A staple of their early output, The Gypsy Hill EP solidified Big D and The Kids Table as a major force in the Boston ska scene. Released in 2002 between the tent-pole albums Good Luck and How It Goes, the 10 (or 11, depending on which release you have) song EP contained enough memorable tracks that calling it “just an EP” would be seriously undermining it’s place in the Big D catalog. Unfortunately, the intervening years have made this release quite hard to find without dishing out some serious cash.
Luckily, Big D has recently announced that the EP is finally available digitally over at iTunes, which has thankfully amassed a pretty exhaustive list of the band’s releases. Additionally, Gypsy Hill is also available for a limited time as a 10″ LP over at Interpunk. Put out by the band’s own Strictly Rude Records, the 10″ features black and white two-tone colored vinyl and a jacket sleeve signed by frontman Dave McWane. This is a limited release with only 500 copies to start with, so these LPs will most likely sell out fast.
If you recall, this follows last year’s 15th anniversary re-releases of Shot By Lammi and Good Luck, which invites the idea that the band may be working their way through the rest of their back-catalog in the same fashion (wink wink nudge nudge honk honk)…
Check out Big D’s version of The Rudiment’s “Wailing Paddle”, included on this release: