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Rating: I remember finding this album in a shopping center in my city. It was inexpensive, and I decided that spending 5 Euro for one of the greatest singers in the history of rock wasn't so much after all.
Ian Gillan, certainly known for his involvement with Deep Purple (in my view, the "true" inventors of HARD ROCK) also has a substantial solo career, along with an excellent album recorded with Black Sabbath and a collaboration on a solo album by the historic Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover.
This "best of live" (recorded in years when Deep Purple was going through a deep crisis, between disbandments and adjustments) contains 14 tracks recorded at the Reading Rock Festival in 1979 and 1980 (concerts for the English television channel BBC), almost confirming the great charisma and high caliber of the vocalist in a live setting.
The first three tracks ("Smoke on the water", "Child in time" and "Woman From Tokyo") are taken from the Purple's repertoire, while the others are all taken from his various studio albums. In his solo career, Gillan could express himself freely in terms of songwriting, so the tracks are almost entirely written by him. The first three tracks deserve careful attention. They are (in my opinion) the best songs on the album. In "Smoke on the water" there is also a good instrumental part (the piece lasts almost 8 minutes), while "Child in time" is undoubtedly the most exciting track on the album. A real gem! An introduction of flutes and then off with Gillan's high notes (at the top of his form) that give chills. Also, the guitarist is very skilled and technical (I don't know his name as the album lacks a booklet).
The other tracks are a bit repetitive. Among the best, we recall "On the rocks" which starts with an experimental instrumental piece (led by bass and keyboards) and then merges into a classic, very powerful hard-rock piece, while "Lucille" is a blues piece beautifully interpreted by Gillan. Ian Gillan is backed by a good group of musicians, among whom the good keyboardist John Matthew McCoy stands out.
The album is certainly good although (as mentioned) it suffers a bit from repetitiveness and a lack of originality. Certainly a rarity and only recommended to true hard-rock fans and great admirers of Deep Purple. Ian Gillan's vocal abilities remain unquestionably impressive (which seems to have waned a bit currently), definitely one of the best hard rock/metal singers (alongside Plant, Dio, and Dickinson).
Tracklist:
•1. Smoke On The Water (Deep Purple)
•2. Child In Time (Deep Purple)
•3. Woman From Tokyo (Deep Purple)
•4. Clear Air Turbulence
•5. Future Shock
•6. Money Lender
•7. Unchain Your Brain
•8. Take A Hold Of Yourself
•9. Twin Exhausted
•10. Roller
•11. On The Rocks
•12. Sleeping On The Job
•13. Lucille
•14. Purple Sky
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