06/12/15: Tuna de Derecho de Santiago de Compostela

Found in the leaves in the gutter near Kenwood House, north London. This 2007 CD seems to consist of some church band or religious thing released by PSM Music – see HERE.

26/11/15: Bow Wow – Unleashed

Stanhope Street, yet again. As usual, we need Wikipedia to tell us more about the CD: "Unleashed is the third studio album by American rapper Bow Wow. It was released on August 19, 2003 by Columbia Records. The album features guest appearances from Amerie, Birdman (aka Baby), Mario and Jagged Edge and was produced by Bink!, The Neptunes, Jazze Pha, Swizz Beatz and Lil' Jon, making this Bow Wow's only album to be produced without his mentor Jermaine Dupri." Some of the edging had come away, sprinkling the pavement in shiny dust that gleamed under the streetlights. Unlikely to play.

07/11/15: Tatlıses – Sizler Için

Oily puddle on Crescent Road, EN4. Seems to be a four-track disc of Turkish pop released in 2005 by İbrahim Tatlıses. The translation powers of the internet offer up the following song list:
1. Hair the Way Bring Voice-Music: Lovers poor (Reza Knight)
2. I threw a stone at the window Voice-Music: Anonymous
3. I know said: Abraham Dizlek Music: Ibrahim Dizlek / Baran Elyasa
4. These three things are there in the world Voice-Music: Anonymous

18/10/15: Westlife – Coast to Coast

Released in 2000, Coast to Coast was the second album by the dreadful boyband Westlife. This copy cost someone 99p but ended up in the Stapylton car park, Chipping Barnet. Sadly, the disc itself was nowhere to be seen.

09/10/15: Smoy/Tmoy CD-Rs

There are inevitably many risks in modern life, but certain dangers are easier to avoid than others. Some people will even compromise their own personal safety by stepping into traffic to take photographs of compact discs left in the road. But – based on this treasure uncovered on the A400 as it passes through Kentish Town – the foolhardy dicing-with-death gamble was well worth it. The three CD-Rs were located within metres of each other. The text appears to say "Smoy July 24 pm", "Tmoy Aug 6 '15" and "Aug 4 '15". On the third disc the "Tmoy" or "Smoy" is obscured by peeling. Note the attractive colouring displayed on the peeled-back area. Unlikely to play.

30/09/15: All Eyez on Me

One eye stares from the Stanhope Street gravel. An enigmatic shard. Research reveals this to be All Eyez on Me, "the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac, released February 13, 1996 under Death Row Records", which was "the first double-full-length hip-hop solo studio album released for mass consumption" (thanks, Wikipedia). Of those two discs only one – or rather, part of one – was to be found. Unlikely to play.

28/09/15: Anonymous CD-R

Completely anonymous CD-R on Totteridge Lane, Whetstone. No writing whatsoever. Its light battering cannot stop the disc emanating a pleasing “rainbow” effect.

22/09/15: Stanhope

Drain cover, Stanhope Street again. There's writing, but it's a long way from being readable. Unlikely to play.

14/09/15: DataLife CD-R, Stanhope Street, Camden

Stanhope Street continues to yield exotic treasure with astounding regularity. As a brand name "DataLife" seems almost poignantly appropriate, in this day and age.

06/09/15: BlackBerry User Tools

North Finchley car park. I owned a BlackBerry a while back. It was the best phone I ever had. I keep reading that they are going out of business. A gloom article HERE concludes: "...buy up those BlackBerry phones while you can, BlackBerry diehards. There’s no guarantee they’ll keep making new ones forever."

01/09/15: Common – Be

Mornington Terrace, NW1. Hard to read. I thought it said “Common BC”, but, in fact, it says "Common Be". Over to Wikipedia: "Be is the sixth studio album by American rapper Common, released May 24, 2005 on GOOD Music and Geffen Records. Primarily produced by hip hop artist Kanye West, the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 185,000 copies sold in its first week." Unlikely to play.

07/08/15: Collection of Shah Rukh Khan: Humko Humise Chura Lo

Wikipedia: "Shah Rukh Khan (born Shahrukh Khan, 2 November 1965), also known as SRK, is an Indian film actor, producer and television personality. Referred to in the media as 'Baadshah of Bollywood', 'King of Bollywood' or 'King Khan', he has appeared in more than 80 Bollywood films. Described by the Los Angeles Times as perhaps 'the world's biggest movie star', Khan has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide. He is one of the richest actors in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$400–600 million, and his work in Bollywood has earned him numerous accolades, including 14 Filmfare Awards." This "super digital" CD was teetering at the edge of the drain on Delancey Street, Camden, NW1.

19/07/15: Hill Crescent, N20

Photographed at night, this sliver seemed like a glimpse of the Moon, albeit the Moon after it had crash-landed in the gutter of a quiet Whetstone street.

16/07/15: Easy-Install CD • Insert now to install AOL Broadband

Near Regent's Park. Possibly slighty less "easy-install" with the twigs and grass on it.

09/07/15: S or 5?

Oakleigh Road North, Whetstone, N20. Second find in one day. This has no writing except for the enigmatic "S". Or is that a "5"?

09/07/15: Woolworths Worthit!

Woolworths "Worthit!" CD-R found in Nether Street, N12. "Lifetime Guarantee" promises the text, unrealistically.

01/07/15: Fitz Buudda

W H Smith CD-R found in Stanhope Street, NW1. The spelling of “buudda” (presumably an unorthodox variant on "buddha") has allowed the artist to depict a human form with large breasts.

29/06/15: IELTS 8

Found in Stanhope Street, NW1. Text reads: “IELTS 8: Examination Papers Cambridge ESOL, CD 2 of 2”. Of course, CD 1 of 2 was nowhere to be seen. Had this educational aid been thrown away after an exam in a moment of joy (no longer needed)? Or had it been trashed in advance of the exam in a state of despair (why even bother with revision)?

15/06/15: Sangeeta/Salim Khan presents

Yet more treasure from Stanhope Street, NW1. "Sangeeta" (top right) could be the record label or artiste. “Salim Khan presents” reads the text at top centre. If anyone reading this can translate the rest and/or identify the CD, please let me know. Significant scratches and denting have occurred, but the disc remains in one piece.

15/06/15: Sarah Single Track 92

Stanhope Street, NW1. Was "Sarah" the recipient of this Maxell CD-R, the person who burned the disc or the artiste whose work the disc captured? Does "Single Track 92" refer to an isolated, one-off song or to a song that was released as a single? And why "92"? So many questions.

05/06/15: Dr. Dre – 2001

On the thin strip of pavement in the middle of the road outside Mornington Crescent tube station was this Dr. Dre CD. Contrary to its title, 2001 was released in 1999. I am not familiar with the work of the good doctor (indeed, he may not even be an actual doctor), so had to go online for information. Wikipedia states that this album "contains gangsta rap themes such as violence, promiscuity, drug use, street gangs, and crime". The same handy resource claims that 2001 "has sold 7,664,000 copies in the United States". Clearly, it sold at least one copy in North London too. There were some interesting scratch marks on the left- and right-hand sides of the disc. Unlikely to play.

26/05/15: From the driver's seat

Spotted at the edge of the road on the roundabout that circles ArtsDepot in North Finchley. I was actually driving at the time, and – unable to stop without causing a car crash – took this out of the window at the traffic light – hence the even-worse-than-usual photograph.

08/05/15: Arista sliver (“Satisfy You” by Puff Daddy featuring R. Kelly)

Found on Drummond Street, NW1, this was a tantalising sliver indeed. Detective work (i.e., googling the Arista catalogue number 74321 74559 2) revealed it to be a CD single of “Satisfy You” by Puff Daddy featuring R. Kelly from the year 2000. Just visible at the bottom is the text “3. Remix (club mix)”. Musically, not my kind of thing. Unlikely to play.

28/04/15: Cosmic Conflict: The Origin of Evil

Found in the road in Camden High Street. As a concept, Cosmic Conflict sounds pretty bad to me, although Star Wars was entertaining enough. Oddly enough, this was the second disc in a row with a Spanish connection (see the language options listed on the DVD). According to the Internet Movie Database, this is: 'A powerful, eye-opening documentary that focuses on the great controversy that began when Lucifer rebelled in heaven. It traces the transformation of a perfect angel into Satan, the creation of a beautiful new world, and the fall of man in Eden.' It also says: 'This film is an essential Christian resource that will help you pull down the spiritual veil and see everything at stake in the war between good and evil. You will witness a vital part of the history of the cosmos that will help you make sense of world around you at last.'

23/04/15: Spanish introductory language

Found on the crossroads of Stanhope Street and Robert Street in NW1 was this guide to a more exotic location. The CD has been so brutalized that – rotated – it almost resembles a map of Spain. Unlikely to play.

22/04/15: Unmarked DVD-R

Cleveland Street, W1. The plain quality is appealing – there's a kind of beauty in the simplicity of this one.

17/03/15: Mehdi Hassan

First find for a Reyo-branded CD-R. Found this in the road, in the dark, on Mornington Terrace, NW1. The upper part of the text reads "Mehdi Hassan". But what does the lower part say?

26/02/15: Kyoto Cafe: Soothing, Acoustic & Nostalgic, WC1

'Soothing, Acoustic & Nostalgic,' says the subtitle. Found this on top of a bin (and on top of a cigarette) by the building works on Grafton Way, WC1. It's a 2009 CD from Korea. When I unfolded the packaging, the CD looked quite playable.

09/02/15: 17

Found this in Charlotte Street, W1. The enigmatic text on the sticker reads "17...". Unlikely to play.

08/02/15: Showmaxx CD-R

Tillingham Way, Woodside Park, N12. One of the less familiar CD-Rs, this Showmaxx disc looked like it had seen a fair bit of water damage in the harsh early February weather.

05/02/15: No Silence by ATB

Mornington Street, Camden, NW1. According to Wikipedia: "No Silence is the fifth studio album released by German DJ and producer, ATB. It was released in 2004 and includes hits such as 'Marrakech', 'Ecstasy' and 'Here with Me' (all featuring vocals by Tiff Lacey) . . . Unlike his other album releases, ATB used a cross fade effect on each song as a transition to the next song on the album with dream-like sequences and sounds of nature." ATB is an abbreviation of André Tanneberger. Unlikely to play.

03/02/15: Workzone: cutting disc for thin metal

“Only for cutting! Not for grinding!” says the text. Thought this was a CD. In fact, it's a disc for cutting metal. A controversial inclusion, perhaps, but in the darkness of Harrington Street, Camden, NW1, I was convinced that this was a discarded album. "Workzone" even sounds like a pop group – a failed boy band perhaps?

14/01/15: Lamb in Camden

On Hampstead Road, Camden, I spied a little lost Lamb on the pavement. It is Lamb’s self-titled 1996 debut album. In their review of this release, Rolling Stone magazine pronounced that “electronica is a worthy heir to more time-tested musical genres – and not just a fluke of computer literacy”. An important part of the CD is missing. Unlikely to play.

05/01/15: Dabira (Do Wonder), Stanhope Street, Camden

What better way to see in the New Year than with an abandoned CD? Dabira (Do Wonder) is an album of Nigerian gospel music by Bunmi Akinnaanu a.k.a. Omije Ojumi. This is yet another disc from Stanhope Street, by far the most bountiful source of abandoned CDs. Unlikely to play.