London has inspired some of pop's most enduring masterpieces – songs that have reflected and affected our cultural landscape. Here, Time Out remembers some of the most memorable album covers that captured the spirit of the capital.
The Who – Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy (1971) The Railway Hotel, Harrow HA3
Pete
Townshend’s psych-pop masterpiece 'I Can See For Miles', as featured on ‘MBB&B’, may
namecheck the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower, but was allegedly inspired by
a hazy night spent gazing across London from Highgate. This cover shows
seminal mod hangout The Railway Hotel, now the site of four blocks of
flats, each named after a band member.
Feature continues
Blur – Parklife (1994) Walthamstow dog track E4
A visual hymn to the East End inspired by Martin Amis’s ‘London Fields’ . No word on whether the band still frequent Charlie Chan’s nightclub.
David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) Heddon Street W1
The famous red phone box, replaced with one of those horrible blue things in the ’80s, was put back in its original location during Heddon Street’s recent makeover.
Ian Dury and The Blockheads – New Boots and Panties! (1977) Vauxhall Bridge
Road SW1
The title referred to the only clothes thrifty Dury wouldn’t buy from charity shops. The cover was shot outside now-defunct Axfords on Vauxhall Bridge Road. The young boy is Ian’s son Baxter.
Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory (1995) Berwick Street W1
The cover depicts producer Owen Morris, carrying the master tapes for the album, on his way to exchange them at Reckless Records for ‘Whatever Happened To Slade?’ on vinyl.
Spiritualized – Live At The Royal Albert Hall (1998) SW7
Well known for their enthusiastic embracing of design trickery, this cover shows an aerial photo of London, with the Albert Hall replacing the circular trade mark symbol on the band’s logo.
The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969) Abbey Road NW8
You probably know this one already.
The Streets – Original Pirate Material (2002) Hackney Road council flats E2
The photo was taken in 1995 by German snapper Rut Blees Luxemburg.
Wings – London Town (1978) Tower Bridge SE1
The proto-‘Frog Chorus’ songs here suggest that McCartney’s knowledge of London Town came from Dick Whittington.
Nancy in London (1966) Number 6B bus
Nancy Sinatra is pictured on the now obsolete 6B bus, a Saturday workhorse running from London Bridge all the way out to the Royal Forest Hotel in Chingford. A mere two years after Nancy Sinatra visited the capital, reshaping of bus routes hit the former terminus area hard, and the Royal Forest lost much of its custom. The hotel has since been renovated, but according to the management, it is now haunted. What are the odds?
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