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In the City: A Celebration of London Music [Paperback]

Paul Du Noyer
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Book Description

1 July 2010

'A dense and colourful account of one of the most vibrant musical centres in the world, In the City almost puts you on that train to London' Guardian

In this fascinating history of London's music, which was the 2009 Sunday Times 'Music Book of the Year', Paul Du Noyer, critically-acclaimed music writer and founding editor of MOJO, celebrates the people and places that have made London the most exciting and diverse musical city on earth. The West End musicals, Ronnie Scott's jazz club, Abbey Road, mod culture, the Kinks, the Who and the Rolling Stones are just as much a part of London as the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the Routemaster. Du Noyer's captivating book charts the city's music history and landmarks and will appeal to residents, visitors and exiles alike.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Virgin Books (1 July 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0753515741
  • ISBN-13: 978-0753515747
  • Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 12.3 x 19 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 351,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"A dense and colourful account of one of the most vibrant musical centres in the world, In the City almost puts you on that train to London" (Guardian)

"(An) exhilarating new history of the music that defines the capital" (Evening Standard 2009-07-03)

"Du Noyer's crowning achievement with In the City, however, is to tie all the strands together ever so neatly without affecting a smug resolution. Its a celebration of the city's music through the centuries, for sure, but its more than just that" (Irish Times 2009-07-14)

"Du Noyer digs impressively deep for insight ... it evokes London as a place of converged cultures, found sounds and infinite possibilities" (Metro 2009-07-15)

"Paul Du Noyer's superb new book" (Word Magazine)

Book Description

Paperback edition of the definitive book on London music by the widely-acclaimed music writer

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars London Pride 6 July 2009
By Erl
Format:Hardcover
Tremendously good book.I enjoyed it for the erudition worn lightly, and for the wit and warmth of the writing. I was drawn into the enthralling story of how London has been the inspiration and home of so many and various music makers. It ranges from the ballad-makers and tavern tunesmiths, through music hall, Noel COward, Mods, and glam rock to
the cheeky Lily Allens and sharptongued Streets of the present day. The author has taken a huge and daunting subject and shaped it beautifully,bringing a wealth of fascinating information about London, and about the talented and peculiar characters who were enthralled, infuriated or overwhelmed by the City, and moved to make music about it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A Capital Melting Pot for Music 12 Aug 2009
By H. meiehofer VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
London may be the most important city in the history of popular music. Others may no doubt cite Los Angeles or New York but Paul Du Noyer makes a very convincing case for his choice.

In the City has an ambitious reach, covering more than eight centuries of the development of popular music, although it concentrates on the 20th Century. Du Noyer makes interesting linkages; from Elizabethan taverns to Victorian music halls to Ian Dury. A particularly interesting example is the Threepenny Opera from 1720 (itself was based on a folk tradition) which gave use the characters McHeath, Jenny Divers and Suky Tawdry who featured in Mack the Knife performed by the likes of Sinatra and Bobby Darin in Las Vegas.

London appears here as the great big melting pot (aided by being the capital of the largest Empire the world has known) where musical traditions from across the planet met and cross-fertilised; a process which carries on to the present day.

This is an excellent history of the city and its profound effect on popular music. The book does not have the same coherence as Du Noyer's previous work on Liverpool. However, London itself does not have the same coherence. It is a much larger and more complicated metropolis with many different "scenes" active at the same time. The book is packed with interesting anecdotes and insights.

This book should be read by anyone who has an interest in popular music and its origins. I just hope Mr Du Noyer turns his spotlight on New York next.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive 12 Sep 2011
Format:Paperback
Highly readable account. Perhaps a bit too comprehensive; you feel that just about every London song is going to be dredged up, no matter how tenuous, and nothing quite captures the vibe of Philip Norman's Shout!, with its paragraphs about Swinging London circa Revolver and Abbey Road.

There's also that fact that the author overdoes the Small Faces acclaim a bit. To be fair, I can now see why Itchygoo Park is very much of its time, but it doesn't transcend its time either, unlike other stuff by The Who and The Beatles. Often he'll enthuse about some bit of music and you'll look it up on youtube and frankly, it aint all that! Still, at least it gives you the option. He does plenty on Ray Davies, with good reason, but also because you sense Davies has time to spend shooting the breeze, not having made Macca's moolah. In that sense the book has an air of melancholy and flat beer.
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Format:Paperback
This is a very lively and entertaining book that explains how London's identity as a city has been so closely tied to the development of popular music. There are fascinating chapters covering the rise and fall of the music hall, the emergence of rock'n'roll and pop in all its various forms since the early 1960s, the blues rock movement and the mods, Bolan and Bowie , punk, new wave, the new romantics, as well as their descendants Brit pop. The narrative moves seamlessly through each of London's musical phases and the author shows just how much each generation influenced the next one. Boy George took his cue from Bowie and Bolan, The Jam and the Clash from The Who and The Kinks. And bands like Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Madness essentially repackaged many of London's theatrical musical hall traditions. My favourite passage is the description of Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce of late 60s psychedelic blues power trio Cream live on stage "Baker... would stride about looking like a magnificently debauched Jacobean duke, then settle down to batter the hell out of his drum kit. All mad, panting, hollow eyed, many limbed ferocity, his was an artful blend of frenzy and dexterity. Jack Bruce, the bassist was not so theatrical but no less intense - hunched over his instrument, fingers tugging urgently at its four fat strings, face screwed up in agonies of concentration. Then he would raise his head to the mike and let forth torrents of wounded jazz poetry in a Caledonian soul bellow.
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4.0 out of 5 stars City review 2 Mar 2010
Format:Hardcover
I found the book very informative and it gave an insight to the music places of years ago which have long disappeared. The early years chapters interested me more, as they brought back lots of memories of my youth. The author was very knowledgeable of the London music scene and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a bygone era.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Almost every major city in the world, capital or not, can lay claim to a history of music and song, written or inspired by its' natural beauty and characteristics, and London is no different. `In The City: A Celebration of London Music' by Paul Du Noyer, he traces music from its origins way back in the 12th Century and up to the present day.
Along the way Du Noyer covers numerous genres of music, from the Canterbury tales through Victorian Music to the witty lyrics of Lily Allan in 2008.
Not only does he deal with Londoners, it's also about the artists who came to record here, who dropped by for a visit, so Bob Dylan and The Beatles, to name but two, are as much a part of this city as the Kinks are. It's helpful that the author has had access to many of these artists over the years, and segments from many of his interviews are used throughout to great effect, presenting a wealth of information throughout the 300 pages, that might this book so informative.
Hearing the late Dusty Springfield proclaim "I'm not English...I've got nothing against the English, and I'm glad I was born here. But I'm glad my mother came from Kerry...and I can weep at Riverdance on TV" is just now of the many jewels sprinkled throughout this book.
Ronnie Kray's shotting of a rival gangster while the Walker Brothers played on the jukebox in the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel is priceless, with Kray rumoured to have said "the sun ain't gonna shine for him anymore" as he fired the fatal shot.
We learn that `mod' is short for Modernist (not modern), and why `Waterloo Sunset' is many people's favourite London song, as Ray Davies compares it to the classic `Casablanca'.
... Read more ›
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