A few months ago Richard Davies (Glen in Tramlines) and myself were talking about the dearth of music 'with a difference' that used to regularly hit the pop charts. One of the songs we both remembered with much affection was Mouldy Old Dough once heard never forgotten. The character of Glen in Tramlines would know some pretty rangey people in the music industry and Lieutenant Pigeon would definitely count amongst his friends. A quick search on the internet later and I was e-mailing them to ask if they would appear as a cameo in Tramlines.
Since then I have been finding out just what these guys did and were involved in - no boring boy band these but very well rounded straight from the heart musicians. Guys who like to play music, be involved in music and do it their way. To quote from their autobiography; 'The secret of success is ignoring the people who say you can't do it that way'. "Rob and I both firmly believe that" - and I have always believed that.
Although they are mostly known for 'Mouldy Old Dough' which was top of the charts for 4 weeks in 1972 they did have other hits and were on tour and in studio with both Lieutenant Pigeon and their other band Stavely Makepeace. Unusual at the time Rob's mother Hilda was right there in Lieutenant Pigeon playing piano. Hilda is fondly remembered, she died in 1999.
Their autobiography 'When Show Business is No Business' which was published in 2000 (Ranwell Press) is a fond but honest account of the days when the music industry attracted real characters as opposed to stylised dictators, when there were music makers as opposed to fame seekers. These were the heady days when music could be everything and anything as in TV drama for the most part what we are left with is style without substance, high production values with low creativity.
Rob Woodward, Nigel Fletcher, Steve Johnson and Hilda Woodward
Stavely Makepeace
Nigel and Rob at the launch of Pigeon Pie
They have a new LP coming out this year, please go to their website for full details of everything they are up to.
You can also buy their music from this website.
Another fan of Lieutenant Pigeon hits the deck after meeting his idols
Rob and Nigel in between takes
Behind the scenes with Lieutenant Pigeon during their cameo appearance in Tramlines
On 25 August 2009 Rob Woodward and Nigel Fletcher from Lieutenant Pigeon came to Shropshire to film their cameo part in Tramlines. Considering that they hadn't done any acting since they were at school they were both incredibly steady and focused. Professional to their boot straps they had learnt the lines and even added one of their own. They were fun to work with and so unassuming that we all fell in love with them. All this on crisps and water!
26 August - who do we hear on the Chris Evans show on Radio 2? None other than Nigel talking about 'Mouldy Old Dough'. Chris Evans had played the record the day before and it had had a massive response - and rightly so.
The boys have released an LP of favourites this year. Click on the link below to go straight to their back calalogue and sales page. There is also a Lieutenant Pigeon autobiography written by Nigel and Rob; When Show Business is No Business - this is a really good read if you want to find out how things really are, how fame affects and to re-live the excitement of those days. It also has some very funny anecdotes!
Lynne Harvey