Blur frontman Damon Albarn has revealed that he almost recorded an album with David Bowie and The Kinks' mainman Ray Davies. The singer, who is currently preparing for the release of the studio album version of his opera Doctor Dee, revealed that for precisely 24 hours he was set to make a record...
Blur frontman Damon Albarn has revealed that he almost recorded an album with David Bowie and The Kinks‘ mainman Ray Davies.
The singer, who is currently preparing for the release of the studio album version of his opera Doctor Dee, revealed that for precisely 24 hours he was set to make a record with the Thin White Duke and The Kinks man.
Asked how much he enjoyed collaborating with other musicians, Albarn said: “I do genuinely like working with people but at the same time I don’t expect it to work, and there have been a lot of people who a lot of things don’t happen. I mean, for about 24 hours, many years ago, I was making a record with David Bowie and Ray Davies. But that only lasted 24 hours.”
Albarn also spoke about ‘Under The Westway’, a new song he has written for Blur, which the band premiered earlier this year during a gig at London’s O2 Shepherds Bush Empire and which bassist Alex James has heavily hinted that they will be performing at their Hyde Park show this summer.
Speaking about ‘Under The Westway’, he said: “I’ve done a new tune for Blur, it’s really traditional. It’s something I’ve had knocking about for years and didn’t know what to do with it. Initially I wrote it as a slightly wistful national anthem for my house, I had this idea of getting it made into an old 78 record and making a flag and then just playing it – just being really silly. But I had these chords and I ended up writing this tune around it.”
He then went on to say that he feels it might be the last song he ever writes for Blur. He told The Quietus: “I don’t really do anything with Blur any more – there’s this concert this year but its not a full-time thing at all. Maybe this tune’s a last little coda to the whole story.”
Blur announced last month that they will return to Hyde Park, the scene of two of their reunion shows of 2009, for a gig which will also feature The Specials and New Order. The show will take place on August 12 to mark the end of the 2012 Olympics.
Along with playing at Hyde Park, Blur are also scheduled to headline Sweden’s Way Out West festival in August.