The Clash - Sandinista!
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Free Music Notes for Sandinista!
Free Music Review: sqintessential music from the early 80s
Hit: 5 Stars
"Sandanista" and "London Calling" are the two essential Clash CDs. There is a lot of good music here. And say, is that Ellen Foley singing on "Hitsville hit UK?" It must be. There's probably a trivia site somewhere or its buried in the liner notes, that you don't get when you download the music. I'm new to downloading stuff. CD jewel cases with their nice straight edges made great surfaces to grind up that fine white powder. Now I have to smash it with a spoon. The trade off is you save a couple bucks. And if you want to find out who the personnel on the CD are, GO LOOK IT UP ON THE WEB, you dinosaur. Free Music Review: The Clash Revolution That Was
Hit: 5 Stars
The title is as revolutionary as the music within.
The Clash morphed into Marxist prophet seers by this time, able to go beyond their rebellion with White Riots and I'm So Bored With The USA from their earlier times into this highly anarchic mix of lovely melodies,dub and the usual cacophony associated with free spirited rockers capable of good taste.
The Maoist cover-shot of their 2nd LP,Give Enough Rope was a rocking affair, somewhat of an overproduced album if compared to their earlier "punk" sides nonetheless it serves as a segue into this Sandinista period when bands become men as they bypassed the high creative mark of London Calling gelling and grooving into this somewhat laid back under produced purposefully messy 3 LP set that was sold cheaper akin to the left leaning politics fashionable in the day.
My only gripe with the CD is the lack of the original artwork/booklet..
The whole CD is seamless and a high-mark for music culture as The Clash left their mark for history.
Free Music Review: Gung ho, indeed
Hit: 5 Stars
The most misunderstood album in punk (yes, punk) starts with the most cliched adaptation of the (then) moribund disco scene ever recorded, a song so silly and groovy and flat-out simple that you could hear the groans all the way to Brixton. The Clash Are Dead, said the non-chorus, non-anthemic grooves of "Magnificent Seven": Long Live Whatever We're Up To.
"Sandinista!" often gets criticized, as most triple-anythings do, for having a lot of filler. I think these folks are missing the overall point. For it is in the moments of supposed "filler" - the Rebel Waltzes, the Broadways, the weird radio chatter that supports the whole vibe - that the real distinguishing feature of the album comes alive: it's that SOUND, that weird, twisty funkiness that didn't quite sound like funk, and it sure wasn't soul, but something very strange and new indeed. I may be in the minority here, but for my ears, the peak of the album is traditional side three ("Lightning Strikes" to "Sound Of The Sinners", for all you remasterphiles), where everything really just cuts loose from the expectations of The New Clash Album and becomes a bunch of guys just playing songs they feel into for the moment without abandon. Here, the single most Clash-like track appears ("Up In Heaven", a masterpiece), as well as flirtations with third-world posturing ("Corner Soul") and the funkiest bassline since Busta Jones jammed with Sly & Robbie ("Lightning Strikes"). It also contains the closest approximation of what the entire project craves to sound like: "If Music Could Talk", a song so meandering and captivating that it doesn't have any genre underneath its shuffling feet. Is there really an album like this anywhere?
The astonishing thing is, if you were to isolate either of the six sides into one two-sided album, it would still have been such a serious head change that we'd still be trying to figure it out. Imagine if they had left off the last third of the album and all the dub / version / remix mania: I'd still want to have heard it, considering. The mark of a good album that happens to be long is when you couldn't imagine leaving anything off and still retain the big picture. It isn't end-to-end shocking like the album that preceded it, obviously. And yes, I'll admit, it does get overconfident. But if you consider the context of this album's release, from Ian Dury & The Blockheads (most of who appear on "Sandinista!") to Talking Heads' "Remain In Light"/"Bush Of Ghosts" period, The Clash were truly locked into something that was happening at the time. Maybe it's a fascination with roots rock, or the newly-dropping hip-hop culture, or the explosion of punk into subgenres. Regardless, sometimes ambition is as important as results. That's the case here. (In fairness, some of the political moments are actually quite heartfelt, such as "The Call Up" and its forlorn plea for dignity.)
By the time you reach the last songs, you're at an inversion of what "London Calling" represented: we have suggestion, not aggression. The sound of revolution from all corners, fading into the street parade. Music for people who thought that there were more similarities than differences between mods, rude boys, rockers, skins, punks, and b-boys. Call it impressionistic punk rock.
Free Music Review: punk
Hit: 5 Stars
The Clash is one of those bands that are not quite part of reality anymore...they have become a legend not only of music but in the world as a whole. This album says a lot just by the name: sandinista! , its a name that tells the people that there are some serious issues represented on the album, but this is not a motive to be sad ...on the contrary: its a celebration to diferent rythems such as pure rock and roll, gospel, funk, rap, regaee and so much more. I enjoyed it from the first track to the last. Everybody can relate to the lyrics because it they just sing about life- and life is judged in a large amount by politics....but the rythms are so out of this world....it just makes you feel alive and at the same time so happy dispite the fact the the world is so dark and injust....
I love this album....and the clash is one of the best bands this world has ever seen.
Free Music Review: Melting Pot
Hit: 4 Stars
Sandinista!-The Clash ****
Punk, Post-punk, Proto-punk,Rockabillie, Dub, Dance, Childrens, Reggea, Doo-Whop, Motown, New Wave, Waltz, it is all here if you name The Clash provides it here. Sandinista! is the album where Joe Strummer and Mick Jones have an identity crisis, and in my opinion it pays off. The Clash try everything here and for the most part they do it well, give or take a few missteps. Mick Jones is using every guitar effects-pedal imagenable to him at this point. Topper and Paul are so out of their minds on herion and everything else at the time that they are just going along with the flow while Strummer or should I say Stalin is taking this band in every direction other then where they started out to go which is fine. You know why The Clash are one of if not the greatest band of all time....it's becasue they dared, they dared to grow and do it. The Clash are what every other band wishes they could be because they knew no boundries and they did what they thought was cool, or good, or what ever other word you want to use. They did what they did because to them at the time it felt right.
This triple album has been turned into a double cd which is great because it saves the consumers money and you dont lose any of the songs. The Clash actually almost got thrown off their record company because they faught to have this sold at a cheaper price then a single album, gotta love that.
The first disc of the album is arguably the better side. The better selection of songs is on this disc and the amount of good songs is greater on this disc. 'The Magnificent Seven' which is magnificent opens the albums and does so superbly. One of the best songs on the album. 'Junco Partner' is a killer reggea track done masterfully by the only white boys that ever did the genre any justice. 'Ivan Meets G.I. Joe' is a dub dance club hit and a great song. It's about when Joe Strummer met a Russian named Ivan and they managed to make a hit song about it. 'Hitsville U.K.' is a great motown/doo-whop song that is about Hitsville U.S.A. only in the U.K. and superisingly it sounds really good, who know the Brits could do Motown? 'Somebody Got Murdered' is one of the best tracks ont he album and easily the best on the first disc. It is very nostolgic of the London Calling album. 'If Music Could Talk' is another great song with a great concept behind it that has to be heard to be appreciated. While clearly that is not all of the songs on the first disc those are the tracks that stand out the most. 'One More Dub' is one song that could have been left off of the album because it is the exact same song as the one before it 'One More Time' exept not as good.
While disc one is the better disc, the second one is still very good. Infact it contains the two best songs on the album and two of the bands all time best. The first is the cover song that opens the second disc, 'Police On My Back' this is one of the very best songs I have ever heard, and that is the original, but The Clash manage to make it even better, and into a true classic and into one of the bands all time best.The vocals are phenomonal, and the arrangement is out of this world. Later on the album offers 'Charlie Don't Surf' which is the second best song on the album. About Vietnam and is just so laid back and wonderful. Clearly one of the top five songs the band has ever made. 'The Equaliser' is a great song as is 'Midnight Log' the songs are quite simillar. 'The Call Up' is a nice song but could have been stronger. 'Washington Bullets' was a minor hit for the band and was a concert favorite and with one listen you will hear why.'Version City' is another one of those songs that are just so good you can't believe the band really came up with it. Now I must say the new alternate version of 'Career Opportunities' is awful. Truly a waste of space on the album. It is turned into a nursery ryhme which kills the whole entire meaning of hte original song.
Sandinista! is a melting pot for all sorts of different musical styles and songs. It is also one of the single greatest pieces of music in the history of rock n' roll. With this album The Clash proved that they were second to none and that they were capable of anything musicaly and taking over the world to become the biggest band in the world would be just around the corner if only they could keep their ego's under control.