With the Summer Olympics looming,Londonwill be under the world’s media spotlight on a scale not seen since the 1966 World Cup.  On the back of the riots last year and the ongoing economic crisis that engulfs the capital, it will be nice to see the city portrayed in a nicer light for a change. With this in mind, a compilation album titled ‘London’, released in association with Time Out magazine, filled with songs inspired by this famous part of the world is very apt at this moment in time.

 The tracks concentrate on many aspects of London– the people, places, street names, sights and sounds and while some tracks are more famous than others, the album itself is a pleasant listen from start to finish.

 My favourite thing about this compilation is the packaging.  With a predictably stereotypical cover that features Big Ben, a red bus, and the Millennium Wheel, it’s what inside the case that impresses me.  A fold out map of Camdenwith paragraphs dotted around it telling tales of The Clash shooting pigeons, and where the Sex Pistols rehearsed, you also get treated to an interesting booklet on the various music scenes of North, East, Saaaf and West London.

 From Duffy to Bowie and Gerry Rafferty to St. Etienne, there’s a little something for everyone on here. 

Kev says…

The track listing is as follows:

Roxy Music – Do The Strand
Jamie Cullum – London Skies
The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset
Squeeze – Piccadilly
Kirsty MacColl – Soho Square
Pet Shop Boys – London
Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street
Simple Minds – Chelsea Girl
Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue
Pulp – Bar Italia
Duffy – Warwick Avenue
The Jam – Strange Town
Ralph McTell – Streets of London
Small Faces – Itchycoo Park
Bert Jansch, John Renbourn – Soho
David Bowie – The London Boys
Caetano Veloso – London London
The Pogues – A Rainy Night In Soho
John Martyn, Beverley Martyn – Primrose Hill
Saint Etienne – London Belongs To Me