Vinyl Spins - London Calling

While working up on the third floor the other day I felt it was a good time to spin one of my favorite all time albums. I bought London Calling by The Clash when it was released in December 1979. I bought it for myself as a Xmas present from Play It Again Sam record store on Elmwood Ave a few blocks from our apartment. It immediately went on high rotation next to my turntable for many years. Every song was a masterpiece. An almost perfect album. Great cover too which of course is a take on the classic first Elvis Presley record.

Sitting here with this LP in my hands reminded me of the joys of bringing home a newly purchased album, slicing open the edge, pulling apart the gatefold and sliding out the sleeve.  I liked all the information with lots of notes, pictures, comments, credits and lyrics. London Calling was a double album with the lyrics displayed on the sleeves and I sat there reading those song lyrics for the first time in probably at least thirty years… but I knew them all.

This was also one of the first two albums that I went out and bought CD versions in 1986 when I got my first CD player. The other album was Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland.