Sandinista!

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Sandinista!
Image:Sandinista album cover.jpeg
Studio album by The Clash
Released	December 12, 1980 (1980-12-12)
Recorded	Pluto Studios, Manchester, February 1980, The Power Station, New York City, March 1980, Electric Lady Studios, New York City, March–April 1980, Channel One Studios, Kingston, Jamaica, May 1980, Wessex Studios, London, August 1980
Genre	Rock, dub
Length	144:28
Label	Epic, originally CBS
Producer	The Clash, Mikey Dread
Professional reviews
All Music Guide Image:2.5 stars.svg link Robert Christgau (A-) link Rolling Stone Image:5 stars.svg 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, and in 2003, the album was ranked number 400 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Audio excerpts 3 Track listing 3.1 Side one 3.2 Side two 3.3 Side three 3.4 Side four 3.5 Side five 3.6 Side six 4 Personnel 4.1 Guest musicians 5 Notes 6 External links

[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), recorded and mixed by Bill Price, and engineered by Jeremy Green (Wessex Sound Studios), J. P. Nicholson (Electric Lady Studios), Lancelot "Maxie" McKenzie (Channel One Studios), and Bill Price (Pluto + Power Station Studios). 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". With Sandinista! the band reached beyond punk and reggae into dub, rhythm and blues, calypso, gospel and whatever else.^[1] The album clearly displays the influence of reggae and in particular producer Lee "Scratch" Perry (who had worked with the band on their 1977 single "Complete Control" and who had opened some of the band's shows during its stand at Bond's in New York in 1980), 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, although he was credited with "Version Mix." 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), former Voidoid guitarist Ivan Julian, former Eddie and the Hot Rods member Lew Lewis, and Strummer's old friend and musical collaborator Tymon Dogg, who plays violin, sings on and wrote the track "Lose This Skin"; he later joined Strummer's band The Mescaleros. Mickey Gallagher's children also made appearances: his two sons, Luke and Ben, 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. (Drummer Topper Headon made a unique lead vocal contribution on the disco song "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe," and bassist Paul Simonon sings lead on "The Crooked Beat".)

Four 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 as one of the first rap singles 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 for the first 200,000 copies sold in order to make the 3-LP set a reality. Joe Strummer said in an interview by Judy McGuire for the Punk Magazine: "Well, now you're talking to a man who forewent the royalties on Sandinista!" 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.^[1]

The song "Washington Bullets" was Clash lyric-writer Joe Strummer's most extensive--and most specific--political statement to date. In it, Strummer name checks conflicts or controversies from around the world; 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, while 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). The original Rolling Stone review of Sandinista! calls "Washington Bullets", along with "The Equaliser" and "The Call Up", "the heart of the album.".

The original, 3-disc vinyl release of "Sandinista" included a tri-fold lyric sheet cleverly titled The Armagideon Times, no. 3 (a play on "Armagideon Time," a song from the EP Black Market Clash.) Armagideon Times, nos. 1 and 2 were Clash fanzines. The lyric sheet featured cartoons credited to Steve Bell, as well as hand-written (but still legible) lyrics of all songs. The 2-CD release contains a facsimile of the lyric sheet considerably reduced in size.

Joe Strummer once told Rolling Stone magazine that the concept for a triple-LP (a rarity in the rock music world) came from friendly competition with American artist Bruce Springsteen. When their earlier LP London Calling was released in 1980, critics said that Springsteen's upcoming double-disc album The River would outsell the Clash effort and wipe away any impact. Strummer's response was: "Right Bruce. Suck on this." The band then expanded Sandinista into a triple album.

In January 2000 this album along with the rest of the Clash's catalog was remastered and re-released. A tribute to the album, was released on May 15, 2007, on the 00:02:59 label. Creators are: sandinista.guterman.com Contributors include Willie Nile, the Smithereens, Haale, 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.^[1]

[edit] Audio excerpts

[edit] Track listing

All songs were written by The Clash unless noted. The compact disc release had the first three sides on the first CD and the latter three sides on the second CD.

[edit] Side one

1. "The Magnificent Seven" – 5:28
2. "Hitsville UK" – 4:20 [Vocal: Mick Jones/Ellen Foley ]
3. "Junco Partner" ("writer, at present, unknown" on insert notes) – 4:53
4. "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" – 3:05 [Vocal: Topper Headon ]
5. "The Leader" – 1:41
6. "Something About England" – 3:42

[edit] Side two

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

[edit] Side three

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

[edit] Side four

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

[edit] Side five

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

[edit] Side six

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

Certifier	Certification	Sales
RIAA (U.S.)	Platinum	1,000,000

[edit] Personnel

• Joe Strummer – vocals, guitars
• Mick Jones – guitars, vocals
• Paul Simonon – bass, vocals
• Topper Headon – drums, vocals

[edit] Guest musicians

• Mickey Gallagher – keyboards
• Tymon Dogg – violin, vocals on "Lose This Skin"
• Norman Watt-Roy – bass on "The Magnificent Seven" and "Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice)"
• J. P. Nicholson – keyboards
• Ellen Foley – vocals on "Hitsville U.K."
• David Payne – sax
• Ray Gasconne
• Band Sgt. Dave Yates
• Den Hegarty – vocals
• Luke Gallagher – vocals on "Career Opportunities"
• Ben Gallagher – vocals on "Career Opportunities"
• Maria Gallagher – vocals on "Broadway"
• Gary Barnacle – sax
• Bill Barnacle – trumpet
• Jody Winscott
• Ivan Julian – guitar
• Noel Tempo Bailey
• Anthony Nelson Steelie
• Lew Lewis – vocals，harmonica
• Gerald Baxter-Warman
• Terry McQuade
• Rudolf Adolphus Jordan
• Battersea
• Mikey Dread – vocals on "Living in Fame"

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• "Complicated Dread: the Mikey Dread interview Complicated Fun, June 21, 2006

v • d • e The Clash
Joe Strummer · Mick Jones · Paul Simonon · Topper Headon Nick Sheppard · Keith Levene · Pete Howard · Terry Chimes · Vince White · Rob Harper
Studio albums	The Clash · Give 'Em Enough Rope · London Calling · Sandinista! · Combat Rock · Cut the Crap
Compilations and lives	Black Market Clash · The Story of the Clash, Volume 1 · Clash on Broadway · The Singles · Super Black Market Clash · From Here to Eternity: Live · The Essential Clash · Singles Box · The Singles
Related articles	Discography · Punk rock · The 101ers · London SS · Public Image Ltd. · Big Audio Dynamite · Havana 3am · The Latino Rockabilly War · The Pogues · The Mescaleros · The Libertines · Carbon/Silicon · The Good, the Bad and the Queen

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