Price: $ 21.98
SandinistaDigitally remastered from the original production master tapes, this a reissue of the 1980 & fourth album by ‘the only band that matters’. Features the original artwork and all 36 of the original tracks, including ‘The Call Up’, ‘Somebody Got Murdered’, ‘Police On My Back’, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ and ‘Hitsville U.K.’. ‘Sandinista!’ broke the top 30 in the U.S. at the time. Also includes a miniaturized reproduction of the faux neswpaper/ lyric sheet ‘The Armagideon Times No.3′. Double slimline jewel case. 1999 release.What the hell is this? Though the two-record sprawl of London Calling–with its exploratory mutations of reggae, rockabilly, and even disco–proved that the Clash weren’t content to lie fallow in a punk-rock ghetto, nothing prepares you for Sandinista‘s messy melange. For 36 tracks (the Clash originally released this as a three-record set for not much more than the price of one), the band tackles everything in sight, including waltz, gospel, disco, children’s ditties, funk, reggae, dub, delicate instrumentals, psychedelic explorations–hell, they even play a Clash rocker or two. Though many have said there is a single great album hidden among the three here, it’s the pure chutzpah of Sandinista that makes it such a particular pleasure and a brain drain at the same time. It’s the document of a band that can do anything and tries to do everything. It’s the glorious sound of failure. And if that ain’t the Clash, what is? –Tod Nelson
