London Hooligan Soul

"Fila, Lacoste, Tacchini, Armani, Lois, Nike and Kappa. Taxing the rich and famous and rushing the Burberry door. Scoring a draw down the Saints. A pick up from the SPG. Blair Peach a crying shame. The NF and unmarked police vans. Who is to blame? Clash city rockers and white men in Hammersmith Palais. Road trips to Caister, Soul Tribes ..." Thus goes the elegy for lost youth that is London Hooligan Soul by the Ballistic Brothers. It's part of a grand tradition that is the art of the list song. Personally, I'm a sucker for 'em. And they are bloomin' hard to get right. The Ballistics (London club land faces Ashley Beadle, Rocky & Diesel, Dave Hill) evoke their own youth on this title track of their Junior Boy's Own debut LP. Any one else's youth is just as valid, and there will be others featured here. But there are some lovely touches included nevertheless. The reggae record shop Peckings, the Jay brothers' sound system at Carnival, The Jam at Wembley ... "A poll tax riot going on. They have sold my country..."