So why is The Clash’s Sandinista! on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
Sandinista! is a sprawling triple album, and while I’m a big fan of The Clash, not all of it works. But I respect the experimentation taking place, and the high highs make it a special album indeed overall.
Part of what makes Sandinista! worth revisiting is the sheer ambition behind it. London Calling (1979) – #150 of best 1,000 albums ever – pushed the band to musical places, and Sandinista! takes them even further, with a wild array of tracks that explore reggae, funk, gospel, and even children’s choirs. And politically, the band doubled down on their leftist, anti-authoritarian stance, naming the record after the Nicaraguan Sandinista movement.
The spirit of the album for me is best epitomized by “The Magnificent Seven.” The first time I heard the song, it made me realize how fluid musical genres could be and, when in the right hands, how exciting the output could be. Here was a punk band capable of blasting out all-time classics such as “London’s Burning” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” but who could also slide into the funked up, groovy new wave that’s somehow still punk in spirit but overall is endlessly listenable.
Over time, “Police On My Back” became my favorite song on Sandinista!, a wildly ebullient and upbeat number that’s in the wheelhouse of melodic punk rock I absolutely adore.
“Charlie Don’t Surf” is a good example of an experiment that pays off well. Taking a cue from the Ramones, they bring in 1950s and early 1960s pop and surf rock influences which, filtered through their British punk/new wave background, weirdly works.
“Ivan Meets G.I. Joe” is an even weirder an even weirder cut, a near-novelty with new wave vibes that turns catchy and fun as the title is repeated over and over.
Some stats & info about The Clash – Sandinista!
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock, Rock Music, Punk Rock, Old School Punk, British Punk, British Bands, New Wave, Dance Rock, Pub Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #323
- All Music’s rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Sandinista! released? 1980
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #731 out of 1,000
The Clash’s Sandinista! on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Clash’s Sandinista! that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Well, I’m running, police on my back.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.