CLASH 'LONDON CALLING' FIRST PRESS SHRINK 2-HYPE STIX ORIGINAL INNERS A BEAUTY

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CLASH 'LONDON CALLING' FIRST PRESS SHRINK  2-HYPE STIX  ORIGINAL INNERS  A BEAUTY!

THE CLASH  "LONDON CALLING" LABEL: EPIC – E2 36328 RELEASED: DECEMBER 14, 1979 (UK) JANUARY 1980 (US) ORIGINAL U.S. FIRST PRESSING w/ BOTH HYPE STICKERS ORIGINAL INNER SLLEVES ~ "TEAR DOWN THE WALLS!" ETCHED VINYL RECORDED: WESSEX SOUND STUDIOS UK  AUG-NOV 1979 PRODUCER: GUY STEVENS RECORDING ENGINEERS: BILL PRICE ~ JERRY GREEN MASTERING & LACQUERING: STERLING SOUND NEW YORK RECORD COMPANY: EPIC RECORDS ~ CBS RECORDS INCORPORATED ALBUM JACKET DESIGN: RAY LOWRY COVER PHOTO:  PENNIE SMITH BARCODE: (Text): 0 7464-36328-1 MATRIX (SIDE A): AL 363290-1A STERLING  TEAR... MATRIX (SIDE B): AL 363290-1B STERLING  DOWN... MATRIX (SIDE C): AL 36330-1H STERLING  THE... MATRIX (SIDE D): AL 36330-1B STERLING  WALLS!
CONDITION: VINYL: EX- to EX   JACKET: EX   SLEEVES: EX   STICKERS: EX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection these past few weeks and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 45 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on EBay I am offering up this early original First U.S. Pressing of 'London Calling' by the Clash.
This is my original copy, purchased 'New' back in early 1980, shortly after it's release and shortly after seeing them live on the 1979 tour, that I've taken great care of for many years. It's in fantastic clean condition. See details on Condition below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back in early 1980, most 'Punk' singles and albums weren't known for their amazing sound quality, and I wasn't expecting much from this album when I purchased it, but the mastering and sound quality was stunning. The folks at Sterling did an amazing job and this album is mastered perfectly.
This early Epic pressing reveals just how deeply layered, dynamic, punchy, and intense the music of The Clash was. The instruments are well separated, Joe and Mick's vocals are crisp, clear and forward, and there's a good sense of space and depth among all the musicians.
You don't think of 'Punk' albums from those days as having 'presence', but the soundstage on this record is wide, deep and booming. 
The overall sound is loud, clear, vibrant and explosive, with a great presence.
Paul's deep bass and Topper's amazing, powerful drums are particularly superb. 
This was mastered back in the pure Analog days and the sound is simply amazing. Like most 'Punk' music of the time, this was meant to play loud! 
From those crunchy, raw, opening chords of "London Calling" to the last soulful grooves of "Train in Vain", The more you crank this one up, the better it sounds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Clash are one of my favorite bands of all time, and 'London Calling' was their finest hour. One of the greatest Rock 'N' Roll albums ever made. 
The band for this recording was the 'classic' line-up of:
JOE STRUMMER: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar  MICK JONES: Guitar, Vocals, Piano  PAUL SIMONON: Bass, Vocals  NICKY 'TOPPER' HEADON: Drums, Percussion  MICKEY GALLAGHER: Organ BAND & TOUR MANAGER: JOHNNY GREEN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The very First Pressings of this album had the 2 early style Black Hype stickers and no mention of "Train in Vain".
One of the original Hype Stickers reads: "THIS ALBUM INCLUDES LYRIC CONTENT WHICH MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC"
The other sticker mentions that the 2-LP album was being offered at a special price, and that it contained 18, not 19, new songs from "The Only Band That Matters". No mention anywhere on the record of "Train in Vain".
I usually take my shrink wrap off my records, but I left the shrink and hype stickers on this copy. I just thought it looked ''better' that way. Nearly 45 years later, it still looks great!
The records of this First Pressing come in white, custom printed, inner sleeves with hand-written lyrics, notes and credits, as well as many small photographs of the band mostly live and backstage.
As to the records themselves, First Pressings had the 1A/1B matrix numbers and the words Tear.../Down.../The.../Walls! etched into the run-out grooves on all 4 sides of the vinyl.
First Pressings also had the record company listed at 3 o'clock on the labels, as "℗1979 CBS Inc" The 2nd and later pressings had "1979 CBS Records" on the label as well as a different Hype sticker that mentions that "Train in Vain" was included on this record.
Early on, "Train in Vain" was a hit and people were searching for which record it was on. The single hadn't been released yet, only the Pre-release 'London Calling' single. The early First Pressings made no mention of 'Train' being on the record, but soon, the Hype sticker was switched to mention it.
As pressing plates wore out and were replaced, The stamped 'Sterling' mark and the "Tear Down The Walls!" etching started to get dropped from the run-out groove. 
Third, and later pressings, started to include the song "Train in Vain" on both the album jacket and labels, and the custom inner sleeves were dropped.
This Early First Pressing copy has a shrink-wrapped cover with both the early Hype stickers, the white custom inner sleeves, and the 'Sterling' 1A/1B matrix numbers with the etched "Tear Down The Walls!" message. A beautiful, clean, original copy, still just like I purchased it on St. Mark's Place nearly 45 years ago. A nice survivor.
The record labels are the classic, dark blue color, script 'Epic' labels, pretty common at the time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Clash were one of the most important & influential acts of the British punk invasion and this album is a legendary and important piece of rock and roll history.
'London Calling' was the iconic 3rd album from The Clash. The first post-punk double album and an ambitious, 19-song, 2-LP musical statement. Bridging a traditional punk rock sound and a new wave aesthetic, London Calling reflects the band's growing interest in styles beyond their punk roots.
'London Calling was one of the first punk albums to be well produced, sounding clean, tight & polished. not rough & raw.
Decades later, its rich, eclectic, propulsive sound hasn’t aged a minute, every song here is fantastic and memorable, and its messages are as urgent as ever.
London Calling is a perfect, invigorating and rocking, timeless album that still sounds fresh today. One of the greatest rock & roll albums of all time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE RECORDING OF 'LONDON CALLING'
The band didn't like how their previous album, "Give ’Em Enough Rope" turned out. American producer Sandy Pearlman changed the band's sound and style, resulting in a softer, less intense sound.
After the release of 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' and it's poor reception, the Clash fired their manager Bernie Rhodes. The band then suddenly realized that Rhodes took all the money, and their rehearsal studio in Camden, with him.
The band were broke and now had nowhere to practice, rehearse and record.
Their tour manager Johnny Green eventually dug around and found a sketchy new place to rehearse, Vanilla Studios, a small, makeshift studio located in the back of a garage in Pimlico.
The Clash arrived at Vanilla in May 1979 with no new songs prepared.
On their second album, 1978's 'Give 'Em Enough Rope' the Clash had started to depart from their original hard punk rock sound. Fans and critics were not impressed.
By May 1979, the band's main songwriters Mick Jones and Joe Strummer were still reeling from the disappointing experience of writing material for the '...Rope' album and were adrift, wondering where to take their music next, and experiencing writer's block. 
They had not written any new material or new songs in over a year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The band spent several months in relative isolation in the studio at Vanilla. This seclusion allowed the band to focus, regroup, and rebuild their confidence.
There were no distractions, no influence from outsiders or fans who were familiar with the band's prior music and punk rock style. The band started writing and recording the new album from scratch with a fresh blank slate.
They took the recording sessions very seriously as if their lives depended on the music they were creating. It did. They soon developed a daily routine.
The band would assemble for rehearsals in the afternoon, take a break for a late-afternoon friendly soccer game, retreat to the local pub for a few rounds, then regroup at Vanilla for a 2nd rehearsal in the evening, which often ran late. The next day they would do it all again.
Their isolation and daily routine fostered a tight, friendly bond between the band members and they got tighter and better at performing together.
It's important to note on this album just how much the band's writing and playing skills had improved in such a short time.
On almost every song on 'London Calling' you can hear the band's tight playing, their collaboration amongst themselves, and their shared commitment. 
Drummer Topper Headon has said “We started playing together as a proper band. It was the four of us really loving what we were doing.”
The sessions would usually start out just by jamming on some of their favorite cover songs from all styles of music, but focusing on American R&B, Rockabilly and Soul songs.
The diversity of the rehearsal sessions carried over to the diversity of the album. London Calling incorporated many different elements and styles which pushed and stretched the limits of punk. 
~~~ For years, Topper Headon pounded away behind the band without really standing out, but at Vanilla, the rest of the band realized what an excellent drummer he really was. 
Joe and Mick realized that Topper's skills could be applied to perform music in a wide array of genres and styles, way beyond punk rock. Topper could shift from punk bashing, to slick rock grooves, to rock-steady Ska rhythms with astonishing ease.
This opened up many new possibilities and the duo's songwriting suddenly took off, anchored by the amazing flexible rhythm section of Paul and Topper.
Mick Jones composed and arranged much of the music and Joe Strummer added his amazing lyrics. New songs and ideas just started pouring out. 
The 'writer's block' was over and Strummer and Jones were at the peak of their songwriting powers. 
Mick Jones’ guitar skills also greatly improved. The band's first album mostly had Mick playing crunchy power chords, but by 1979 his short solos, fabulous guitar fills, and sharp, angular guitar chords were never better, and really fleshed out the songs.
Joe's voice and vocals also greatly improved. His voice was more powerful and his vocals, inflection, and enunciation were much clearer. The heavy British accent slurs of the first album were mostly gone. You could understand his fantastic lyrics much better, and his singing was exceptional; more melodic, and in tune!
Songs like Joe Strummer's "Lost in the Supermarket" is a perfect example of what the band's isolation, improvement, and cohesion could produce. A song like that would never have been written or considered a few years earlier.
Paul was getting much more confident and proficient on Bass and could easily master the Reggae, Ska and Rock grooves. He started to contribute more to the songwriting and arrangements.
He wrote and sang the excellent "Guns of Brixton." 
Simonon grew up in the heavily impoverished Jamaican Brixton district of South London. The song is based on the reggae gangster film 'The Harder They Come', and the song paints a vivid picture of life within an oppressed culture beset by high crime, unemployment rates and complete indifference on the part of the authorities.
To smooth out some of the songs, the band smartly brought in old mate Micky Gallagher on keyboards to help bring out and maintain the melodies of the songs.
~~~ Over several months, the band laid down a whole bunch of rough, unpolished demos at Vanilla studios, played some of them for CBS who gave their approval, and then started thinking about a Studio and a Producer to record the album.
CBS offered several suggestions for a producer, but Mick had his own ideas and preferences. Mick wanted to use Guy Stevens, which horrified CBS. 
Guy Stevens was a strange character, a drugged-up mess, and his production methods were unconventional, but he perfectly matched with the band's attitude, style, and outlook at the time. CBS were quite reluctant but eventually agreed.
Mick knew Guy Stevens from years earlier, respected his work and results, and insisted on using him to produce 'London Calling'.
Stevens had produced the Clash's very first demos at Polydor's West End studios back in early 1977.
Stevens also was very involved with Mott the Hoople, Mick's favorite rock band, and inspired and produced many of their best albums.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guy Stevens had been a critical part of the mid-60s R&B, soul and blues explosion in England.
Stevens had an obsession with early American Rock, R&B, and Soul music and had an amazing record collection. He prided himself on having every Motown single and every Stax release.
Stevens was personally responsible for introducing early American Rock, Blues and R&B music to hip UK audiences through his work as a DJ at the popular 'The Scene' club.
He also introduced bands and musicians to all sorts of obscure Black American R&B and soul singles that they could cover and release as B-sides and album filler tracks.
Stevens ran the Sue Records label, which licensed rare American black records for release in the UK.
Guy became friends with Keith Moon and was soon introduced to Speed, Drugs and the Rock'n'Roll lifestyle, which would eventually be his downfall.
Guy Stevens was the mastermind and Svengali behind many of the hip UK bands of the time. He was the catalyst for creating the band Procol Harum and their hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale”, a term Stevens invented and used to describe a friend's face after taking too much speed.
Guy was also a catalyst at 'Island' records, helping to spur the careers of bands like Traffic, Jethro Tull and King Crimson.
He produced classic albums by Free, Mott The Hoople, Traffic, Steve Winwood, and Spooky Tooth.
By 1968 Guy's drug intake was legendary, and he was in and out of jail. While incarcerated at Wormwood Scrubs, his amazing record collection was stolen, which really sent Guy over the edge, never to return.
He stumbled thru the 70's, becoming less involved with production and recording until Mick Jones asked him to produce their 3rd album.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By 1979, Guy Stevens was a wild-eyed, bushy haired, speed-crazed madman. He was an enthusiastic, but crazy, rock’n’roll maniac. After being fired from most major record labels, Stevens started doing freelance productions. 
Guy's production style was 'unique', a blizzard of enthusiasm that often teetered into drug-fueled mayhem, but he had a reputation for inspiring, creating and producing many classic albums of the late 60's and early 70's.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In August 1979, the band entered Wessex Sound Studios in London to begin recording 'London Calling'.  The band's third album was critical. Everyone was watching to see what the Punk kings were going to create next.
For this album, The Clash wanted to resuscitate their raw spirit, their original energy, and acknowledge their previously-buried rock’n’roll roots. 
Guy Stevens was the right man for the job, but when the band was ready to record, nobody knew where he was. Joe had to find Guy by trawling the Oxford Street pubs, literally dragging him out of a pub and into the studio.
On the first day of recording, Guy showed up with two bottles of tequila, to 'get the juices flowing'.  The band started out by playing some of their new songs for Guy, as well as covers of Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, which Stevens loved.
Guy's deep knowledge of black American music and early American Rock lit a fire under the band and kickstarted the recording sessions.
Joe Strummer called him “the ultimate cure for musical constipation”.
One of the first songs laid down for the new album was a powerful, blistering version of Vince Taylor’s rockabilly classic 'Brand New Cadillac'
Unlike most Producers, Stevens was much more interested in the vibe and feel of a song, rather than it's technical perfection.
After a spontaneous live take of 'Brand New Cadillac', the take that actually made the album, Topper didn't like his performance and pointed out the flaws to Stevens.
“We’ll need to do it again,” said the drummer. “We speeded up.”
Stevens was ecstatic and thought the take was perfect, telling Topper "My Boy, all great rock’n’roll speeds up” 
That was Steven's style of production; feel and attitude was more important than perfect playing. That's why so many of the songs on London Calling have that live, spontaneous energetic sound that just jumps off the record.
The sessions were off to a good start. They laid down 12 tracks in 3 days. Gus was in his element; shouting, yelling, and bubbling with insanity and enthusiasm.
Gus was known for destroying studios, a 'skill' he learned from Keith Moon. Gus toppled furniture and equipment, famously swinging a ladder at Mick during a solo, and pouring beer and liquor into expensive electronics, destroying them.
Mick Jones threatened to kill him when he poured red wine into an expensive piano they had rented, all while Mick was recording a take.
When CBS chief Maurice Oberstein dropped in for a surprise visit, a blitzed Guy laid in front of his Rolls Royce and refused to move until Oberstein admitted the new material was “brilliant”. 
Generally, the band loved Guy's intensity, passion and punk rock attitude, thinking that the mayhem helped create the proper 'vibe' needed to record a classic Punk album.
Guy claimed: “Making a record is an event. It’s not just ‘another session’; It’s electricity. It’s got to be".   Gus didn't deal much with knobs, switches, microphones and faders, the type of things most Producers worry about. Gus wanted to catch emotions, attitudes and the live spontaneity of the music. After all, there were Recording Engineers to deal with actually recording all the madness and preserving it on tape.
Recording Engineer Bill Price was critical to making this fantastic sounding album and deserves much more credit for it's success than just his name on the jacket. Bill Price, with help from Mick, meticulously and brilliantly oversaw the tedious process of overdubbing and mixing, while Stevens went about the business of creating the right 'vibe' or was passed out in the corner.
The album was recorded over a six-week period involving 18-hour days, with many of the songs recorded very loosely and spontaneously in only one or two takes. Most of the songs on this album are spontaneous live takes, which is why the music sounds so intense, raw and powerful.
The first track recorded for 'London Calling' was "Brand New Cadillac", which the clash often used as part of their warm-up routine. The band knew the song intimately, making it their own.
Another early song laid down was "Clampdown", which was often played as an instrumental jam called "Working and Waiting".
While working on "The Card Cheat", a slow piano and horn driven ballad about a gambler who is murdered for cheating at a card game in the opium dens of the Crimean war, the last thing anybody would expect to hear on a punk album in 1979, Guy Stevens suddenly went all Phil Spector on the band.
Stevens screamed out "There are only two Phil Spectors in the world, and I am one.” while making the band recreate Phil's "Wall of Sound" by making the band recorded each part several times, which were then layered on each other to create what Stevens called a "sound as big as possible".
Guy's influence is also all over Joe’s unintelligible spluttering during the Montgomery Clift-homaging 'The Right Profile.' 
Joe lets loose with a stuttering shout, which sounds something like, “Auufff ghtughh pkuughhh p’kggh". Pure spontaneous emotion and rage, not even English. Stevens loved it and kept it in the song. Most producers would do another take.
Mick told NME “His presence in the studio definitely makes all the difference.” 
~~ The success of London Calling opened new doors for Guy Stevens, but he was too far gone to grasp the opportunities it provided. Less than 2 years later, in August 1981, Stevens overdosed and died. He was only 38.
The Clash responded by recording a haunting memorial ballad called 'Midnight To Stevens', one of Joe's most heartfelt songs, that would appear on a 1982 B-side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHOOSING A TITLE AND MAKING THE ALBUM COVER
With the record finished, the band had to choose a title. The working title for what would become 'London Calling' was 'The Last Testament'. 
In 1979 the band was so concerned about impending world doom and nuclear meltdown, expressed so perfectly in the title track, that they honestly felt that 'The Last Testament' might very well be the last rock ‘n’ roll record ever made. That's why they gave it their all and why it contains so many songs.
Living in Britain at the end of the ’70s, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking the world was coming to an end. Inflation and oil crises in the Middle East preceded a series of UK strikes at the end of 1978, the so-called “Winter of Discontent.” In March 1979, the second nuclear reactor on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania went into partial meltdown. Newspaper reports in Britain warned of the prospect of cataclysmic floods hitting London as a result of rising seas. 
It was reasonable to think that the new Clash album might very well be the last Rock'n'Roll record, 'The Last Testament'.
The Clash also felt that this album might be the last R'n'R record, 'The Last Testament' from a musical perspective.
Musical tastes and styles were changing by the late 70's. The Hippie Flower Power styles of the 60's were gone, Singer/Songwriter acts came and went, the 'corporate' Rock dinosaur bands of the 70's were no longer considered cool, and Disco and dance music reigned supreme in the clubs and on the radio.
By 1979, Punk was one of the last genres where the 'rock' attitude was still thriving and The Clash, realizing that Rock music was fading away, approached the recording of their 3rd album from the point of view that it very possibly could be the last true rock album ever made in England.
The band and their close associates all put their heads together and pondered; “What if this were the last rock ‘n’ roll record? What would that sound like, feel like, be like?...What would it look like?”   The Clash and their producer Guy Stevens used that idea of 'The last rock ‘n’ roll record' as motivation and inspiration when writing and recording this album, to infuse the sessions with drive, urgency and unrestrained energy. In a true Punk statement of rebellion and desperation, they disregarded prior rules and expectations, creating a unique album of striking variety, styles and length. 
I can think of no other record from that time period, or any period, that has London Calling's passion, intensity, emotion and 'truth' about the band's deeply held personal values. It's brutal, honest, heartfelt Rock'n'Roll.
~~~~ THE ALBUM COVER
The Cover of this album has gone down in history as one of the best album covers ever made. 
Using the early theme of 'The last rock ‘n’ roll record', Joe Strummer and graphic artist Ray Lowry designed the iconic album cover.
It ingeniously combines the 'first' great rock and roll record, Elvis Presley's 1956 debut album for RCA, with the bold pink letters down the left side and green text across the bottom, with the image of Paul Simonon destroying his guitar as a symbol of the end of rock, the 'last' Rock'n'Roll album.
The result was a perfect album cover that really summarized, symbolized and bookended the beginning and end of Rock.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Elvis' first album and the Clash's 3rd album have much in common.
Elvis Presley's self-titled 1956 album had the same energetic, rebellious feel and diverse styles of music as this Clash album had. Black R&B with 'Tutti Frutti', a romp-up, almost 'punk' version of the Country classic 'Blue Moon', and the raving Soul classic, Ray Charles' 'I Got A Woman'.
Elvis' album was wild, for 1956, and changed the course of Rock. This album was wild for 1979 and changed the course of Punk.
The Clash acknowledge how Elvis 'shook things up' in 1956 by incorporating different styles of music; black R&B, Rockabilly and Country into the new format of 'Rock', just like the Clash also shook things up in the punk world by incorporating many styles of music, Rockabilly, R&B, lounge jazz, as well as Ska and Reggae into this album.
I love how the album cover links, and bookends these 2 classic records.
The picture on the album cover features an iconic black & white image of Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass during a live show at the Palladium Theater in New York in September 1979.
Pennie Smith, who took the picture, originally did not want the photograph to be used, thinking it wasn't focused and lit correctly, but Joe Strummer thought it was a perfect shot.
In 2002, Smith's photograph was named the best rock and roll photograph of all time by Q magazine, commenting that "it captures the ultimate rock'n'roll moment – total loss of control".
The iconic album cover has made its way onto many 'best album cover' lists over the years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE RELEASE OF LONDON CALLING
When The Clash had finished recording at Wessex Studios, they had enough finished material, about 20 songs, for a double album. The band wanted to release all the songs they had been working on, but the Clash's record label, CBS, had refused to allow the band to release a double album at the time.
The record label and the Band fought back and forth, with CBS eventually allowing the band to release a 'single' LP,  but including a free 12" 'bonus' LP of additional material.
'London Calling' was released in the UK in mid December 1979, then several weeks later in America, in early January 1980.
The new album was released at a 'special' price. Although 'London Calling' was a 2-LP double album, it only cost a little over the price of a regular single album. 
To further save money, the 2-LP set was released in a simple, side opening jacket. 
The 2 thick, heavy records shoved into a 'normal' single LP jacket caused a lot of stress and pressure on the jacket, and many early pressings of this album suffer from significant seam splitting and significant ring wear.
The fact that I kept this record in it's original shrink-wrap, mainly to preserve the hype stickers, inadvertently prevented any of the splits and jacket wear that are commonly found on this record. This copy is a real beauty, perfectly preserved.
CBS recognized this potential problem early on, and there was a nicer, stronger, proper Gatefold version of 'London Calling' released, but only in Japan, where The Clash already had a large fan base and CBS wanted to keep them happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the last tracks that the Band had worked up and recorded for the LP was "Train in Vain," a love song written by Mick about his recent breakup with Viv Albertine, the cute, Australian guitarist for the English Punk band The Slits.
Mick has said that he wrote it in sections, between 'break-up' arguments, on the long train ride to and from her apartment. The upbeat rocking tempo of the song reflected the rhythm of the train, and wasn't a 'Sell Out" to commercial dance beats of the day as many suggested.
The song, coming late in the recording process, was originally intended to be released as a promotional 'flexi-disc' to be included with copies of the British 'New Musical Express' (NME) magazine. For unclear reasons, the promotional deal with NME fell thru at the last minute. Realizing the song was too good to shelve, the band decided to add it to the album at the last minute.
The record labels, jackets, and hype stickers had already gone to press, so the song was just tacked onto the end of the album with no mention or fanfare.
As the 'hidden' track gained popularity and started to be noticed, CBS changed up the hype stickers to mention that it was indeed on the album.
~~ Initially the album sold well, but not great. Like many albums, it took a while for it to gain traction, get appreciated, and build sales. Initial UK sales were about 2 Million copies, and it peaked at #9 in the Uk charts.
The album actually performed better in countries outside the UK, like Germany and Scandinavia. Surprisingly, it hit the top 5 in both Sweden and Norway.
When released in America a few weeks later, it only managed to peak at #27 on the Billboard charts.
Despite touring America twice in 1979, the Clash were still relatively unknown in the States. This classic album would help change all that, eventually going 'Platinum' several years later.
This album resulted in two of the band's most successful singles. 
The title track "London Calling" was released in the UK, a few weeks before the album, in December.  In America, "Train in Vain", backed with "London Calling", was released as a single in February 1980. 
The singles got significant Radio air time and made the band much more known and popular, especially in the States.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE MEANING OF  THE TITLE "LONDON CALLING"
The final title title of this album,' London Calling' is an excellent choice of words.
During WWII, BBC broadcasts over England and Northern Europe would begin with the announcer stating “This Is London Calling” followed by an important message broadcast to an attentive audience. 'London Calling' meant that you were about to receive a vital, important message.
'London Calling' can also be interpreted as the City of London itself, calling out to the band, sharing it's own message of diverse music, cultures and political, social and economic strife. The band was open to change, broadening their horizons and listening to what other musicians had to offer. 
I think 'London Calling' is a great name for this album by an English punk band in the 1970's. It perfectly captures the essence of the very turbulent times in which it was written.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INFLUENCES / STYLES Everything that the Clash had done before this, and all of their prior influences are brought together into this epic double album. 
In keeping with Punk tradition, many of the songs are explicitly political, but they are not as scathing and raw as previous Punk songs. Right from the start, the self-titled opening track, it's clear that this album has much more polished song writing and musicianship.
The album's songs are all, in one way or another, about London in the late 70's, but also acknowledges the history, politics and myths associated with the city.
The lyrics do a fantastic job detailing the lives and existential moments of working class life in London.  It touches on the urban problems of rising unemployment, high crime, racial conflict, corruption, social displacement, and drug use, as well as more suburban themes of sex, depression, identity crisis, the anxiety & neuroses generated by mass consumerism, and a sense of utter hopelessness.
The Clash made sure that political & socially conscious commentary was a part of their music.
Songwriters Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were well aware of London's history of working-class rebellion and antiestablishment politics, but added a fresh modern take and rant on those themes.
'London Calling' exhibits a much broader range of musical styles than the Clash's previous records.  It incorporates traditional punk, whatever that was in late 1979, but also Reggae, Rockabilly, Ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, Lounge jazz, and Hard Rock.
The music draws from the entirety of rock and roll's past for its sound, but presents it in a modern, post-punk style. The Clash employ a variety of musical styles, but they still manage to find ways to make all these different styles sound uniquely their own.
Side one of 'London Calling' is classic. The title track, “Brand New Cadillac,” “Jimmy Jazz,” “Hateful,” and “Rudie Can't Fail" demonstrate the astonishing versatility and musicianship of the band while introducing the dizzying array of different musical styles to be heard on the rest of the album.
The opening track, 'London Calling' is a great example of a band becoming more polished with their song writing and instrument playing craft, while losing none of the raw edge that made them so revolutionary in the first place.
The band manages to redefined what Punk could be, and where it was heading. Some of the musical styles on this album would go on to inspire many of the offshoots of punk and post-punk to come in the future. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most Punk music in 1979 was released on 7" 45-rpm singles, or on an extended play EP, if you were lucky. To make a 2-LP double album, with over and hour of music, was a bold move at the time and both The Clash and CBS were worried that the music would hold people's interest over 4 album sides.
The sequencing throughout the record is exceptional and the album has an undeniable flow to it; one song leads in to another so well. 'London Calling' is one of the few double albums I've heard that has kept my interest all the way through. By the end, you want to hear it all over again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POST RELEASE/ CRITICAL PRAISE
London Calling was received with widespread critical acclaim and has retrospectively been named one of the greatest albums of all time.
The Clash were once heralded as "the only band that matters" and after hearing this album, that became a statement of fact.
This album made a very big, bold statement about what a punk band was capable of producing and releasing. It demonstrated the Clash's versatility beyond punk.
London Calling established the Clash as more than "a simple punk band." It expanded and broadened their artistry without compromising their original driving guitar sound, vigor and immediacy.
A highly influential album in 1979 and still is today. Punk would go in so many directions over the next few decades after this album opened up the possibilities. One of the main reasons that punk survives to this day is because 'London Calling' laid out how infinite the possibilities are of what punk can be. 
At the end of 1980, 'London Calling' was voted the best album of the year by many critics and has gone on to rightfully take its place on numerous best of all time lists
The New York Times John Rockwell said "This is an album that captures all the Clash's primal energy, combines it with a brilliant production job by Guy Stevens and reveals depths of invention and creativity barely suggested by the band's previous work"
Down Beat journalist Michael Goldberg said the Clash had produced "a classic rock album which, literally, defines the state of rock and roll and against which the very best of [the 1980s] will have to be judged."
Rolling Stone consistently rates 'London Calling' in the top 20 of their ever-changing 500 Greatest Albums of All Time listing.
To this day, it is still considered one of the greatest rock albums of all time. 
"The Clash was always from the heart"- Joe Strummer, 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, stickers, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
I purchased this copy 'new' nearly nearly 45 years ago and have taken great care of it since.
VINYL: The vinyl looks excellent. Clean and bright. No dings, flaws or marks. It looks fantastic and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. I'll call it EX- to EX.
The Deadwax has the original matrix numbers, record 1 has the 1A/1B matrix number. The run out area has the Sterling mastering stamp, and the "Tear/Down/The/ Walls!" comments. All signs of a first pressing. See the full Matrix above.
I tried to show some close-up pictures of the vinyl to show how good it looks. I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
I haven't messed with it or cleaned it, other than my trusty 'DiscWasher' brush, in 45 years. A good deep cleaning will make it even better looking and better sounding than it already is. 
LABELS: This is pressed with the dark blue script Epic labels. The record Company is listed as "CBS INC" which is only on First Pressings. Later pressings have "CBS Records" 
The labels are clean and bright. No marks or damage. The spindle holes are still sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing and my careful handling over the years.
JACKET: As you can see from my pictures, this still looks perfect for a 45 year old OG copy.
It is still in it's original shrink wrap. Any 'spots' or glare in my photos are from the shrink. The cover underneath is in excellent, clean condition. 
Both hype stickers are clean and bright, or at least as 'bright' as black can be.
The jacket underneath is nearly perfect. The artwork is bold and bright, the corners are sharp, and the spine is straight. A nice survivor.
Overall, I'll call the whole record EX- to EX. I'll list it as VG+ to please everyone, but it's a beauty!
This record has been poly sleeved, inside and out, and stored properly for decades, and is still a nearly perfect original pressing.
This copy is all original and a real gem. I'm sure you'll love it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** NOTE: I'm selling this rare 'Collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare and as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. 
Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
My grading is fair and honest. I have had over 3,500 happy and satisfied EBay customers over the years, with 100% positive feedback, and I have been buying/selling on EBay for well over 25 years, so please bid with confidence!
I'm a 0ne-man operation, this is a hobby, not my job. I do this for fun. I do this because I love music, love collecting vinyl and want others to share in that same experience. I take my time listening, researching, grading, listing and packaging. I will NOT sell any record that I personally would not want in my collection.
As you well know, packing and shipping rare records requires special care and attention, therefore, shipping cost within the lower 48 states is $5.00 on this item. If you would like insurance, or anything faster than Media/Economy Mail, please let me know and I can arrange it for you. I’ll work with you to make sure you’re happy!
I will gladly combine multiple records, or other items on my page, and make the shipping much less for you. I don’t inflate the shipping costs; they are what they are. I strive to keep them as low as possible. See my feedback for comments on my quality packing and shipping.
All items are packaged with sturdy cardboard mailers and appropriate padding. I take pride in my packaging and shipping and package all my records as if I were sending them to myself. I refuse to use cheap flimsy packaging material when sending my vinyl. I treat them as if they were my own and mail them the same way. 
All orders are processed and shipped within 2 business days of receipt. We package and ship our vinyl records with the greatest care, using proper packaging to ensure that your rare and collectible vinyl records arrive in pristine condition.
Payments can be made by any of the multiple options that Ebay offers.
I will be happy to exchange feedback with anyone I complete a transaction with.
THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far. Sorry to go on and on, but there's so much to say about this timeless Clash album.  -- JOHN