Best of the British (Olympics and Music)

Rumors are swirling around the Twitter-sphere about whether Sir Paul McCartney will be singing Hey Jude, Yesterday or Imagine at the Opening Ceremony. Hopefully, they won't pull the plug on him like they did at a recent jam session with The Boss. Whatever he has planned, it's sure to be historic. Other rumored performers include: The Who, Muse, The Rolling Stones and Adele. Wondering what else is planned? This link from the London Olympic website explains everything from Receiving the Head of State to the Parade of Athletes and the Official Opening of the 2012 Olympic Games.

http://www.london2012.com/spectators/ceremonies/opening-ceremony/

They note: A total cast of 15,000 will take part in the London 2012 Opening and Closing Ceremonies, which will be watched by an estimated audience of four billion. Tremendous, awesome, incredible when you think about the number—four billion!

As far as the Closing Ceremony goes, the London 2012 Organizing Committee (LOCOG) announced that the Ceremony would be titled ‘A Symphony of British Music’. The theme will celebrate the fact that music has been one of Britain’s strongest cultural exports over the last 50 years. Organisers will work with some of the country’s most globally successful musicians, along with some of the industry's stars of tomorrow. http://www.london2012.com/news/2012/02/olympic-closing-ceremony-to-be-a-symphony-of-british-mus.php

In honor if the London Olympics and British music, I’m posting a Best of the British Playlist. Several years ago while visiting our sister in Chicago, we strolled into a Virgin Mega Store and I found this CD. I’d really like to tell the person(s) who compiled this I dug the list then, and I still do. It’s filled with popular artists, but some of the selections are unexpected. Not everything is stellar, it's just a sampling of British music, but I highly recommend Bus Stop, Tubular Bells (suspense/horror film fans will recognize the tune) and the acoustic version of Days Go By. Definitely worth a listen.

Cheers!

1.    Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield

2.    Heroes by David Bowie

3.    Church of the Poison Mind by Culture Club

4.    Ever Fallen in Love? by The Buzzcocks

5.    Right Here, Right Now by Jesus Jones

6.    A Message to You Rudy by The Specials

7.    Girls on Film by Duran Duran

8.    Bus Stop by The Hollies

9.    If You Leave by Orchestral Maneuvres in the Dark

10. It’s My Life by Talk Talk

11. More Than This by Roxy Music

12. Days Go By (Acoustic version) by Dirty Vegas

http://www.london2012.com