Whatever Happened to Vinny Peculiar?
‘selected out takes and inserts 1989-2003’ part 1

[sleeve notes] +++

1. Working Class Escape [Peculiar] recorded at Highfield Street Studios, Liverpool, May 2000. Producer Rob Ferrier
This is the Ironing the Soul band version; there are a couple of acoustic ones knocking about on the internet apparently. The Radiohead production vibe is down to Rob and me obsessing over OK Computer. We slowed down the tape to nail Tim’s Star Trek vocal middle eight, which is my favourite bit. It’s all a bit doom and gloom on the lyrical front still nothing new there then. Sadness always sadness…

2. Uno Disco [Peculiar/Browne] recorded at Pearl Studios, Clarance Street, Liverpool, Jan 2000. Producer Rob Ferrier
The art of enjoyment, fun, gay abandon comes easier to some than others… this disco folly was co-written with Tim in his Crosby love nest on a diet of dried apricots and fried cheese. We double tracked the bass like Bootsy Collins and the drums likewise a la Glitter Band. Lyrically I’m lost in some Euro-house bar looking to find myself. ‘Happiness is just a mindset I haven’t managed to find yet’. And fun will tear us apart again…

3. Ironing the Soul [Peculiar] recorded at Pearl Studios, Clarence Street, Liverpool, Jan 2000. Producer Rob Ferrier
The title track of the 2002 HUG album never made the final selection- peculiar logic indeed. The omission was all to do with continuity, the volume of the riff and my on-off relationship with the lyric. There I go again, digging my own hole as the angry brigade move in…

4. Showcase Time [Peculiar] recorded at Highfield Street Studios, Lverpool, Feb 2001.
Producer Rob Ferrier
Inspired by one too many broken music business promises and dedicated to Nick Robinson the Crosby optimist, inspirational friend and bass player ‘It’s going to happen, I just know it is’ …hmmm. It never did and it never will and thankfully I no longer care either way.

5. Big Star [Peculiar] recorded at Pearl Studios, Clarance Street, Liverpool, Nov 2001. Producer Rob Ferrier
Self consciously Bacharach in feel, love the string sounds, shame about the jazz ending, it was all supposed to be so epic, so big band, so cinemascopic. Never mind, now you can judge for yourself; don’t let me put you off now.

6. Slow Television [Peculiar] recorded at Pearl Studios, Clarance Street, Liverpool, Feb 2000. Producer Rob Ferrier
‘You can spend all your life channel hopping, one station to the next, with your concentration span fading, is this as good as it gets? Name drops include The Forrest Rangers and Dr Who. Don’t get me wrong, I love TV, I just don’t watch it anymore.

7. Jesus Stole My Girlfriend [Peculiar] Alternative Single Mix recorded at Highfield Street Studios, Liverpool, June 2000. Producer Rob Ferrier
This is the warmer club-country version, never officially released; just 200 or so promos went to radio just in time for the label to go belly up.

8. Capital City [Peculiar] recorded at Pearl Studios, Clarance Street, Liverpool Jan 2000 Producer Rob Ferrier
Vinny Peculiars dense and frenzied phase as characterised by nonsensicality and angst….discuss. ‘I’ll get better in a week or two’…hopefully. PULP are somewhere on the sonic radar. I love Jarvis and now I’ve come over all hysterical.

9. How Come the Revolution [Peculiar] recorded at Pearl Studios, Clarance Street, Liverpool Feb 1999. Producer Rob Ferrier
The lyric concerns a disturbance down the garden involving a pear tree; that and a visit from the men in white coats. Arab Strap are not so very far behind operating the drum machine and brandishing a five pronged fork. It all made perfect sense at the time….now I’m not so sure.

10. Favourite Boy-Girl Song [Peculiar] recorded at Pearl Studios, London Road, Liverpool Jan 1992. Producer Steve Cowell
From the Goodness Gracious days of spontaneous bop prosody. Lyrically incomprehensible [I blame Kerouac, Ginsberg et al] with the musicality of SLADE. Featuring Paul Masterson [drums] Nick Robinson [bass] and Paul Thirlwall [guitars].
Homar Records,1990.

11. Operation [Peculiar/Browne] early demo version minus the samples and the acoustic guitars written in gay towers in just our underpants... probably. More fizz less finesse...an ode to heartlessness by proxy.

12. Big Grey Hospital [Peculiar] recorded at Pearl Studios, London Road, Liverpool January 1989 Producers Keith Leary/Steve Cowell
My brother died in 2001 and this will always be his song. I meant to re-do this for real but whenever I tried I couldn’t seem to recapture the feel of this Saturday afternoon live to DAT versionin the old Pearl 8 track. Sad song...happy days. Dedicated to those lives destroyed by institutions…psychiatric or otherwise.

END of part 1

This is the first Vinny Peculiar archive collection. I’ve chosen songs that have some kind of resonance for me. They were never intended to sit together on one record so bare that in mind when you’re cursing their shortcomings. Beyond that I hope you find something of interest, something to treasure, something to enjoy…

Acknowledgements

Rob Ferrier produced most of this stuff. Tim Browne co wrote more of it than he’s credited for. Steve Cowell mastered the songs from their various sources and produced some of the older ones. Keith Leary let us exploit the best of his studio down time. Neil Carter....for drumming up a storm.

Praise be to all

VP x

Feb 2005