Spit In Your Ear
Louise Gold featured as a Spitting Image voice
artiste, album produced in 1986.
Catalogue number: Virgin Records:
(LP) V2403, (CD) VCCCD17 7243 8 40344 2 9, (Cassette) VCCMC17
7243 8 40344 3
Cast
The Players
Anthony
Asbury (as: Pope
John Paul, John McEnroe)
Chris
Barrie (as: Ronald Reagan,
Neil Kinnock, David Owen, David Coleman, Brian Walden, John Cole, Prince
Charles, Prince Andrew, Sir John Gielgud, and, Henry Cooper)
Harry
Enfield (as: David
Steel 1, Leon Brittain, Ronnie Hazelhurst, Juan Carlos of
Alistair
Fullarton (as:
David Steel 2)
Jon
Glover (as: George
Younger, Botha, Bernard Levin, Melvyn Bragg, Ian McCaskill, Prince Philip,
Oliver Reed, Steve Davis)
Louise
Gold (as: HM Queen
Elizabeth II 1, Princess Diana 1, Tatum O’Neil, and, Nancy Reagan)
Jessica
Martin (as: HM
Queen Elizabeth II 2, and, Princess Diana 2)
Steve
Nallon (as:
Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and, Princess Margaret)
Jan
Ravens (as: Mary
Whithouse, and, Princess Diana 3)
Enn
Reitel (as: “Sir”
Donald Sinden, and, Leonard Nimoy)
John
Sessions (as:
Uncredited
Steve
Brown (possibly on
it)
Michael
Fenton Stevens
Philip
Pope
Kate
Robbins
Production Team
Album
Producer - Geoffrey Perkins at the Basement Studios
Engineer - Rowan
Laxton
Produced for
television by - John Lloyd
Directed by
- Peter Harris, Philip Casson, Bob Cousins, John Stroud,
Gordon Elsbury, Tom Poole, and, Graham C Williams
Executive
Producer - Jon Blair
Original
Sound Recorded by - Phil Sellman, John Picken, and, John
Clements
Original
Sound Post production by - Bill Todd, Peter Rubery, Jim Tellow,
and John Catlow
Writers - Geoffrey
Atkinson, Peter Brewis, Christopher Burman, John Docherty,
Rob Grant, Ian Hislop, Moray Hunter, John Lloyd, Peter
Keeper, David Kind, Doug Naylor, Nick Newman, Philip
Pope, Nigel Purton, David Slade, Andrea Solomons, Keith
Strachen, and, Frank Walsh
Track Listing
1. Spitting Image Signature Tune
(by Ian Hislop, Nick Newman, Rob Grant, and, Doug Naylor)
- Instrumental
2. Ronnie And Maggie Goodbye
(by Ian Hislop, Nick Newman, Rob Grant, and, Doug
Naylor) - Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher (Chris Barrie, and, Steve
Nallon)
3. Royal Singalong
(by Ian Hislop, Nick Newman, Rob Grant, and, Doug
Naylor) - Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Prince
Philip, Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Princes Margaret, and, Prince Andrew (Chris
Barrie, Jon Glover, Steve Nallon and one or more out of: Louise
Gold, Jessica Martin, and, Jan Ravens)
4. Weather forecast
(by Ian Hislop, and, Nick Newman) - Ian McCaskill (Jon Glover)
5.
6. We’ve Got Beards
(ZZ Top) (Music by Philip Pope, Lyrics by Ian Hislop and Nick
Newman) - (Michael Fenton Stevens, Philip Pope, and possibly
Steve Brown)
7. Second Coming
(by Peter Keeper, Rob Grant, and, Doug Naylor) - Pope John
Paul and Assistant (Anthony Asbury and ?)
8. Someone Famous Has Died (by
Christopher Burman and Nigel Purton) - A TV Announcer (?)
9. Tea At Johnnie’s
(by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor) - Sir John Gielgud and Sir
Laurence Olivier (Chris Barrie and John Sessions)
10. Trendy Kinnock
(by Moray Hunter and John Docherty) - Neil Kinnock (Chris
Barrie)
11. Da Do Run Ron
(Music by Philip Pope, Lyrics by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman)
- Nancy Reagan and chorus (Louise Gold and chorus)
12. Ronnie’s Birthday
(by Ian Hislop, Nick Newman, Rob Grant, and, Doug
Naylor) - Ronald Reagan and Casper Weinberger (Chris Barrie and John
Sessions)
13. One Man And His Bitch
(by Ian Hislop, Nick Newman, Rob Grant, and, Doug
Naylor) - Ronald Reagan and Maggie Thatcher (Chris Barrie and
Steve Nallon)
14. Special Relationship
(by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman) -
15. Clean
16. O’Toole’s Night Out
(by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor) - Peter O’Toole and Oliver Reed (John
Sessions and Jon Glover)
17. Spock The Actor
(Rob Grant and Doug Naylor) - Leonard Nimoy (Enn Reitel)
18. Line Of Celebrities
(by Geoff Atkinson) - Queen Elizabeth II, “Sir” Donald Sinden Sir David
Attenborough, Vincent Prince, Paul Daniels, Dolly Parton, Denis Norden, Dustin Hoffman,
Roger Moore, Russell Hartly, David Frost and Leon Britain (Enn Reital, various other people, and
either: Louise Gold, or, Jessica Martin)
19. The Price Is Right (by
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman) - Bruce Forsyth, Arnold Businessman,
Daley Thompson, Robert Maxwell, and Leonard Murray (Various men)
20. Botha Tells The Truth
(by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman) - Botha (Jon Glover)
21. I’ve Never Met A Nice South African
(Music by Peter Brewis, Lyrics by John Lloyd) - Lead singer and
chorus
22. End Announcement
- Announcer
23. Andy And Fergie
- Prince Andrew and Sarah Duchess of York (Chris Barrie and possibly Kate
Robbins or Jessica Martin)
24. Pete Townsend Appeals
(by David Kind) - Pete Townsend (John Sessions)
25. Our Generation
(The Who) (Music by Philip Pope, Lyrics by Ian Hislop and Nick
Newman) - Chorus
26.
a.
The Three Davids (by Ian Hislop and Nick
Newman) - David Owen and David Steel (Chris Barrie and either Harry
Enfield or Alistair Fullarton)
b. Two Party System (by Moray
Hunter and John Docherty) - Maggie Thatcher, Neil Kinnock and David
Steel (Steve Nallon, Chris Barrie and either Harry Enfield
or Alistair Fullarton)
27. Hello You Must Be Going
(Phil Collins) (Music by Philip Pope, Lyrics by Ian Hislop and Nick
Newman)
28. Naming The Royal Baby
(by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman) - HM Queen Elizabeth II, Queen
Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Prince Philip, Prince Charles,
Prince Andrew, and, Princess Diana (Chris Barrie, Jon Glover, Steve
Nallon and one or more out of: Louise Gold, Jessica Martin,
and, Jan Ravans)
29. Bruno And Ruthless
(by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor) - Frank Bruno and Henry Cooper (Harry
Enfield and Chris Barrie)
30. The South Bank Show On Ronnie
Hazelhurst (Music by Keith Strachen, Lyrics by Ian
Hislop and Nick Newman) - Ronnie Hazel Hurst and an interviewer (Harry
Endfield and someone else)
31. Bernard Manning Newsflash
(by Christopher Burmam and Nigel Purton) - an announcer
32.Juan Carlos Meets The Queen
(by Ian Hislop, Nick Newman, Rob Grant, and, Doug Naylor)
- Juan Carlos and an aide (Harry Enfield and another man)
33. The Chicken Song
(The Celebrity Mega Mix) (Music by Philip Pope, Lyrics by Rob Grant
and Doug Naylor) - Michael Fenton Stevens, Kate Robbins
and chorus
34. Lawson Goes Bonkers
(by Ian Hislop, Nick Newman, Rob Grant, and, Doug
Naylor) - Maggie Thatcher and Nigel Lawson (Steve Nallon and Jon
Glover)
35. Talk Bollocks
(by Moray Hunter and John Docherty) - Bernard Levin and Jonathan
Miller (Jon Glover and John Sessions)
36. Snooker Names
(by Geoff Atkinson) - Steve Davis and a manager (Jon Glover and
others)
37. Good Old British Block
(by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor) - Prince Charles, an aide, and a
cockney (Chris Barrie and others)
38. Black Moustache
(Prince) (Music by Philip Pope, Lyrics by Rob Grant and Doug
Naylor) - Margaret Thatcher, Michael Parkinson, and Chorus (Steve Nallon
and chorus)
39. Uranus (by Ian
Hislop, Nick Newman, Rob Grant, and, Doug Naylor) - an
announcer
40. Dennis Thatcher’s Pacemaker
(by David Slade and Frank Walsh) - Maggie Thatcher and Denis
Thatcher (Steve Nallon and another man)
41. John and Tatum: The Young Marrieds
(by Andrea Solomons) - John McEnroe and Tatum O’Neil (Anthony Asbury
and Louise Gold)
42. We’re Scared of Bob
(Music by Philip Pope, Lyrics by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor)
- Chorus
43. Trooping The Colour (by
Moray Hunter and John Docherty) - Prince Philip and HM Queen
Elizabeth II (Jon Glover and either Louise Gold or possibly
Jan Ravens)
44. Night Thoughts - Donald Sinden (Enn Reital)
The Cassette VCCMC17 7243 8 40344
3 and the LP V2403, follow the same listing as the CD VCCCD17 7243 8 40344 2 9,
with tracks 1 to 22 on Side A, and tracks 23 to 44 on Side B.
One of the major difficulties with working out who is
who on this album, is that on Spitting Image
there were many occasions where different voice-artistes voiced the same
character, thus on an album like this one it is quite possible to end up in a
situation where for any one character there are two or three different people
who may be doing the voice, and such are their abilities at vocal mimicry,
including of each other, it is practically impossible to work out on any given
track which one of them it is!
However, on the Trouping The Colour skit
the vocalist is very likely to be Louise Gold as The Queen, although it
could possibly be Jan Ravens, but is definitely is not Jessica Martin
As with many compilation albums of this nature, it
appears there were some performers whose voices were heard on it somewhere, but
who did not get credited on the sleeve notes. Of the ones identified here it
has to be said: Michael Fenton-Stevens is mentioned on another Spitting
Image album, Great Golden Gobs, as being a lead vocalist
on The Chicken Song, and he mentions on his website that he and Kate
Robbins sang the lead vocals for The Chicken Song.
All the voice-artistes on this album, of course,
worked as voice-artistes on Spitting Image
itself. Some of them, notably (Louise Gold, Anthony Asbury, Alistair
Fullarton, Steve Nallon, and, Chris Barrie) also worked as
puppeteers
Louise Gold, Anthony Asbury,
and, Alistair Fullarton also worked on the Spitting Image pilot UNTV, which Philip
Casson also directed and John Lloyd produced, and Jon Blair was
production assistant.
Louise Gold and Steve Nallon
helped demonstrate the puppets at the Spitting
Image Auction.
Ian Hislop, Nick Newman, Kate Robbins, Steve Nallon,
Chris Barrie, Jan Ravens, and, Louise Gold
went on to speak about their Spitting
Image work on Spitting
Image: Must See TV.
The track Da Do Run Ron comes from Spitting
Image’s first single Da Do Run Ron However,
for this compilation album, a verse was cut, and the sound appears to have been
remixed.
Anthony Asbury, Alistair Fullarton,
and,
Chris Barrie and Louise Gold
also voiced Spitting Image characters on the recording Utterly Utterly Live Comic Relief,
which was also produced by Geoffrey Perkins, and had material written by
Rob Grant, Ian Hislop, Doug Naylor, Nick Newman,
and, Geoffrey Perkins.
Louise Gold and Chris Barrie
contributed to the semi-professional Fall Out
group’s shows
Louise Gold and Jon Glover
went on to appear together in The Lost Musicals’s productions of By Jupiter (where they played a Queen and King), and,
Panama Hattie .
It is perhaps worth noting that at least two of the
voice-artistes on this very adult album, have also made somewhat noteworthy
contributions to the world of pre-school-children’s television. Jon Glover
had previously presented BBC TV’s Play School, and, Louise
Gold went on to puppeteer on CTW’s Sesame Street.
Louise Gold and Jessica Martin
have appeared on stage together in: Something
For The Boys, One Touch Of Venus
(2000 Production), and A Lost
Musicals Occasion. They also both appeared in Regents Park 70th Anniversary Gala
, Dress Circle Grand Reopening ,
and possibly Kids At Heart. They have also
appeared together on the radio, on: Let’s
Do The Show Right Here and Ned Sherrin’s
Review Of Revue.
Puppeteer
Philip Casson and Peter Harris
also directed The Muppet
Show, and, the Muppet
albums: The Muppet Show Music Hall,
The Muppet Show 2 and Muppet Show Music Album.
Peter Harris also directed the Muppet
albums Muppet Hits 1 and Muppet Hits 2, and the Tv Special The Muppets Go To The Movies. He is
featured on the television documentary Of
Muppets And Men.
John Sessions and Louise Gold
appeared in Laugh??? I Nearly
Paid My Licence Fee, and in excerpts from it on A Kick Up The Archive
Director Philip Casson went on to direct Louise
Gold in her actress’ guise in an episode of Casualty.
Michael Fenton-Stevens’s television credits include Rita Rudner.
Steve Nallon, along with
Jessica Martin went on to
appear in A Love Letter To Dan.
Review
by Emma Shane, 18
October 2002
Until
I found this album I was never quite sure whether I actually liked Spitting
Image. I admired it for what it achieved and it’s contribution to
British culture. But until I head this compilation album I did not realise just
how well written so much of the show’s material actually is.
Some
of the sketches, such as the various jokes about Ronald Reagan’s missing
brain and Special Relationship turn out to be uncannily apt.
While The Chicken Song (which I well remember from my junior
school days) seems to parody itself! in particular with the lyric “No matter
where you hide, you can’t escape this dance”, because The Chicken
Song is one of those tunes that once you hear it has a tendency to get
stuck in your brain, so that you really can’t escape it. Indeed many of the
best sketches do have a foothold in reality. One of my favourites however, is Someone
Famous Has Died, not least because it is an exaggerated version of what
really does happen whenever someone famous dies. Well how often have you walked
past The Evening Standard placards proclaiming that Someone
Famous Has Died, without telling us who the dead famous person actually
is? I also rather like Spock The
Actor, it is a must hear if you are or know anyone who is a Trekkie.
Another of my favourites is Weather Forecast, a sketch that
became particularly apt only a year after this album was made, when The Met
Office managed not to predict a hurricane, as Michael Burek so
memorably said in real life to Ian McCaskill the following lunchtime “You
chaps were a fat lot of good last night.”
Satire,
and in particular Political Satire, however can tread a very very fine line
between what is acceptable and what is not. This varies radically over time,
what is acceptable in one era is unacceptable in another, and vice versa, and
changes at an alarming rate, what was acceptable one day may be totally
unacceptable the next (as The Observer newspaper memorably found
out five years ago, when one of their spoof diary columns had to print an
apology for a joke that had been entirely acceptable when the column was
written, but by the time the newspaper had been printed was deemed
unacceptable), and I do wonder if some of The Chicken Song’s more
dubious lyrics would be broadcastable in the current political climate.
Fans
of the genre, however, will probably quite happily accept even those sketches
that in the current time are of doubtful value. They will be more challenged by
the shear difficulty of playing “voice spotting” when listening to this
album. Indeed that is a pastime that is practically impossible with Spitting
Image, for two reasons. Firstly many of the voice-artistes on the show,
and therefore this album, are so good at imitations, including of each other,
that they have few if any vocal characteristics to spot. The situation is
further complicated by the fact that whereas The Muppets, for
example, have tended to assign each character to a specific person (usually his
or her puppeteer) in any given time period, on Spitting Image the
voice-artistes have in some cases varied from sketch to sketch, with a single
character having two or three different actors voicing them at any given time. David
Steel, Princess Diana, and HM Queen Elizabeth II, are three
examples on this album alone. And when it comes to working out when the latter
was voiced by Jessica Martin and when she was voiced by Louise Gold
(and possibly if she was voiced by Jan Ravens) well they’ve even got me
stumped. I think Jessica is doing it on Track 28 Line Of Celebrities,
and Louise on track 44, Trouping The Colour, but I could well be
totally wrong. But whoever is voicing The Queen on Trouping The Colour,
I must say is a hilarious sketch that I adore; and I particularly enjoyed the
performance of The Queen, whoever she is!
There
are however some parts of this album where it is possible to positively
identify specific voice-artistes, for example Steve Nallon (a
voice-artiste whom Spitting Image trained as a puppeteer) always
voiced Margaret Thatcher on Spitting Image, so whenever we
hear Thatcher on the album we always know it is him. While the show’s own First
Lady of puppetry, Louise Gold, can be distinctly heard on two tracks, John
And Tatum: The Young Marrieds, and, Da Do Run Ron. In
John And Tatum she voices Tatum O’Neil, which mainly consists of a lot
of bellowing, Louise happens to be one of those actresses who is rather good at
screaming, she is also very loud. Her strong voice is put to even better use,
as Nancy Reagan, singing the lead vocal on Spitting Image’s
version of Da Do Run Ron. Even before I had read the sleeve notes
I recognised her easily on that track. Da Do Run Ron also has
some excellent lyrics from Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, I
particularly like the ones “He can really act. He’s lowered income tax, he
hates The
If
you like Spitting Image then this album is certainly a must have,
because it is such a great example of many of the things Spitting Image
was really good at. Even if you don’t think you like Spitting Image
a vast deal, but you do like political satire, then you may find this album
will bring you round to that show. It is hard to pick any single tracks as
being ones which make the album especially worth having, because everyone will
have different opinions according to their personal taste, but I think my three
top favourites are: Someone Famous Has Died, Da Do Run Ron,
and, Trouping The Colour.
Links about Spit In
Your Ear
Muppet Central Interview with Louise Gold
(mentions Da Do Run Ron): http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml
Michael-Fenton Stevens’s site’s page about his
singing work, including The Chicken Song: http://www.mikefs.co.uk/music.html
