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The Clash — Washington Bullets
Album: Sandinista!
Avg rating:
6.4

Your rating:
Total ratings: 506








Released: 1980
Length: 3:46
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Oh mama mama look there
Your children are playing in the street again
Don't you know what happened down there
A youth of 14 got shot down there
The cocaine guns of Jamdown Town
The killing clowns, the blood money men
Are shooting those Washington bullets again

As every cell in Chile will tell
The cries of the tortured men
Remember Allende and the days before
Before the army came
Please remember Victor Jara
In the Santiago Stadium
Es Verdas
Those Washington bullets again

And in The Bay of Pigs in 1961
Havana for the playboy in the Cuban sun
For Castro is the colour
Is a redder than red
Those Washington bullets want Castro dead
For Castro is the colour
That will earn you a spray of lead

Sandinista

For the very first time ever
When they had a revolution in Nicaragua
There was no interference from America
Human rights in America
Well the people fought the leader
And up he flew
With no Washington bullets what else could he do
Sandinista

And if you can find an Afghan rebel
That the Moscow bullets missed
Ask him what he thinks of voting Communist
Ask the Dalai Lama in the hills of Tibet
How many monks did the Chinese get
In a war-torn swamp stop any mercenary
And check the British bullets in his armoury
Sandinista
Que?

Sandinista
Comments (76)add comment
Got it.... Sam Cooke "A Change is Gonna Come", then Tracy Chapman "Crossroads", and now the Clash "Washington Bullets". I need to add these to my 2017 Indivisible mix.
Surprised at the relatively low rating on this one.
Yes - but Cold Wars are better then Hot Wars because they really SUX.
I love it when the Clash are political.
 LPCity wrote:

That would have been "Bullet Fever" by Maryland's own Nils Lofgren.  Doubt that he gets any requests to play it though.

 
I'll make that request!  Stupid song, but so much fun back in the day.  Forget the Wizards, bring back the Les Boulez!
 Biscobret wrote:
How about Hitsville UK!  There's a great hardcore punk song!
 
I agree it's a great tune, but I just don't see it as a fit for hardcore punk.  Early Clash is fairly classified as hardcore punk, but very little of Sandinista! really qualifies, and you could see them moving away on London Calling.  Compare the version of "Career Opportunities" on Sandinista to the original on their first album.  Now that was hardcore punk!  "Hitsville, UK" sounds much more like the 1980 version of "Career Opportunities" than the '77 version.  And the guest vocal from Ellen Foley makes me see paradise by the dashboard light. (not really, but I had to toss that in.)
 Lazarus wrote:

Love this classic song...

As every cell in Chile will tell
The cries of the tortured men
Remember Allende, and the days before,
Before the army came
Please remember Victor Jara,
In the Santiago Stadium,
Es verdad - those Washington Bullets again...



still true as ever...

Three Democratic myths used to demean the Paul filibuster

Commencing immediately upon the 9/11 attack, the US government under two successive administrations has spent 12 straight years inventing and implementing new theories of government power in the name of Terrorism. Literally every year since 9/11 has ushered in increased authorities of exactly the type Americans are inculcated to believe only exist in those Other, Non-Free societies: ubiquitous surveillance, impenetrable secrecy, and the power to imprison and even kill without charges or due process...

 



 
thank you " Patriot Act " the Bush cure for freedom
 oldfart48 wrote:

if you count our governments killing it will be the world leader forever. lets see, how many years has the cia been at war with every freedom wanting people on the planet? before them oss, before them......

 
Castro is the world's longest ruling dictator.  No dissent is tolerated there and there is no freedom of speech.  A doctor earns a few dollars a day.  Cubans risk their lives to escape to the US every day.  For all practical purposes, there are no cases of Americans trying to emigrate into the socialist utopia of Cuba.
 rdo wrote:


Some listeners might not know that the Bullets changed their name to Wizards, for obvious reasons.  DC was the "murder capitol of the world" in the 80s and 90s.   

 
if you count our governments killing it will be the world leader forever. lets see, how many years has the cia been at war with every freedom wanting people on the planet? before them oss, before them......
So I am guessing this is not a tribute to the 1977-78 NBA Championship winning side? 
 Egrey wrote:
I would like to remind everyone that the Washington Bullets won the NBA championship in 1978.  This song was not their theme song, though it would have been an interesting choice.

 
That would have been "Bullet Fever" by Maryland's own Nils Lofgren.  Doubt that he gets any requests to play it though.
wadda ya know a listenable clash tune, who wudda thunk it?....{#Lol}
Washington bullets indeed.
I painstakingly just lowered this to a 6 -- I had it at a 9 because, well, it's The Clash -- the only band that matters -- but, unfortunately as we all know, Sandinista should have been a double album, with maybe a "bonus disc" LOL. 

How about Hitsville UK!  There's a great hardcore punk song!

LOVE LOVE LOVE The Clash.
3 LPs is long for a punk band - but this is a 4 star album.  
I have always under-listened to the best tracks on Sandinista because there's so much junk on it that I seldom feel like listening to the album. So thanks to RP for digging out one of the gems!
Love this classic track!!

Love this classic song...

As every cell in Chile will tell
The cries of the tortured men
Remember Allende, and the days before,
Before the army came
Please remember Victor Jara,
In the Santiago Stadium,
Es verdad - those Washington Bullets again...



still true as ever...

Three Democratic myths used to demean the Paul filibuster

Commencing immediately upon the 9/11 attack, the US government under two successive administrations has spent 12 straight years inventing and implementing new theories of government power in the name of Terrorism. Literally every year since 9/11 has ushered in increased authorities of exactly the type Americans are inculcated to believe only exist in those Other, Non-Free societies: ubiquitous surveillance, impenetrable secrecy, and the power to imprison and even kill without charges or due process...

 


I'll look forward to hearing The Sound Of Sinners out of the blue one day as well.
The Magnificent 7 is my droid ringtone.
Go Joe, Go!
 Diego21 wrote:
Sandinista! has always called my atttention, but at the same time scared the hell out of me, there are few double albums II can digest any given day (London cCalling bein one fo them, athough I own it on a single CD).

Have you noted how many Clash songs refer to guns?
 
Sandinista was a triple (!) album when it came out originally on vinyl. A bit self-indulgent, but it is all interesting to listen to.
Thank you RP. You made my day with Washington bullets. Having never ever heard the song except when I have played it myself, it was a treat to hear it on RP out of the blue. Thanks for digging deep on old albums for lesser-heard tracks. The Sandinista album overall does not get enough credit and deserves way more play.
The very best triple album ever!!   Yes, 3 pieces of 12 inch wax.
 
 peter_james_bond wrote:

Well... if it were a single album that would be true, but there are just too many so-so songs on this triple album, IMHO. Triple albums are usually a mistake. This came out after the brilliant double album London Calling and I thought it was a bit of a let down. But it does have some great songs on it.

 
One rock critics loved it—can't remember who—but said he didn't think anyone would listen to it all the way through a second time. A friend of mine who decided for a week or so that he was going to be hard leftist played me one track from "Sandinista" that had very young kids reciting words...or lyrics...and not very well. I'd guess you could charitably call that so-so. 

The Clash did put a lot of great music, although I think some of their early stuff sounds crappy now because they were so keen on sounding raw at the time. I'd agree with you that triple albums often had filler and dragged on too long. The Clash had moments of greatness but like the Rolling Stones they put out a lot of stuff that I could do without. 
 
More RP synchronicity: A friend told me this morning that she is planning a trip to Nicaragua.
 Egrey wrote:
I would like to remind everyone that the Washington Bullets won the NBA championship in 1978.  This song was not their theme song, though it would have been an interesting choice.
 

Some listeners might not know that the Bullets changed their name to Wizards, for obvious reasons.  DC was the "murder capitol of the world" in the 80s and 90s.   
{#Notworthy}

..and what treatment_bound said :
RP's Clash library really needs to be expanded NOW!




The Clash sing about Victor Jara in the song "Washington Bullets" on their 1980 album Sandinista!. Joe Strummer sings: "As every cell in Chile will tell, the cries of the tortured men. Remember Allende in the days before, before the army came. Please remember Victor Jara, in the Santiago Stadium. Es Verdad, those Washington Bullets again."

Oh! Mama, Mama look there!
Your children are playing in that street again
Don't you know what happened down there?
A youth of fourteen got shot down there
The Kokane guns of Jamdown Town
The killing clowns, the blood money men
Are shooting those Washington bullets again

As every cell in Chile will tell
The cries of the tortured men
Remember Allende, and the days before,
Before the army came
Please remember Victor Jara,
In the Santiago Stadium,
Es verdad - those Washington Bullets again

And in the Bay of Pigs in 1961,
Havana fought the playboy in the Cuban sun,
For Castro is a colour,
Is a redder than red,
Those Washington bullets want Castro dead
For Castro is the colour...
...That will earn you a spray of lead

For the very first time ever,
When they had a revolution in Nicaragua,
There was no interference from America
Human rights in America

Well the people fought the leader,
And up he flew...
With no Washington bullets what else could he do?

'N' if you can find a Afghan rebel
That the Moscow bullets missed
Ask him what he thinks of voting Communist...
...Ask the Dalai Lama in the hills of Tibet,
How many monks did the Chinese get?
In a war-torn swamp stop any mercenary,
'N' check the British bullets in his armoury
Que?
Sandinist


 Rick_V wrote:


Good for about 10 minutes??

 Well, after their brilliant debut album they released Give 'Em Enough Rope, London Calling (!), and Sandinista! - how in God's name would you call that a 10 minute career? London Calling is easliy one of the all-time great albums. Contains classic song after classic song and in a variety of styles. It was quite rightly at the top of many best-albums-of-the-eighties lists. Give 'Em Enough Rope has "Safe European Home", "English Civil War", "Tommy Gun", and "All The Young Punks" among others. Sandinista! has "Police On My Back", "The Call Up", "The Magnificent Seven", and "Somebody Got Murdered" among others.  Then even Combat Rock has "Know Your Rights", "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", and "Straight To Hell" - classic songs. How in the world is that "good for about 10 minutes"??
 
They were extremely busy in those "10 minutes". 

I've reprinted the track listing from the 3-disc compiation set Clash on Broadway, and here's 64 mostly-awesome cuts & all but 7 of 'em were originals!

    TitleComposerTime

Disc 2

    TitleComposerTime

Disc 3

    TitleComposerTime

RP's Clash library really needs to be expanded NOW!


 Rick_V wrote:


Good for about 10 minutes??

 Well, after their brilliant debut album they released Give 'Em Enough Rope, London Calling (!), and Sandinista! - how in God's name would you call that a 10 minute career? London Calling is easliy one of the all-time great albums. Contains classic song after classic song and in a variety of styles. It was quite rightly at the top of many best-albums-of-the-eighties lists. Give 'Em Enough Rope has "Safe European Home", "English Civil War", "Tommy Gun", and "All The Young Punks" among others. Sandinista! has "Police On My Back", "The Call Up", "The Magnificent Seven", and "Somebody Got Murdered" among others.  Then even Combat Rock has "Know Your Rights", "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", and "Straight To Hell" - classic songs. How in the world is that "good for about 10 minutes"??
 
Very well said! The Clash have had a very good career, and then the band members themselves did well but in a little less of the limelight. They were very popular but thankfully stayed true to their origins. I haven't heard this song in many years, have dig the vinyl out of the attic and dust off the turntable!

 Tippster wrote:
Released in 1999?
Ummm..... no.  Hell, the Bullet's had already changed their name to the Wizards by then. {#Tongue-out}
 
    leads one to think it might be the CD !{#Stupid}
Released in 1999?
Ummm..... no.  Hell, the Bullet's had already changed their name to the Wizards by then. {#Tongue-out}
Sandinista! has always called my atttention, but at the same time scared the hell out of me, there are few double albums II can digest any given day (London cCalling bein one fo them, athough I own it on a single CD).

Have you noted how many Clash songs refer to guns?
Wooohoooo! Marimbaaaaaaaaa!! {#Dancingbanana}
 zenhead wrote:
the clash were good for about 10 minutes, when they first appeared. but they got mainstreamed so fast. "production values?" how un-punk.
 

Good for about 10 minutes??

 Well, after their brilliant debut album they released Give 'Em Enough Rope, London Calling (!), and Sandinista! - how in God's name would you call that a 10 minute career? London Calling is easliy one of the all-time great albums. Contains classic song after classic song and in a variety of styles. It was quite rightly at the top of many best-albums-of-the-eighties lists. Give 'Em Enough Rope has "Safe European Home", "English Civil War", "Tommy Gun", and "All The Young Punks" among others. Sandinista! has "Police On My Back", "The Call Up", "The Magnificent Seven", and "Somebody Got Murdered" among others.  Then even Combat Rock has "Know Your Rights", "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", and "Straight To Hell" - classic songs. How in the world is that "good for about 10 minutes"??
 Darkmatter wrote:
"If I can't dance to it, it is not my revolution." - Emma Goldman
 
    If you can't dance,stay out of the revolution !
     -HazzeSwede

 jmsmy wrote:
the whole album is great -
 
Well... if it were a single album that would be true, but there are just too many so-so songs on this triple album, IMHO. Triple albums are usually a mistake. This came out after the brilliant double album London Calling and I thought it was a bit of a let down. But it does have some great songs on it.

 Angloray wrote:
YAY! Sandinista has some gems on it, amidst much of the noise. Definitely underrated.
 
I'm not so sure - I thought that Sandinista! had one disk too many, and the good material was swamped by the so-so and plain poor tracks. It was a groundbreaking album in that it was explicitly agitprop, and that it had a maximum price - £4.99 IIRC though it was a long time back - which was terrific value for a double LP, let alone a triple, but which left little over for the boys once the record company had taken its cut.


 Limpopoking wrote:


Undoubtedly their best album!
 
"London Calling" gets my vote. But I love all of them. {#Wave}
I would like to remind everyone that the Washington Bullets won the NBA championship in 1978.  This song was not their theme song, though it would have been an interesting choice.
 dionysius wrote:
So resolved: Radio Paradise should play very good songs. All in favor please signify by saying "aye."
 
                        {#Yell}       aye    aye        aye                        
                


 VicEdee wrote:
please play MORE of this album......(it is actually "underrated" )
 

Undoubtedly their best album!
 VicEdee wrote:
please play MORE of this album......(it is actually "underrated" )
 
My thoughts exactly. {#Clap}


please play MORE of this album......(it is actually "underrated" )
The only band that matters.
Great song from one of the greatest rock n roll bands of all time. There isnt much Clash material that I do not like. October 1982, Shea Stadium, Flushing NY oh how I remember the Clash opening up for the WHO. Simply fantastic.

Timmy Mack, Brooklyn Born and Bred
One of the best albums of all time, IMO...
"If I can't dance to it, it is not my revolution." - Emma Goldman
As relevant today as it was in the 80s. No more Washington Bullets!
the clash were good for about 10 minutes, when they first appeared. but they got mainstreamed so fast. "production values?" how un-punk.
Angloray wrote:
YAY! Sandinista has some gems on it, amidst much of the noise. Definitely underrated.
Given that the Village Voice poll called it the best record of its year, and Rolling Stone called it one of the greatest of all time, I'm not sure we can consider underrated, but it's a tremendous record, no doubt.
YAY! Sandinista has some gems on it, amidst much of the noise. Definitely underrated.
Just Perfect.
bytheway wrote:
A political/protest song with historical narrative & an upbeat groove -- I learned things from the Clash, and not just affirmation that I should be outraged and distrustful of governments. It seems that what there is of political songwriting in these times, and god there should be a lot, has fallen into narcissistic anger & simplistic finger-pointing...
Well said! I learned from the Clash too... that "modern" (for those times when I grew up, early '80s) youthful outrage can be intelligent, as opposed to most of the other punk bands out there. Yay Clash!
A political/protest song with historical narrative & an upbeat groove -- I learned things from the Clash, and not just affirmation that I should be outraged and distrustful of governments. It seems that what there is of political songwriting in these times, and god there should be a lot, has fallen into narcissistic anger & simplistic finger-pointing...
I miss the Clash. A simple song that stands the test of time.
When this album came out in 1980 the name of the NBA team in DC was the Washington Bullets. The touchy feely owner,Abe Pollen,changed it in 1997 to the Washington Wiz(ards)
the whole album is great -
This was an interesting stretch for the Clash. As the years go by, my appreciation for them only grows more intense.
Please remember Víctor Jara In the Santiago Stadium Es Verdad.
Chills. This and Guns of Brixton make the Clash's place in history, IMHO.
Clash it up a bit with Washington Bullets thanx Bill!
Thanks Bill, You're the best. Just this song is worth a couple bucks - I'm off to donate a bit more. Keep the great tunes coming.
A triple album. Proper political message. What more could you want?
juliecb wrote:
haha, i agree
dionysius wrote:
So resolved: Radio Paradise should play very good songs. All in favor please signify by saying "aye."
AYE! AYE! AYE! (do I get 3 votes?) Es verdad!
coding_to_music wrote:
It's playing !
Hey, do you still live or work in Marlborough? I grew up in Wayland...
coding_to_music wrote:
This song needs to be played !!!! Very good song...
Bill's listening...
so weird - i just heard this song for the first time yesterday - and not on radioparadise.
This should be a 12...that's right...12!
It's playing !
So resolved: Radio Paradise should play very good songs. All in favor please signify by saying "aye."
coding_to_music wrote:
This song needs to be played !!!! Very good song...
Absolutely. This is the kind of song that Radio Paradise should play!
This song needs to be played !!!! Very good song...