The Clash - London Calling (35th anniversary)

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Sunday.

Today (December 14th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of London Calling, the third studio album from the Clash. This 1979 release debuted on the US Billboard Album chart in early February of 1980. It then spent thirty-three weeks on that chart and peaked at number 27.

Click here for my full review.

The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope (35th anniversary)

Today (November 10th) marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the release of Give 'Em Enough Rope, the second studio album from UK punk group the Clash.

Please click here for more details on this 1978 release.

Happy Birthday, Topper Headon

Happy fifty eighth birthday today (May 30th) to Nicolas Bowen "Topper" Headon, the rock and roll drummer for the British punk band the Clash.

Born in Crockenhill, north of Kent, Headon started playing drums and an early age. He lists jazz drummer Billy Cobham as an influence. In 1973, he played in a progressive rock group called Mirkwood for a year and a half.

The Clash - Combat Rock

Today (May 14th) marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the fifth studio album by the Clash. Combat Rock was originally planned as a seventeen-track double album with the title Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg but was cut back a twelve song single album during production.

Chart-wise, it reached its highest spot in the rock band's native UK, number 2; it also went to number 12 in Canada, number 9 in Sweden, and number 7 in Norway. In the US, it peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 200 and spent sixty one weeks on the chart total.

The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope

Happy fifty-sixth birthday today (December 15th) to bassist Paul Gustave Simonon of the Clash.

Sandwiched between their self-titled, well-received 1977 debut record the Clash and their landmark 1979 album London Calling (click here and here for each of those respective reviews) came 1978’s Give ‘Em Enough Rope (it was released on November 10th). In the UK it went to number 2; in the US it was the first of the band’s albums to be released and reached number 128 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The Clash - London Calling

Though it was released during the final two weeks of the 1970’s in the UK, in the US the Clash’s third studio album London Calling came out during the first month of 1980. This double album sold very well, going Platinum in the US and Gold in the UK and Canada. In the US the album went to number 27 on the Billboard album charts; in the UK it went to number 9. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the record number 1 on its list of the 100 Best Albums of 1980 and number 8 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.