Raining in London

“It’s raining in London. Dark turns the sky. We run for cover. Heaven starts to cry ...” Raining In London by The Peddlers is taken from the group’s early ‘70s ambitious conceptual work, Suite London, recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I’m a huge fan of The Peddlers, and love the contradictions inherent in their music. On one hand they can be considered a hip-MOR outfit, jazzing up the standards (Time After Time was a recording I’d play a lot while rummaging through my mum’s records as a kid) but then you listen to Roy Phillips’ Hammond workouts and bluesy vocals and you realise something else is going on. The collection of their ‘60s CBS recordings, How Cool Is Cool ..., is particularly recommended. But Suite London is something else. And as it was reissued by the Saint Etienne lads on one of their major label indulgences a little while ago there’s no excuse for being unfamiliar with it. On the subject of Saint Etienne here’s a clip from their Finisterre film where the great London writer Shena Mackay talks about London and the rain ...