If you want to stand exactly where the photos for some of the most iconic album covers by Oasis, The Beatles, or David Bowie were taken (in London), then you are on the right blog post.
I’ve added a map and some extra details on the closest underground stations.
If you want to do a self-guided walking tour, see the details at the end of the post.
The covers of these iconic albums were shot at locations across London:
- Absolutely – Madness
- The Clash – The Clash
- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – David Bowie
- (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis
- Abbey Road – The Beatles
- Animals – Pink Floyd
I have added a map, so you can see exactly where the locations are:
1. Absolutely – Madness
Absolutely was the 2nd studio album from the British ska band Madness, which reached number 2 in the UK album charts.
Baggy Trousers, Madness’ biggest hit, and also my favourite, reached No. 3 in the singles charts back in 1980, was from the Absolutely album.
The album cover was taken outside the Chalk Farm Station in Camden.
2. The Clash – The Clash
Debut studio album by The Clash, released in 1977, which reached No.12 in the album charts in the UK.
I didn’t follow The Clash, but my favourite song, which I found out, on the way back from London, is Miss CDMX’s favourite too, is London Calling, which is on their 3rd studio album “London Calling”.
How to find The Clash Steps in Camden Market
The album cover was photographed by Kate Simon on what is now known as The Clash Steps in Camden Market.
Back then, the steps were just a ramp, but they are located on the side of the Coyote Ugly.
The nearest underground stations are Chalk Farm and Camden Town.
Nomadic Backpacker at the Clash Steps in Camden:
I later visited Frestonia, where some of the material for the Combat Rock album was recorded.
3. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was the fifth studio album by David Bowie, released on 16 June 1972.
This is my favourite album from David Bowie, and if I had to choose ‘My Top 5 Albums’, this would definitely be up there. Back in the day, I had it on cassette tape.
The location of the Ziggy Stardust album cover is from outside his studio on Heddon Street, Mayfair, in London.
The nearest underground station is Piccadilly Circus. It’s just a 10-minute walk from Berwick Street (see section 4 below).
Last week I backpacked to Aylesbury.
The opening line on the first track, “5 Years”, ‘Pushing through the market square’, is inspired by the market square in Aylesbury.
Bowie had performed in Aylesbury 2 weeks before he wrote that song.
A statue, entitled Earthly Messenger, erected in 2018, lies just off the market square and is dedicated to David Bowie, who passed away in 2016.
I took a Guinness at The Starman, another track on the Ziggy Stardust album.
After a second pint, the words started to flow.
A plaque marks the spot:
4. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis
Can’t say I am a huge fan of Oasis, but their songs are classic, and the lyrics, absolutely genius.
I grew up in the 80s listening to some of the most iconic bands ever: The Rolling Stones, Status Quo, The Who, Pink Floyd. Much of the stuff produced in the mid-’90s and beyond made little impact.
But Oasis left their mark.
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory was the second studio album by Oasis. The album features hits including ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Roll With It’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’.
Where was the Oasis Morning Glory album cover photo taken?
The photo for the “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” album cover was taken on Berwick Street in Soho. The nearest underground station is Oxford Street.
I snuck into a record shop and found 2 of the albums featured here: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars, and The Clash:
5. Abbey Road – The Beatles
The Abbey Road album, released on 26 September 1969, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios.
The album cover features The Fab Four on the Abbey Road Crosswalk outside the Abbey Road Studios.
My favourite track from this album is Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun”.
I couldn’t find the album to take a photo, but am sure you all know what the original looks like.
The nearest underground station is St John’s Wood.
6. Animals – Pink Floyd
The cover for Animals by Pink Floyd, with the inflatable pig hanging from the 2 southern towers of Battersea Power Station, is from 1977.
It’s a shot, impossible to replicate, as the building from where the photo was taken is long gone.
Bonus – Subterranean Homesick Blues – Bob Dylan
A sneaky addition, as it’s not an album but the video for Subterranean Homesick Blues was recorded in an alleyway behind the Savoy Hotel.
The nearest underground stations are Temple or Embankment.
Am a huge fan of Bob Dylan. My favourite track is a hard one to choose from such a catalogue. But if I have to choose, it’s a toss-up between Like a Rolling Stone and Hurricane but Subterranean Homesick Blues is a good one too.
Subterranean Homesick Blues appeared on the Bringing It All Back Home album.
Self-Guided Walking Tour:
If you want to walk between the locations of all these album covers, starting at Abbey Road and then Chalk Farm, Camden Market, Berwick Street, Heddon Street and the Savoy Hotel, the distance, as per Google Maps, is 5.3 miles. Battersea Power Station, for the Pink Floyd album, is a bit further out; it would add another 3 miles to the walking tour.
Wow Battersea looks different. Gentrification. The entire neighborhood around there has been built up. I saw the prices of some apartments right next door to the mall; goodness gracious.
There were some very rough parts of London in the 70s. My grandmother was from Bethnal Green. The street has gone now but was once part of the biggest slum in London.. in the 60s, everything was coal-fired. black smog everywhere..