10 Things You Didn't Know About Famous Music Album Covers
2. London Calling - The Clash (1979)
The iconic cover for The Clash's seminal London Calling is a snippet of history captured almost by accident and with no prior notion of what it would be used for.
Photographer Pennie Smith took the reactionary shot one fated night in 1979 when bassist Paul Simonon destroyed his instrument at the New York City Palladium. Simonon was perturbed by the venue's bouncers forbidding people to get up out of their seats during the concert. Why seats were in anyway an element at a Clash show is another question... but, the furious punk felt like injecting a little bit of madness into the subdued atmosphere.
Although Smith disregarded the image initially (due to it being out of focus) Joe Strummer insisted they use it for the upcoming album cover. This was punk rock after all, and who wasn't a little bit blurry back then? The image came to symbolise the raw energies of punk rock and the ferocity with which its key players performed.
The font and distinctive colouring of the lettering was a direct homage to Elvis Presley's debut record, which had been a huge influence on the band.