GMT - Pub Rock From Gillan's Inn Page 4
by Martin Popoff

Folks can argue it up and down, but many are calling Bitter & Twisted Bernie's best record, not counting the Gillan albums. Personally, I could lean that way, but I also have a certain fondness for Electric Gypsies, issued to what I remember as a bit of fanfare at the time, in late '83, Bernie still in possession of some of that bad boy magic due to his Gillan rep.

"Yeah, yeah, probably," reflects Bernie, asked if he thought this was the height of hype for him as a solo artist. "Really, I suppose, in sales terms, that, Turn Out The Lights and the Back To Babylon album are all fairly close. Definitely Electric Gypsies was the biggest project. And it was a great time for me, really enjoyable, but unfortunately we spent a long time recording it, and fairly crazy things happened in terms of the studio. At one point in it, Everton (Williams - bass) and the guy who owned the studio, who was gay, had an argument. Basically because Everton brought a girlfriend up, and he abused Everton, and basically Everton tried to kill him, during the course of the album (laughs). It was like shotguns out and windows broken and policemen called and all this. It was all terribly colourful, really. And it all panned out, and at least Ev had recorded all his parts by that time. So Ev had to leave and I had to carry on, doing the mixes and all of that. So it's a bit of a strange time, really. And having done it, it came out, and the record company sacked the A&R man and they saw us as a pop band. So we spent, I think a year and a half trying to get off the label, having the tapes. By the time we got off, it was extremely hard to place, and it ended up on Zebra/Cherry Red. I think it came out on Attic in Canada. It was a strange time, because I was awfully proud of that album when it came out, and really thought it died on its ass, at the time. And it has gradually carried on selling. And it's sold lots now. I mean, at the time it came out, it just went 'ppfffttt.' 'Oh no, I've done it again!' (laughs)."

"I have to say I've enjoyed the GMT things so much," says Torme in closing, throwing water on the idea of further solo albums. "I didn't really enjoy the solo projects. It became less and less enjoyable. I enjoy having the chemistry of the band. I operate much better within a band. I'm not a solo troubled genius by any stretch. I just enjoy playing off of people I enjoy playing with. So I haven't any solo projects or any solo intentions at the moment. I'd rather keep it all based on GMT."