LONDON MUSEUM FETES LONDON

The Clash’s London Calling will be celebrated at the Museum of London with a collection of items from personal archives of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon including the smashed bass guitar from the album cover.

The Clash: London Calling opens 11/15 and runs until spring 2020 and includes handwritten and typed lyrics, stage clothes, photos and films, giving new insight into their recording process and the making of London Calling. No need for a special offer: It’s free.

Included in the show are Strummer's note book from 1979 and typewriter; Jones’ handwritten album sequence note; the only remaining pair of Headon’s drum sticks from the era and Simonon’s Fender Precision Bass that he smashed at New York’s Palladium in September 1979.

To coincide with the exhibit, Sony Music will release on 11/15 the London Calling Scrapbook, a 120-page hardback book with the album on CD and hand-written lyrics, notes, photos and previously unseen material from the period when the record was made.

“London Calling is The Clash’s defining album, a rallying call for Londoners and people around the world,” said Beatrice Behlen, Senior Curator of Fashion and Decorative Arts at the Museum of London. “The album’s lyrics reflected contemporary concerns, many of which are still relevant today, as it moved away from traditional punk by adopting and reworking much wider musical influences.

“At the Museum of London, we tell the stories of our capital through the objects and memories of the people who have lived here. This display will provide a brand new, exciting and vibrant take on this, showcasing rarely seen personal objects and telling the incredible story of how London Calling was, and for many still is, the sound of a generation.”

Question: Has any album title been more used and abused by headline writers than London Calling?