Critics of the Clash will welcome "Sandinista" with fangs open, as it confirms just why they dislike the band so much.

The title alone reeks of the political "awareness" which many find so glibly unattractive….

Fans, however, will find in the "Sandinista" package a confirmation that the Clash do still care. In hard terms, they go one better than their last Christmas present of "London Calling", and put their mouths where their money is….

For me, the strength of "London Calling" was its diversity, the absorption of the various influences—rock 'n' roll, rockabilly and reggae—into the Clash mainstream, vinyl proof that they had progressed, without forsaking their original power and passion by broadening their overall sound and horizons. Testified by the gloriously epic "The Card Cheat", which blew away any lingering doubts that the Clash were forever condemned to songs never far removed from the arterial...