Here’s the thing.
I lost my copy of the eponymous debut by The Clash many many many moons ago. Most likely 1984 or 1985 when the crowd of us haring a flat didn’t worry too much about who actually owned the record sitting by the communal stereo in the living room and as people came and went, so too did some singles and albums.
To be fair, my copy was battered, bruised and worn by this time, with loads of jumps and skips. It wasn’t until 1990 that I realised it was missing when it came time to pack up all my possessions and move back to Glasgow again following the breakdown of my first marriage.
I never replaced it, but I did buy a CD version a few years later….which is what I also had to do with London Calling as it too was beyond saving from years of abuse.
I did buy a recent brand-new repress of London Calling not too long ago, and thoroughly enjoyed giving it a spin. And now, at long last, I again have a vinyl copy of The Clash, having picked up a second-hand artefact (at least) while browsing round a second-hand store during a recent three-day break in Bristol (the same store where I picked up The Pastels 12″ single that featured last Friday). It was very reasonably priced – £15 – and given how old it is, it was in remarkably good condition.
OK, it’s not a first or even second pressing as the inner sleeve is ‘Nice Price’, the marketing ploy used by CBS Records when they wanted to shift further copies of old albums through a reduction in price. This particular pressing probably dates from the early 80s, but I’m more than happy with it.
Tempting as it was to give you the full near-six minutes of the cover of Police & Thieves, I felt things would be best served today by going with Side 1, Track 1:-
Still provides a thrill all these years later.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
We could do with a Nice Price martketing ploy these days.
We could do with The Clash these days!!
Greatest Album 1 Side 1 Track 1 ever? (although for years I wondered why he didn’t like his porridge, oh no!)
If I knew you were in Bristol last week I’d have popped over the bridge for a chinwag! Some great used record shops in Bristol!
Yes, it does still provide a thrill all these years later!
This was the first album I ever bought, saved up for with my pocket money, my entree into the exciting adult world of LPs. I knew I wanted it, because it was the Clash, the one and only Clash, and I was an aspiring young schoolgirl punkette, but I hadn’t heard it – so I asked the local record shop to play the first track for me into the headphones. Ohhh, the thrill, those drums leading in, that short spiky chord, Joe’s voice… SOLD!
Thanks for a nice Monday morning buzz!
A great choice, a great album opener and probably a great choice for a second single from the album instead of ‘Remote Control.’ However, if that had happened, we wouldn’t have got ‘Complete Control.’ The opening drum beats still get my adrenaline rushing 45 years on.
Vroooom. What a start, drums, tinny guitars and then Strummer’s almost incomprehensible vocals. Fucking brilliant. ‘He’sgotafordCortinaitjustdon’trunwithout fuellllllllll’