Song Of The Day 9/1/2014: London - "Everyone's A Winner"

Untitled Punk Week: London first existed in the late '70s, when having a name like "London" was a safe thing to do since SEO theory was a long way off. The leader was Riff Regan. He placed an ad in local publications and soon they were very much in the burgeoning punk business, although Regan didn't consider them punk at all, culling his influence from Bowie, the Who, Lou Reed, Sparks and that whole Rocky Horror business. London were tight. I like this song.

Another great thing about London is that they stole their drummer from the Clash. From most accounts it was the best for all involved, really. The drummer didn't hit it off well with the likes of Joe Strummer, who Regan claimed "accus(ed) him of crappy psuedo-revolutionary rhetoric!!" It's the "pseudo-" part I think they were probably most put off by. Anyway, so the drummer joins London, who recorded "Everyone's A Winner" in, again according to Regan, "about twenty minutes." They got a deal with MCA through their manager, Simon Napier-Bell, who'd scored in eras past with the Yardbirds and Marc Bolan, and was about to have his furniture completely reupholstered thanks to his work propelling George Michael to fame. London was done in a year, although they've reunited and are listed as "active" by Wikipedia, that priceless resource for info about the 1990 Bishop's Castle earthquake and the Ladies' Professional Golf Association.

Oh! Almost forgot: that drummer they stole from the Clash? His name is Jon Moss. He later enjoyed a short stint with the Damned, but went on to his biggest acclaim as the drummer for the most Benetton group in the world, Culture Club. They too have reunited. So get your tickets now.