The Theme From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Billy The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire

Louise Gold starred as the lead singer of the title song, recorded at Air Recording Studios Ltd, 1985

Catalogue number: (45 RPM Single) 7P 342

Cast

Louise Gold – as Miss Sullivan

Phil Daniels – as Billy The Kid

Zoot Money – as Supersonic Sam

With The Vidkids And The Vipers

Production Team

Music – George Fenton

Lyrics – Trevor Preston

Recorded at – Air Recording Studios

Engineer – John (JJ) Jacobs

Assistant Engineers – Karl Lever, and, Mike Timperley

Orchestral Recording at – CBS, Engineer Mike Ross

Remix at – Air Recording Studios by John (JJ) Jacobs

Produced by – Ray Russell, and, George Fenton

Production Company – Precision Records And Tapes Ltd

Track Listing

A Side

Practice Practice (Theme from “Billy The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire”) – Louise Gold with The Vidkids and the Vipers

B Side

S.S.C.C.(Supersonic Sam’s Cosmic Cafe) – Phil Daniels, Zoot Money, and the Vidkids

The songs and performances on this single come from the film Billy The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire.

Louise Gold and Zoot Money had previously appeared together in The Pirates Of Penzance (Film), although they did not sing on that.

Zoot Money may have gone on to appear in the gala Dear Ralph.

It seems likely that the soundtrack for the film Muppet Treasure Island was also recorded at Air Recording Studios.

Louise Gold had previously sung the lead vocal on another single Spitting Image’s Da Do Run Ron.

Review

by Emma Shane, 23 May 2007

Well this is certainly a little gem of a record, that until recently I didn’t even know existed. I’m so glad it does. Perhaps the most special thing about this single, is that Louise Gold very definitely stars on it. And when else has she ever starred on a single? True a year earlier she had sung lead vocal on the A Side of Spitting Image’s first album, Da Do Run Ron, but she wasn’t actually credited on that. On this record, she is the only performer actually named on the front of the record’s sleeve, and on the A Side on which she sings her name is in even larger print than the title of the song. Admittedly Phil Daniels and Zoot Money have their names in equally large print on the B Side of the record, but they aren’t named on the front of the sleeve (only on the back). So it’s very much her record.

Fortunately, as a singer Louise Gold rises to the occasion. In the course of her career she’s sung greater songs. However, she makes the most of Practice Practice with some super characteristic vocal acrobatics. The main verse of the song she handles in a cute slightly breathy voice, but that’s deceptive; for every now and then brings quite different voices, ranging from her deep growl to her sophisticated knowing funny manner; as a means of emphasising certain lines (such as “Gunfight at KO Corral”, “The Kid is Shooting from the hip”, etc). Louise does her best to sell the song, and in fact she actually succeeds. Proving along the way that on top form she really can sing reasonable pop songs rather well, every bit as well as some of the other great musical theatre performers who have successfully tackled this style of material (people like: Nicolas Colicos, Kim Criswell, Craig Pinder, and, Louise Plowright). The song itself is pleasant enough (I have heard much better more tuneful songs in musicals), and I’m pleased to note the percussion isn’t all that loud. The dominant factor on this song is the lead singer’s excellent vocals. The song is ok, but it is her performance that puts it across.

Supersonic Sam’s Cosmic Cafe is not so good, very much the B number. And I didn’t like it much anyway, because the percussion was too loud. If it was not for it being the B Side of a record whose A Side I want to hear, I probably wouldn’t listen to it. Zoot Money does his best with it; and he’s a good singer after all. Phil Daniels while being good enough, doesn’t really come across as a singer on this. The best bit on this number is in fact the Vizkids, with their delivery of some good lyrics about being misunderstood delinquents. But the number really isn’t my kind of thing.

Worth getting? Well for the sake of Louise Gold’s vocal performance on the theme song, Practice Practice, itself. yes. That really should be better known, because it’s actually a rather good example of her diverse singing talent.

Critics Comments

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