Customer Reviews

Sandinista

5 star:		(120)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

A few of the reviewers here said that the best way to enjoy "Sandinista" was to download the album and pick out your favorite songs, and then put it onto one CD. That'd make "Sandinista" more consise, more penetrable, and generally more better.

Having a subscription to an mp3 service, I downloaded the entire album anxiously. About a month before, I bought "London Calling" and became addicted -- and I wanted to see how the Clash could mess up so badly in only a year's time ("Sandinista" was released a year after "London Calling").

When all of the tracks were finally downloaded, I began listening to them, one by one.

First track -- Magnificent Seven. Initial reaction? "...wow. This is... amazing! But then again, everyone said it was one of the GOOD tracks, so I guess it's not that much of a surprise."

Second track -- Hitsville UK. "..I've never really heard anything like this before. A woman singing in a Clash song? Who is she? I like her voice. ...this is pretty catchy. Like really catchy. Um, yep, I like this song too."

Next up -- Junco Partner. Knowing in advance that not much was said about this track, I expected it to be one of the "bad" songs/experiments. Initial reaction? "...hey! This is the Clash doing reggae again, like on 'London Calling'! I like the little violin touches. And what is that? A keyboard? Or a toy piano? Whatever it is, it sounds cool."

And so on and so on. I think you get the idea.

I ended up liking every song, actually. I'm not exaggerating because I'm trying to be some demented Clash fanboy or something -- every single track on "Sandinista" is at the very least interesting. It never, ever bores me. If the music is somewhat lacking on a given track, the lyrics make up for it. And vice versa. Most of the time, like on "Somebody Got Murdered" or "Magnificent Seven," the lyrics and the music are both equally excellent.

I mean, really -- the entire first disc is a great album on it's own as it is. While some might think it's redundant to have "One More Dub" next to the original version, it's just like one whole song to me, both of them. And seeing how it's really not that bad of a song to begin with, I actually like having the dub right next to the original version.

The second half of disc two gets even more wildly experimental -- and I will admit it's the part I listen to the least. Even still, when I do listen to the various dubs and backwards tracks and songs like "Junkie Slip" on that portion of the disc, I always find myself interested in the sonic detail and what not of the songs. And the child-friendly version of "Career Opportunities" is fantastic.

See how long my review is already? I guess I'll stop now for your sake. But realize that because of my love for this album, I could write dozens and dozens of more pages about it.

One last thing: I just wanted to thank a few of the reviewers on here who gave the album a negative review. You guys/girls piqued my curosity enough to find out for myself if it was good or not. And, I must say, it's good. Quite good indeed.

While not as "Rocking" or accessable as London Calling (new Clash fans should definatly check out that album first), Sandanista! is a 2 hour and 30 minute long sprawling masterpeice.

Some argue that this album is 2/5th great material and the rest is filler. Those people don't know good music if it bites them.

On this album the Clash explore all forms of music, including hip-hop, disco/dance, jazz, calipso, gospel, waltz, and of course, the usual dose of punk, rock, ska and raggae. This album is a journey. Longer, more varied and, at times, more fun than the Beatles "White Album" (and this album ranks up there with some of the Beatle's best). Will you like the album at first? Hmm, probably not. It takes repeated listens to appreciate the way The Clash cram hundreds of hooks and melodies into a single track.

The Magnifigant 7 - A hip-hop dance number with GREAT lyrics. One of the best bass lines I've ever heard by Paul Simonon, and try not laughing when Strummer screams, "CHEESEBOIGER!"

Hitsville U.K. - Starts like a gospel song, but quickly transforms into a singalong with some catchy-as-hell melodies. Note: the woman singing this song is Clash guitarist Mick Jone's exgirlfriend, Ellen Foley, who also song the epic Meatloaf song "Paradie By The Dashboard Light"

Junco Partner - Great reggea flavored track, with some of the oddest sound effects dancing all over the place. Makes for a very odd and entertaining song.

Ivan Meets G.I. Joe - This song is literally a disco song being played over a futuristic war land. Laser sounds fill the air as drummer Topper Headen sings of a galactic showdown between "ivan" and "g.i.joe" (metaphores, you can figure it out)

The Leader - The first (almost traditional)Clash rocker. Fast & quick.

Something About England - A very lyrical one, with an interesting story behind it.

Rebel Waltz - A waltz in.. yep, 3/4ths time. Begins with a chamber music-esuque instrumental, and turns into a touching song.

Look Here - A dip into Jazz for the Clash. Paul Simonon nails the "walking bassline", and the piano is wonderfully jazzy.

The Crooked Beat - Paul Simonon's song. Very strange, as Paul does his traditional "talk-singing". It's a dub flavored reggae, probably the weakest track on the album, but still enjoyable.

Somebody Got Murdered - a REAL rocker. More rock than punk i'd say. A fast catchy tune, with very affecting lyrics. Jones practically whispers over the loud guitars, "somebody got murdered.. somebody's dead forever."

One More Time - a darker reggae song.
One More Time Dub - a dub version of the latter. (Dub basically just entails an instrumental with reverb slapped all over the place, and echoing snare and hi-hat).

Lightening Strikes - Another hip-hop dance track in the vein of "Magnifigant 7". Lots of references to New York city.

Up In Heaven - An overlooked gem. Great rocker.

Corner Soul - another excellent track. While not really reggae at all, it sounds very... let's say.. babylon-esque.

Let's Go Crazy - a great tropical song with steel drums. "So ya wanna go crazy!?"

If Music Could Talk - A jazzy reggae number, with a wonderful sax solo. There are 2 vocal tracks, one in each channel (left and right).

The Sound of the Sinners - a gospel song! and a GREAT gospel song, in which the religious meaning comes off NOT being lame or cheesy.

DISC TWO

Police on my Back - a cover, but done SOO well. A true punk rocker, The most rocking thing on the album. The lead guitar sounds like sirens, and Jones gives a remarkable vocal performance, literally spitting the phrase "what have i done!?"

Midnight Log - cool song. short and catchy, with great lyrics.

The Equaliser - very reverby, and sound effect coated. but a great sonf.

The Call Up - a cool steady beat throughout. one of the highlight songs. "it's up to you not to hear the call up, i don't wanna die... i don't wanna kill."

Washington Bullets - possibly the peak of the album. great lyrics, very political. Spanish and tropical flavored. The best moment comes at 2:40 in, when, in his sweetest voice, Strummer proclaims "saaaandanista!" and a wave of cheering and clapping insues.

Broadway - This is quite a song. In my opinion it sounds a song U2 could easily cover. Strummer gives a wonderful lyrical performance. With one hoarse "yeeeah" he can make your hair stand on end.

Lose This Skin - a classical flavored song, full of violins. Sounds like its from the early 1900's classical era. Written by Tymon Dogg, who sings and plays violin throughout the album.

Charlie Don't Surf - one of the best on the album. the effects give it this beauitful shining underwater sound. The melody is absolutly beautiful. The drums kick in with a "surf" beat, common in "surf rock". Great lyrics too, about the US spreading western ways where people don't want them (charlie = the enemy, charlie don't surf and we thing he should.. hu hu?)

Mensforth Hill - "something about england" played backwards. but also filled with sound effects and talking, in the vein of the beatles "Revolution 9". at some parts, it sounds exactly like "dark side of the moon", specifically "on the run".

well, i'm tired of writing now, but the rest of the songs are great too, though, i admit i wish the album ended with a real good song instead of an instrumental. but, its still a masterpice by one of the greatest bands of all time.

When "Sandinista" was released as a 3-vinyl-LP set at the close of 1980, I was a high-schooler beset with idealistic notions about the power of punk. Listening to its array of styles, innovations and insights, I thought this album would surely erase the shadow of the '60s and herald an era of uncompromising cultural progress.

Today, high-schoolers who see Ringo Starr on ads for investment firms have no idea who Joe Strummer is, and people long ago stopped allowing LPs/CDs to make a significant impression on their sensibilities. If "Sandinista" influenced anything, it was probably the already-emerging popularity of rap and world music.

That said, "The Leader", "Corner Soul", "Somebody Got Murdered", "If Music Could Talk," and "Charlie Don't Surf" are among the most literate songs composed in the last 20 years and represent only a small fraction of the astounding collection of songs and sounds in "Sandinista". If nothing else, the Clash are able to present a snapshot of disorder and potential in widescreen deep-focus. Each character, from the homeless vet in "Something About England" to the ravaged spiritual seeker in "Sound of the Sinners", seems fully drawn. Each beat, riff and dub seems carefully considered and flawlessly executed. Each cut still seems to hold some ground.

Maybe that's why this album was not received with widespread acclaim 20 years ago-- it was just too overwhelming. When the Clash returned a year and a half later, they won their audience with "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay...", but didn't have it in them to paint another picture of such stunning depth.

P>Now, onto the album itself:

I can't claim to know whether or not it represents musical genius or is subtle and nuanced or any other such thing, but I can tell you this: I like it. A lot. As much as London Calling.

The tracks are extremely diverse (of course), but the point is, they WORK. Some are mad dancy fun, like Look Here, Let's Go Crazy, Police on my Back, and The Sound of Sinners. Some are deep and soulful, including Corner Soul ("Is the music calilng for a river of blood?"), Charlie Dont Search and Something about England, while others, such as Rebel Waltz and Washington Bullets, are (in different ways) light and melodic. Meanwhile The Magnificent Seven and The Call Up evoke the anger present on the (British version of) the self-titled.

I think my favorite thing about Sandinista! is the stories told by many of the songs and the images they invoke. Something About England makes a social statement but also feels like an urban fantasy a la Neil Gaiman or Charles de Lint, while Rebel Waltz has the feel of a traditional fantasy or historical novel; you actually begin to care about the fate of the rebel army and see them "dancing to the news that the war is not won." Let's Go Crazy, meanwhile...well, this one you really have to hear to understand.

What it comes down to is this: This album can make for a wonderful listening experience, but it isn't for everyone. If you're into the Clash cause you're a HardKore Punk Rawk type (insert additional x's and k's as needed), then this probably isn't for you (or maybe it is, and it'll help you snap out of it). Otherwise, give it a try, and don't give up after the first listen; let it grow on you. If nothing else it's not that expensive, and it'll complete your Clash collection.

Even tho London Calling came out first, it was Sandinista that I first heard, at a friend's home. Having been exposed to The Clash's punk blasts of their earlier days a few times, I was amazed at the difference in the sound. After I got Sandinista and listened to it more carefully on my own, I was further amazed at how brilliant it was, period. The material on Disc 1 and the first third of Disc 2 is almost as strong as London Calling. It is only on the last two-thirds of Disc 2, originally the third vinyl record of a three-album set, that there is a severe letdown, with repetition and weird, cacophonous sound effects. But forget this part--focus on the rest.

Both London Calling and Sandinista employ many different musical styles, but while London Calling has the edge in power, Sandinista is more imaginative. Furthermore, as good as the music on Sandinista is, it is the compelling atmosphere of the songs that is its crowning achievement, even its genius. The eccentric "Junco Partner" is the most amusing reggae I have ever heard, and the calypso "Let's Go Crazy" is fabulous. The pretty "Rebel Waltz" and its harpsichord overlays are an interesting variation on the theme of revolution. Sandinista has its share of power workouts too, including the vibe-laden "Hitsville U.K.," in which Mick Jones's girlfriend Ellen Foley joins him to create a single-voice-effect harmony, as well as "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe," with its neat video game/space battle background, and "The Sound of the Sinners," with its zippy acoustic guitar and great sarcasm. But there are also songs in the London Calling knock-em-out vein: "The Leader," "Police on My Back," "Midnight Log," and the album's strongest entries: "Somebody Got Murdered" and "Up in Heaven." Some of the longer, atmospheric tracks, such as the funky "Lighting Strikes" and "The Equaliser," seem to drag on, but the musical background is always interesting. Don't forget the lyrics: the at once melodramatic and mournful "One More Time" is a highly evocative, reggae-style demand for ghetto justice, and "Something About England" should be listened to carefully. Lastly, "Washington Bullets," one of the best tracks, is effectively the title cut, and based on what I just stated, it is not hard to figure out what it is about.

On London Calling, The Clash's music was eclectic within the bounds of their newly found more palatable but still dynamic sound. On Sandinista, they went beyond themselves to produce their most innovative, imaginative, and atmospheric work. Ultimately, there is more diversity of music on Sandinista, not counting the last part (which doesn't count anyway). Sandinista was, well, revolutionary.

That's right, all the critics who wrote this brilliant, inspired, ambitious, and dazzlingly creative album off as self-indulgent garbage should be shipped off to a deserted island and forced to listen to nothing but Matchbox 20 for the next decade.

It's almost unbelievable that one of the leaders of the first-wave of British punk could have dared to release an album this complex and genre-defying. You must have an open mind to appreciate it, and you must listen to it multiple times. Lyrically, it is stunning and even heartbreaking at times (Something About England, The Call-Up - they just don't write songs like this anymore!) But the music is where the Clash stood head and shoulders above all their peers - in fact, so far above them that most of them just scratched their heads in confusion.

This album features (deep breath) rockabilly, soul, jazz, calypso, reggae, dub, hard rock, ballads, R&B, disco, waltz, gospel, rap.... and some songs I'm not even sure how to classify. And astoundingly enough, it's almost all pulled off marvelously, and all still retains that unmistakable Clash Essence. The band drew on influences from the world over and created a real testament to the power of music to inspire and move people. The Call-Up is the greatest protest song ever. Broadway shows a moment of geniuine compassion you almost never find in rock music anymore. One More Time and One More Dub are perfect complements, gorgeous, ominous reggae.

Was it better than London Calling? You better believe it. Sandinista was the greatest rock album ever. Bar none. Buy it now.

I don't have the energy to review this album. It's too massive, it's too epic, it's too good.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to write a five page paper about how great Sandinista is, about how many different musical genres are explored, and about how political and relevant these songs are. I could go on for hours about how the Clash actually had the musical ability to pull off an album this ambitious. I could even go on to recall my awe at the fact that Joe Strummer has the vocal abilities to pull off some of these tracks. Of course, if I did that, I'd have to mention how ahead of the time this album was.

I'd of course have to mention how this album holds together so well. Perhaps some other time I'll chew your ear off about how the final sixth of the album repeats the album's early musical motifs while the short musical interludes at the end of the songs become more and more urgent, and how this holds the album together.

No, I just don't have the energy to explain how complicated, challenging and rewarding Sandinista is. It's something worth experiencing on your own, anyway. I can tell you this though, it's excellent music.

This is one of the most difficult CD's I own. If it wasn't by The Clash, I probably would have tried selling it long ago. If you are looking for an introduction to The Clash, London Calling - an instant masterpiece - is the way to go. If you want to be challenged by a CD that tries virtually everything, then Sandinista is for you.

This CD is so subtle at times it can be frustrating. The first few times I listened to it, I felt myself increasingly disappointed with every track. Where were the catchy rock anthems launching themselves out of my speakers? With the possible exception of Police On My Back, they weren't there - there was no Death or Glory, no Spanish Bombs, no Career Opportunities or London is Burning. But because I firmly believe that Joe Strummer & company could do no wrong (well, at least, not before Cut the Crap, if that even counts), I forced myself to keep listening and ultimately I was astonished with what I found. Rebel Waltz is one of the most hauntingly gorgeous, sad, and compelling songs I have ever heard. Something about England is the absolute perfect wedding of music to lyrics - a triumph of compassion. Quick blasts of funk like Midnight Log and The Leader will eventually shock you with how well they work, how much they make you want to start tapping your foot to the beat.

The Call Up and Washington Bullets come together on this CD, and what a wonderful combination it is. Even from the white upper-middle class world of suburbia, songs like this are amazing in their ability to forge a connection between the listener and the world's war-weary and downtrodden. Whereas the sappy pretentions of a song like "Heal the World" make you want to retch, the wit, compassion, and sad desperation of the Clash sound completely real and vital. The Clash know how to blend the political with the personal to strike all the right chords; observe the couplet from The Call Up: "There is a rose, that I want to live for/Although, God knows, I may not have met her" -- who couldn't fall in love with these guys??

The Clash get major kudos for trying something different. But ultimately they get to be one of the best bands in the world for succeeding. Very few bands could have pulled this triple album off without simply wallowing in their self-importance. While you may be tempted at first to write Sandinista off in a similar vein, if you challenge yourself to listen enough, you'll eventually absorb the whole thing and recognize it is absolutely brilliant and infinitely more vital and touching than anything on the radio today.

"Sandinista!" is undoubtedly the Clash's most underappreciated and misunderstood album. Issued as their fourth LP in the US, the disk was panned by many critics as undisciplined and unfocused, with many of the 36 tracks unpolished and a handful downright incoherent. Guilty as charged, at least partially. "Sandinista!" is still a brilliant album, with most of the excesses attributable to an explosion of creativity seldom seen.

Coming off the "London Calling" double album, the Clash work most favorably recalled today, Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon tumbled headlong into a variety of musical styles and tastes. Straight-ahead rock is leavened with ska, reggae and dub, Trinidadian steel drums, calypso, dance pop and nascent rap, `60s girl group vocals, old time Negro spiritual, soul and funk and whatever else caught their fancy. The group worked long hours in the studio, rehearsing, noodling, brainstorming - and recording - just about everything. Ultimately they ended up with more than enough material for two sides of a vinyl LP. Determined to give the fans "value for money" and in fact engaged in a wasteful battle of wills with CBS/Epic over what the Clash perceived as loathsome promotion efforts, the boys insisted on releasing a 3-disk record featuring everything-but-the-kitchen-sink.

The result is a "Sandinista!" that fans and critics initially (and understandably) found hard to digest, let alone embrace. Twenty-some years later, however, the album remains as subversive and topical and rewarding as any ever made. It is at once entertaining and thought provoking, disturbing and soothing, good natured and dour, confounding and brilliant.

In opening number The Magnificent Seven, Joe Strummer raps to a bass-and-drums dance beat, spitting out such classic lines as, "What do we have for entertainment? Cops kickin' gypsies on the pavement!" and "Wave bub-bub-bub-bye to the boss. It's our profit, it's his loss." As the rhythm section propels the tune, an irresistible call and response chorus goes, "You lot! What? Don't stop, give it all you got." Hitsville UK prefigures Bananarama, featuring Mick Jones' girlfriend at the time, Ellen Foley. In Something About England, an old street bum serves as the device to poignantly lament post-war England, the class system, and other social ills. Somebody Got Murdered is a straight-ahead rocker. As reported by Marcus Gray in his superb Clash biography "The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town", it was `commissioned' by the director of the Al Pacino movie "Cruising" - who never returned to claim his song! It is immediately followed by One More Time, a reggae lament influenced by Jamaican DJ-songwriter-producer Mikey Dread, the lyrics a sharp depiction of ghetto poverty and violence. (Mikey Dread would in fact heavily influence the album overall.) An up-tempo romp, Lightning Strikes (Not Once but Twice) lightens the mood with some dance-funk fun.

Mick Jones' joyful, rocking melody on Up in Heaven (Not Only Here) masks lyrics portraying the soul-crushing `towers of London', dreadfully bleak concrete high-rises thrown up by unimaginative city planners to house the post-war poor. Later, Jones' earnest vocals on a cover of the Equals' Police on My Back (written by Eddy Grant) propel the desperate protagonist against a wall of siren-wailing guitars. Effectively following on, the bounce ditty Midnight Log warns the listener, "Working for the devil, you'll have to pay his tax. That means going to see him down among the racks..." Later, on Kingston Advice a vocal chorus echoes a working class theme first established in The Magnificent Seven, the struggle for dignity and redemption amidst oppression, corporate and otherwise: "In these days nations are militant. We have slavery under government. In these days in the firmament, I look for signs that are permanent."

In the universal anti-war brood The Call Up, Joe pleads with his youthful listeners, "It's up to you not to heed the call up. I don't wanna die! It's up to you not to hear the call up. I don't wanna kill!" To Washington Bullets' steel drums and sunny island melody Joe laments America's (and England and Russia's) historic `interference' around the world. Charlie Don't Surf pushes the point further, with a decidedly "Apocalypse Now" anti-Vietnam backdrop. It is Strummer's closing shout of "Sandinista!" that produced the album's title and longest lasting cultural imprint.

Another collaboration stands out: Lyrics penned and sung by Joe's eccentric folk singing pal Tymon Dogg, to a fiddling reel arranged by Mick, Lose This Skin is uplifting, chilling, beautiful, an altogether exhilarating song.

Perhaps the best way to listen to this album is to edit it yourself, i.e. boil it down to a single coherent, more focused, digestible, and clearly themed album. For example, I would open with Magnificent Seven, followed by Hitsville UK, Something About England, Rebel Waltz, Somebody Got Murdered, One More Time, Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice), Up in Heaven (Not Only Here), Police on My Back, Midnight Log, The Call Up, Washington Bullets, Lose This Skin, Charlie Don't Surf, and Kingston Advice. I'd close with the rousing The Sound of the Sinners, in which Joe Strummer sings, "After all this time to believe in Jesus. After all those drugs I thought I was him. After all my lying and a-crying and my suffering, I ain't good enough, I ain't clean enough to be him." Powerful stuff and another good example why this is a great album.

Once digested, go back and listen to the rest of the stuff. But yes, Clash fans, I initially would skip Junco Partner, Joe's tongue in cheek anti-drug rap; Ivan Meets GI Joe, an effects laden disco ball groove; The Crooked Beat, Paul's follow-up to Guns of Brixton, which the others inexplicably turned into a reggae song - not at all what Paul intended; the Equaliser, a song type of which Joe did better many times over; the piano driven "Version City", and a half dozen others of lesser merit.

A masterpiece? No. Is this the Clash's "White Album" or "Exile on Main Street"? No. It IS too long, too undisciplined and too unfocused to be called that. If anything, "London Calling" may fit such a characterization. But "Sandinista!" is still a great album nonetheless, capable of stunning the listener with its creative highs. Soak it in and appreciate. You'll listen to "Sandinista!" long after you've mined everything from other albums, Beatles to the Clash.

TURN THIS UP REAL LOUD, GET HIGH, LISTEN, TUNE IN...

To those who say this is not a great album, and that you need to create your own cd from the 36 tracks: Go listen to the radio, this is not for you, this is for people who actually like the adventure and excitement of albums.

I have never been a huge fan of the clash, more of a very casual part-time listener, never really hearing more than London Calling and bits and pieces of other albums. My girlfriend has been a fan of them for many years so she played me a few other albums, and while I enjoyed their music and thought of them as much more than just a punk band, I never really knew how great they were until I finally listened to this work of mastery. I can't believe how good this is.

I think you really have to pay attention to this album to get it. You can't just put this on in the background and look for good singles or hardcore punk/rock blasts, this is a full album that needs to really be absorbed in full.

This was not a f_ck you to the record label.
This was not a treat for hardcore fans.
This was not them scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to make this so long.

This is one of the best albums ever made in the history of music, spanning almost every genre of music, bridging the past with what was going to come in the future, very big sound, amazing instrumental moments with great surprises and subtle changes that are mind-blowing. The thickness of this album will totally shock anybody who hasn't listened to it and likes bands like My Morning jacket, Flaming Lips, Radiohead, Olivia Tremor control or any other psychedelicesque music that has many, many layers of sound. The thing that really struck me the most was the layering of sound on Sandinista! I totally have to rethink of my perception of the Clash after this experience.

I just hope more people listen to this properly.
If you have ever listened to this and wished you liked it more, or if you have never even liked the Clash at all, get really stoned and put this in your stereo...enjoy.