Tuesday 26 January 2010

Hampstead Way

"Everything's okay now Hampstead Way ..." sings the very great Linda Lewis on the lovely Hampstead Way from her first LP Say No More. Linda is one of London's treasures (West Ham born and bred) and her '70s recordings are among the best things recorded on these shores, and on a worldwide scale up there with Laura Nyro and Minnie Ripperton. Her sound is such a mix of styles, and the LPs she made for Reprise were way way ahead of the pack. Hampstead Way refers to the house Linda shared with a variety of artistic types, including Robert Wyatt and Jeff Dexter, and where there were all sorts of soon-to-be superstar visitors hanging out. Linda's singing career started with a cover of Mary Love's You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet and she sang with Herbie Goins and the Nightimers before going on to do that wonderful solo stuff. "Cue the music and cue her ..."

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