(Album ©1980, Epic Records)
I’ve written about this album already on this
blog, as it is one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. But today, I’m here to talk specifically about the cover, which also is an all-time great on it’s own. The cover image of this third Clash album is so visceral – it’s a photo taken by Pennie Smith, with cover design by Ray Lowry. The music within matches that intensity, raising the band’s artistry to a new level – not that they were overtly aiming for high art. And as I mentioned in the previous post, the design exactly mimics that of Elvis Presley’s first album.
Even as a double album, it sold 5 million copies worldwide, including going Platinum in the US. The title track was an actual hit for the band in the UK, going to #11 on the singles chart. In the US, the record label released the “hidden” track, “Train in Vain”, which became a hit here and really put the band on the map in terms of radio play and wider exposure.
But those two tracks were only the beginning, as there is a wealth of great songs on this album, including “Clampdown,” “Death or Glory,” a cover of “Brand New Cadillac,” 
“Lost in the Supermarket,” “Four Horsemen,” and many others. The sum of all that earned the record a well-deserved eighth by Rolling Stone on their Greatest Albums of All Time list. The cover was even made into a Royal Mail stamp in 2010.
Interesting Fact: the photo of bassist Paul Simonon was taken at The Palladium in New York, NOT in London.
