GYPP (UK) - Gypsy Dee - The Legendary Gypp Studio Sessions (CD, Jarmusic, 2001)

RATING: 6/10

For a while, all us poor collectors and enthusiasts knew about Gypp is that they recorded a 'proto-NWOBHM' offering in 1978 (the "Yaah!" EP whose review you can kindly read a few scrollings below), that such piece of wax was (and still is) a rarity that would take a fair chunk of your monthly salary to add to your collection and, well, not very much else. Fortunately, their collective history is now far less obscure than it used to be, and I'm glad to offer some solid info on what happened to the lads in the years following their sole original claim to vinyl fame. In fact, the band suffered a major blow not long after "Yaah!" was out, this being the departure of singer and main songwriter Martin Newell following some not-remotely-encouraging reviews to the band's debut release. Unsure about his role in the music scene, and feeling hurt by the cynical response to his early efforts (including a full album with his first band, Pond, that was shelved without ceremony by their ailing record label), Newell decided to hide in the shadows for a while, writing music solely for himself while trying to figure out his next move. It seems to have been a mostly amicable break-up, and he allowed Gypp to keep his compositions as part of their repertoire for the time being. As we all know, Newell would find his niche within the lo-fi, cassette-collecting scene, and his project The Cleaners from Venus is still one of the most legendary and well-regarded names when it comes to this convoluted, enduring subculture. As for Gypp, they ultimately decided to soldier on, but it was clear for everyone that they would have a hard time without their frontman and main creative force.

The tracks comprising this "Gypsy Dee - The Legendary Gypp Studio Sessions" (the "Gypp CD", oh boy how clever) were put together by the Jarmusic label from Germany, a place where (quite bizarrely) the lads seem to have been quite well regarded almost from day one. Most of it (tracks 1 to 8 from the 13 here featured) are demo recordings, laid down in the period after Newell's departure and showcasing their then-new singer Jock Davies. It transpires that Gypp had set up something of a home studio for a while, recording a few tunes to evaluate their own development as a unit, and I don't think any of such demos made it into wider circulation at the time. The recording dates are now impossible to reveal with any great certainty, though it's common knowledge that gigs under the Gypp moniker were scheduled until at least 1981, so you don't need a Mathematics degree to assume it was all recorded at the turn of the decade, most probably between 1979 and 1980. The sound quality is pretty good overall, and I wouldn't be surprised if the lads were actually dreaming about an independent album or something, as the recording values are definitely better than many underground offerings from the period.

It's clear on first listen that the lads were trying to expand their sound and achieve something of a unique personality, with different band members trying their luck with songwriting - though some ideas from Martin Newell are kept, most of all in "Starz Ain't Burning", that totally sounds like a song that could be in their "Yaah!" EP in case they wanted to expand it into a full album or something. No wonder it's one of the most accomplish tracks here, with the perfect balance of proggy and indie that the lads seems to have struggled to find on their own. Nothing around here can really be labeled as NWOBHM, but songs like the aforementioned "Starz Ain't Burning", "Sad Boyz" (strong glam rock vibes here) and most of all "Walking Finger" are the closer you'll ever get when it comes to this band, this latter tune being a hard rocking beauty with nice vocals and busy, dynamic (and sometimes quite melodic) guitar work. On the other hand, "Shoe Box" and "Headlights" seems to show Gypp trying their luck with power pop, the latter showcasing a chorus that could easily be part of a B-side from the Buzzcocks (I kid you not), though the prominent use of keyboards and the somewhat convoluted arrangements in both tracks still remind us we're not dealing with Badfinger clones after all. Songs like "Airship" and "Solaris" are more strongly tied to the whole prog rock thing, though still with pretty direct songwriting and centered around straightforward ideas that are reasonably easy to follow through. The songs are mostly good, though a few oddballs like "Lady Godiva" simply don't work that well I'm afraid, and some of the more sedated tunes (like opener "Airship") would surely benefit from just a tad more heaviness here and there in order to liven then up a little. All things considered, it's a interesting and quite adventurous batch of compositions, but it lacks a more tangible sense of direction if you ask me, being a bit difficult to imagine what kind of audience Gypp were trying to conquer after all. Oh well, maybe they were just having fun and enjoying the hell out of it, without bothering too much with pleasing people and all that, which of course is totally fine. I reckon the record labels never really stood at their door with contract offers and such, but you can't have it all, can you?

The final five tracks are taken from one of Gypp's comeback gigs in Germany (played in Gutersloh on September 7th, 1996), when they experienced something of a mini-revival in the region - and even Martin Newell himself agreed to rejoin them for the purposes of such a jaunt, so I'm pretty sure it was all quite eventful. The tapes were probably taken straight from the mixing desk - it sounds pretty good overall, with everything nice and clean as expected, but it lacks some of the punch one would expect from a live recording, as is often the case with similar-sourced material. Nothing too objectionable though, and I think these cuts are a suitable addendum to the studio material preceding it. From this portion of the CD, my favorite would be "Greek Title", a truly endearing song with imaginative arrangements and a long, beautiful guitar solo. It's not exactly heavy, but the mixture of indie-rocking riffing and proggy aspirations actually work out very well on this one, and its nearly 9 minutes go by like it was half as long. "Best Suit" is also nice, with a somewhat more dramatic vibe, enhanced by catchy vocal lines and a prominent drum pattern that really drags the song along quite nicely - it's indie rock, granted, but still vigorous enough to be worth checking out. There's also a version of "Marigoldz" that sound slightly different from the EP, though I'd say the original recording is more my cup of tea. "Boots and Trousers" is way closer to power pop territory once again, and also has something of a cabaret vibe to it, with double-meaning lyrics and an overall presentation that sounds more like a jokey track rather than anything meant to be taken seriously - but the audience seems to love it really, so what do I know, huh? "Eliza", on the other hand, is a pop-rockish semi-ballad that somehow makes me thing of The Housemartins, or perhaps a slightly less poppy version of The Cars (yeah, I know, these analogies are getting weirder by the minute), this obviously meaning your heavy metal thirst will hardly be quenched while listening to it. Whatever the case, it's a charming and light-hearted memento from a band revisiting their own past, and it rounds off this compilation in a mostly adequate manner.

As stated above, all activity surrounding the Gypp guise seem to have ceased after 1981 - which is not to say the musicians involved simply decided to hang their boots and find some day jobs immediately after that. In fact, the 4-man nucleus of Tony Phillips (now also assuming lead vocals), Ian Peppercorn, Brian Rudd and John Butters decided that their previous moniker had run its course, and rechristened themselves as Horizontal Brian, while also leaving their prog-rockish aspirations behind and fully adopting a new wave, electronic-infused pop rock sound. They got as far as releasing a full length LP ("Vertical") in 1983, issued by the Gold Mountain label and mixed by none other than Graham Gouldman of 10CC fame. A few numbers from their Gypp days were reworked, but most of the tracks are unique to the LP - and I'd say it's a mostly decent release worthy of a spin or two for curiosity alone, though we're obviously miles away from anything remotely metallic and therefore I won't delve into a more strict analysis of its contents. The band seems to have folded not long after, with Tony Phillips (who also collaborated with Martin Newell in side projects Stray Trolleys and Dead Students) relocating to the USA and enjoying a successful career as an audio engineer and mixer. Brian Rudd had some level of involvement with an indie/leftfield combo named Purr, and I'm glad to say that he and Ian Peppercorn have recently reunited as a duo under the name Trash Humanica, even revisiting a fair number of Gypp material from the dim and distant past. Drummer John Butters also kept busy through the years, lending a hand to his old friend Martin Newell in a number of The Cleaners from Venus recordings, as well as being a full member in acts such as the Groove Doctors and Mean Red Spiders. It's always heartwarming to learn of talented musicians that keep doing their stuf for the sheer hell of it, and I wish them all nothing but the best for the future, really.

It may seem it's the end of the story as far as this humble blog is concerned, but it's not quite like that, actually. As far as the Gypp name goes, there's still an elusive appearance in a local-band compilation named "So You Think We're All Farmers" from 1981, to which they contributed with "Physical Wreck" - a track I never heard and have no idea how it sounds like (incidentally, Tony Phillips also appears with a solo number named "Working in Pyjamas", later reworked by Horizontal Brian). As if it wasn't enough, there's also a full live album out there, named "Reunion Concert" and with exclusive tracks such as "Cream Diesel", "Heart Like a Slum", "Pregnant Pause" and "Slumming Again". If you can ever help this poor reviewer to get hold of one (or both) of such items, whether in physical media or mp3 format, please be kind enough to drop us a line...

Million thanks to Discogs for tin can photos and label scans

Jock Davies (V - 1 to 8), Martin Newell (V - 9 to 13), Ian Peppercorn (G), Tony Phillips (B, V), Brian Rudd (K, V), John Butters (D).

01. Airship (Rudd, Davies) 4:22
02. Sad Boyz (Rudd, Newell) 2:58
03. Shoe Box (Phillips) 3:01
04. Walking Finger (Peppercorn, Davies) 3:37
05. Lady Godiva (Peppercorn) 3:04
06. Starz Ain't Burning (Newell) 4:10
07. Headlights (Phillips) 3:02
08. Solaris (Gypp) 3:33
09. Best Suit (live) (Phillips) 4:22
10. Boots and Trousers (live) (Phillips) 3:52
11. Greek Title (live) (Peppercorn, Newell) 8:43
12. Marigoldz (live) (Newell) 4:31
13. Eliza (live) (Phillips) 5:42

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!