Rock Reviews
Rock Reviews
IAN GILLAN BAND |
| Just as "MADE IN JAPAN" stands as the definitive DEEP PURPLE live disc this too is a must have for hard rock aficionados. This was the IAN GILLAN BAND at its best and that is very good. Everything is still "louder than everything else" only with these six numbers you have a lot more of a jazz exploration than the blues/metal fest that you are accustom to in Gillan's other bands. This record was recorded a good four years after Gillan's departure form DEEP PURPLE and this was ample time to give some of the DP material a thorough re-working. "Child in Time", "Smoke on the Water" and "Woman From Tokyo" retain the presence but are easily distinguishable from the originals. Very funky and groovy for lack of a better descriptor. "Clear Air Turbulence" and "Twin Exhausted" were the crowd favorites among the solo material and they are both beautifully and fully explored here. The latter recording actually came from a separate show than the rest but you would have never known save for the liner notes tipping the hand. The IAN GILLAN BAND was a live phenomena. The musicianship was superb and of course there is Ian Gillan himself. The loudest and, arguably, best voice in rock caught in the act just for your pleasure. Released by Angel Air Records. Website : http://www.angelair.force9.co.uk Review supplied by David Lee. |
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Cherkazoo and other Stories IAN GILLAN |
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This collection of bits and pieces, scabs and warts with the occasional shiny stone is more for the Gillan fan who must own everything the man has ever done. The first eight tracks of this disc's eighteen are taken from tapes recorded for a never to be completed children's film. The songs are fanciful, as you would expect given their intended audience, and more than just a little BEATLE-esque. They are comparable to the material that Roger Glover would record for his "BUTTERFLY'S BALL" record a few years later. Two of the eight tracks are recordings of Gillan and band talking about the tracks they are recording. Tracks 9 and 10 are cover versions of some of Gillan's fifties heroes. Tracks 11 and 15 are a second and third version of "Driving Me Wild" from the Children's movie sessions. A touch of Everly Brothers creeps into the track and almost calls for a co-writing credit. The rest of the disc is a collection of tracks that show Gillan trying to find his sound for a post-PURPLE career. The funk, almost disco, feel of "Music in my Head" makes me appreciate the music that he would eventually record with both the IAN GILLAN BAND and GILLAN all the more. For fans of the classic Gillan scream, and who isn't, you can find your greatest pleasure in the incomparable "You Make Me Feel So Good." This track is responsible for at least one full point in my rating. The liner notes are interesting despite their unwarranted heroising of the professional sycophant that credits himself as keeper of all that is related to DEEP PURPLE. Spitfire could have also spent the dollar to make a better sleeve than the one designed for it by its previous distributor; they didn't even remove the "r.p.m." logo. This disc is strictly for serious Gillan fans, nobody else would get it. Released by Spitfire Records. Review by David Lee |
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GILLAN had a relatively short life span being sandwiched between The IAN GILLAN BAND and the "BORN AGAIN" era BLACK SABBATH. To my knowledge only one record, "GLORY ROAD", was ever issued that featured this particular lineup. Now John McCoy, the groups bassist, has seen fit to release this compilation of "studio outtakes, rough mixes and studio mayhem" from that, obviously, very productive period. This is a collection targeted, primarily, for the die-hard GILLAN fan. Those who enjoyed such "GLORY ROAD" tracks as "Unchain Your Brain" and "No Easy Way" will find this a particularly pleasing follow up. The latter song included here in an alternative version. What makes this worth having for the average fan of British hard rock are these four numbers. "Night Lights"(with Tony "T-Bone" Rees on vox), "Are You Sure","Maelstrom", and "Take A Hold of Yourself". These, to me, are the best that GILLAN had to offer and textbook British Blues based rock. A primer for all aspiring metal heads. There is a purposeful and slightly distracting tone to the otherwise incredible packaging which tells a bit of the story how this version of Mr. Gillan's solo life was laid to rest, slightly less than amicably. It would seem that all this bad water is a prime motivator for this package to even exist. Not generally wanting to fan the flames here but, if a little dissention means that I get more great music to listen to then I am OK with that! I am already off to make room on the shelf for Volume 2. Released by Angel Air Records. Website : http://www.angelair.force9.co.uk Review supplied by David Lee. |
GILLAN |
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As the title suggests, this is the second installment of studio outtakes and alternative versions from the all too short-lived GILLAN. What I wouldn't give to take a run through John McCoy's attic. Actually, it would seem that endeavor is unnecessary given the rate at which McCoy has been packaging up these sets and God bless him for it. This is an amazing collection from an amazing band that left the scene far too early. Ian Gillan is the voice of British hard rock and though his work with DEEP PURPLE shall remain his hallmark, these tapes of the GILLAN band show that he need not have had a Blackmore to fence with in order to make musical sparks. "Second Sight" is a two-minute ditty that leads into "Future Shock" and some incredible guitar courtesy of Bernie Torme. The pair open the CD as if it were a live performance and set the tone for all that is to come, that is to say, very tight, live sounding numbers that have an excitement about them that you don't find on most studio recordings. If the slow fadeouts where to be replaced by crowd noise you could easily mistake this for a live recording. To say that the band is tight is coming up way short of the mark. And so it is for the rest of the disc's twenty tracks with one minor exception . . . "Post Fade Brain Damage" is so studio and laid back that it is better than Nytol for me. Fortunately, there is "You're so Right" to wake things up again. Something that was not expected and what makes this package even more valuable to GILLAN fans is the chance to get in on the writing process of the band via "Pre Brain Fade Damage." You can even hear Ian mumbling along trying to figure out where he should put lyrics or even what they should be. More rare photos and comments on each number from McCoy only add to this extraordinary musical experience and, once again, I can only hope for another in this series. How's 'bout an alternative or live version of "Unchain Your Brain" on the next one John? Released by Angel Air Records. Website : http://www.angelair.force9.co.uk Review by David Lee |
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Clear Air Turbulence/Scarabus IAN GILLAN BAND |
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After spending the mid part of his career, mid-part at the time, with the phenomenally successful DEEP PURPLE the easy thing for Ian Gillan to do would have been to head up his own band of low paid musicians and play the old hits for the rest of his life. Instead, what Gillan decided to do was to hire the best musicians that he knew and take a decidedly left turn from the proto-metal music that he had become best known for. The IAN GILLAN BAND was a rock-fusion oddity that at its best was no less than genius and at its worse adrift on a sea of jazz with no port in sight. There was a lot of the former with little of the latter during the band's run of hits in the seventies. The finest moments of THE IAN GILLAN band are "CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE" and "SCARABUS" both now available with updated packaging and liner notes via Spitfire Records. The agent that bonded these five musicians together, John Gustafson - bass, Colin Townes - keyboards, Ray Fenwick - guitars, Mark Nauseef - drums and lead vocalist/namesake Ian Gillan, was a common love of non-standard rock and roll. The results of their collaboration are explorations that to this day have not been fully retraced. The chemistry was unique, irreplaceable, inspiring and now, revived with these re-issues. "CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE" was the second Ian Gillan solo venture and the first where he was free of all contractual obligations to the DEEP PURPLE organization. This time around the Island records was the label and Gillan headed down a funky highway with band in tow. This was a complete right angle from what he had been doing in PURPLE and a few steps away from his first solo record, "CHILD- N -TIME." The material for the album was actually recorded twice, (the first versions are now available as "THE ROCKFIELD MIXES" on Angel Air), such was Gillan's desire to achieve a sound that was his and not in perpetual comparison to his previous work, he only partially succeeded. Of the six tracks on "CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE," each no less than five and a half minutes long with the whole package running in excess of forty minutes, "Angel Manchenio" is the furthest away from anything Gillan had done before. This is the full-on jazz exploration that the rest of the album hints at and comes damn close to sounding like a YES outtake. There would be no headbanging to this number or much of the rest of the record for that matter. Smooth, cool, and un-PURPLE in every way. "Five Moons" is a beautiful ballad that is completely time-locked in that JOURNEY/FOREIGNER/STYX progressive-pop-radio category. "Money Lender" is the best of the bunch, at least to this hard rocker's ears, because it allows Gillan a full stage to scream and when he does howl it makes you forget that a horn section was employed on this rather rudimentary rock number that only occasionally softens up to allow some muted jazz tones. There is a really tasty flute bit towards the latter half of the song that wouldn't seem to fit at first but by the end it all makes sense. This number represents the direction that Gillan would take the band in the future. There is enough here that it requires the listener to have at least a half dozen listens to get it all and you'll never find yourself complaining for the time spent. "SCARABUS" is a full-fledged rock album with jazzier textures to its parts whereas the previous "CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE" was a fusion of rock and jazz. This new mix made the traditionalist Gillan fans happy, kept the band feeling creatively fulfilled and yielded the best sounds that the band would ever put to tape. The opening and title track sets the tone perfectly with its standard rock skeletal format and very non-standard playing. Each musician dances around the center while Gillan belts out line after line keeping the whole thing spinning, it is the same for the entire album. The songs are considerably shorter than on "CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE" with this disc's fifty minutes being divided eleven times. As a CD bonus, the last track is a live version of "My Baby Loves Me" and allows for Ian to revive his scatting practices while the rest of the band has ample time to show their best wares. Sadly, this disc represents the last of the IAN GILLAN BAND and all members save Colin Towns departed for other projects. Towns and Gillan decided to head back down the Heavy rock highway with a new band, GILLAN, and well, that is an altogether separate story. The IAN GILLAN BAND lived fast and died young but they did leave a fine corpse. Released by Spitfire Records. Review by David Lee |
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"The Gillan Tapes: Vol 3" Ian Gillan |
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There is seemingly no end to the tape vaults of John McCoy and that is truly a wondrous thing as evidenced by the third installment of this "Gillan Tapes" series. Here we have more of the driving English Blues/Metal that won the band such acclaim only most songs are in alternative or live versions with a few "never seen the light of day" goodies thrown in. A good deal of the material features Jannick Gers on lead guitar which, is a nice treat as the bulk of GILLAN's recorded work used the flame of Bernie Torme's guitar to light the burners. I should add here that when I presented this disc to Gers at one of his IRON MAIDEN shows he had no idea that it was out and asked if I would loan him my copy! Right, "loan" a musician something? He did autograph it for me though. If you are looking for the really heavy stuff there are a couple of tunes here that you will undoubtedly know if you have ever heard the name GILLAN. First, a live version of "Unchain Your Brain" taken from the bands Reading Festival gig. "Unchain" just smokes along as each musician tries to find their groove, then Ian enters the stage and away it goes like a horse running from the gelding shears. Second, a "live in the studio" version of "Smoke on the Water" that had only previously been released as a "B" side many years ago and then only in certain countries. These two songs spotlight the power of Ian Gillan's voice and the power of the musicians that performed with him needed to have. "Smoke" could have gone on for another half-hour and it still wouldn't have been too much, what a groove. There is a second disc included in this package "For Gillan Fans Only" which contains ten more tracks for the same money so at the end you are getting 27 prime GILLAN numbers for the price of a single budget CD, another Angel Air value which I am hoping will be repeated with a fourth volume of "THE GILLAN TAPES." If you have the first two editions of this series, this is a must. If you don't have either, buy this one first. If you have ever heard the name GILLAN, buy anything with the name on it! Released by Angel Air Records.
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"Live Tokyo 23rd October 1978" GILLAN |
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This period of Ian Gillan's solo life has never been so accessible, especially to Americans, as since the beginning of John McCoy's attic cleaning. Up in that attic McCoy has found some truly wondrous gems and here is still another. Taken from the first ever tour of Japan for the GILLAN band this disc features McCoy (bass), Colin Towns (keyboards), Steve Byrd (guitar), Pete Barnacle (drums) and of course Ian Gillan as vocalist. This band had a very short shelf life lasting exactly one tour before trading out a few members for the first GILLAN record. In fact, I do believe this is the only place that you will find this particular line up and that truly is a shame because the band really smokes here. As usual, you have new and unreleased versions of "Smoke on the Water" and "Child in Time" for all the DEEP PURPLE fans to drool over but the presentation of early versions of what would become GILLAN band classics is what really makes this disc. Gone are the Jazz inflected trappings of the IAN GILLAN BAND, (yes there is a distinction in case you didn't know), returning the singer to a much harder Rock format. The opening track, "I'm your Man" is a great example of what the GILLAN band would come to be known for. The sound is actually not dissimilar to what DEEP PURPLE was doing in their Hughes/Coverdale version which is interesting but completely coincidental. The synths on this track are phenomenal. If ever there was a disc where the solos are as intense and integral to the perfection of a show as this please do let me know because the solos here, Towns' flute and McCoy's bass especially, are damn near orgasmic. As with all Angel Air releases
there are rare photos and extensive liner notes that justify the cost
alone, the handwritten notes from Ian Gillan are priceless! The disc,
despite some occasionally kinky sound, represents some of the best
music of the late seventies/early eighties and it is just a shame
that it wasn't until twenty years later that it is first being heard
but better late than never. Keep on diggin' John! Released by Angel
Air Records. |