but is the only song on this album that does so. It's also another candidate for "best song the Clash ever did", just because of the pure combustible energy of the thing and the awesome guitar riff. "Midnight Log" is pure fast-paced campy fun. "The Equalizer" is awesome dub reggae tune number sixty million billion, and it's got a violin! "The Call-Up" is a good anti-war pop song, though it's a bit of an odd choice for a single. I like it, though. "Washington Bullets" is an awesome experiment with Caribbean music with really political lyrics. "Charlie Don't Surf" is a near-unclassifiable reggae-R&B-rock fusion that kicks my butt. "Kingston Advice" and "Junkie Advice" are fun, fast, energetic reggae tunes. "The Street Parade" is creepy, menacing, weirdly produced, and amazing. "Version City" is funky reggae, and it's good! "Silicone on Sapphire" is a cool and futuristic and Matrix-esque dub of "Washington Bullets" that's probably totally unnecessary, but totally sweet anyway. I'll freely admit that the remix of "Junco Partner", here titled "Version Pardner", is bad, though. See, I know I've spent a majority of this review gushing over this album, but the truth is there are quite a few weak songs on it. I can let the children's choir remake of "Career Opportunities" pass, because it's cute. But there are some really bad songs here. I mean, what is to be expected from a thirty-six track triple-album not called Emancipation by Prince? (And, wouldn't you know it, the only other thirty-six track triple-album I know of is Emancipation by Prince). In reality, I only find seven of these thirty-six bad, but... god, they suck! "Look Here" is a terrible jazz song. "Corner Soul" and "Broadway" are crappy show tunes. "The Sound of Sinners" is gospel, and it's not good gospel either, not like that wasn't terribly obvious or anything. I mean, how are the Clash gonna do gospel and make it any good at all? Anyway, "Lose This Skin" is the worst Clash song not on Cut the Crap. It's a pub jig with a really screwed-up violin and an awful vocal with someone named Tymon Dogg. And "Mensforth Hill" is a sound collage. So that's seven absolutely horrendous songs. The remaining seven aren't really worthy of mention, because they don't stand out one way or another. I suppose I find "Up in Heaven" a bit overproduced, and "Rebel Waltz" just kinda weird, even by this one's standards. So yes, this definitely could've been shortened. But if you were to take off all the bad and mediocre tracks, you'd be left with... a twenty-two track double-album! Not only that, but that twenty-two track double album would probably my favorite Clash album, even though as of now I like the first one more. The fact that a majority of these tracks are great, and how disparate the material is, says a lot about just how damn good the Clash were. One of my favorite bands ever. By the way, have you heard they didn't accept royalties for this, even though they were flat broke when they released it? Even if you don't like the music, you gotta admit that is admirable. Free Music Review: punk, pop, reggae, dub, rockabilly, & some misfires
Hit: 5 Stars
this collection of 36 songs is my favorite album(s) by the clash. I dont like every song, but I like most of them. here's my ratings for each song
the magnifcent seven: 5/5 (classic)
hitsville uk: 1/5 (I know most wont agree & I know its a single, but I dunno Im not feeling this one)
junco partner: 5/5 (great reggae tune)
ivan meets GIjoe: 5/5 (disco funk? I dunno how to explain it except its great)
the leader: 3/5 (short rockabilly tune. I like this one. Not exceptional but cool tune)
something about england: 4/5 (this one is a good pop tune. I like the vocals.)
rebel waltz: 3/5 (dont know what to make of this. very original & hard to categorize. cool guitar work)
look here: 1/5 (this one I dont like so much. some sort of jazz/rock diddy. sounds like they were bored in the studio & laid this down real fast)
the crooked beat: 5/5 (cool dub track.)
somebody got murdered: 5/5 (one of the best on the album. catchy hooks that will be stuck in your head for days)
one more time: 5/5 (reggae/rock fusion. great track)
one more dub: 5/5 (dub version of one more time. just as good)
lightning strikes: 5/5 (another rap tune. similar to magnificent seven.)
up in heaven: 5/5 (another one of my favorites on this album.)
corner soul: 3/5 (this one is okay. after the last 6 songs is kinda a letdown tho)
lets go crazy: 3/5 (sounds like cruise ship music. good tho)
if music could talk: 3/5 (more reggae anyone?)
the sound of sinners: 1/5 (not feeling the gospel)
police on my back: 5/5 (great cover & hardest rocker on the album)
midnight log: 4/5 (rockabilly with great harmonica. cool song)
the equaliser: 5/5 (the musicianship on this song is amazing. very haunting)
the call up: 5/5 (maybe the best song on here. easily one of the top 5)
washington bullets: 5/5 (sandinista!)
broadway: 3/5 (more of a free flowing jam. not alot of hooks.)
lose this skin: 1/5 (annoying)
charlie dont surf: 5/5 (brillant pop song)
mensforth hill: 5/5 (sample heavy with lots of loops. definitely not for radio)
junkie slip: 5/5 (funk!)
kingston advice: 5/5 (solid rocker)
the street parade: 5/5 (another of my favorites. good pop song)
version city: 5/5 (groovy track. same kind of groove as magificent seven but without the rapping)
living in fame: 5/5 (if music can talk dub version)
silicone on sapphire: 5/5 (washington bullets dub version)
version pardner: 5/5 (junco partner dub version)
career opportunites: 1/5 (this is funny. a remake with the kids singing not bad. but not a real song. original is so much better so this gets a 1)
shepards delight: 3/5 (some noodling around. good but album could of ended better)
From reading alot of the negative reviews, it sounds like alot of people get impatient with this album(s). So if you are having a hard time listening to this collection of songs then try removing the following from your playlist:
hitsville uk
look here
the sound of sinners
lose this skin
career opportunites
After removing these songs you will see that the album flows better & how great these songs are. Highly recommended
Free Music Review: Beyond the Borders of Punk
Hit: 4 Stars
After an enthralling introduction to the Clash via their first album (albeit the U.S. version), I hooked onto this band. They currently reside in the top spot on most of my High Fidelity-esque lists of "bests," and I consider them my favorite band ever. Even as a die-hard fan, Sandanista! perplexed me. I heard such mixed reviews from band members, critics, and other fans, and I skeptically put it in my player. I had heard tracks like "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Call Up" before, since they frequently made it on "best ofs" and the singles CD, but I virtually knew none of the others. I decided that, since I did not (and still do not) like "Hitsville U.K.," I would move on to the second disc first. I pressed play and experienced pure, exciting rock'n'roll in "Police on My Back." It continued with "Midnight Log," and each track contained nuggets of sheer magic. I'm still not finished listening. I listen in bits and pieces, slowly hooking on to a song and playing it to death until I've fully assimilated it into my system. Some favorite of mine include "Charlie Don't Surf" (The Clash's attempt at quasi-surf music), "The Equaliser," "Junkie Slip," "Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)," and "The Leader," just to name a few. This album rewards. Sit through the whole thing a few times (not just once), then make a decision. Ultimately, this experimental album pushes the borders of punk and redefines the Clash's view of music. It exemplifies all the reasons I love the Clash: their experimentation, their music, melodies, and messages. They stretch their musical muscles and we gain a new perspective on punk, life, and ourselves.