Sandinista!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Professional reviews
Sandinista!

Studio album by The Clash
Released	December 12, 1980
Recorded	Summer 1980
Genre	Post-punk Rock Various genres
Length	144:28
Label	Epic, originally CBS
Producer(s)	The Clash, Mikey Dread (Version Mix)
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (A-) link Rolling Stone link
The Clash chronology
London Calling (1979)	Sandinista! (1980)	Combat Rock (1982)

Sandinista! is the fourth album by the punk rock band The Clash. Sandinista! was released in 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side. Some critics have argued that the album would have worked better as a less-ambitious, smaller project. Others think of the album as a breakthrough that deserves comparison to the Beatles' White Album. It was voted the best album of the year in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics poll.

1 History
2 Audio excerpts
3 Tracklisting LP
4 External links
5 References

[edit] History

The album was recorded over most of 1980, in London, Manchester, Jamaica and New York. It was produced by the band (which, essentially, meant Mick Jones and Joe Strummer), and engineered by Bill Price and Jeremy Green. Dub versions for some of the songs and toasting was done by Mikey Dread, who had first hooked up with the band for their 1980 single "Bankrobber". The album clearly displays the influence of reggae and in particular producer Lee Perry (who had worked with the band on their 1977 single "Complete Control"), with a dense, echo-filled sound on even the straight rock songs.

When recording began in New York bass guitarist Paul Simonon was busy making a film, and he was replaced briefly by Ian Dury and the Blockheads bassist Norman Watt-Roy; this later caused some bad feeling when Watt-Roy and keyboard player Mickey Gallagher, a fellow Blockhead, claimed they were responsible for co-composing the song "The Magnificent Seven", as the song was based on tune of theirs. Dread, too, was upset that he was not credited as the album's producer. Other guests on the album include actor Tim Curry (providing the voice of a priest on "The Sound of Sinners"), singer Ellen Foley (Jones' partner at the time), Richard Hell's guitarist Ivan Julian, and Strummer's old busking buddy Tymon Dogg, who plays violin, sings on and is credited with writing the track "Lose This Skin"; he later joined Strummer's band The Mescaleros. Mickey Gallagher's children also made appearances: his two sons singing a version of "Career Opportunities" from the band's first album, and his daughter Maria singing a snippet of "The Guns of Brixton", from London Calling, at the end of the track "Broadway".

For the first time, the band's traditional songwriting credits of Strummer/Jones were replaced by a generic credit to "The Clash". This is also the only Clash album on which all four members have a lead vocal.

Three singles were released from the Sandinista! sessions in the UK: "Bankrobber" (which did not appear on the album), "The Call Up", "Hitsville UK", and "The Magnificent Seven". The last deserves mention as possibly the first-ever British rap single and the first rap single by a white band.

The triple-LP set was, like London Calling, a subject of trickery towards the record company from the band. Two contradictory accounts of the release of the album exist. Some say that the Clash pulled the same trick a second time by saying they wanted to include a 12" single with their double album, and then getting 3 full-length discs pressed before executives became wise. Another belief is that The Clash surrendered all of their album royalties in order to make the 3-LP set a reality. Regardless of which of these is true, either situation paints the band in a good light, putting their fans before and above any other involved entity.

A one-LP distillation of the album, called Sandinista Now!, was sent to press and radio. The side one track listing was "Police on My Back," "Somebody Got Murdered," "The Call Up," "Washington Bullets," "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" and "Hitsville U.K." The side two track listing was "Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)," "The Magnificent Seven," "The Leader," "Junco Partner," "One More Time" and "The Sound of Sinners."

The title comes from the left-wing guerilla organization of Nicaragua, the Sandinistas, who the previous year had overthrown the dictator Anastasio Somoza. The albums catalogue number 'FSLN1' refers to the acronym for Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional.

One song, "Washington Bullets," name checks conflicts or controversies from around the world in which leftists played a major part, namely in Chile, Nicaragua, Cuba, Afghanistan and Tibet. (In reference to the first three, Strummer seems to side with what he sees as popular leftist movements or governments; in the latter two, he sharply criticizes the policy of Moscow's and Beijing's communist governments for what he sees as their imperialist actions). "Washington Bullets" was Clash lyric-writer Joe Strummer's most extensive - and most specific - lyrical political statement to date. Film critic Mark Kermode claims that everything he knows about politics he learned on Sandinista! The original Rolling Stone review of Sandinista! calls "Washington Bullets," along with "The Equaliser" and "The Call Up," "the heart of the album." (see external links)

In January 2000 this album along with the rest of the Clash's catalog was remastered and re-released. A tribute to the album, planned for release on May 1, 2007, is being created at sandinista.guterman.com Contributors include the Smithereens, The Blizzard of 78 featuring Mikey Dread, Ruby on the Vine, and Mekons members Jon Langford and Sally Timms. The album will also feature a collaboration by Soul Food and Mickey Gallagher on "Midnight Log." In 2003, the album was ranked number 404 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

[edit] Audio excerpts

The Clash - The Magnificent Seven excerpt (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- An excerpt from The Magnificent Seven
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.

[edit] Tracklisting LP

All songs written by The Clash unless noted.

Side One

"The Magnificent Seven" – 5:28
"Hitsville UK" – 4:20 [Vocal: Ellen Foley ]
"Junco Partner" (James Wayne; credited as AT PRESENT, UNKNOWN on insert notes) – 4:53
"Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" – 3:05 [Vocal: Topper Headon ]
"The Leader" – 1:41
"Something About England" – 3:42

Side Two

"Rebel Waltz" – 3:25
"Look Here" (Mose Allison) – 2:44
"The Crooked Beat" – 5:29 [Vocal: Paul Simonon ]
"Somebody Got Murdered" – 3:34
"One More Time" – 3:32 (The Clash / Mikey Dread)
"One More Dub" – 3:34 [ Dub version of "One More Time"](The Clash / Mikey Dread)

Side Three

"Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)" – 4:51
"Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)" – 4:31
"Corner Soul" – 2:43
"Let's Go Crazy" – 4:25
"If Music Could Talk" (The Clash / Mikey Dread) – 4:36
"The Sound of Sinners" – 4:00

Side Four

"Police on My Back" (Eddy Grant) – 3:15
"Midnight Log" – 2:11
"The Equaliser" – 5:47
"The Call Up" – 5:25
"Washington Bullets" – 3:51
"Broadway" – 5:45 [Features an Epilogue of "Guns of Brixton" sung by Maria Gallagher]

Side Five

"Lose This Skin" (Tymon Dogg) – 5:07 [Vocal: Tymon Dogg]
"Charlie Don't Surf" – 4:55
"Mensforth Hill" – 3:42 [Contains elements of "Something About England"]
"Junkie Slip" – 2:48
"Kingston Advice" – 2:36
"The Street Parade" – 3:26

Side Six

"Version City" – 4:23
"Living in Fame" (The Clash / Mikey Dread) – 4:36 [Different Version of "If Music Could Talk", vocals by Mikey Dread]
"Silicone on Sapphire" – 4:32 [Different version of "Washington Bullets"]
"Version Pardner" – 5:22 [Different version of "Junco Partner"]
"Career Opportunities" – 2:30 [New version sung by Luke and Ben Gallagher]
"Shepherds Delight" (The Clash / Mikey Dread) – 3:25