Pip Pyle

Pip Pyle - 7 Year Itch - 1998 - Voiceprint

"7 Year Itch" was seven years in production, and is a good album by the late Pip Pyle, a key figure of the British Canterbury Rock scene, who played drums for Caravan and Gong. Hatfield and the North, Chicken Shack, and National Health are three more of the illustrious bands that Pip played in. Pip was also a brilliant composer. Pip referred to "7 Year Itch" as "a collection of songs and instrumental pieces written over the last ten years that no-one seemed to want to play, plus a demented cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever". "SFF" is definitely not a "demented" cover. In fact, it stays fairly close to the Beatle's original. So, the description slightly underrates the album, as it is much more than that. The album is a very good example of "modern" Canterbury Rock. The album tends to concentrate more on songs, than long instrumental passages, but that is not a criticism. The list of experienced musicians on the album, is impressive. It includes many Canterbury Rock greats, who play some great music on the album. Pip's "Up!" and "Instants" albums are also wonderful recordings, and it would be a shame to ignore them

TRACKS / COMPOSERS / MUSICIANS

1 7 Sisters - Pyle 8:48
Double Bass - Paul Rogers
Guitar - Phil Miller
Keyboards - Dave Stewart
Keyboards, Programmed By, Drums - Pip Pyle
Percussion - Pierre Marcault
Saxello - Elton Dean
Trombone - Yves Favre
Trumpet - Jean-François Canape
Tuba - Michel Godard
Voice - Richard Sinclair
2 Chinese Whispers - Pyle 4:10
Bass - Freddy T Baker
Guitar - Phil Miller
Keyboards, Programmed By, Drums - Pip Pyle
Percussion - Pierre Marcault
Vocals - Jakko M Jakszyk
3 Strawberry Fields Forever - Lennon/McCartney 4:53
Bass [Electric] - Hugh Hopper
Double Bass - Paul Rogers
Guitar - Phil Miller
Keyboards, Programmed By - Dave Stewart
Keyboards, Programmed By, Drums - Pip Pyle
Lead Vocals - Barbara Gaskin
Piano - Lydia Domancich
Trumpet - Jean-François Canape
Tuba - Michel Godard
Vocals - John Greaves
4 7 Year Itch - Pyle 3:33
Bass - Freddy T Baker
Guitar - François Ovide
Keyboards, Programmed By, Drums - Pip Pyle
Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar [Fuzz] - John Greaves
Vocals - Jakko M Jakszyk
5 I'm Really Okay - Pyle/Cahen 5:10
Cymbal - Pip Pyle
Keyboards - Dave Stewart
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Barbara Gaskin
Percussion - Pierre Marcault
6 Once Around The Shelves - Pyle 4:07
Bass - Freddy T Baker
Guitar, Flute - Jakko M Jakszyk
Keyboards, Programmed By, Drums - Pip Pyle
Percussion - Pierre Marcault
Piano - Lydia Domancich
7 Long On - Pyle 7:18
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar - François Ovide
Bass [Electric] - Freddy T Baker
Double Bass - Paul Rogers
Keyboards, Programmed By, Drums - Pip Pyle
Saxophone [Tenor] - Alain Guillard
Trombone - Yves Favre
Trumpet - Jean-François Canape , Yvon Guillard
Tuba - Michel Godard
Vocals - Jakko M Jakszyk
8 Shipwrecked (With Idle Hands) - Pyle 7:44
Acoustic Guitar [Slide], Electric Guitar [Rhythm] - François Ovide
Backing Vocals - Richard Sinclair
Bass - Freddy T Baker
Electric Guitar [Slide], Soloist [Guitar] - Phil Miller
Organ, Programmed By, Drums - Pip Pyle
Percussion - Pierre Marcault
Soloist [Keyboards] - Dave Stewart
Trombone - Yves Favre
Trumpet - Jean-François Canape
Tuba - Michel Godard
Vocals - Jakko M Jakszyk
9 L'Etat Des Choses - Knieper/Pyle 7:51
Bass [Fuzz, Wah Wah, Backwards, Double Speed] - Hugh Hopper
Percussion - Pierre Marcault
Sampler [Assistance] - Lydia Domancich
Tape [Loops], Keyboards, Percussion, Arranged By - Pip Pyle
10 Foetal Fanfare Fandango - Pyle 2:52
Drums [Military] - Pip Pyle
Saxello - Elton Dean
Saxophone [Alto] - Didier Malherbe
Saxophone [Tenor] - Alain Guillard
Trombone - Yves Favre
Trumpet - Jean-François Canape , Yvon Guillard
Tuba - Michel Godard

MUSICIANS ONLY

Pip Pyle - Organ, Arranger, Cymbals, Drums, Keyboards, Programming, Producer, Loops
Jakko M. Jakszyk - Guitar, Flute, Vocals
Phil Miller - Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Slide Guitar
Francois Ovide - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Rhythm), Slide Guitar
John Greaves - Guitar (Bass), Vocals
Hugh Hopper - Bass
Paul Rogers - Double Bass
Dave Stewart - Keyboards, Programming
Pierre Marcault - Percussion
Didier Malherbe - Sax (Alto)
Alain Guillard - Sax (Tenor)
Elton Dean - Saxophone
Jean-François Canape, Yvon Guillard -Trumpet
Yves Favre - Trombone
Michel Godard -Tuba
Richard Sinclair - Vocals
Barbara Gaskin - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)

REVIEWS

This is, essentially, Pip's only solo album, as all the other albums under his name were basically bands or collaborative projects. So, this was his show and he did somethings that people weren't expecting. If you knew Pip and his humor, you won't find that surprising at all. "It was always clear (to me, anyway) from his compositions for Hatfield and the North or National Health that there was a lot more to Pip Pyle than just being a drummer of astonishing brilliance, and this album largely confirms it. There are a couple of tracks on it which don't really grab me (specifically "Long On" and "Shipwrecked (with idle hands)", but I would say that the album is worth buying for the beautiful "7 Sisters" alone, and there is a lot more very worthwhile music here, too. Phil Miller in particular shines amongst a cast of fabulous musicians."-M. Sommers "Contrary to what you might expect, this isn't jazz-rock, but a collection of (mostly) wonderful songs in very different styles, similar in concept to Kevin Ayers's WHATEVERSHEBRINGSWESING or Robert Wyatt's COMICOPERA. Pip Pyle has drawn from an astonishing pool of musicians, in order to unite a number of highly disparate elements, and the result will be a very pleasant surprise to all 'Canterbury' fans.It took Pyle about seven years to record this album and get it released (hence the title!), but 'its conception goes even further back' (he says in the liner notes) 'maybe twenty years', which means it must have been on his mind ever since the break-up of the extraordinary National Health. A large number of 'Canterbury' stalwarts appear on the album. Apart from Pyle himself (who never once pushes his drumming to the foreground), there are significant contributions from Dave Stewart, Barbara Gaskin, Phil Miller, Richard Sinclair, John Greaves, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, Didier Malherbe and others. The (almost) nine-minute opening track, 'Seven Sisters' provides us with a de facto reunion (on record, at least) of the Hatfields... Judging from this one, it seems Pip would have kept surprising us with delightful new products every four years or so (every SEVEN, perhaps?) just like Robert Wyatt now tends to do, but unfortunately Pip's untimely death (in 2006) has put an end to such hopes. By the way, it came as a surprise to me that this album (released in 1998!) had never been reviewed here. In fact, I only found out about ITCH because it was called one of the best 'Canterbury' albums by Jonathan Coe, author of that highly readable novel, THE ROTTERS CLUB. Soft Machine, Health & Hatfield freaks, you need not hesitate: SEVEN YEAR ITCH will brighten up your day."-progarchives.com, © 2009 Wayside Music , http://www.waysidemusic.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=VP%20198

Made over the course of six years and one legal battle with a recording studio, the premiere Canterbury drummer finally busted through with his first solo effort, with a focus on the song rather than musicianly pyrotechnics. The first track, "7 Sisters," is my favorite on the album, a superb rekindling and updating of Hatfield and the North, capped off with a shining performance by Richard Sinclair on vocals. Structurally and in terms of mood, the piece is like a Canterburian inverted "Layla," where the gentle, melodious ballad part comes first with lyrics, then slowly drifts into heavy instrumental madness with all participants improvising at once. Many of the tracks have that characteristic sing-song whimsy of Hatfield, where for all practical purposes you picture Richard Sinclair singing even when he's not. However, you also get departures like "L'Etat des Choses," an experimental instrumental that hangs about like a grey cloud, followed up directly with "Foetal Fanfare Fandango," aptly described by Pip himself as a "drunken military marching band on Sunday." There were a couple of tracks on here that I didn't care for all that much. "Strawberry Fields Forever," featuring Barbara Gaskin on lead, is not surprisingly more in line with the updated golden oldies covers to be found on the Stewart & Gaskin albums. Again, it's just another example of picking a tune where further tampering is invariably just going to produce a shadow. Still, I have to admit the exact replication of the opening mellotron notes on The Beatles original was a clever touch. The whimsical jam that the song breaks into is certainly a different perspective, but strays a bit too far from the spirit of the song, a delicate mixture of sweet-and-sour introspection. "Seven Year Itch," features what I guess we could call 'method singing' from John Greaves (i.e., he actually got wasted to do the vocal track at the end), but for all the intended drama, his ravings can't be heard very well, making the whole thing in the end just seem a garbled, over-the-top curiosity rather than the bucket of vitriol it was ostensibly written to convey. Still, this is a very enjoyable album overall. Probably not surprisingly given his jazz-rock background and years of experience, Pip's ability as a writer is beyond that of most other rock drummers, and that of most rock musicians, while we're at it. Deserves your support, so pick it up and give it a spin. - review © Joe McGlinchey — 10-10-03, © ground and sky 1999-2008, http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=pp-7yi

BIO (WIKI)

Phillip "Pip" Pyle (4 April 1950 - 28 August 2006) was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the progressive rock bands Hatfield and the North and National Health Pyle joined Phil Miller, a friend from kindergarten, and Phil's brother Steve in forming Bruno's Blues Band, which rapidly evolved into Delivery. However, Pyle left the band in 1970 after arguing with singer Carol Grimes. He briefly played in blues band Chicken Shack and Khan. In 1971, drummer Robert Wyatt asked Pyle to play instead of him on one track of Daevid Allen's solo album Banana Moon. From this, Pyle joined Allen in Gong. While only in the band for 8 months, Pyle plays on both Camembert Électrique and Continental Circus. Pyle was replaced by Laurie Allan, but rejoined Gong for a period in the 1990s. In 1972, Pyle worked with Paul Jones (who had been singing with Manfred Mann), before founding Hatfield and the North with the Miller brothers in 1972. Steve Miller was soon replaced in the band and the line-up eventually settled on Pyle, Phil Miller, Richard Sinclair and Dave Stewart. Hatfield and the North was released in 1974, while a second album, The Rotters' Club, followed the next year. As well as drumming, Pyle wrote many of the band's lyrics. Following Hatfield, Pyle joined Miller and Stewart in National Health as well as playing in other projects, including Soft Heap with Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean and Alan Gowen. He also played on Neil's Heavy Concept Album (1984), a spin-off from the television series The Young Ones with which Stewart was involved. In 1984, Pyle met Sophia Domancich and the two had a relationship for many years. Pyle also started his own band, Pip Pyle's Equip'Out, including Domancich. Equip'Out released Equip'Out, Up! and Instants. He released one solo album, Seven Year Itch, in 1998 with guests including Miller, Sinclair, Stewart, Dean (Saxello), Hopper (bass), Jakko Jakszyk, Barbara Gaskin, John Greaves (vocals), François Ovide, Fred T. Baker (bass), Paul Rogers (double bass), Lydia Domancich (piano, Sophia's sister) and Didier Malherbe (alto sax). Pyle also played in Miller's band In Cahoots from 1982 to 2001, appearing on Cutting Both Ways, Split Seconds, Live 86-89, Live in Japan, Recent Discoveries, Parallel and Out of the Blue. His last projects were his group Bash!, featuring the French guitarist Patrice Meyer, Fred Baker on bass and Alex Maguire on keyboards, and a Hatfield and the North reunion (also with Maguire). Bash! released the live album Belle Illusion (Cuneiform Records), but only played five live shows in total (including Progman Cometh), finding it difficult to attract interest from venues. In 2005 Pyle joined Phil Miller and Richard Sinclair in a Hatfield and the North reformation, with Alex Maguire handling the keyboards. On January 29th, all three were reunited for the first time in 15 years when Pyle sat in with the Richard Sinclair Band for a few old numbers ("Above And Below", "Share It", "Halfway Between Heaven And Earth" and "Didn't Matter Anyway") during a gig at Whitstable's Horsebridge Arts Centre. The rejuvenated Hatfield made its official live debut on March 18th, 2005 at the Mean Fiddler in London, and a brief tour of Europe followed in June. More international touring followed in 2005-06, including dates in Japan, Mexico, the USA and Europe. On August 26th Pyle played his last gig in Groningen, The Netherlands. He died in a Paris hotel early in the morning of August 28th shortly after returning to France.

MORE ABOUT PIP PYLE

Drummer Pip Pyle had been involved with so many Canterbury scene bands that one interviewer asked the entirely valid question, "How is it you never managed to play with Soft Machine?" ("Well, I never got asked, I guess" was Pyle's reply). He wasn't there at the beginning, but Pyle was Gong's drummer when they solidified a lineup around 1971. A year of the communal life with his Gong bandmates was enough for Pyle, but the drummer would occasionally drop in on the band throughout his career and has always had kind things to say about Gong's leader, Daevid Allen. In 1972, he formed Hatfield and the North with Richard Sinclair and Phil Miller. Critically loved but without any commercial success, the band ground down to a halt in 1975. After the short-lived Shortwave with Hugh Hopper, Miller and Pyle started a new band with Alan Gowen, the beloved National Health. Although the proggy band was slow with the output, National Health had a loyal following until they dissolved in 1982. Pyle and Gowen had also taken a break from the band in 1979 to reunite with Hopper for another short-lived band, Soft Heap, while later Pyle rekindled his musical relationship with Miller for his '80s-and-beyond band, In Cahoots. The early '90s found Pyle back in Gong for the "Shapeshifter Gong" era and its resulting Shapeshifter album. By the end of the decade, the drummer looked to front his own band and ended up with two. The 7 Year Itch album from 1998 was a solo Pyle affair, but 2000's Equipe Out was released under the name Pip Pyle's Equipe Out with Hopper, Elton Dean, Didier Malherbe, and Sophia Domancich rounding out the group. His other band, Pip Pyle's Bash!, with Patrice Meyer, Alex Maguire, and Fred Baker, premiered with 2004's Belle Illusion on Cuneiform. Equipe Out returned in 2005 with Instants on the Canterbury-loving label Hux. 2005 also saw the reunion of Hatfield and the North. The group toured up until Pyle's death on August 28, 2006. © David Jeffries, allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=PIPPYLE&sql=11:k9fuxqegldse~T1