His compositional output came to the fore on the band's third album, the classic In the Land of Grey and Pink, on which he wrote and sang the title track, "Golf Girl" and the epic "Winter Wine".

He recorded a collaborative album with Phil Miller and Alan Gowen, Before a Word Is Said, in 1981, reunited with Caravan for the 1982 reunion effort Back To Front, sang on one track of National Health's swansong D.S.

His voice or bass were barely heard until the end of the decade, save for a low-key Dutch tour in 1986 and a guest spot of Phil Miller's album Split Seconds (1989).

He reappeared in 2002 with occasional concerts and archival live releases, but the most exposure came with the reunion of Hatfield and the North in 2005-06, which came to an abrupt end when Pip Pyle died in August 2006.

[citation needed] In 2010, he joined the trio douBt (Alex Maguire, Michel Delville and Tony Bianco) on the album Never Pet a Burning Dog (Moonjune Records) and toured Japan and Europe with the band.