In the City: A Celebration of London Music
Paul Du Noyer
'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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About Paul Du Noyer
Reviews for In the City: A Celebration of London Music
Guardian
(An) exhilarating new history of the music that defines the capital
Evening Standard
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
Du Noyer digs impressively deep for insight ... it evokes London as a place of converged cultures, found sounds and infinite possibilities
Metro
Paul Du Noyer's superb new book
Word Magazine
A bit like Peter Ackroyd's work, only you can whistle along
Observer
The first book properly to anatomise the popular music of our capital is a mighty achievement - and a cracking read. Du Noyer unravels the threads that link Elizabethan balladry to Britpop, bhangra and beyond, constructing a seamless social history that pays as much heed to Gilbert and Sullivan as Small Faces. Mapping the music halls of the East End, the ballrooms of Mayfair and the basement clubs that housed renegade bands, his book is a hymn to a metropolis whose musical vigour lies in its with, its ruthlessly competitive commercial spirit and passion for riotous fun. An engrossing story, beautifully told by and expat Liverpudlian who doesn't miss a trick.
The Sunday Times
[4 stars] All the sounds of the Smoke
Mojo