Formed in Minneapolis in 1964 as the Underbeats by guitarist James Johnson, bassist Doni Larson, and drummer Tom Green, Gypsy is an accessible mix of southern- and progressive rock pivoting around the kind of arrangements and production values that made bands like the Doobie Brothers into superstars.
The band expanded to include singer/guitarist Enrico Rosenbaum and keyboardist James “Owl” Walsh in 1969, performing throughout the Twin Cities circuit. Relocating to Los Angeles led to a gig at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go, and the band renamed themselves “Gypsy” and began to pursue a more progressive sound similar to the original line-up of Deep Purple (which you can hear in the song Late December). This led to the exit of Green, who was replaced by Jay Epstein.
The band signed to the Metromedia label and this 1990 CD is a re-issue of their 1970 debut double-LP. Larson and Epstein left shortly afterwards and were replaced by bassist Willie Weeks — who went on to the Doobie Brothers — and drummer Bill Lordan. Three more albums followed as the band went through several line-up changes before finally calling it quits in 1977.
Track Listing:
1) Gypsy Queen (Part 1) – 4:21
2) Gypsy Queen (Part 2) – 2:33
3) Man of Reason – 2:59
4) Dream If You Can – 2:48
5) Late December – 4:12
6) The Third Eye – 4:55
7) Decisions – 8:16
8) I Was So Young – 4:00
9) Here In My Loneliness – 3:10
10) More Time – 5:35
11) The Vision – 7:30
12) Dead And Gone – 11:07
13) Tomorrow is The Last To Be Heard – 5:48
Personnel:
Doni Larson – bass
Enrico Rosenbaum – guitar/vocals/percussion
James “Owl” Walsh – keyboards/vocals/percussion
James Johnson – guitar/vocals
Jay Epstein – drums
I am the creator and site administrator at The Basement Rug. I have been collecting LP's and CD's for more than 30 years. I 
