Contractual obligations
Back in November 2016 Ian Gillan did a short tour of Eastern and Central Europe backed by the Don Airey Band and various local orchestras conducted by Stephen Bentley-Klein, all supported by Grace Gillan’s band Papa Le Gal. The last three shows of the tour were recorded and are now being released as a series of three live albums, each in a different format (perhaps to make our lives more interesting).
Contractual Obligation #1: Live In Moscow
Kremlin Palace, Moscow, Russia, November 15, 2016
Blu-ray
- Hang Me Out To Dry
- Pictures Of Home
- No Lotion For That
- Strange Kind Of Woman
- Razzle Dazzle
- A Day Late âNâ A Dollar Short
- Lazy
- Rapture Of The Deep
- When A Blind Man Cries
- Youâre Gonna Ruin Me Baby (with Grace Gillan)
- Ainât No More Cane On The Brazos
- Difficult To Cure (Beethovenâs Ninth)
- Anya
- Perfect Strangers
- Hell To Pay
- Demonâs Eye
- Smoke On The Water
- Hush
- Black Night
Contractual Obligation #2: Live In Warsaw
Hala KoĆo, Warsaw, Poland, November 19, 2016
2CD & digital download
CD1
- Hang Me Out To Dry
- Pictures Of Home
- No Lotion For That
- Strange Kind Of Woman
- Razzle Dazzle
- A Day Late âNâ A Dollar Short
- Lazy
- Rapture Of The Deep
- When A Blind Man Cries
CD2
- Youâre Gonna Ruin Me Baby (with Grace Gillan)
- Ainât No More Cane On The Brazos
- Difficult To Cure (Beethovenâs Ninth)
- Anya
- Perfect Strangers
- Hell To Pay
- Demonâs Eye
- Smoke On The Water
- Hush
- Black Night
Contractual Obligation #3: Live In St. Petersburg
BKZ Oktyabrsky, St. Petersburg, Russia, November 17, 2016
3LP vinyl
Side A
- Hang Me Out To Dry
- Pictures Of Home
- No Lotion For That
- Strange Kind Of Woman
Side B
- Razzle Dazzle
- A Day Late âNâ A Dollar Short
- Lazy
Side C
- Rapture Of The Deep
- When A Blind Man Cries
- Youâre Gonna Ruin Me Baby (with Grace Gillan)
- Ainât No More Cane On The Brazos
Side D
- Difficult To Cure (Beethovenâs Ninth)
- Anya
- Perfect Strangers
Side E
- Hell To Pay
- Demonâs Eye
- Smoke On The Water
Side F
- Hush
- Black Night
Record company PR blurb to follow:
Still fresh from the success of the studio album âNOW What?!â, and just a few months before the release of the latest and equally successful album âinFiniteâ, Ian Gillan accepted the offer to tour for a month in Eastern Europe with a full rock show, accompanied every night by a different local orchestra.
Gillan decided to recruit the Don Airey Band, which features the guitar talent of Simon McBride.
All shows were truly unique, with Airey and McBride delivering perfect performances night after night. Deep Purple material (including rarities like âRazzle Dazzleâ or âAnyaâ) went hand in hand with Gillan solo songs and surprises for those into the deepest catalogue.
The title is a humorous reference to Ian Gillanâs notorious reticence to pay any attention to his own or Deep Purple live releases (as he explains in the album liner notes). This live album and video might well be one of the nicest chapters in Gillanâs solo production ever and a reminder about how great his solo music and concerts have been over the years.
Curiosity: The last Deep Purple album was named âInfinityâ (which later turned into: âinFiniteâ) during the afternoon preceding the Warsaw show that ended up being immortalized for its CD release.
âContractual Obligationâ will be available on Blu-Ray (Contractual Obligation #1: Live In Moscow), 2CD & digital (Contractual Obligation #2: Live In Warsaw) and as a 3LP+Download (Contractual Obligation #3: Live In St. Petersburg) on July 26, 2019 on earMUSIC.
In other related news, Deep Purple show in Newcastle, Australia, from 2001 is being released as a standalone album. It has previously been available as a part of The Soundboard Series. The album is due out on July 5, 2019.
Thanks to our editor emeritus Benny Holmström for the info.
Very nice indeed. Looking forward to this one.
July 2nd, 2019 at 23:01That’s another chapter in the Long-Overkill-Live-Concert-Series!
Encores: Smoke, Hush, Black Night…
I’m waiting for the third Flying Colors album instead.
Have a nice Day!
July 2nd, 2019 at 23:22I heard about this show, and from what i heard about,. is that it was outstanding shows from eight different reviewers all very positive. Will have to give a listen, and possible purchase. Thank You!.
July 3rd, 2019 at 12:44Hi sadly there appears to be a lack of Gillan tracks.
July 4th, 2019 at 11:42Of course, nobody is obliged to spend their money on these products. But, but, but .. let’s take these releases as documents in the long history of an exceptionally creative and musically talented group of people. I am very glad these shows were documented and released to wider audiences. I cannot wait to listen to and watch these documents. Thank You!
July 5th, 2019 at 10:37I’m not terribly excited over either of these releases,but Contractual Obligation on BluRay might get my dollars.
July 6th, 2019 at 15:46Too bad there’s not a lot of IG solo tunes,though.
Newcastle ?? Nah. There is more than enough MkMorse live stuff in my collection already.Besides,I listened to Jimmy Barnes screech over Gillan thru Highway Star on YT. Not good,in my view.
An opportunity to record Deep Purple songs not yet performed live, for example: “Super Trouper”, “Place in Line”, “Flight of the Rat”, “Mitzi Dupree”, “Solitaire”, etc … Same always.
July 8th, 2019 at 01:51Speaking of Ian Gillan DVDs, does anyone know where we can still purchase the documentary, ‘Chopin’s Story’?
July 21st, 2019 at 02:09It seems very elusive.
absolument sans aucun intĂ©rĂȘt….
July 28th, 2019 at 04:42