''The Cost of Living'' is an EP by the English punk rock band

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

. It was released on 11 May 1979 in a

gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...

sleeve. The EP was produced by the band and Bill Price. It marked a transition in musical styles for the band, bridging the intensity of their earlier, punky albums with the broader, more American influenced

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

yet to come on ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. The C ...

'', most evident on the

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

ing "

Groovy Times "Groovy Times" is a song by the Clash, featured on their ''The Cost of Living'' EP, and released as a promotional single in 1979 in Australia by Epic Records (AE7 1178), and also included with initial pressings of the US release of the band's ...

" and "Gates of the West". The Clash's cover of

Sonny Curtis Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly, he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include "Walk ...

' "

I Fought the Law "I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' lis ...

" became one of the definitive recordings of the song, and remained in the band's live set list for much of the rest of their career.

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...

also performed it with his later bands, including during his stint with

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

. The early single "

Capital Radio Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. I ...

" was re-recorded because the band learned that copies of the original ''Capital Radio'' EP were selling for high prices. "Capital Radio", later listed as "Capital Radio Two", is much longer, mainly because of a protracted outro. "Gates of the West" clearly describes the ecstasy of the Clash in their first encounter with the United States: "Eastside Jimmy & Southside Sue both said they needed something new". "From Camden Town Station to 44th & 8th" describes their journey from their London neighborhood to the middle of Manhattan. It was recorded at

Wessex Studios Wessex Sound Studios was a recording studio located at 106a Highbury New Park, London, England. Many renowned popular music artists recorded there, including Sex Pistols, King Crimson, the Clash, Theatre of Hate, XTC, the Sinceros, Queen, Talk Tal ...

in London's

Highbury Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads. The manor house was situ ...

district, and features "extra high vocal" credited to Dennis Ferranti and harmonica credited to "Bob Jones" (a pseudonym of Mick Jones).

Track listing

All songs written by Strummer/

Jones Jones may refer to: People *Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname *List of people with surname Jones * Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter Arts and entertainment * Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...

except where noted.

Side one

# "

" (

) – 2:40 # "

" – 3:25

Side two

# "Gates of the West" – 3:26 # "

" – 4:05 # "The Cost of Living Advert" (only on original vinyl and Japanese version of the singles box set)

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cost of Living, The 1979 EPs The Clash EPs