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BRAND NEW EXPANDED 2 DISC COLLECTION OF ALL THE UNITED ARTISTS RECORDINGS BY BRITISH PROGRESSIVE / WEST COAST ROCK BAND GYPSY – RECORDED BETWEEN 1971 AND 1972 – NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES
• FEATURING THE ALBUMS ‘GYPSY’ AND ‘BRENDA AND THE RATTLESNAKE’ ALONG WITH A NON- ALBUM SINGLES
• INCLUDES AN ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE BAND’S JOHN KNAPP
Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a new re-mastered and expanded 2 CD set of all the recordings by British Progressive / West Coast influenced rock band Gypsy released by United Artists Records between 1971 and 1972. The band evolved from the Leicester based band Legay who released a single on the Fontana label before morphing in to Gypsy in 1969. The band featured featured Robin Pizer (vocals, guitar), John Knapp (guitar, keyboards), Rod Read (guitar), David McCarthy (bass / vocals) and David ‘Moth’ Smith (drums).
The band was influenced by US West Coast bands such as Buffalo Springfield, Moby Grape and HP Lovecraft and forged their own unique musical style. The band paid their dues on the UK live music circuit, supporting such acts as The Who and Led Zeppelin and earned themselves a spot on the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival, performing on two consecutive nights.
In 1970 the band signed to the UK office of United Artists Records, a label swiftly gaining a reputation as a home to emerging “underground” acts. The band’s debut album, ‘Gypsy’, was issued in early 1971 and was a fine record which clearly showed the band’s influences, but it also had originality.
Gypsy worked hard on the road throughout Europe and gained a cult following and the continued support from their record label. The non-album single; ‘Changes Coming’ b/w ‘Don’t Cry On Me’ gained airplay on rock radio in Europe and saw the band appear on the UK TV show Top of the Pops. In 1972 Gypsy released the album ‘Brenda And The Rattlesnake’ which was produced by John Anthony (who had produced albums by artists such as Lindisfarne, Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis and Rare Bird).
This album saw highly rated Ray Martinez replace Rod Read and was a more polished affair than the band’s debut and contained much fine material. Despite gaining good reviews and being hailed as a potential breakthrough act, Gypsy failed to make commercial headway and were eventually dropped by United Artists in 1973.
This release has been remastered from the original master tapes and gathers together all the Gypsy recordings issued by UA in 1971 and 1972. It also features a booklet with an essay and a new interview with John Knapp.
Tracklist
DISC ONE:
1. What Makes a Man a Man?
2. Keep on Trying
3. I Don’t Care, Do You Mind?
4. Turning Wheel
5. Feel About the Country Fine
6. Standing Alone, Feel So Bad
7. I Want to Be Beside You
8. Please Don’t Stay
9. Let Me take You Home
10. Pony Ride
Taken from the album ‘Gypsy’ Released in 1971
11. Changes Coming
12. Don’t Cry on Me
A & B-sides of single – Released in 1971
DISC TWO:
1. Brand New Car
2. Midnight Fighter
3. Who’s Cheating
4. Without You
5. Change Your Mind
6. Shame
7. Let’s Roll
8. You Know Better Than Me
9. Universe
10. Comes a Time
Taken from the album ‘Brenda And The Rattlesnake’ Released in 1972