Luther played the boogie woogie

It's Friday! It's about three o'clock! It's time to Boogie At Your Desk!

( You what? )

Today you were invited to Boogie At Your Desk to:

The Clash - Spanish Bombs

Some time ago, I was given a 2-CD Clash best-of. It opens with White Riot, which defines how I think of The Clash's sound. The album didn't really grab me, and I mostly forgot about it.

Relatively recently, I was given a copy of London Calling. I listened to it, and was completely bowled over. The Clash may have recorded shouty songs like White Riot, but that's really not how most of their stuff sounds - they're actually much more melodic, much more ska than I ever remember.

Since then, I've re-listened to my original double album, and I've radically reformed my opinion. The Clash really were great. However, I still think I'd recommend London Calling as an introduction.

Spanish Bombs is not something I could ever imagine hearing in a club, it's hardly a floor-filler. Yet it's a song you could dance to - someone should use it in a film. Imagine a long, night time shot of a couple dancing the rumba across a rubble-filled bomb crater, the backdrop bleak and the music playing from a tinny transistor...

Well, it works in my imagination, anyway.