"Is Vic There?"
Single by Department S
A-side"Is Vic There?"
B-side"Solid Gold Easy Action"
Released29 December 1980
GenrePost-punk, indie rock
LabelDemon Records, RCA Records, Stiff Records
Songwriter(s)Mike Herbage, Vaughn Toulouse
Producer(s)Dale Griffin/Overend Watts
Department S singles chronology
"I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight"
(1980)		 "Is Vic There?"
(1980)		 "Is Vic There? (Re-mixed Version)"
(1981)

"Is Vic There?" is a song by post-punk band Department S, released by Demon Records on 29 December 1980.[1][2] It was their first single under the name Department S, after their debut single "I'm Gonna Rough My Girlfriend's Boyfriend Up Tonight" under the name Guns for Hire.

It was produced by former Mott the Hoople members Buffin and Overend Watts. The title is a quotation from a Monty Python sketch titled "Phone-In", which closed the comedy troupe's 1973 Matching Tie and Handkerchief album.[3]

Release

"Is Vic There?" charted at No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart[4] and, when re-released on RCA Records in March 1981,[2] it made No. 67 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[5]

The Demon and RCA UK B-side was a cover of T.Rex's "Solid Gold Easy Action", featuring Thunderthighs on backing vocals.[6]

A 1981 release of the single in the US by Stiff Records featured a different B-side, "Put All the Crosses in the Right Boxes", as did a remixed edition of the song released that year by Stiff as a single in Europe.[7]

Legacy

Clan of Xymox covered "Is Vic There?" on their album Kindred Spirits in 2012. Dave Clarke included a cover of "Is Vic There?" (sung by Louisahhh!!!) on his 2017 album, The Desecration of Desire.


Charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 22
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[9] 67

References

  1. ↑ "The Post Punk Progressive Pop Party: Department S - Is Vic There?". Thep5.blogspot.com. 2009-12-29. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  2. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 151. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ↑ "Anne Carlini - Exclusive Magazine". www.annecarlini.com. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  4. ↑ "DEPARTMENT S". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Department S - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "LTM Recordings homepage". Ltmrecordings.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  7. ↑ "Department S - Is Vic There? at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  8. ↑ "Department S: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "Department S Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
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