After the Decca single’s release, the band signed with the independent label Do It Records and re-recorded the second single, “Zerox”, backed with “Whip In My Valise”, at Roundhouse Studios. “Zerox” was released in July 1979, after which the band embarked on a 17-show Zerox Tour around Britain in support,…
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In June 1979, the band released the extended play (EP) The Cost of Living , which includes a cover of Bobby Fuller ‘s song ” I Fought the Law “, two original songs and a re-recording of ” Capital Radio “. The EP reached 22 in the UK charts and…
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In 1979, shortly after drummer Hutchinson left the band to be replaced by John Bradbury , Dammers formed the 2 Tone Records label and released the band’s debut single, ” Gangsters “, a reworking of Prince Buster ‘s ” Al Capone “. “The Selecter” by The Selecter appeared on the…
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Joy Division’s debut album, Unknown Pleasures , was recorded at Strawberry Studios , Stockport , in April 1979. Producer Martin Hannett significantly altered their live sound, a fact that greatly displeased the band at the time; however, in 2006, Hook said that in retrospect Hannett had done a good job…
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The band officially went by the Damned again, playing their first gig under that name in April 1979 and signing a recording contract with Chiswick Records . They returned to the studio and released the charting singles ” Love Song ” and ” Smash It Up “, followed by 1979’s…
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The song peaked at No. 31 in Canada and No. 32 in the US, spurring a UK re-release of it in April.
” English Civil War “, which warned against the rise of the far-right in the UK, was released as the album’s second single in February 1979, reaching number 25 in the UK Singles Chart . The B-side is a cover of the Toots and the Maytals ‘ song ” Pressure…
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In support of the album, the Clash toured the UK supported by the Slits and the Innocents . The tour, which consisted of more than thirty shows, was promoted as the Sort It Out Tour. The band later undertook their first, largely successful tour of North America in February 1979.
In February 1979, “Roxanne” was issued as a single in North America, where it was played on radio despite the subject matter.
In August and September 1979, the Clash recorded the double album London Calling , which Guy Stevens , a former A&R executive who had worked with Mott the Hoople and Traffic , produced. The double album was a mix of punk rock, reggae, ska, rockabilly and traditional rock and roll.…
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