I moved to London in January 1993. For a northern lad, it always held a certain romance. Everything happened in London. Especially where music was concerned. I only lived there for just under two years, but what a great couple of years. Living in a less than salubrious shared house just off the Old Kent Rd, it wasn’t exactly swinging. I spent a lot of time on buses, looking at the city. I also saw some fantastic gigs. Oasis at the 100 club, Saint Etienne at Shepherd’s Bush Empire the following night. Blur and Pulp at the Forum. This podcast was a challenge I set myself thanks to a thread over at Shacknet. I am sure the mix will disappoint some – no Clash, no Blur, no Jam etc. What I’ve tried to do is give a little insight into my memories and obsessions, in a London-centric fashion.
Our journey begins with a young lad in his twenties seeking a job in music journalism, and leaving the provincial newspaper where I had worked for six months, to seek the bright lights of London. The Pale Fountains’ ‘Southbound Excursion’ captures the anticipation and excitement of a journey to London in a more beautiful, romantic way than The Smith’s ‘London’ ever did. The realisation that everything cost twice as much in London is reflected in the fantastic Kinks b-side ‘Big Black Smoke’. Billy Nichols’ swish hip swinger ‘London Social Degree’ is filled with the sheer energy of being young and alive in a city full of promise. Burt Bacharach and Blossom Dearie keep the romance in motion.
Saint Etienne must have over thirty songs with London regions in their titles, but it would be hard not to include their ode to a sunshine filled hazy afternoon in a London park. “It’s too warm to even hold hands… summer hovering over me…” Donovan’s lyrical ‘Sunny Goodge Street’ evokes tube station memories of people-watching, trying to read a hip paperback and look like a real Londoner.
The journey takes us from John and Beverley Martin’s ‘Primrose Hill’ to Booker T’s ‘Carnaby Street’. The beautiful people of London have never been better pictured than in Bowie’s ‘Maid Of Bond St’, and Shack’s acoustic elegy to the capital is untouchable in its simplicity. More London films: ‘Blow Up’ (what a film!) and ‘The Knack’.
The languid ‘Mornington Crescent’ takes us to Nick Drake’s ‘Mayfair’, and into Brian Protheroe’s Soho hangover, ‘Pinball’. Terry and Julie cross over the river (of course…) and The Clientele’s stirring narrative brings things to a fitting close.
I hope you enjoy it.
Download mp3 or stream the podcast
Excerpt: “Billy Liar”
1. The Pale Fountains – ‘Southbound Excursion’ (1984)
2. The Kinks – ‘Big Black Smoke’ (1966)
3. Billy Nichols – ‘London Social Degree’ (1966)
4. Burt Bacharach – ‘Bond Street’ (1967)
5. Blossom Dearie – ‘I Like London In The Rain’ (1970)
Excerpt: “Snatch”
6. Saint Etienne – ‘London Belongs To Me’ (1991)
7. Manfred Mann – ‘Up The Junction’ (1968)
8. Lord Kitchener – ‘London Is The Place For Me’ (1956)
9. Donovan – ‘Sunny Goodge Street’ (1965)
10. John and Beverley Martyn – ‘Primrose Hill’ (1970)
11. Booker T and The MGs – ‘Carnaby Street’ (1967)
12. Caetano Veloso - ‘London, London’ (1971)
13. Shack – ‘London Town’ (1995)
14. David Bowie – ‘Maid Of Bond Street’ (1967)
“Blow Up” Trailer
15. The Zombies – ‘Conversation off Floral Street’ (1968)
16. John Barry – ‘The Knack (Main Theme)’ (1965)
17. The High Llamas – ‘The Walworth River’ (2003)
18. Belle and Sebastian – ‘Mornington Crescent’ (2005)
19. Nick Drake – ‘Mayfair’ (1968)
20. Brian Protheroe – ‘Pinball’ (1974)
21. The Kinks – ‘Waterloo Sunset’ (1967)
22. The Clientele – ‘Losing Haringay’ (2005)
