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!

GYPP (UK) - Yaah! (7'' EP, Acorn/Shy Talk Records, 1978)

RATING: 7/10

It took a long while before people could really make their minds about this mysterious Gypp and where to insert in the NWOBHM multiverse. One of the hindering factors was, of course, that it was damn difficult to listen to their "Yaah!" EP from 1978, let alone own a copy, so there were obviously a lot of uncertainty and hearsay surrounding their music. Fortunately, things started to clear as the online metal community gained strenght, and now it's relatively easy to tell the history with significant detail and securely sepparating truth from gossip - though such developments also made clear that Gypp belongs in the very periphery of the NWOBHM as far as music is concerned, even the more broad (and sometimes quite misleading) 'proto-NWOBHM' tag being a bit of a stretch in this particular case. It's now fairly common knowledge that Gypp was one of the early band experiences of Martin Newell, a singer-songwriter responsible for cult acts like the Cleaners from Venus and the Brotherhood of Lizards, a prominent figure in the cassette culture of the 1970-80s while also being regarded as an important poet in modern English literature. This fact in itself adds a significant bit of interest to this 7'', not to mention some extra digits every time it pops up for sale - though it's fair to say it was always a very rare item that you would hardly find in the bargain bin of your local second-hand shop. 

The group were already doing the rounds in their local Suffolk area when Newell joined them in late 1975, after a fruitful but somewhat frustrating experience with an outfit named Plod, a glam rock combo that nearly released an album for Banjul Records but quickly folded when the record was shelved due to the label's bankruptcy. Upon his arrival, Newell sure took much of the creative side of the band to himself, writing a number of songs and giving some definitely pop-oriented leanings to their prog rock style of choice. They were a popular live act not only in and around their home area, but also in Germany, where their music seems to have been very well received even before any vinyl product was out. Quite peculiar indeed, but not at all unjustified, as their "Yaah!" EP is a reasonably interesting (though slightly oddball) listening experience - just don't go for it expecting any skull-crushing metal assault and you'll be fine, I guess. 

Opening track "Marigoldz" is perhaps the closer we get to heavy rock territory around here, and the only one that would credibly warrant the 'proto-NWOBHM' tag, but bear in mind we're talking about very borderline material here - if you ever heard bands like The Movie Stars, Tutch or Sidewinder perhaps you can catch my drift. The keyboards give something of a proggy flavor to the track, but it's mostly a simple, good-time rocking tune that sounds pretty innofensive, but still pleasant enough to deserve a few listens (and the lyrics are quite funny too). "Titania" is a more typical prog rock ballad with atmospheric keys floating above a pretty straightforward song construction. I like the guitar solo on this one, very melodic and reasonably powerful, but the track as a whole is no more than decent, I'm afraid. "Sister Darling" runs for the entirety of the B side, and I must say it's my personal favorite here, though one should not take this as indication that it's a more metallic offering than the rest. It's surely the song where the contrasting indie/pop and prog rock elements unite in the most effective manner, resulting in a very melodic, but still quite busy variant that brings to mind a crossover between Haze and Marillion, if such bizarre image makes any sense at all. Not the heaviest song ever commited to tape, but still a pretty interesting and quite individualistic piece well worthy of your attention, most of all if you're interested in the prog rock scene going on in the UK pretty much in unison with the NWOBHM explosion. 

Though surely well received by their small-but-loyal fanbase, this "Yaah!" EP (its, ahem, title probably being a reference to the scream Martin Newell delivers at the start of "Marigoldz") didn't receive a similar welcome from the critics, with a scathing review on New Musical Express being perticularly disheartening to the lads. Those were still the punk rock days, you see, and the brand of music Gypp was willing to bring to the table surely wasn't what the hype demanded at the time. I wouldn't go as far as saying Gypp were cruelly overlooked, as their EP wasn't exactly a stunning display of groundbreaking musicianship just yet, but it seems fair to say they had some promise in them, and it's a bit of a shame that they were never given a proper chance to develop into the next level. It would never come to be anyway, as Newell decided to take an extended sabbathical from the music scene, writing songs in private but refraining from any live activities for a number of years. He would change his mind in later years as we all know, first with a recording-only project named The Stray Trolleys, later fulfilling his lo-fi indie aspirations with the Cleaners from Venus - two projects that, in one form or another, are still going strong to this day. He also released a few solo efforts, and more recently launched a duo named Light Music Company along with Rachel Love (a singer who achieved some minor UK success with a group named Dolly Mixture). With dozens of releases to his credit, along with a strong career both as a author and columnist, Newell is a truly creative mind with an impressive body of work and deserves nothing but respect, though most of his musical input is of little interest for us metalheads.

Though undeniably a hard blow, the departure of Martin Newell didn't quite meant the end of the line for Gypp just yet. After a period of soul-searching, the remaining band members decided to keep plugging in, recruiting new singer Jock Davies along the way. This line-up would lay down a number of demos, later compiled by Jarmusic as the "Gypsy Dee - The Legendary Gypp Studio Sessions" CD from 2001. In fact, such was the respect Gypp garnered in Germany during their heyday that the band performed a few reunion gigs there in 1996, even recruiting Martin Newell to join the fun. But let's not rush things, as a proper review of these late-period misdemeanors is just around the corner...

Million thanks to Discogs for picture sleeve and label scans

Martin Newell (V), Ian Peppercorn (G), Tony Phillips (B), Brian Rudd (K), John Butters (D). All tracks written by M. Newell.

01. Marigoldz 3:55
02. Titania 4:37
03. Sister Darling 6:34

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!