Poptastic Confessions!: Freak Time Viewing by Slippry Feet

Dear Poptastic Readers,

English duo Slippry Feet have finally released their album on digital and streaming services. HOORAY! The album is called Freak Time Viewing and it has been a long time coming as initial recordings started in 1992. It was released on CD in 2001. However, the album on streaming says 2023. You are curious, aren't you? Keep reading!

Slippry Feet are Jacquie O'Sullivan (formerly of Bananarama and The Shillelagh Sisters) and Paul Simper (formerly of No. 1 Magazine, and author of Pop Stars In My Pantry). They performed and recorded from 1992 to 1996. They recorded a new song in 2017 called "Thinking About...", which was #21 in our Top 101 Songs of 2017. There was even a one-song performance at a private event in 2022.

Normski and Davearama have reviewed the album for us with a track by track analysis ...

1. “Horny, Hairy & Handsome” Written by Paul Simper, Jacquie O’Sullivan, with producer Alex Godson.

Davearama: I love this song so much. Jacquie’s smooth vocals over tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

Normski: Absolutely one of my favourites – this is the quintessential Slippry Feet song for me. I just love Jacquie’s delivery of the chorus.

D: The piano. The strings. They went all out of this one. Paul’s deep vocals. It is a great way to start off the album as it is epic. At almost 7 minutes, I’d love to have a radio edit of this song.

N: Such a shame it didn’t get the single treatment, as I could imagine a fabulous music video for this song. I agree that it could do with a radio edit too.

D: It’s never too late! Let’s get a single remix now!

2. “I Get Excited” Written by Paul Simper with producer Andy Carroll.

N: A very quirky number with interesting vocal arrangements and amusing lyrics. I always appreciate tracks that play around with the standard song format like this one does. I particularly enjoy the rhythm of the verses here – it’s almost like rapping through song.

D: It sounds like Jacquie and Paul singing the verses together while Paul takes the chorus. It definitely has some funk.

3. “Staying Up” Written by Paul Simper with producer Andy Carroll.

D: This is a favourite of mine. The Spanish guitar really adds to the drama, but it is Jacquie’s big vocals that really shine. The melody is quite good, especially in the bridge. Paul’s vocals at the end are fun.

N: Another single-worthy track for me. Jacquie showcases her vocal prowess majestically – beautifully accented by Paul’s deep husky backing vocals in the chorus. I always enjoy his “speaky” moments throughout the album – it adds a unique flavour and a personality that is unique to Slippry Feet.

4. “Jack” Written by Paul Simper, Roy Budd, with producer Oli Maxwell.

D: Another funky track, and this time with an organ. Paul takes the lead here. Is there an opera singer here?

N: Not sure if it’s an opera singer or just Paul giving it some welly (maybe he can confirm for us?)! I do enjoy the funky beat in this one. Another playful song that sounds like it would be great fun performed live. (Also, the Indian drums right at the end of the song remind me slightly of “Tripping On Your Love” by Bananarama!)

5. “Ridiculous” Written by Paul Simper with producer Andy Carroll.

N: Another favourite of mine – I just love the funky vibe of this song. Paul and Jacquie play off each other so well and the production is fantastic!

D: The strings really get the track going before the bells and a horn section come in. Paul takes the first verse, and Jacquie has the second verse and much more. The groovy bass and the improvised keyboards make this the jam.

6. “Cock-A-Hoop” Written by Paul Simper, Andy Carroll, and Phil Bloomberg. It was produced by Jamie Kensit.

N: I just love the bonkers world that Slippy Feet live in. This song is hilarious! Paul and Jacquie are always at their best in playful, tongue-in-cheek moments like this.

D: The lyrics here crack me up. Fun song as I often get the chorus stuck in my head.

7. “Hellooo” Written by Paul Simper with producer Andy Carroll.

D: This song is fresh from the vault! As it wasn’t included on the 2001 CD release. Paul takes the lead here and his vocals even go falsetto here. I didn’t think Jacquie was on the track at first, but you definitely hear her in the end.

N: I hear elements of “The Humpty Dance” by The Digital Underground in the backing track (later sampled by the Spice Girls in “If U Can’t Dance”). I’ve actually spotted a few nods to hip-hop influences in the instrumentals on this album. It’s also cool to hear Paul take the lead on this song – I enjoyed it a lot!

8. “Funny (Yesterday Tonight)” Written by Paul Simper, Phil Bloomberg, with producer Alex Godson.

N: Quite a hypnotic track – Jacquie vocals are fantastic on the chorus (almost operatic in delivery) and Paul’s “speaky bits” add to that vibe. The production does drown his voice out a little at times, and then it’s not easy to work out what he’s saying which is a shame.

D: This song has a very fast beat, while the haunting melody is a bit slower. It's also the more serious side of Slippry Feet.

9. “The Buzz” Written by Jacquie O’Sullivan, Paul Simper, Phil Gray with producer Oli Maxwell.

D: This is another new song that wasn’t on the 2001 CD release. This is really fun! Their accents are hilarious.

N: LOVE this one! Really catchy and made for the dancefloor – the spoken section in the middle is SO fun! There are more hip-hop influences coming through here too, as the instrumental borrows heavily from Salt N Pepa’s “Push It.”

10. “Scream” Written by Jacquie O’Sullivan, Paul Simper, Jamie Kensit, and Phil Bloomberg. It was produced by Phil Bloomberg and Steve Harris.

N: I love the production of this and Jacquie’s vocals are superb. A real sing-a-long number. The bridge kind of gives me Shillelagh Sisters rockabilly vibes, before kicking into that belter of a chorus.

D: When released in 2001, the title was stylized as “S.C.R.E.A.M.”, which makes a bit more sense. Jacquie takes the lead here. The harmonies are quite good. The sound of this song always reminds me of a train.

N: Totally get the locomotive vibe from this song!

11. “Could Be Raining” Written by Paul Simper with producer Alex Godson.

N: My favourite Slippry Feet song and without doubt one of their finest moments. It has an epic build-up and Jacquie’s vocals simmer beautifully throughout. Paul also shines here vocally, and I just love when they sing the verse together towards the end.

D: This is another personal favourite. That chorus is great. The melody of the verses are really good, too. Jacquie does an amazing job with the vocals. Paul also shines here.

12. “Thinking About...” Written by Paul Simper, Jacquie O’Sullivan, Alex Godson and Phil Bloomberg. It was produced by Alex Godson and Phil Bloomberg.

N: “Have we time for one more song?” A great closer to the album. I love Paul’s deep vocals in the verses and the chorus is super-catchy.

D: This is a special song for me, as I have the CD promo from the release of Paul’s book Popstars In My Pantry. I worked with Paul and Jacquie to make a video for YouTube using the photos they provided me with. It was a lot of fun. There is even a cameo from Normski in the video. The song was also #21 in our Top 101 Songs of 2017. Would have been higher had it been streaming back then.

N: Yes, it was quite a surprise when I watched the video for the first time and my face appeared! It was so exciting when we got to hear this track in 2017 – can’t believe that was 7 years ago already. I treasure my promo CD!

D: See the music video here …

13. “Horny, Hairy & Handsome” (Urban Island Mix)

N: A cool mix that modernises the song without losing what makes the original so special.

D: I do know a little something about this mix. It was commissioned when the album was released on CD by Almafame. It wasn’t released at the time, but I’m happy it is now!

Sadly, the new release didn’t include 2 songs on from the CD release. Those songs are “Slippry Feet Theme” and “Nothing Else On Her Mind.” The sound quality on the demos were unable to be updated so they didn’t make the final cut. You can see the music video for “Slippry Feet Theme” here …

A big thanks to Kevin Gilfillan for remastering these tracks and working with Jacquie and Paul to get the digital album finally released. The release was planned for last year, which is why it says 2023 when you find it online.

Freak Time Viewing is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! And stream it here …