Career Opportunities (Child Version)

Yes, I know - two Sandinista! related post?! Well, my daughter inspired me to write a few words about the "child" version of Career Opportunities.

It's often seen as the the whipping boy of  Sandinista, and an example of where the album went wrong (although it didn't); a novelty track that is one genre too far for a band with an already diverse output. But after hearing my daughter singing along to it, and then asking me to play it again, made me realise how potent the track can be - one that has children singing "career opportunities are the ones that never knock, every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock".
So for all those people with misguided views of what makes good and "credible" music, maybe the song wasn't intended for you - that would be preaching to the converted, because you're already on board from band's previous output, right? Instead, maybe the song is designed for children to sing, almost as a nursery rhyme, years before they are fully aware of what they are singing about. Now THAT is subversive - making it musically, artistically and politically just as valid as the rest of their back catalogue.

I played my daughter the original version of Career Opportunities later - she asked me to put on the "proper" version instead.

Sandanista! In Good Album Review Shock!

Much maligned triple album is actually pretty good...

Bar one or two tracks, I hadn't listened to Sandinista! by The Clash for a very long time until earlier this year.

OK, so maybe it doesn't work well in a digital or CD format - there's too much to listen to in one sitting, so I can understand why it is viewed as a patchy mess of an album. Well you try staying focussed on anything for almost two and a half hours!


However, in it's original format - triple vinyl - it's actually a much more focussed listening experience than some people would have you believe, allowing you the benefit of a pause every 20 odd minutes to turn the record over. Reviews frequently look at the negatives - yes, there are some things that don't work - but neglect to mention the album's main strength, which is a lot of classic tunes: The Magnificent 7, Hits ville UK, The Call Up, Charlie Don't Surf, Washington Bullets, their cover of Lightning Strikes (not Once But Twice) etc. Instead of there being "a great single album" (another comment from the reviewer's book of clichés) somewhere in here, I reckon there's three hugely enjoyable, adventurous, and wonderfully diverse post-punk-dub-rap-pop albums screaming to get out. There's something for everyone here.

It takes an open mind to love this album - The UK press slated it, but their American counterparts, perhaps not so hung up on the bands punk credentials, loved it. I've listened to Sandinista! more in the last 12 months than I ever have before. If you haven't listened to it for a while then, go on, give it a second chance. Just take it one disc at a time...