Flying Circus - Gypsy Road

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Thousand Years	03:17
	2	Green Patch	04:17
	3	Maple Lady	02:51
	4	Summer Song	03:48
	5	Old Enough	03:21

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Gypsy Road	03:26
	2	Train Ride	02:46
	3	Another Winter's Day	03:24
	4	Me and You	04:49

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

Following their relocation to Toronto in 1971, The Flying Circus quickly immersed themselves in Canada’s thriving music scene. Their first Canadian release, Prepared in Peace, appeared that same year on Capitol Records (ST-6365). Though recorded earlier in Australia with producer Mike Perjanik and engineered by David Woodley-Page, the album was thoughtfully repackaged for Canadian audiences by Wayne Patton. With all-original compositions leaning into folk and country influences, it marked a conscious break from the band’s bubblegum-pop past—signaling a new artistic direction rooted in acoustic textures, lyrical introspection, and vocal harmony.

Their creative momentum culminated in their first Canadian-recorded LP, Gypsy Road, released in 1972 on Capitol SKAO-6383 in Canada and Warner Bros. WS-20010 in Australia. If Prepared in Peace was a transitional step, Gypsy Road was their full realization—a country-rock masterwork shaped by Toronto's musical community and broader North American influences.

The album’s standout tracks, including “Old Enough (To Break My Heart)” (CHUM #19) and “Maple Lady” (RPM #58), offered an accessible yet rich blend of harmonies, storytelling, and rural-folk rock polish. Gypsy Road also featured contributions from a stellar cast of Canadian collaborators, affectionately credited as “Circus Friends”:

Bob McBride of Lighthouse helped arrange the album’s vocals, deepening the choruses with his signature flair.

Lenny Solomon, renowned Toronto violinist and future co-founder of Myles & Lenny, played violin on the title track.

Rob Lehman, a local pedal steel player, added crucial color to “Summer Song,” “Green Patch,” and “Train Ride.”

Dick Armin performed cello on “Me and You,” while Fatman—a Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist—added piano, vibes, and ambient flair.

Gypsy Road was produced by Canadian composer Paul Hoffert (of Lighthouse) and Bruce Bell under H.P. & Bell Productions, recorded at Thunder Sound Studios, Toronto, engineered by Bill Seddon, and mastered by George Marino at The Cutting Room, NYC. Its Canadian release came in a textured gatefold sleeve with full lyrics—further testament to the band’s care and confidence in this new musical identity.

The album was reissued the following year under the simpler title Flying Circus (Capitol ST-6391), with the same tracks reordered. In 2015, it saw renewed interest through a deluxe CD reissue on Big Pink Records in South Korea (BIG PINK 401).

Together, Prepared in Peace and Gypsy Road represent the heart of The Flying Circus’s Canadian legacy. While only the latter was truly born on Canadian soil, both albums form a powerful one-two statement of reinvention, independence, and artistic growth—finally allowing the band to sound like themselves.
-Robert Williston

Terry Wilkins: vocals, bass, mandolin, harmonica, kazoo
Doug (Bhudda) Rowe: vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, kazoo
Greg Grace: vocals, electric guitar, tambourine, kazoo
Colin Walker: drums
Rob Lehman: steel guitar (A2, A4, B2)
Lenny Solomon: violin (B1)
Fatman: piano, vibraphone (B3, B4)

Vocal arrangements by Bob McBride and Flying Circus
Produced by Bruce Bell and Paul Hoffert for H.P. & Bell Productions
Engineered by Bill Seddon
Recorded at Thunder Sound, Toronto, Ontario
Capitol A&R Liaison: Paul White

Photography and jacket design by David Street

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