Engineer Bill Price and producer Guy Stevens (the man who famously threw chairs and ladders around the room to generate energy) captured a band on the verge of collapse. The original 1979 vinyl and subsequent early CD transfers were problematic. Critics called the sound "boxy." The low-end was flabby; the famous bass run by Paul Simonon often got lost beneath Joe Strummer’s snarling vocals and Mick Jones’s reverb-drenched guitars.
Often cited for its "raw" and "energetic" sound, particularly on the 180g vinyl edition London Calling - Remastered
The remastered version opens up the stereo field. On the original track, the iconic guitar riff—that descending, apocalyptic arpeggio—felt centered and claustrophobic. On , the guitar blooms. You can hear the wood of the instrument, the scrape of the pick. Engineer Bill Price and producer Guy Stevens (the
Released in December 1979 (UK) / January 1980 (US), London Calling was a defiant statement. The Clash had just finished a chaotic, expensive US tour and were nearly bankrupt. Their label, CBS, was pressuring them for a commercial follow-up to the raw punk of their debut. Often cited for its "raw" and "energetic" sound,