As a dyed-in-the-wool fan of The Clash since first receiving a copy of their debut LP in a box of records shipped to my sister and I from London in the summer of 1977, I have, of course, discussed the iconic sleeve of their third album, London Calling, here, quite a few times.
But a friend of mine online shared the pic above, today, and it struck me that I don’t think I’d ever seen it until now. This is, of course, Clash bassist Paul Simonon in the moments just after introducing the business end of his bass guitar to the unrelenting stage floor of New York’s Palladium, as famously captured on Pennie Smith’s legendary album cover.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere here, the building that had been the Palladium was razed in 1998, and a large NYU dormitory – churlishly named “Palladium” – now stands in its footprint. Adding insult to injury, there’s a Trader Joe’s in its ground floor.
The spot wherein Paul took his bass to task is basically now the where the produce aisle is.
Just in case…
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