10 Genuine Reactions That Made Songs Better

When The Clash decided to record a version of Willie Williams’ song Armagideon Time, there was much talk in the studio about what the perfect length of a song should be. Their associate Kosmo Vinyl, was convinced the perfect time was two minutes and fifty eight seconds. The band agreed, and Joe Strummer asked Kosmo to stop the recording when they got to the allotted time.

As the recording progressed, it was clear to Kosmo, and everyone else in the studio, that The Clash were cutting a great version of the song. Two minutes and fifty eight seconds was soon approaching on the clock, and The Clash were in full swing. Not sure what to do, Kosmo decided to order the session to stop over the studio intercom. His command of “All right, time’s up! Let’s have you out of there!”, is clearly audible on the finished track.

In most cases, such an action would have ruined a take, yet it was Strummer’s reply that saved everything. Clearly knowing how good the recording was, Strummer shouted back “Ok, ok! Don’t push us when we’re hot!”, without breaking rhythm. The band kept playing for nearly another minute and a potential costly error turned out to be the highlight of the recording.