Isles of Wonder: Music For the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games

The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, directed by Danny Boyle, was jaw-droppingly bonkers, eclectic, wonderful, odd, funny and totally inspiring. A microcosm of the British Isles and at it's heart was the beat of the best of British music.

I was initially concerned when it was announced that Danny Boyle, a long time favourite director of mine (yes I even like...no make that love 'A Life Less Ordinary'), was going to direct the opening ceremony. Usually these are souless, po-faced corporate affairs so it raised fears that he had, in the parlance of our times, 'done a Ben Elton' and sold his soul to the corporate devil.

Within minutes of the spectacle starting, as the camera over the stadium dressed as a rural scene, complete with maypole dancers, farmers, a Glastonbury Tor and an orchestra decked out in converse training shoes I was at ease. This was an opening ceremony Danny Boyle style.

This album is a great accompaniment to the spectacle and a real diverse selection; Mike Oldfield, Dizzee Rascal, The LSO, Pet Shop Boys, David Bowie, Emeli Sande. But the real star of this album is Underworld, who are fast becoming Danny Boyle's house band. Pardon the pun.

Their contribution is just the sort of thing that an Olympic soundtrack needs; high energy, upbeat and motivational. Let's hope that some of this can rub off on Team GB.

But most of all, the album presents a great memento to what has to be the best opening cereemony in Olympic history; forget going for the biggest bangs that bucks can buy, forget overly serious grande gestures. Instead concentrate on celebrating what made these isles so special. Hard work, ingenuity, engineering, social care but most of all it's people. Wonderfully diverse, eccentric, confusing, brilliant and utterly, utterly unique.