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The Clash: London Calling
To visit this display about The Clash's seminal album, you must now book a free timed entry ticket to the museum. You can do so by clicking the Book Now button below. Please note, there will be limited capacity in the display space at any one time.
Display
London Calling was and is a hugely compelling melting pot of musical styles, driven by a passion for action and a fierce desire for social justice. The album’s music and lyrics remain as relevant today as they were on release.
If you can't make it to the museum to visit the display in person, you can see experience it for yourself online thanks to the free, exclusive audio tour of The Clash: London Calling in partnership with Smartify. Using a selection of key objects from the display, this fascinating, 15 minute audio tour takes you behind-the-scenes of how the album was made. Click on the link below to play the tour.
You can also head over to BBC iPlayer to watch a film all about our The Clash: London Calling display. This was originally released as part of #MuseumFromHome, a whole day dedicated to helping people enjoy museum collections from home while the buildings were closed.
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Joe Strummer's notebook
© Casbah Productions
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Paul Simonon's broken bass guitar
© The Clash Archive
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Handwritten track listing by Mick Jones
© The Clash Archive
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Topper Headon's drum sticks
(c) The Clash Archive
To reflect the band’s diverse range of political, emotional and musical interests, a broad range of items from their personal archive can be seen in the display, including:
- Paul Simonon’s broken Fender Precision Bass, smashed on stage at The Palladium in New York City on 21st September 1979.
- Mick Jones’ handwritten album sequencing note.
- Joe Strummer’s notebook from the period when the album ‘London Calling’ was rehearsed and recorded.
- Joe Strummer’s typewriter used to document ideas, lyrics and other writings.
To coincide with the opening of the display Sony Music have released the London Calling Scrapbook - a 120-page hardback companion which comes with the album and contains hand-written lyrics, notes, photos and previously unseen material from the period when the record was made.
The Clash: London Calling was co-curated and delivered by the Museum of London in partnership with The Clash and Robert Gordon McHarg III.
“‘London Calling’ is The Clash’s defining album, a rallying call for Londoners and people around the world. 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.”
Beatrice Behlen, Senior Curator
Display
London Calling also of interest
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