LIFTED FROM ICA 93

ICA 93 was a guest posting from strangeways.   It appeared in November 2016.

It was, in keeping with the handful of other things he has contributed over the years, quite wonderful and rather obscure.

The ICA was devoted to The Pipettes.

Here’s how strangeways introduced things:-

“Gwenno. RiotBecki. Rosay. They are The Pipettes. Or they were The Pipettes. Well, one of them, I think, still is The Pipettes. Or maybe not.

“It’s all rather complicated.

“So during this Imaginary Compilation Album I’m going to concentrate on the incarnation above – best described as that terrible pop cliché, the classic lineup. But I’ll also throw in a couple of respectful curveballs.

“Like a lot of the 60s Girl Groups without whom…The Pipettes were, it seems, authentically, a creation. They were the joint design of one Monster Bobby – a sort of indiepop Victor Frankenstein from what I can gather – and singer Julia Clarke-Lowes. In 2003, in Brighton, they put together the band, recruiting Rose ‘Rosay’ Elinor Dougall and Rebecca ‘RiotBecki’ Stephens. Providing the brilliant Spector-inspired tunes: The Cassettes – Monster Bobby and pals – who, with respect, were essentially the three singers’ backing band.

“As regards the definable We Are The Pipettes era that dominates this ICA, it didn’t last long: 2005/06, really. Perhaps the whole pouting, shape-pulling, polka-dottedeness of it all became too much. Maybe it locked-up rather than liberated. Whatever, with ill-advised confidence I predicted a 2016 reunion tour that would mark the ten years since the LP’s release. It was inevitable. And, inevitably, it didn’t happen.”

This was track 5 on the ICA, the one which closed Side A:-

Judy (single/We Are The Pipettes LP track, 2006)

“Just what did Judy do when she was older and no one wanted to know her? This is a terrific single and its worth having a look at its fun comic book-style video too. If you’ve ever invited the collective wraths of the God of Pop and the God of, well, God by wearing an upturned LP sleeve on your head and pretending you’re a bishop, you could do worse than track down a copy of a limited 7″ of Judy. Its sleeve, brilliantly, can be unfolded and worn as a skirt.”

I thought strangeways was having a laugh when he said the sleeve could be worn as a skirt.  Turns out he was offering fashion advice of the highest order:-

I’ve tracked down the two songs that were on the b-side of the single:-

mp3 : The Pipettes – It Hurts To See You Dance So Well
mp3 : The Pipettes – KFC

The former is just 67 seconds long and is great fun.

The latter is 102 seconds long and is not very good.  It is, indeed, about a chain of fried chicken restaurants and may well be the silliest thing that’s ever appeared on the blog since its inception in 2006.

JC (and strangeways)

PS : I’m away for a few days and won’t have access to a laptop to keep an eye on the blog.  Any bits needing tidied-up, particularly any anonymous comments, will be sorted out from Monday or Tuesday next week.  Thanks in advance…….