In August and September 1979 , the Clash recorded '' London Calling '' . Produced by Guy Stevens , a former A&R executive who had worked with Mott the Hoople and Traffic , the double album was a mix of punk rock , reggae , ska , rockabilly , traditional rock and roll and other elements possessed of an energy that had hardly flagged since the band 's early days and more polished production . The title of the track also happened to be heavily influenced by the BBC World Service call signal and the panic that resulted in Three Mile Island nuclear scare . It is regarded as one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded . Its final track , a relatively straightforward rock and roll number sung by Mick Jones called " Train in Vain " , was included at the last minute and thus did not appear in the track listing on the cover . It became their first US Top 40 hit , peaking at number 23 on the '' Billboard '' chart . In the UK , where " Train in Vain " was not released as a single , '' London Calling '' 's title track , stately in beat but unmistakably punk in message and tone , rose to number 11 — the highest position any Clash single reached in the UK before the band 's break-up
Three Mile Island nuclear scare
Three Mile Island accident
The Clash