Initially I dismissed the Clash as the band responsible for all the cretinous britpop bands around nowadays with their faux swing and poofy posturing. It's true, they were. But London Calling is incontrovertibly a work of genius - made with an elemental joy that most modern bands can only aspire to. Certainly they have much more range, musically, than the Ramones - displaying (bizarrely) a very competent grasp of reggae and ska, but they still rock on the one-two-three-four numbers, if not as angrily as Joey Ramone. However, in the end, in my limited perception, despite the forays into reggae and horn-band-music, this is a rock album and must be treated as such. And it succeeds, wildly.

adam