Lieutenant Pigeon - Oct 72 Article

 Lieutenant Pigeon - Oct 72 Article

By Pete Clemons

Mrs Mills is alive and well and living in - well, almost living in the personage of a Mrs Hilda Woodward. Hilda is just one of the surprising aspects of a band named Lieutenant Pigeon, currently at number 2 in the charts. Every year you expect a few freak hits, and if you thought we'de got through '72 on the strength of 'Amazing Grace' and 'Popcorn' you didn't bargain for the freakiest of them all - 'Mouldy Old Dough'.

Lieutenant Pigeon have never played any gigs together. They don't intend to either. Three of them - drummer Nigel Fletcher, bassist Steve Johnson and pianist Rob Woodward form the nucleus of another band, Stavely Makepiece.

Lieutenant Pigeon is a send up. Drummer Fletcher informed me: 'It's not meant to be taken seriously - the whole thing is tongue in cheek. It's the first time we've made a record under that name - and probably the last. Stavely Makepiece is the main concern'.

Neither Abbey Road or Trident Studios, nor for that matter any studio, had the honour of Lieutenant Pigeon hiring out time. The record, like the best jam, was home made. Hilda's front room in her semi in Coventry was the scene of the crime.

'We didn't use the best equipment - it was recorded on a domestic machine. We find we get a better sound using the front room'. And obviously they cut corners on recording costs.

While most people are under the impression that 'Mouldy Old Dough' has rocketed up the charts in a matter of weeks, Fletcher is quick to point out it really is a mouldie oldie.

'It was released in February this year and didn't do a thing. Then it was picked up in Belgium where it went to number one. And it's now about number six in Holland'.

Fortunately he's under no illusions that his voice is reminiscent of Presley or Mario Lanza. He says 'I can't sing for nuts - that's why they put me on it'.

A mickey take at the expense of the public, it may seem? - 'No, we're not taking the mickey - we just want to enjoy ourselves, we're not out to take anyone'.

For the immediate future, Fletcher says they are going to 'sit down and sort something out - I'm not sure what. We've had a lot of agents phoning up to find out if we're working or not. We're working on an album too - there are about five tracks done so far. Yes, made in Hilda's room'.

And Hilda? She's still adjusting to life as an artiste (it's uncool to say star ya know) and planking away on the old joanna.

Fletcher says he is particularly pleased for her because she's put in a lot of hard slog over the years playing for charity, and it's good that she should at last get some kind of recognition.