Mod Anthems:Part One
David Bowie-The London Boys

Uppers music editor Bill Luther enthuses about his favorite mod anthem.

David Bowie-The London Boys (Deram DM 107 December 1966)

Mod anthems...when I was 13 or 14 my "personal mod anthems" changed from week to week. One week it'd be "Time For Action" or "Glory Boys" by Secret Affair (raspberries all around on the count of 3...1-2-3...PTAHHHHHHHH!), "Millions Like Us" by The Purple Hearts (kudos all around...) etc etc et al and who could forget the eternally pigeon holed "My Generation"!?!?

In the fall of 1983 I stumbled upon "The London Boys" on a London Records cassette comp called "The World Of David Bowie" during my quest to hear/own the rest of Bowie's non-LP Deram cuts. I had found my anthem driving late one night in a Triumph sports car through the fall swept rural roads of Plainsboro, NJ. It was THE mod anthem. It was, and still is.. and much more. Bowie, despite his Anthony Newley pretensions was never a full on crooner. "The London Boys" was and is, an exception to that rule. From it's somber, glum beginning warble to the lifting full throttle cabaret ending (which David Robert Jones delivers like the Frank Sinatra of modernism) the number is a masterpiece. Restrained by a simple bass/organ backing with strains of brass (muting trumpet and woodwinds, and possibly some French horn) the song builds as the pitch of Bowie's plight reaches it's full descent. Lyrically poignant and proud despite the "against all odds" scenario of hopelessness,and failure faced by the song's young protagonist, "The London Boys" ages well (it was cheekily covered with some style and jazz/ska panache by The Times in 1985 on creepy cash in Mark Johnson's Unicorn label). Unlike "My Generation" or any tripe Secret Affair record this is the stuff of dreams, broken ones albeit, but dreams nonetheless.

Originally it was demoed with Bowie's third band, The Lower Third at Pye records Marble Arch studios in the fall of '65. It was immediately rejected for release by Pye due to it's laguage about overt drug use. The second version (which was used on the eventual single) was recorded in a demo session at R.G. Jones studios on October 18, 1966 as part of a series of demos in the hopes of ensnaring a record contract (Bowie had since been dropped by Pye after three brilliant but commercially unsucessful singles). The demos had their desired effect and David Bowie was awarded a contract with Decca's new Deram off shoot. "The London Boys" would surface as the B- side to his debut Deram 45 'Rubber Band" on December 2, 1966.

"Well, it tells the story of life as some teenagers saw it - but we didn't think the lyrics were quite up many people's street. I do it on stage though, and we're probably keeping it for an EP or maybe an LP. Hope, hope! It's called "Now You've Met The London Boys", and mentions pills, and generally belittles the London night life scene."
David Bowie in "Melody Maker" in Feb. 1966


The London Boys

Bow bells strike, another night
Your eyes are heavy and your limbs all ache
You've bought some coffee, butter and bread
You can't make a thing cause the meter's dead
You moved away
Told your folks you're gonna stay away

Bright lights, Soho, Wardour street
You hope you make friends with the guys that you meet
Somebody shows you round
Now you've met the London boys
Things seem good again, someone cares about you

Oh, the first time that you tried a pill
You feel a little queasy, decidedly ill
You're gonna be sick, but you mustn't lose faith
To let yourself down would be a big disgrace
With the London boys, with the London boys

You're only seventeen, but you think you've grown
In the month you've been away from your parents' home
You take the pills too much
You don't give a damn about that jobs you've got
So long as you're with the London boys

A London boy, oh a London boy
Your flashy clothes are your pride and joy
A London boy, a London boy
You think you've had a lot of fun
But you ain't got nothing, you're on the run
It's too late now, cause you're out there boy
You've got it made with the rest of the toys
Now you wish you'd never left your home
You've got what you wanted but you're on your own
With the London boys

Now you've met the London boys
Now you've met the London boys
Now you've met the London boys

About the author

Bill Luther was born in 1966. A veteran of Desert Storm and numerous "scene" wars he is a lifelong New Jerseyite who drives a British car, has a Portuguese wife and at the moment loves 60's Scandinavian music. He lists his passions as brown ale, defending the first Bowie Lp and collecting/firing WW2 rifles. Try as he may he cannot escape the modernist lifestyle he has lived these past 25+ years.

More info and other articles by this author

Uppers Shopping Service

David Bowie-London Boy

Other articles on Uppers you might enjoy

[Music:Tributes]

David Bowie-David Bowie (Deram) 1967

The 40th anniversary of David Bowie's debut LP is investigated.

Comments:
satan	nov 15 2007 11:27AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blGtskfaUbI #94 on fredrik strage's top 100 moments of rock'n'roll on youtube.
Make your own comment