Reupload - Jackie Lee - Inigo Pipkin/ End of Rainbow

Reggaefied version of top seventies childrens TV theme

Label: Pye
Year of Release: 1972

Ah, memories. If you grew up in Britain in the seventies, television was a wonderful thing in the early and late afternoon, crammed with shows whose appeal has yet to completely wane. From the sheer animated eccentricity of "The Magic Roundabout" through to the outer space freaky Socialist moon creature whimsy of "The Clangers", and on to the rather more socially aware "Paddington Bear", it's impossible not to talk about these shows without getting wistful and dreamy. Filled with knowing jokey nods to the adults in the room, the overall concept seemed to be about family viewing, rather than simply sitting children down in front of the television by themselves.

"Inigo Pipkin" - or "Pipkins" as it became known by the time I was aware of it - was actually my favourite programme as a toddler. If forced to articulate the reasons now I'm not sure I could tell you why. I wasn't really capable of intellectualising why the content of "Pipkins" was superior to "Rainbow" back then, and if you'd ask me I'd probably have said something about some of the puppets being funny.  Love it I did, though, and as an adult viewer now the show has obviously taken on added dimensions. I wouldn't have known what "camp" was as a four year old, much less been able to tell you that's what Hartley Hare was, and nor would I have appeciated the fact that the puppets were rather moth-eaten beasts, a fact numerous YouTube commenters have since leapt up to point out.

The theme tune was ace as well, being a thing of popsike wonder, all close vocal harmonies and soaring melodies dedicated to a "puppet maker man". The perfect introduction to the rather gentle, cosy nature of the programme, it made you feel as if you were entering a safe world where eccentric old men could make a living owning a shop which purely sold tatty puppet animals to local children. Ah, those were the days. But those days never really existed.

Jackie Lee's single version of "Inigo Pipkin" is significantly different from the television theme tune, sadly. Here she seems to have gone for a little bit of a reggae lilt, which is a bit silly given that the show couldn't have been less Jamaican or urban. It's impossible to destroy the track's charm's completely, though, and its original intentions shine through. 

Rupert - Magic Spaceship/ Dance With Rupert

 

The Syn's Steve Nardelli masquerading as a cartoon bear

Label: Warner Bros
Year of Release: 1976

Just before Christmas, Left and to the Back reader Dave Whiting got in touch with me to ask if I knew anything about a "psychedelic" Rupert The Bear single written and performed by The Syn's Steve Nardelli? I responded with regret to say that I'd never heard it nor heard of it, but while we've never met, Dave obviously knows my weak spots well - the marginal crossover between seventies Childrens TV music and popsike is a topic I could bore for Britain about.

The faultlines between what should be two fairly distinct genres for very different audiences became pretty obvious when Bam Caruso put out the first volume of "Circus Days", a compilation designed to showcase obscure and unknown (and mildly psychedelic) recording studio acetates they'd found. Kid Rock's "Ice Cream Man" found its way on to that LP - incorrectly credited to Clover - presumably without the compilers realising that the target market for that track (and the group's other featured ditty "Auntie Annie's Place") were wee folk who had yet to leave Infant School, and not Pink Floyd and Blossom Toes fans. It was an accident that worked freakishly well, though, as it's subsequently gone on to become one of the most referenced tracks to feature on the series, loved by more people with beards to maintain than their children who have yet to shave. I also wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that another "mystery track" from the series "Father Good's Space Flight" is actually an out-take from "Doctor Snuggles" or something. 

There are other interesting cases besides. Patrick Campbell-Lyons of Nirvana [UK] dabbled in children's soundtrack work in 1978, writing the theme tune for the stop motion animation series "Cloppa Castle" which frankly shared many similarities with the twee end of popsike from ten years before (and I still frequently get that song and "Happy Castle" by Crocheted Doughnut Ring mixed up). Then, of course, Ed Stewart saw fit to cover Jeff Lynne's slightly disturbing "I Like My Toys" for children who presumably couldn't pick up on the "mental health difficulties" subtext of the song. 

The simple fact is that a lot of British psychedelia looked out into the world with the kind of pie-eyed and wary fascination children could relate to - that's why it's easier to believe Lennon's reasoning behind the origins of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" than anyone's accusations that the song title was special code for LSD. It shouldn't in theory be difficult to pen a psych track which also appeals to the junior set.

And that's where we come in with this one. Besides having his adventures published in The Daily Express, Rupert The Bear seems to have had two distinct stabs at a recording career, once under the guidance of producer Barry Ainsworth in 1973, and then again in 1976 with Nardelli writing (or co-writing) the tracks. The 1976 singles appear to have been released to coincide with the launch of a Rupert TV series, with Warner Brothers presumably hoping that a halo effect from the television show would result in airplay and presumably sales.