Record #0876: Train In Vain (Stand By Me) / London Calling – THE CLASH

Memory Lane (Epic) 15 03088 (re-issue), USA, July 1982
Words & Music by:  Side A – Joe Strummer, Mick Jones; Side B – Joe Strummer, Mick Jones
Musicians: Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Topper Headon (drums), Mick Jones (lead guitar, backing vocals), Paul Simonon (bass)
Recording sessions: Produced by Guy Stevens at Wessex Sound Studios in London, UK in late 1981 and early 1982; Side A – in August 1979;Side B – in August and September 1979
Highest chart positions:  The re-issue didn’t chart. The original songs: Side A – US #23, Canada #62, New Zealand #26; Side B - UK #11, Australia #28, Ireland #16

This is a double A-sided re-issue of the single that was originally released in the States on 12. February 1980 (Epic 9-50851).

Although "London Calling" and "Train in Vain" are among The Clash's biggest hits, they entered the world in completely opposite ways. "London Calling" was the intentional, high-profile title track and lead single of the album. "Train in Vain," on the other hand, was written and recorded so late in the studio sessions that the album artwork had already been printed. As a result, it wasn't listed on the original tracklist, making it one of rock history's most famous "hidden tracks."

The haunting, static-filled guitar noise that cuts out right at the very end of "London Calling" was a complete accident. During the recording session, Mick Jones's guitar pickup broke down and began feeding back, mimicking a desperate Morse code distress signal. While the sound engineer wanted to stop the take, producer Guy Stevens insisted they keep rolling, recognizing that the eerie glitch perfectly fit the song's apocalyptic theme.

List price: I found no listed prices or sales records in my usual sources. My estimate for a VG+ copy is approximately €5.

 

Record #0875: Rock the Casbah / Long Time Jerk – THE CLASH

Epic 34-03245 (original), USA, September 1982
Words & Music by:  Side A – the Clash; Side B – the Clash
Musicians: Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar on side B), Topper Headon (drums, bass and piano on side A), Mick Jones (guitars, backing vocals, harmonica on side B), Paul Simonon (backing vocals, bass on side B)
Recording sessions: Produced by the Clash; Side A - at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, New York, NY, in late 1981 and early 1982; Side B - at Ear Studios, London, UK, in September 1981
Highest chart positions:  Side A - US #8, US Cashbox #13, UK #30, Canada #17, Australia #3, Sweden #16; Side B - none

The single version of “Rock the Casbah” is not the same version found on the “Combat Rock” album. Instead, it uses a special remix by Mick Jones and Bob Clearmountain that features a "murkier" tone, more prominent guitar and piano parts, louder sound effects, and a dialled-down toy synthesizer in the third verse.

At the 1:52 mark of the track, a distinct electronic noise plays. This sound is a monophonic snippet of the song "Dixie" generated directly from the alarm of a digital wristwatch owned by guitarist Mick Jones, which he intentionally recorded into the mix.

The Clash frequently left stellar material off their main LPs to give fans extra value on standalone singles. "Long Time Jerk" didn't make the cut for “Combat Rock”. For over a decade, it remained a hard-to-find rarity until it was finally compiled on the 1993 fan-favourite rarities collection, “Super Black Market Clash” (released on 26. October 1993).

List price: The median price at discogs.com is 4 euros. 45cat.com price guide shows 9 €.  

Record #0874: Should I Stay or Should I Go? / Cool Confusion – THE CLASH

Epic 34-03547 (original, but not the first release), USA, February 1983
Words & Music by:  Side A – the Clash; Side B – the Clash
Musicians: Mick Jones (lead vocals, guitar), Joe Strummer (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Simonon (bass), Topper Headon (drums)
Recording sessions: Produced by the Clash; Side A – at Ear Studios, London, UK, in September 1981 and at the Garden Studio in Hampshire, UK, in April 1982; Side B – at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, New York, NY, in late 1981
Highest chart positions:  Side A - US #45, US Rock #13, UK #17, Canada #40, Ireland #16; Side B - none

Side A was the Clash’s only UK #1 song, but it took some time and help to get there. Despite being a fan-favourite rock classic, the song originally peaked modestly when it first came out in 1982. It only reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in March 1991—nearly ten years later—after being featured heavily in a popular television commercial for Levi's.

Right near the beginning of the song, lead vocalist and guitarist Mick Jones can be heard shouting "Split!" The small, raw vocal outburst happened because Jones was unexpectedly startled or caught off-guard during the live studio performance, and the band decided to leave it right on the master tape.

Side B was originally recorded for a planned double album titled “Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg”, which was heavily mixed and conceptualized by Mick Jones. Due to internal band friction, manager Bernie Rhodes brought in legendary producer Glyn Johns to cut down and remix the project into a single album (Combat Rock). "Cool Confusion" was axed from the main track list and saved exclusively as this single's B-side.

The first US release of “Should I Stay or Should I Go” was on Epic 14-03006, which came out on 10. July 1982 with “Inoculated City” on the flipside.

List price: The median price at discogs.com is 6,30 euros. I found three copies sold in eBay for €16-€26.