Randy Pie -

Randy Pie was a German jazz-rock/funk band behind two Atlantic singles and the 1973–77 Polydor/Zebra albums Sightseeing Tour, Highway Driver, Kitsch, and Fast/Forward.

Members: Dicky Tarrach (drums), Werner Becker (keyboards, 1972-77, 1986), Manfred Thiers (bass, vocals), Bernd Wippich (vocals, 1972-77, 1986), Jochen Petersen (guitar, flute, saxophone, vocals, 1974-77), Kravetz (organ, keyboards, 1974-77), Frank Diez (guitar, 1977), Peter French (vocals, 1977), Nils Tuxen (guitar, 1986), Claus-Robert Kruse (keyboards, 1986)

Background

Randy Pie formed in Hamburg at the turn of 1972–73 when drummer Dicky Tarrach, singer-guitarist Bernd Wippich, bassist Manfred “Tissy” Thiers, and keyboardist Werner Becker continued together from Randy Pie & Family.

Tarrach joined the Rattles in 1963 and later regrouped with Achim Reichel on the 1971 Polydor one-off Wonderland and the first two albums by A.R. & Machines. As a sessionist, he played on 1971/72 albums by Propeller, Brave New World, and Gash,whose Brain/Metronome release A Young Man’s Gash involved Thiers and former Rattles colleague Bernd E. Schulz.

Becker had 1968–70 stints in Valendras and the Studiker small big band, where he refreshed his notation skills and wrote early arrangements. In 1971, he signed with Chappell as a house composer and worked as a Studio Maschen session pianist.

Wippich emerged in 1965 as co-founder of Darmstadt hopefuls The Beathovens (not to be confused with the namesake Swedish Triola singles group or the Hamburg Somerset album act The beAthovens). He later played with Mersey Five, Mersey New, and Springflute. Wippich joined the Petards around 1970 and returned for the final 1972 lineup. Former Petards guitarist Klaus Ebert then recommended Wippich for the Hamburg project Rattle Pie & Family.

Tarrach and Bernd E. Schulz started the precursor in 1972 with Rattles founder Herbert Hildebrandt and former member Klaus-Georg Mayer. The project placed a four-man Rattles core inside an expanded stage ensemble with backing singers and additional players. A record-company press launch took the act to Finale Ligure, but the lineup split near year-end.

Atlantic issued “Queen of Dream” (b/w “Train Goes On”) under the Randy Pie & Family name that autumn. Tarrach renamed Rattle Pie as Randy Pie to separate the project from the still-active Rattles, then added Becker, Thiers, and Wippich to the revised lineup. The revised group recorded “Hurry to the City,” with Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. At a Hamburg Fabrik show, Tarrach, Wippich, Thiers, and Becker appeared as a four-piece, separate from producer Hildebrandt and the earlier management. The quartet developed a new mixture of rock, jazz, and soul across several months of rehearsal.

On September 16, 1973, Randy Pie played the German Rock Festival, a two-day event at Krefeld’s Rheinhalle, with sets by Birth Control, Triumvirat, Passport, Guru Guru, Wallenstein, Embryo, Amon Duul II, Atlantis, Nektar, Karthago, Chris Braun Band, Emergency, and Eloy.

Discography:

“Queen of Dream” / “Train Goes On” (1972 • Randy Pie & Family)
“Hurry To The City” / “Looking With Eyes Of Love” (1973)
Randy Pie [aka Sightseeing Tour] (1973)
Highway Driver (1974)
Kitsch (1975)
England England (live, 1976)
Fast/Forward (1977)
Magic Ferry (1986)

References and note

German Rock e.V., Randy Pie biography. This is the most useful source for the causal chain: Tarrach and Schulz conceived Rattle Pie & Family, Hildebrandt and Mayer joined the first version, the Finale Ligure launch failed, Becker/Thiers/Wippich entered the revised lineup, the Fabrik appearance ended the old management arrangement, and the quartet developed the Randy Pie concept through rehearsal jams. It also documents the September 16, 1973 Krefeld appearance. (German Rock)
Werner Becker / Anthony Ventura, official biography. Becker gives his progression from Valendras to the Studiker, his 1971 Chappell contract and Studio Maschen sessions, then his 1972 entry into Randy Pie and Family. This supplies the arranging/studio background usually missing from Randy Pie histories. (Anthony Ventura)
The Petards, Bernd Wippich biography and band history. The site traces Wippich through the Beathovens, Mersey Five, Mersey New, Springflute, and the Petards. It states that Klaus Ebert called him to Hamburg for Rattle Pie & Family late in 1972 and that Wippich then continued with Tarrach, Becker, and Thiers as Randy Pie. (The Petards)
The Rattles, Dicky Tarrach biography. Tarrach’s own band chronology gives the Strangers, Mamma Bettys Band, the Rattles, Wonderland, studio activity, Propeller, and the 1972 Randy Pie & Family project with Herbert Hildebrandt. (The Rattles)
Bear Family, Gash biography. This establishes the pre-Randy Pie Tarrach–Thiers connection. Thiers replaced Gash bassist Günter Barth, and Tarrach plus Bernd E. Schulz produced A Young Man’s Gash at Windrose with Conny Plank. Bear Family places Thiers and Tarrach in Randy Pie with Wippich and Becker at the beginning of 1973. (Bear Family Records)
Atlantic single documentation. “Queen of Dream” b/w “Train Goes On” appeared as Atlantic ATL 10 248 in 1972; Austrian radio listed the A-side among new releases on November 26. (Musik-Sammler)
Bernd Wippich discography / Petards site. Wippich lists “Hurry to the City” as Atlantic ATL 10290 under Randy Pie & Family. The Randy Pie archival history identifies Ritchie Blackmore as the guest guitarist. (The Petards)
German Rock Festival archive. The festival archive independently places Randy Pie at the Rheinhalle in Krefeld on September 16, 1973 and notes that the announcer still called the quartet Randy Pie & Family. (German Rock)
Original-LP documentation. The Zebra LP data gives August–September 1973 sessions at Windrose, Studio 70, and Polydor Studios. German Rock identifies the album quartet and Rainer Baumann as the guest guitarist. (Audiophile USA)