Friday is Rock'n'Roll London Day! Join the Rock'n'Roll London walk this (and every Friday) afternoon at 2:00p.m meeting at Tottenham Court Road Station
Adam writes…One of my favorite areas of the Rock'n'Roll London tour on a Friday afternoon is the "pre-history" of David Bowie – the years before Ziggy when the plain old Jones boy was finding his way.
It's not a period that has gained many critical plaudits and even hardcore Bowie acolytes often view it has having little more than curio value. But for me it holds a continuing fascination - not merely because we can see within the songs and the image-changes the seeds of the 70s superstar to come. It's a period when Jones/Bowie belonged to London. He was London's secret and his work is a mirror to the city at the time.
If you're unfamiliar with the period, here's my "Best Of" playlist featuring 10 Bowie tracks recorded between 1964 and 1969. Track 10 is, of course, very famous – Space Oddity, year zero for most Bowie fans. And I've left out The Laughing Gnome (although I think it a fine example of the whimsy of 67) in favour of its B-side, The Gospel According to Tony Day - a taut, quasi-blues with an almost thuggish vocal delivery from Bowie.
If I only had to pick one of the tracks, it would be The London Boys, an achingly beautiful song that has gone on to become something of a London gay anthem. I'd go so far as to include this among the top ten tracks of Bowie's entire career.
The Rock'n'Roll London tour meets this afternoon at 2pm, Tottenham Court Road tube
Here's the trailer for the tour…
The Rock'n'Roll London walk is ONLY London Walk with its own dedicated comic book! Written by Rock'n'Roll London guide (and Daily Constitutional editor Adam) you can a copy on this afternoon's walking tour. It's also available in both print & digital formats at the London Bookstore online: londonbookstore.myshopify.com
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London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your
guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all
London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
