Walthamstow Connections.

This mix of tunes was made for the street party.

UPDATE: Spotify Users can listen to some of the songs.

Time keeper by Infinity, sung by Brian Gill.
On his website, Brian Gill explains the inspiration behind the lyrics behind one of his songs: “The Coppermill Lane in verse three is Coppermill Lane E17 … My Mum and Dad used to live at 29 Rensburg Rd … and my granddad William Herbert Harrington Gill used to live at 99 Salop Rd, where my Dad was born. My auntie Nell on my Mum’s side lived at 9 Elmfield Rd and my cousin Doreen took over Mum and Dad’s old house in Rensburg Rd.”

I’m The Urban Spaceman by Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band.
Vivian Stanshall, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, grew up in Grove Road, Walthamstow. He doesn’t seem to have enjoyed it judging from this excerpt of an interview in 1979: “There’s nothing to tell about Walthamstow much, apart from my Aunt Ciss … a terrifying old lady who carried a brolly. I played harmonica at the bottom of the stairs in a hideous flat in Walthamstow. “ They appeared in The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour television special playing “Death Cab for Cutie” during the strip club scene. In 1968 the band scored a surprise top ten hit with a number called “I’m the Urban Spaceman”.

The Back Street Boys, Patrik Fitzgerald.
As a teenager, Fitzgerald often frequented the Small Wonder record shop at 162 Hoe Street. When the owners Pete and Mari Stennett decided to set up Small Wonder Records, he quickly submitted a demo tape. His first record, the five-song “Safety Pin Stuck in My Heart” EP, came out in 1977, followed by the “Backstreet Boys” EP in 1978.

Bloody Revolutions (excerpt) and Systematic Death (performed by Jeffrey Lewis), Crass
Small Wonder released “The Feeding of the Five Thousand” by Crass in 1978, which resulted in them being regularly raided by the police for a while. For some reason, the powers that be were very worried about Crass and even stopped their records appearing in the music charts. More info at http://www.southern.com/southern/label/CRC/

Reasons to be Cheerful Part 3, Ian Dury and the Blockheads.
Ian Dury studied at Walthamstow Art College in the early 1960s and might have lived on Diana Road for a while.

Take the Toys from the Boys, Poison Girls.
Poison Girls released their first 8 track EP “Hex” on Small Wonder records.

Bela Lugosi’s Dead, Bauhaus.
Small Wonder released this just a few weeks after it was recorded. It has been re-issued several times since. Small Wonder also released the first Cure record too. Walthamstow: the birthplace of goth.

Liberty City, Mark Stewart / Human Nature (bad nature mix), Gary Clail.
On-U-Sound Studios were located in the Alpha Business Centre on South Grove. During a crucial period in the 80s they were turning out massive amounts of influential and occasionally successful tracks. The On U Sound Sound System events toured the country in the mid-80s, helping DIY dance culture evolve long before a few London DJs went on a package holiday in Ibiza.

There’s No Other Way, Blur.
Blur used photos taken at Walthamstow Dog Track for the cover of their Park Life album. Keith Albarn, manager of Soft Machine and father of Blur vocalist Damon Albarn, taught art at Walthamstow Art College in the 1960s.

House of Love, East 17.
The graffiti’s fading now, but it’s still there. They used the dog track in the video of this song. You have to understand the politics of the time to realise why this band was destroyed by the media.

Police on my Back, Lethal Bizzle.
Originally part of More Fire Crew, Maxwell Ansah aka Lethal Bizzle grew up off Markhouse Road. He’s sometimes criticised for trying to bridge the gap between the underground, often experimental, electronic music scene unique to this area of London with punk and ‘indie’ music.

A Day in the Life, Beatles.
Peter Blake designed the cover of the iconic Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album.  He taught at Walthamstow School of Art 1961 to 1964. OK maybe this is a bit of a tenuous connection, but it’s a good tune.

Poppy Bird, Bromhead Jackets.
Some guy with a history of behaviour problems becomes obsessed with a woman travelling on the Victoria Line to Walthamstow Centra,l but just wants to give her the book she dropped. There’s debate about whether this song is cute or just creepy. You decide.

Walthamstow Bungalow, Paul Hawkins.
Is this about the same guy, later in life trying to ‘rescue’ the same or another woman in Walthamstow? What is it with these guys?