What the hell is this? Though the two-record sprawl of London Calling--with its exploratory mutations of reggae, rockabilly, and even disco--proved that the Clash weren't content to lie fallow in a punk-rock ghetto, nothing prepares you for Sandinista's messy melange. For 36 tracks (the Clash originally released this as a three-record set for not much more than the price of one), the band tackles everything in sight, including waltz, gospel, disco, children's ditties, funk, reggae, dub, delicate instrumentals, psychedelic explorations--hell, they even play a Clash rocker or two. Though many have said there is a single great album hidden among the three here, it's the pure chutzpah of Sandinista that makes it such a particular pleasure and a brain drain at the same time. It's the document of a band that can do anything and tries to do everything. It's the glorious sound of failure. And if that ain't the Clash, what is? --Tod Nelson