(4 / 5)
Three disc box set. As the iconic rock band Deep Purple embark on their final live dates around the globe on the “Long Goodbye Tour”, this superb 40-track collection turns the spotlight on the band’s lead singer and lyricist.
This set gives us three albums from across Ian’s versatile and successful career. “Naked Thunder” from 1990, “Scarabus” from 1977 and “Accidentally On Purpose”, released in 1988. There’s all three albums in full, and five bonus tracks; “Smoke On The Water”, “Black Night”, “Restless”, from Gillan. From The Ian Gillan Band; “Child In Time” and “Woman From Tokyo”. Plus an interview with Ian in Tokyo, during the “Gillanese” Japanese tour.
After Ian left Deep Purple in 1973, he formed The Ian Gillan Band, around late 1975/early ’76, and then the band simply called Gillan in 1978. After a period fronting Black Sabbath, he re-joined Purple in 1984, left the band briefly in 1989, but re-joined a couple of years later and is still with them today.
Purple, among with Sabbath and Zeppelin are named as pioneers of heavy rock and metal music. Deep Purple have had several line-up changes and an eight-year hiatus between 1976–1984. The 1968 to 1976 line-ups are known as Mark I, II, III and IV. Their second and most commercially successful line-up consisted of Ian Gillan (vocals), Jon Lord (keyboards, backing vocals), Roger Glover (bass), Ian Paice (drums) and Ritchie Blackmore (guitar). A line-up active from 1969 to 1973, and revived from 1984 to 1989, and from 1992 to 1993.
Between 1974 and 1976, Tommy Bolin replaced Blackmore in 1975, with the line-up including David Coverdale (lead vocals) and Glenn Hughes (bass, vocals), and between 1989 and 1992 with the line-up including Joe Lynn Turner (vocals).
The band’s line-up (currently including Ian Gillan, and guitarist Steve Morse from 1994) has been stable in recent years, but keyboardist Jon Lord’s retirement from the band in 2002 saw Don Airey replace him, and left Ian Paice as the only original Deep Purple member still in the band. Jon Lord died in July 2012 at 71. Deep Purple (specifically Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Gillan, Glover, Evans, Coverdale and Hughes) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016
There are many standout cuts within this collection, too many to list in full here. Rock fans, Deep Purple fans, Ian Gillan fans and those of you seeking a rockin’ addition to your music collection – and perhaps even an early Christmas gift to yourself! – could do worse than get hold of this excellent box set showcasing a legendary British rock singer.
By Les Howard
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’
(3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’ (4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’
(5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
