The Good, The Bad & The Queen

The Good, The Bad & The Queen

Image of The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Record Label
Honest Jon's / Parlophone

About this item

The Good, The Bad and The Queen is a new album featuring Damon Albarn (Blur / Gorillaz), Paul Simonon (The Clash), Tony Allen (Africa 70 / Fela Kuti) and Simon Tong (The Verve) which began life in the Aphrodisia Studios in Nigeria in 2004: Damon Albarn and guitarist Simon Tong had travelled to Lagos to record with veteran drummer and Afro-beat pioneer Tony Allen. Working with local musicians, the trio recorded an album's worth of rough material. Back in England, Damon was finishing off Gorillaz' "Demon Days" album and the project went on the back burner. When he came back to the tracks Damon began writing lyrics about his West London neighbourhood and why he thinks it's such a special place to live, then gave the recordings to producer Brian 'Danger Mouse' Burton and the album began to take shape. The final collaborator to come in to the studio was Clash bassist – and West London native – Paul Simonon. Sessions for the album proper took place in Damon's studio just off the Golborne Road, and in Devon, and were finished by early summer 2006. The result is a record specific to a place and a time but with a background that is geographically wide-ranging and stretches far back into a glittering musical past. "The Good, The Bad & The Queen" traces a journey from the English music hall tradition, over to West Africa for Afro-beat, zig-zagging through the West Indies and its reggae and dub, back to England and London's punk scene, all the while taking in a strand of British beat music from the 50s right through to Britpop.

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