When The Clash’s double-album “London Calling” was released in 1979, many young musicians took notice. They’d been listening to bands such as Aerosmith, Journey and Queen, artists they liked and perhaps thought they loved.

But love at that age is fleeting and ephemeral. A favorite cartoon becomes childish, a first crush fades, a new band emerges and nothing ever sounds the same.

On Saturday — 40 years to the day “London Calling” was released in the U.K. — Guns of Brixton, an ad hoc group of local musicians that has performed only a handful of times over the past 16 years, will play the album in its entirety at Mr. Smalls in Millvale.

Guns of Brixton is made up of past or present members of bands including the Eleventh Hour, Seven Color Sky, the Smoking Section, A.T.S., the Aviation Blondes, the Affordable Floors and the Optimists. They say The Clash — Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Topper Headon — left an indelible impression not only on their music, but their lives.

Here are some of their thoughts on the seminal “London Calling” and performing the music of The Clash:

Rod Schwartz, bassist and a show organizer

“It changed everything for me. When it came out, I was more into progressive rock. I discovered the Clash right at the beginning of college and immediately it was all I wanted to listen to.”

Daryl Cross, guitarist

“It’s the pinnacle of rock for me, and it peaked with ‘London Calling.’ It was the perfect blend of rock ’n’ roll, songwriting chops, and such a diverse collection of rock ’n’ roll styles and rhythms: soul, ska, punk, rockabilly. It’s just a fantastic combination of musical ideas.”

Steve Seel, guitarist

“Organically, it came out of them. I listen to ‘London Calling’ and think to myself when I make records – which I do – they sound like somebody took a bunch of instruments and threw them down the steps. They (the Clash) do the same thing. I listen to it and it shouldn’t work. … It became the barometer by which I measured everything else.”

Terry Divelbliss, keyboards

“When you first listen, you really don’t notice all that’s going on in there. And then you realize it’s really complex and there’s a lot of counter-tension. There’s a lot more to it than I expected. … There’s a lot of clever stuff. They’re a guitar band, but there’s a lot going on.”

Kip Ruefle, drums

“It’s definitely a mindset, ‘London Calling.’ I’ve heard it probably a million times and always hear something new. … That album sounded dangerous. “(The song) ‘Big Black Cadillac’ is a rocker, but ‘London Calling’ is ominous. … Those guys were schooled in this. They listened to a lot of music, that was very clear.”

John Young, vocals

“You have to get the lyrics right, but so many of these songs just end in a kind of freeform, and you want to get the spirit of it. There’s no way to imitate Joe Strummer. It’s also important to realize how Strummer and Mick Jones both are so intimately involved. We have a number of songs where they are double-tracked, where two of us are singing to get that big sound that’s on the album.”

Steve Morrison, guitar, vocals

“It’s kind of a cliché, but punk rock came along and reset all the wiring in my brain. I was one of five kids in my high school who embraced it, and we were hated. A friend of mine bought ‘London Calling’ when it came out and we thought it was the greatest thing we’d ever heard.’”

Shawn Harrison, guitar

He saw The Clash perform in 1979 in Washington, D.C. “We’re standing there waiting for The Clash to come out and I remember very distinctly everyone looking at the stage. The lights go down, there’s no Clash. You heard something from behind and The Clash came in through the back, running through the audience with their guitars strapped on their backs, then they jumped on the stage and broke into ‘I’m So Bored with the USA.’ How cool.”

Also performing: Mike Moran, vocals; Dave Klug, drums, percussion; Alex Peightal, vocals; Jonny Franks, tenor saxophone; Joshua George, baritone saxophone; Jason Munley, alto saxophone; Rocco Pacella, trumpet; Michael Dely, trombone.

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