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London Stone

 
Album Review: London Stone

Review

If you were to take any three albums by the Bevis Frond and reshuffle the tracks, you could easily come up with two albums of brilliant material and one album that shouldn't be released. One of those discs would be tough, hard-rocking, and poetic, the other wistfully bleak electric folk. The third release, the one that would never see the light of day, would be derivative psychedelia that shows promise but never quite delivers. The good news is that London Stone would have a lot of selections on the first two albums and only one or two tracks for the third. Among the hard-rocking highlights are the organ-driven "Still Trying" and the incredible "Coming Round," which ranks with the best up-tempo tracks Nick Saloman has ever laid down. It's hard to imagine that both parts of that sinuous, muscular guitar duel were played by the same guy, who is also tossing in the tasty bass work, but that's the genius of Saloman in the studio. "And Now She's Gone" approaches the same level of emotional impact in a more straightforward way, with punk rock intensity and lyrical simplicity carried by Saloman's expressive voice. There are one or two highlights from the sensitive, folk-driven side of the Bevis Frond too, notably "Lord of Nothing" and the unusually empathetic "On a Liquid Wheel." It's hard to figure the exact nature of the title metaphor in this story of a merry has-been, but listeners don't really need to know. What matters is that it's a lively and compassionate character study and a great piece of music, one of several highlights in an album with lots of them to go around. ~ Richard Foss, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Stonedance Traditional The Bevis Frond (0:50)
Coming Round Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (7:56)
That Same Morning Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (2:51)
Living Soul Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (3:24)
Still Trying Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (2:54)
Well Out of It (Lyrics) Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (7:03)
A Most Singular Hole Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (3:05)
Freedom Falling Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (3:18)
London Stone Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (5:26)
Lord of Nothing Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (4:38)
And Now She's Gone Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (3:14)
On a Liquid Wheel Nick Saloman The Bevis Frond (5:35)

Credits

The Bevis Frond (Main Performer), Mark Dawson (Engineer), Barry Dransfield (Violin), Nick Saloman (Organ), Nick Saloman (Bass), Nick Saloman (Guitar), Nick Saloman (Vocals), Nick Saloman (Producer), Nick Saloman (Instrumentation), Martin Crowley (Drums)
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Wikipedia: London Stone
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London Stone 111 Cannon Street London
The London Stone in December 2005. The advertising has since been removed

The London Stone is a stone that is said to be the place from which the Romans measured all distances in Britannia. It is now set within a stone surround and iron grill on Cannon Street, in the City of London.

Contents

History

Whether or not this is true, the London Stone was for many hundreds of years recognised as the symbolic authority and heart of the City of London. It was the place where deals were forged and oaths were sworn. It was also the point from which official proclamations were made. Jack Cade, popular leader of those who rebelled against Henry VI in 1450, observed the tradition by striking his sword against it as a symbol of sovereignty after his forces entered London; on striking the stone, he then felt emboldened to declare himself "Lord of the City".

The Stone was originally situated in the middle of Cannon Street and was much larger than it is now. Later the Stone was set into the wall of St Swithin's Church which was on this site before it was bombed during the Second World War (the Stone remarkably left unscathed).

The stone is still on display opposite Cannon Street station although rather inconspicuously situated. The stone and box, with iron grille, were designated a Grade II* listed structure on 5 June 1972.[1] There is also a pub nearby called "The London Stone", which is run by the Eerie Pub Company.

Like the Ravens of the Tower of London, there is a myth that states the Stone's safety is linked to that of the city itself; "So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish". This relates to the myth that the stone was part of an altar built by Brutus of Troy, the legendary founder of London.

In fiction

The London Stone is a prominent setting in Charlie Fletcher's children's book about "unLondon", Stoneheart.

See also

The nearest London Underground station is Cannon Street. It is also a National Rail station.

References

External links

Coordinates: 51°30′42″N 0°05′22″W / 51.51167°N 0.08944°W / 51.51167; -0.08944



 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "London Stone" Read more