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The Gillan Story
Another Martin Popoff’s book — Unchain Your Brain! The Gillan Story — is coming out at the end of August via Wymer Publishing in the UK. It is dedicated exclusively to Gillan the band.
Between 1978 and 1982 Ian Gillan didn’t exactly reinvent himself, like many artists do, in fact the opposite—he returned to his rock ‘n’ roll roots with his revitalised band, simply called Gillan.
Aided by Colin Towns from the previous outfit—the Ian Gillan Band, and joined by the rock solid John McCoy, Gillan started off running where Deep Purple had left off. With a settled line-up that included Mick Underwood and Bernie Tormé, Gillan had numerous hit albums and even singles, with regular appearances on the UK’s leading TV music show Top Of The Pops.
But the usual frictions that dog most bands from time to time led to the departure of the wild and flamboyant Tormé and the introduction of Jannick Gers for the final chapter that culminated with the band’s last show at London’s Wembley Arena.
Having interviewed most of the band members, Martin Popoff takes us on a detailed ride of the five-year journey in a remarkable career.
What: Unchain Your Brain! The Gillan Story
Author: Martin Popoff
When: August 21, 2026
Where: Wymer Publishing
Format: 224 pages softcover, 234mm x 156mm
How much: £18.99
ISBN: 978-1-918419-01-6
If you pre-order, the publisher promises to deliver your copy two months ahead of retail — at the end of June.
Thanks to BraveWords for the heads-up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
It is obviously for Gillan Fans only.
There is no easy way to say this, but I am sure John will complain about not getting paid.
May 13th, 2026 at 21:12Damn, I should get this for my collection, but I’m a bit perplexed that it covers such a limited period of Gillan’s career…
May 13th, 2026 at 22:19By dissecting it like this, Martin can make 10 more books about BigIan!!
That’s gonna be one minefield of a band history, nuff said.
Did Colin Towns participate? I doubt it.
May 13th, 2026 at 22:45I saw Martin Popoff, on some YT show ages ago, stating that IG wouldn’t contribute to a book on the Gillan years.
May 13th, 2026 at 23:36Ohh great 😃👍🏼
I like John, he seems to be a standup guy.
But I will also look forward to read more about what really happened, seen from one of the sides 😊
Martin Popoff is a great writer.
May 14th, 2026 at 08:37“Having interviewed most of the band members”
Does that include an interview with ‘Gillan’ himself, or just snippets taken from music journals of the day?
John will have a lot to say…………again………………….and again
May 14th, 2026 at 09:01My only issue with Popoff’s books are the amount of re-cycling he does across various titles. An editor would also help reduce the repetition that is a frequent function. Won’t stop me buy this!
May 14th, 2026 at 09:15Like with when cds were the thig coming our way I started buying these books years ago but the usual reasons stopped me in my tracks.
And I dont want to nag or bitch Martin around but…….. I recall reading one of his books in which he expressed imho very unimaginable opions on things …..I thought, well, ok, that was it, for now. A man with his taste, I m different.
May 14th, 2026 at 10:57Can’t say I’m all that keen …we know all this stuff …its been done time and again !
May 14th, 2026 at 11:03If it had genuine and new comments from Ian and John …and even Janick and Colin, then it would be worth buying …but we all know it’s just going to be old , recycled quotes just thrown together to sell a book and make a few quid
I still listen to the albums “Mr. Universe”, “Glory Road” and Future Shock “..Big Ian sang the best in his career, beautiful vocal performances “She Tears Me Down”, “Fighting Man”, “If You Believe Me”, “On the Rocks”, “No Laughing in Heaven”, “If I Sing Softly”.
May 14th, 2026 at 13:48My issue with Popoff is that I cant take a man seriously who says that the song Lazy drew down his ranking of Machine head and who also says that Made in Japan isnt really that great… I rest my case.
May 14th, 2026 at 16:00Ian Gillan left DP in the middle of the peak year of their success, he made some real dodgy investments, lacked tax discipline and lost money both with IGB and GILLAN – by the time he joined Sabbath he was close to broke and that one year as a very well-paid employee of the Sabbath organizatioin saved his ass before the DP reunion raised his fortunes again.
In the 80s, the one way to make money as a rock band was tour all of America. This GILLAN did not do (unlike Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Scorpions and Iron Maiden) because Ian was too proud (and perhaps already too old) to play as an opener again, rather preferring to gig on the cottage industry circuit on his own terms. That decision sealed GILLAN’s commercial fate and I am surprised that the other members of GILLAN did not see it coming from afar. Name me one hard rock band that made it in the 80s without cracking America.
May 14th, 2026 at 21:38Much better off hearing anything and everything straight from the horses mouth, so to speak. “Most of the band members” says a lot while not saying much at all. Cheers.
May 15th, 2026 at 01:35I’m not sure what to make of all these books from Mr. Popoff. He’s producing them like a factory, he has his likes and dislikes (he doesn’t like early DP albums and live albums AFAIK) and not getting official endorsements for these makes them “just another writer, doing the story once again”. As MacGregor says in @13 – for once I wish someone could get a big honest interview on the case with Sir Towns. Colin was the musical force of this machine in 1977-82 period, strongly augmented by McCoy and Bernie Torme. Gillan was just a voice for this orchestra, the fantastic music came right from these guys, with special shout to the creative genius of Colin (unmatched for “Fighting Man”, “On The Rocks” or “Born To Kill” wonderous grandeur). Something IG would like to forget about and something he felt helpless about, it seems. Hence the lack of dignity to play open cards with them after the Wembley December 1982 show, and cowardly flee, which was just gross.
May 15th, 2026 at 08:21@12
You’re right about his financial situation Uwe.
May 15th, 2026 at 12:06He is mentioning it in his autobiography.
But I guess the other members in Gillan thought he had a diamond mine somewhere.
It was a sad ending though. Don’t think they ever became friends again.
Its getting to a time where any 1970-80s classic band needs its history told with first hand accounts. With big Ian in his 80s, and Bernie and Mick gone, pretty soon the personal stories will be gone for Gillan the band. Sad but inevitable.
May 15th, 2026 at 13:44Martin P has his own tastes and idiosyncrasies plus occasionally (even in the recent mammoth Purple bio) he is widely off the mark with a comment, BUT (and it is a big ”but“) one has to be grateful to him for chronicling a substantial amount of hard rock/heavy rock/heavy metal history which would in his absence been ignored by most media.
Sure, he makes a living doing this stuff, but I‘m glad he can/could because there would be a void without him. That said, I only recently received an email from him where he stated that he was more or less packing things up as a rock bio writer because his audience is dying away.
I am not aware that Colin Towns has ever shared his thoughts on the demise of GILLAN (he has said a few words on IGB, appreciative ones at that, lauding the musicianship of Fenwick, Gustafson and Nauseef and how much he learned from them initially) and I find his silence conspicuous given how vital his songwriting for the band was.
May 15th, 2026 at 13:47@17, Uwe,
I don’t think there is anything suspicious in Colin’s silence. In fact, looks to me like he has shown the most of possible dignity stretch from all of the band members in this situation. Probably thought: “Screw it, I’m not going to take part in this trash and bickering, I’m moving on forward with my thing.” And he did exactly just that, he became a renowned film/TV series music composer, arranger and conductor and it sems, he never looked back ever since. The only hint about the scale of his disillusionment with the Gillan cooperation phase might be just the fact that he never again joined a rock band on stable basis. Which is a plain shame, if you ask me, for obvious reasons.
May 15th, 2026 at 20:02I have never heard it from him directly, but from John McCoy and Mick Underwood that Colin Towns refuses to speak about GILLAN as a matter of principle.
Let’s face it, by “Magic” in the fall of 1982, GILLAN were into their sixth studio album (for Ian it was even his ninth post-DP album if you count in the three IGB offerings) without much of an impact on the world of rock. Both Rainbow and WS were further ahead and I think GILLAN had been too long an also-ran to really ever make heads turn. VIRGIN was not making any money with them (and didn’t know how to promote them properly either), they were basically unknown (and unavailable) in the US, their albums didn’t really meet early 80s production values (certainly not like, say, Def Leppard’s did) and they were not really a credibly fresh-faced band ready to be molded to expectations either – I doubt whether their posters hung in a lot of teenage girls’ bedrooms except may be in one, somewhere in Randers, Denmark, where they were, so we have reliably been told, always very popular (even if they curiously never made the Danish charts or attained even only a silver record there, Karin ☝️🧐)
The other members might not have liked it, but GILLAN had commercially run its course by 1982. Does anyone really think that another album after Magic would have broken them internationally? Nine years after having been a member of the rock band with the highest-grossing US album sales in 1973, the former DP singer was once again broke. I would have grabbed that Black Sabbath paycheck too – Ian was a ripe 37 (and a half) years old when he did so, the window of opportunity was closing on him fast.
May 15th, 2026 at 22:46@ 15 – they were never ‘friends’ were they Karin. Most band members are not friends, a few here and there maybe with a couple of members occasionally, otherwise it is a business sort of thing. People come and people go! Yes it would be nicer if there wasn’t any poison to trash about, unfortunately as we know, humans have a habit of carrying on in silly ways at times. It was interesting hearing Tony Carey talking about how much Ritchie funded the Rainbow venture. We had an inkling he would have had to to some degree. But when we stop and think about it, yes there is a lot money required to operate a functioning ensemble of musicians, both in the studio and even more so on the road. Cheers.
May 15th, 2026 at 23:09https://youtu.be/MQCCztrB-RI?is=bAIORkG1jT-DPxYq
Gillan’s new interview, where he says the magnificent Never a Word is the most difficult song he’s ever created
May 15th, 2026 at 23:15@21, Flavio,
I love “Never A Word”, always did. It’s the only DP song where Gillan almost reversed to stand on his eyebrows to try to sing a real PIANO. Mellow and touching. Absolutely beatiful.
And as much as there was much work put into that, I still think, that the melody is so beautiful that it should be recorded without vocals. Same case is with Queen’s “Bijou” from the “Innuendo” album. Sounds unfathomable to think that Ian’s or Freddie’s voices would NOT suit any song. But these two…. They should be left completely to guitars gently backed by synths and strings.
I have a remix of “NaW” that has no vocals on it, with exception of the last line. But the world doesn’t know it and never will, because I was never officially licensed to do, or publish it. I trained my studio engineering skills that way, back in 2003.
May 16th, 2026 at 09:11@19
“I doubt whether their posters hung in a lot of teenage girls’ bedrooms except may be in one, somewhere in Randers, Denmark, where they were, so we have reliably been told, always very popular (even if they curiously never made the Danish charts or attained even only a silver record there, Karin ☝️🧐)”
– Uwe it is really not my fault that a lot of younger people at that time didn’t had any great taste in rock music! 😄
May 16th, 2026 at 12:49And I didn’t have that much money so I could be the reason they had gotten gold records. If I had that kind of money I would have bought all the copies and given them away as gifts 😃
I loved them, still do. Listen to Gillan every single week. And I can tell you they were popular but maybe not like Purple was/is!
@20
“they were never ‘friends’ were they Karin.”
– well, you got me there MacGregor! 😊
Allow me to explain my presumption: John McC felt very hurt when they ended, and by that I concluded he felt let down by Ian, as only a close friend can feel. But what do I know?
And now I cannot remember where and sadly cannot find the interview, but I remember I read ‘somewhere’ that Mick Underwood had a longer history with Ian, and they did not end on friendly terms.
But you’re right, I jumped to the conclusion that they were friends.
And then again, define friendship!
Are two people working together amicably friends? Maybe, or maybe they ‘make’ it work so the outcome is the best.
But are they friends so they will ‘take a bullet’ for each other? Maybe.
These speculations can only be revealed with time 😊
However money issues can ruin all kinds of relationships.
May 16th, 2026 at 13:04That’s why I’m happy I’m poor. None of my friends like me because I’m well off 😃
#22 Thorsun:
Never a Word is one of the gems of the Morse era, it cannot be missed in a best of
May 16th, 2026 at 13:27@22
Queen’s “Bijou”…beautiful track!
At the time of “Innuendo” Nuno Bettencourt interviewed Brian May for a guitar magazine and he clearly acknowledged Jeff Beck’s inspiration for it (i.e. “Where Were You”)
So, Thorsun, synth soundscapes and studio engineering? I like that!
Where can one hear some of your efforts? 😉
Cheers, J.-
May 16th, 2026 at 15:48I always liked Never A Word, it was a bit Gillan & Garfunkel doing The Sounds of Morse. 😂
May 16th, 2026 at 21:02I cannot imagine Karin and her cohorts being into Ian Gillan related music back then, 1981 era. They all would have only been about 14 or so and God knows what music they were into. We do have an idea as she has posted links of the sort and much of that ‘pop’ music we know ourselves. Many years later did the Ian Gillan related music wander into Karin’s universe, hence the ‘teenage’ obsession in today’s world. We can only hope she does get to see DP in concert in six months time, so she then can be at peace with this ‘demon’ called Gillan that has possessed her soul, he he he. Cheers.
May 17th, 2026 at 00:00It was always clear to me that Blackmore was financing Rainbow. No one in that bad had a contract with the record company, only Ritchie did (same arrangement with WS and DC). Every Rainbow musician was an employee of Ritchie, not of the record company. Which meant: Once the budget allotted to Ritchie by the record company was exhausted, he had to dish out the money himself. And no record company in its right mind would finance a contraption like the Rainbow lighting rig which would not sell one piece of vinyl more. All that came out of Ritchie‘s pocket.
And Rainbow were only really popular in the UK as a major market, even in Germany, generally the happy hunting ground of all things Purple-related, no Rainbow album ever reached the Top Ten, most of their albums hovered somewhere between placing 20 and 30 or even lower …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_discography ,
a far cry from the sales DP enjoyed whose 70s albums up to and including Stormbringer had all been in the Top Ten, many of them with first or second placings. Rainbow were never in that league and they never sold out the large halls in Germany like Purple did either.
Rainbow’s commercial success has been greatly exaggerated due to the iconic status of albums like Rising, which if truth be told is actually a cult favorite and more of a commercial flop, not even attaining silver status in Germany. Commercially and measured against DP‘s gargantuan success only a few years before, Rainbow were a failure.
PS: Karin, if you think Dio is too Heavy Metal for you, what about his voice before the demons, dragons & dungeons caught up with him?
https://youtu.be/HsZbBaduJOU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMZP8XcCfLo
Too Heavy Metal still?
May 17th, 2026 at 00:37@28
Aww MacGregor, allow me to draw a little picture for you 😃 (not a real picture but a little story back from the glory days of my youth!)
I was very much into Deep Purple, since before my adolescence started.
My dear mom did not like that. In fact she disliked the music so much she asked me (rather demanded me) never to speak about it outside my home. She did not see that kind of music as a good choice for a young girl.
I had this dear friend in school who taught me the riff to Smoke on the Water, but even before he helped me to get a grip of that on the piano, I loved everything Purple.
When Gillan appeared I was into that too. Somehow IGB wasn’t at my radar, but Uwe has taken care of that later (thank you Uwe 😃)
Yes most of my friends liked pop. I did too, in some degree. But DP was and is everything I need in music.
In 1981 I was 14 yo, and you know a lot of things happened in my life, as things tend to do, and later on when I studied and worked, I didn’t have a lot of time to my passion, but when I came home and kicked of my shoes and relaxed, it was always Deep Purple I listened to.
Ian Gillan has not possessed my soul, as you so very poetic are describing my life 😁 but yes Sir, I still prefer him as a vocalist more than anyone else.
I look very much forward to October (and November 😉) and I can only apologise that I haven’t seen them live before. Why is that, you may ask! Well, life happened, and I have never been at Facebook before I entered in ‘24. My friends were not into DP, neither René, so I always heard about the concerts when I read the reviews in the papers.
But now, thanks to FB and HS, I am up front with concerts 😄
Are there any more details you wanna know. Then please ask 😄
May 17th, 2026 at 13:56@29
Dear Uwe,
I just don’t like his voice!
Him being into HM does not make it any easier for me.
I haven’t heard the songs J from far away told me about, and I will also need some time to go into the two links you came up with, so when I have that, I will be better equipped to discuss the singer’s abilities (I hope…)
May 17th, 2026 at 14:00@22
Dear J.,
“Bijou” is reportedly inspired by Jeff’s “Where Were You”, which is even more beatiful, but what makes it special – was the fact – that no other guitarist ever had a success in playing this track with comparable feel and sensitivity. This is how unique Jeff’s abilities were. I seem to recall that after Jeff died – David Gilmour (who is known as the “master of feel” when he’s in between them notes) said that “he tried to play it and he gave up”, there was no way to be able to replicate Beck’s touch for this tune. Wasn’t it for Tony Hymas though, who in 1989 was Jefff’s keyboard player – we wouldn’t have had “WWY” at all. He heard Jeff attempting these phrases but he couldn’t get it into a proper tune. Hymas augmented them with delicate airy synth soundscapes and it gave the Beck’s tour-de-force complete shape and beauty. I recommend the “Live at the Ronnie Scott’s” version for anyone to see – it’s the ultimte guitar experience, haunting and impossible to replicate. Stunning, chills on arms every time I see it.
https://youtu.be/howz7gVecjE?list=RDhowz7gVecjE
As in regards to my musical attempts – they still go mostly to the drawer. I am completely self-taught by what I listen to, no theory backing to my attempts, just what I hear in the head transposed to notes and live playing. I write in a classic, tad proggy, rock vein, reflecting my biggest influences, but as a keyboard player I have to get the band arrangements (bass, drums, guitar) from the tabulature programs to get a proper precision (I’m terribly bad in time keeping when I play rhytmic structures live). So, by now – I’m not convinced that my sketches are good enough to be published anywhere.
Soundscapes are usually happenings of accident, coincidence while searching for interesting colours on my Roland keyboard. These two that went down well – I have and actually I am thinking about checking how Bandcamp practically works in terms of publishing there. If I pull through the procedures – and have a site set up, working and agreements fixed – I can share them here.
Sound engineering and remixing of tracks happened to be an interest primarily because I hate long fade-outs of tracks where there are incendiary solos buried by the fade out. Ozzy’s “Tonight” frustrates me for 3 decades now – Randy Rhoads’ mastery is killed by the 90 seconds slide to the silence.
Not to mention some Purple / Rainbow fade-outs that bury Blackmore’s mastery unnecesarily too.
May 17th, 2026 at 19:02Depends what your version of the word ‘commercial’ is Uwe. Rising is the only really influential post DP album in rock, hard rock and heavy metal. So it achieved what it set out to do, well done all concerned. Hindsight is sometimes referred to as a wonderful thing and leaves different opinions over time from many concerned. Most of the other post 70’s DP acts were attempting different genres, well some of them and that didn’t go down to well in most circles. Even Coverdale with Whitesnake was playing catchup, desperately trying to get into the AOR and HAIR Metal scene. So there we have it, all hail Ritchie and his cohorts from 1976/77. My only remaining concern is that I missed the only tour they did out here. Ho hum, such is life! Next? Oh that’s right, Karin. Hmmmmmmmm, time for me to cast a few spells her way me thinks. This anti Dio scenario will NOT do. Cheers.
May 18th, 2026 at 01:37Doubting MacGregor @28: I remember from the GILLAN gigs I saw that they were mostly a bloke band, less females than, say, at a Whitesnake gig.
But: Early Mk II had – in Germany at least – considerable teen appeal! They were voted in 1970/71 the third most popular band by teen magazine BRAVO
https://www.facebook.com/deeppurple6876/posts/deep-purple-april-1971-receiving-the-bronze-otto-from-bravo-magazine-in-frankfur/3663080237045823/
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSgdt0-1X3ElSTz_X9p1edD1rFD5uWwi9CzyQ&s
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/r3QAAOSwHrtm2xFn/s-l400.jpg
and there was a constant flow of features on and posters of them in nearly every weekly issue. They were featured alongside acts such as Sweet, Slade and T. Rex.
Purple never quite shook that – saleswise likely welcome – image off: In the 70s there was a saying that kids start listening to BCR, Slade and Sweet, then move on to Status Quo with their catchy tunes to finally morph into Deep Purple fans – DP being seen as the most commercial and teenage-accessible among the holy British hard rock trinity of LZ, BS and DP.
But GILLAN with its weird Colin Towns compositions and sometimes angular sound plus members like McCoy and Underwood who were not exactly teenage poster fodder? Young Karin sure had unusual tastes then – and we all thought she had a sheltered upbringing! What went wrong?
But I have a hunch that Karin has elegantly skipped over all the Duran Duran and Kajagoogoo singles she had …
https://youtu.be/KCjMZMxNr-0
https://youtu.be/rkpG4XApJ28
We’ll have to send a search party for her old vinyl, any volunteers?
May 18th, 2026 at 05:42Here is a rock vocalist for you Karin, a superb singer. The dog on the front cover looks a lot like Anton. Enjoy! Cheers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3KSpeiRPTc
May 18th, 2026 at 09:03@33
PLEASE do cast all the spells you like 😃
In return I will invite you to a very nice cup of coffee…. My door is almost always open 😊
May 18th, 2026 at 11:23@34
Uwe, a lot – and I mean A LOT of girls of my acquaintance have been completely devoted to Duran Duran!
I am very proud to say that I have never listened to a whole song of theirs, at least not voluntarily.
It is with the same amount of pride that I can say I have never watched a single episode of Kardashians either….
However Soap, MASH and Castle have been my favourite series to watch.
May 18th, 2026 at 11:29Music – well you know already that part 😊
“Depends what your version of the word ‘commercial’ is Uwe. Rising is the only really influential post DP album in rock, hard rock and heavy metal. So it achieved what it set out to do, well done all concerned.”
It’s influential as hell, I never denied that. But it also sold poorly – by DP standards at least. And I don’t hink that Ritchie had “lasting influence” on his mind when he had that album released, I think he rather wanted to sell shitloads of vinyl!!! 🤣
Ritchie was the one to stray the least from the Purple sound with his Rainbow releases. In fact he wanted to take over DP‘s throne (before Mk IV imploded). But ironically he missed certain secret recipe ingredients that gave DP a wide range appeal even outside of core hard & heavy audiences, these ingredients being inter alia Big Ian‘s voice and lyrical wit, Jon‘s warmth and ability as a player and Little Ian‘s swing. People never danced to Rainbow even at rock discos, they did to Deep Purple though, I was there. Black Night and Strange Kind Of Woman were dance numbers.
May 18th, 2026 at 14:35#33 MacGregor:
Even 1987 can be said to have been a cornerstone of heavy metal, it didn’t set a precedent like Rising, but it’s one of the 10 reference albums for all the hard & heavy of the 80s.
May 18th, 2026 at 15:38@32
Re: Jeff
Yes, I remember well!
The “Guitar Shop” album stunned me when I bought it on release (my mom funnily referred to it as the “guitar tree” LP for its cover art)
I had the Ronnie Scott’s DVD (remember those?) which was amazing, he also did “Stratus” (implied DP family link there) and had the very beautiful Joss Stone singing “People Get Ready”.
Yes, many accounts told about the difficulties in coaxing new music from Jeff as he was a wonderful stylist but not a natural songwriter as his pals Clapton and Page.
I did not about David’s comment!
Funnily enough, I always thought of Floyd’s “Coming Back to Life” (‘Wheeeeere were youuu-u-uuu…”) as his attempt to emulate Jeff in the intro.
Re: Music
I’m on the same boat, amateur musician and really no need to waste world’s bandwidth with my stuff. I play guitar but LOVE vintage synths. I only have “typewriter type technique” on keys, but feeding a Moog or ARP clone into delays and reverbs puts me in a very blissful state 🙂🎶
Re: Ozzy
The 30th (circa 2011) anniversary editions of Blizzard and Diary were supposed to feature extended (non fadeout) versions of many tracks including the full “Tonight” as well as the full Southampton 1980 show, but ongoing hostilities between Sharrrronnn and the Bob/Lee camp prevented it. Sadly…
Re: Fadeouts
Yeah! Love the “Gettin Tighter” and “Rat Bat Blue” etc non-fadeouts on the remixed versions!
Re: Mixing
I have Flemming Rassmunsen’s online course bought and ready to go since December and still had no time to go through it! 😭 But! I did complete Jens Bogren’s course and attempted a Purple-sounding mix of the course’s subject song (‘The Observer’ by Isahn).
Well, I failed miserably 😂
Sorry, brevity NOT in my skillset!
All the best,
May 18th, 2026 at 16:22J.-
I thought Duran Duran were cool. John Taylor not only had great hair, but played great bass too. The band combined a little bit of androgyny with general laddishness.
Wild Boys is an 80s classic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M43wsiNBwmo
and could have easily been turned with a few arrangement tweaks into a veritable heavy metal hit. I could see Judas Priest do it.
Even later Duran Duran would still write great songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JDo_xGED0M
And The Power Station as a side project was magnificent as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw1t7OCESUw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2vHbXI2p4k
**********************************************************
True, 1987/Serpens Albus was as pivotal and influential for late 80s American style hypher rock as Rising was ten years earlier for European Melodic Metal – but it sold a lot more copies! ☝️🧐🤣 And it had a song that became an American everyday hymn …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-COe53B8jkw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g5OPIyZ7SM
May 18th, 2026 at 18:16(I love how the little chubby girl with the spectacles shakes her hair 80s glamour style @00:57 😂)
#37 Karin:
Well Karin, beyond the delirium of Duran Duran fans (in Italy they even had a movie released with the title “I’ll Marry Simon LeBon”) Duran Duran were excellent musicians, they wrote songs that remained in the history of pop rock of the 80s, and if only there were more young bands like them now!!….they knew how to write perfect and well-played pop songs, like the majority of pop rock groups of the 80s who were absolutely not inexperienced, but excellent musicians.
#38 Uwe:
you’re right to list what was missing in Rainbow, but Roger was also missing as the glue that held everything together (as well as a composer), we can’t underline enough how fundamental “our” bass player was.
It must be said that Ritchie reached his technical peak on the German stages with Ronny and Cozy, what he did there with the guitar was to bring to the nth degree what Jimi had started, and which Ritchie never reached even with Purple, precisely because with Purple the dynamics were different and he was not the absolute star.
May 18th, 2026 at 18:35@35: Tassie Boy, that Pavolov’s Dog singer sounds like if Geddy Lee could sing better!
Not a bad album that was.
May 18th, 2026 at 18:55@ 40,
J, some actions sometimes brew and brew – until they meet a proper trigger.
I’m going to set up my page on Bandcamp and put these soundscapes out and will let you know. There is nothing to lose for me there, really – and maybe it helps me to get out of my drawer. I need to learn to bring my stuff out, not to bug the world maybe – but to find people who could genuinely enjoy it.
You can reach me at my e-mail if you want (stealin(at)tlen.pl) – maybe we can set up an exchange of ideas? I did a few things in 2000s with the fellow amateur guitarist I knew a while ago, we just jammed off-the-cuff from the heads – and I admit it was a sweet sweet feeling to catch a vibe and the flow. I sometimes miss that. Few picked up ideas came out totally cool, surely one of the highlights was a wild go at “Mandrake Root” that went for some 23 minutes (and then we’d run out of tape). A small Hohner toy keyboard, Fender Stratocaster, drum pre-set – BANG! and off we went, it was a blast, really was a joy to be on that wave for a few.
The e-mail is my tech back-up – please make sure I know it’s you, not scam, but I will reply – thanks 🙂
May 18th, 2026 at 19:46Fla76, I didn’t mention Roger explicitly because, eventually, Ritchie saw the errors of his ways and brought at least him into the Rainbow fold. But Roger all by himself, while making Rainbow poppier, could not really change the general heavy-handedness and slight stiffness of Rainbow. They never really grooved, certainly less so than early Whitesnake, irrespective whether with Duck Dowle or Little Ian.
But I’m totally with you: Roger’s bass playing is a core ingredient of Mk II’s sound. Glenn’s more pushy and “yanking-the-rhythm-around” playing might draw an appreciative smile to my face more often, but he can’t sound like Roger either. You ony realize how vital Roger is to the Purple wall of sound when another bassist takes his place.
May 18th, 2026 at 22:49@ 43 – that Pampered Menial album was my introduction to ‘progressive’ rock Uwe. That and a cassette I found of Tull’s Warchild album, in 1975. I didn’t take to any of it of course, being a Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Quo and Heep fan at that time. But the Surkamp vocals as off putting as they were initially, was what opened the door to me for those ‘operatic’ singers in rock music, for want of a better description. It is a bit of a cult album Pampered Menial. They were popular out here in Australia and I imagine Europe would have got it, but I don’t think in the States they were appreciated that much. Mind you the band imploded and was ripped off big time by management. The record company behind them gave them a hard time too and they disappeared into obscurity. I have a’bootleg’ of their third album which was held back by the record company and a fourth album from the 90’s that was only the singer and mellotron keyboard player left. It is one of those ‘what if’ stories of 70’s rock, not as dramatic and sad as Badfinger’ demise, but along those lines. P.S. I am hoping to ‘open the door’ for Karin into falsetto high end singers, without ruining her coffee as she listens of course, he he he. Cheers.
May 18th, 2026 at 23:23I have The Guitar Shop album. Jeff Beck and his finger style has a lot to do with his subtleties and also at the same time he threw the pick away he went to the Stratocaster if my memory serves me well. Of note also is how much Beck has been influenced by keyboard players, Max Middleton, Jan Hammer and Tony Hymas. Once he decided to go ‘jazz fusion’ and solo in the 1970’s and into the 80’s. David Gilmour isn’t a finger player, so no surprises there with him and also other guitarists not being able to get that instrumental down pat. I think Brian May dabbles with a finger style, I could be wrong on that though. It is all about the feel and subtle nature of it all with Beck, not being a composer as such he was more into the colouring and variations of musical pieces. A wonderful concert in 2009 I witnessed. One of the great electric guitarists, no doubt about that. Cheers.
May 19th, 2026 at 00:41@42
Fla76 – a movie 🤣
Well in Denmark we had (we still have, she is not dead ❤️) a super model Renée Toft Simonsen who dated one of the guys in Duran Duran, don’t remember his name and really don’t care 😉 but I was filled to my bursting point re that band. So maybe I have been thoroughly vaccinated against them 😁
May 19th, 2026 at 06:22OTOH: I have loved real Rock’n’Roll all my life, and no matter how we twist and turn the words, Duran Duran are NOT rock. They are cheap pop if even that 😄
@35
Thank you MacGregor….. (I GUESS 🤣)
No no, Anton is not that chubby 😄
I still prefer this guy:
May 19th, 2026 at 07:37https://youtu.be/VGHbIVBKGHM?is=8eD47u8dx0gQAO9v
@44
Nice!! 🙂
@41
John Taylor’s “Rio” bassline, epic!
@48
John Taylor’s girlfriend, epic!
—
(A short post, finally!)
May 19th, 2026 at 13:08@47
Yes to all, Mac!
I saw JB live just the once in 1999 I believe, with Jennifer Batten as a sparring partner on stage. Their dueling on “Blue Wind” was amazing.
His Hollywood Bowl retrospective live album is excellent too, the Etta James cover with Beth Hart being a highlight!
Best, J.-
May 19th, 2026 at 13:41Duran Duran are cheap pop? 😱 Go stand in the corner, spiteful girl!
I fail to see what is “cheap” in this music here
https://youtu.be/mIDPF-h5rl0 ,
lavishly expensive and intricate more like! 😤
May 19th, 2026 at 14:34@50
J you know of Renée Toft Simonsen?
Yes she was a BEAUTY 🤩
Still is actually:
https://youtu.be/6mSmwdrCQpY?is=VsxtAIjLksqM__Bg
And she is very intelligent. Educated herself to be a psychologist and has been writing books.
May 19th, 2026 at 15:42Now she is married to this guy:
https://youtu.be/BpWCQKYgFAw?is=Ey6zZdwWw_MUvi-i
@52
Yes, that’s me!
Spiteful
One dimensional
Boring etc 🤣🤣
But you know what? I loooooove this music:
https://youtu.be/-q9kuejj1xA?is=l_tJZbs1TwvnN0RI
+
https://youtu.be/REMeBo7n40A?is=gcCmiLMbcvjR3DB9
+
https://youtu.be/IbW5K2F1N28?is=iVQEzJ-T1PINAUJA
+
https://youtu.be/lt32a42_dHQ?is=uS_fy5heN8BzYzv-
+
https://youtu.be/5-UbAgaExbY?is=4Q9MnDRSv_FIjJ7N
+
https://youtu.be/reu8AooYpX0?is=vV56bgyO24axjasY
+
https://youtu.be/X0lerJp82Xw?is=s2rS0hHK1YMUxM3U
+
https://youtu.be/ydY0et_ZPFY?is=vQ99cuqUTnCWaGKA
+
https://youtu.be/7yYifj6IsUQ?is=7UTw5Om1Bv5y-X-N
+
https://youtu.be/rKGeTz-_G3A?is=92Cx_7KMLJUAQIt6
+
https://youtu.be/3EX7OL9__e8?is=KuwAGHb2LNRM9FXr
+
https://youtu.be/IOBR1P1nNFw?is=_Bzhdybjb9t5sQ6c
+
https://youtu.be/yetBsgViVvM?is=jgvPLBldWFkPH0NU
+
https://youtu.be/rrISpBSWN30?is=s_19qSD6cKCB7nh6
+
https://youtu.be/lcsOURZOp7g?is=Bqi2cN6KVJJuDSns
+
https://youtu.be/1P17ct4e5OE?is=VQDkNTsH41FaPM-H
+
https://youtu.be/PNbBDrceCy8?is=0dpnoZzex5yRCzXA
+
https://youtu.be/lQg6P-AEjW0?is=z6Mn_tZds8LyexvJ
+
https://youtu.be/kQgzKf5cZz4?is=YGFO2dwN-PW7Stsk
+
https://youtu.be/mQEPYfXWWnI?is=aVw_vBx5kAeG7fMc
+
https://youtu.be/ooGFL0bzJ88?is=U0KTw5G6Uf1FBI3x
+
https://youtu.be/Je4Eg77YSSA?is=Z1xeUeVykXyJFsdJ
+
https://youtu.be/JXyDZsychAk?is=Kto8OvLehDxBROJw
+
https://youtu.be/SwYN7mTi6HM?is=HJgf38Rz6ZoVXlGq
+
https://youtu.be/HPkTGm4RtVM?is=WuGk8v9zjNVfoXLb
+
https://youtu.be/nqxVMLVe62U?is=6ymzO_kUb1Td2MdL
+
https://youtu.be/H9tEvfIsDyo?is=49wQPioXHX8mpeiY
+
https://youtu.be/qgCVR2pjXc0?is=31FP-asUocQxmbR8
+
https://youtu.be/SoSr0sStFaE?is=S38MD-xNY001u0EZ
+
https://youtu.be/01-2-7_IRFA?is=WXmoXSl__KH_gD0E
+
https://youtu.be/vuxljLxapLU?is=C-wvtDft9cTAIxVu
+
https://youtu.be/MX8avysuS8o?is=mZWqXnaEoZybgAQs
+
https://youtu.be/STugQ0X1NoI?is=hmfhzmfduQQHNWkm
+
https://youtu.be/Az_GCJnXAI0?is=F2bvxGC_Ue_2wuaW
+
https://youtu.be/bsYp9q3QNaQ?is=OslaOz5-Z66U8J_M
+
https://youtu.be/NCtzkaL2t_Y?is=kurY-NXO3C5M_vwf
+
https://youtu.be/-VS8H2kwo6g?is=UstRSmaohtfk-PH6
+
https://youtu.be/OorZcOzNcgE?is=VkiTPSxfzVHtBImD
+
https://youtu.be/2cjT40JKr9Q?is=9qn4lHKaCUfRUpmx
+
https://youtu.be/AZ31DQyuWv4?is=AYoy5_tLsNolDkh7
+
https://youtu.be/d5vYn6m934Y?is=JI1acOZul_aBKgXR
+
https://youtu.be/wDe60CbIagg?is=miSURoNInAHluQV1
+
https://youtu.be/Ed1tv_gCOUA?is=9fBDFgvVAYb0gDPH
+
https://youtu.be/ZtdRdgHkUsU?is=aEuWZKMt0kdhMuQA
+
https://youtu.be/UtvmTu4zAMg?is=QfdvcWS6DQzz-g8u
+
https://youtu.be/Qq4j1LtCdww?is=q905XLXUVtwZNjoz
+
https://youtu.be/CxdpKg5I2HU?is=xouwpEgBzqOtaOkj
+
https://youtu.be/yIIgk4M0jxg?is=IMAn0tzTsW0XQZ9X
+
https://youtu.be/ODF4ScLBiuA?is=SffEIO6w6ocAEA1T
= in short: whatever feels organic.
And now you might say Uwe that a lot of the songs I’ve linked to (and believe you me this is just a fracture of the songs I love….) are not organic per se, but to me they are.
And no matter how you twist Duran Duran, they are not organic. Not even sincere.
To me they have always felt like they just wanted to make some easy money by seducing young(er) girls with their semi-perfect looks!
But to me there is absolutely no substance! Not in the music, not in the band…
However this young man:
https://youtu.be/YwSZvHqf9qM?is=o5bGa54P6_34Q6Ky
And this one:
https://youtu.be/vUvZidnN-Mw?is=2Tg6vjPuC9HkgLLU
And not to forget this golden voice covered with diamonds:
https://youtu.be/OU8TZ00kAzY?is=0jPJWN4Bz7sSoTlg
They have a life in them, you can, or at least I can, feel the songs in my bones, sense what they want to give out.
They don’t make me feel empty when the record is done!
On the contrary Uwe!
So let me stand in the corner, but if I have my favourite music with me, I can stand there for AGES 😊
May 19th, 2026 at 16:28@26
J, jot down somewhere this, if you like
https://thesunband79.bandcamp.com/
I’ll be aiming to set my soundscapes EP to be there. Just need to work on the page set up to make it a bit more attractive than the current blank canvas and dig up the files (luckily at the moment of creation I even prepared an artwork for it).
It might be a while to get there as I have to work everything myself in the spare time, but if you keep an eye on it, it will be there.
May 19th, 2026 at 19:36@53
Just barely, Karin.
It was the age of supermodels and pop/rock stars dating them, and of course Duran D were like the new Beatles in terms of pop culture exposure, teen mags, etc. The higher profile Durannie girl was Yasmin (Simon’s GF, then wife).
“Now she is married to this guy:”
Ah! So THAT’s why she is not returning my calls then 😀
@54
The AI *did* get it right then:
A lady with excellent taste in music 🙂
I remember D-A-D from the late 80s too, incredibly.
I saw Thunder support Iron Maiden on the Fear of the Dark tour. Very good band, but not the right audience for them.
All the best, J.-
May 19th, 2026 at 20:57@56
“Now she is married to this guy:”
Ah! So THAT’s why she is not returning my calls then 😀”
– 😄 yes I’m afraid so J!
But she doesn’t live that far from me, I can talk to her if you want to 😁
D.A.D – Jesper the singer turned 60 last year, but oh man he still can sing:
May 19th, 2026 at 22:28https://youtu.be/85WQU-xLPhI?is=6sNXLvWSoGCezhE1
@ 54- Karin, all those links, spare a thought for Svante, our esteemed moderator. He will be going insane trying to get through all those. At least you have upstaged that Uwe Hornung character. A feat worthy of celebration if ever there was one. Well done there and as we all keep hammering Uwe into submission here, he will soon be scurrying off into the woodlands to bury his head in the sand. The poor thing, it almost makes me shed a tear or two. Maybe Uwe will come up with some decent lyrics after his humbling experience. Cheers.
May 19th, 2026 at 23:44@55
Gotcha!
Following you now 🙂
All the best, J.-
May 20th, 2026 at 01:44I checked all of your zillion ☝️😎 links, liebe Karin, and rest assured your music tastes are enviably varied – with a certain dominance of guitar-centric music with Blues roots, but that was to be expected. And if all of them feel organic to you, then who am I to argue?
I think your critique of Duran Duran is superficial and unjust, you seem to forgive David Bowie his glamness and his model trophy wife and Sweet the fact that they were outrageously glam and focused on a teenage female audience (notoriously devouring female minors on their tours in the early to mid 70s), while Duran Duran, a band that has been together for almost 50 years now, remain eternal young girl seducers only in it for the money.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Ts-t6vOjs
May 20th, 2026 at 01:52(Care to listen to the song at 27:30? Might sound faintly familiar … 🥰)
@58
Aww MacGregor, send me your address and I will send you a little handkerchief so you can wipe the honest tears from your eyes! 😃
I do have a notion that whenever Svante sees a post from me, he sighs, thinking ‘oh no why did we let her in here, we have to have some control with our participants’ and then let my post go through without reading anything.
I did forget a lot f singers, bands….
May 20th, 2026 at 08:29Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Roy Wood, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Iggy Pop, Beatles – but I better not link to anymore then 😁
@60
…… you did? You really did?….?
WOAH 🤩
Re Evil Woman, Jeff sings it way better than the suit does 😁
Re Bowie, he has, sorry had, substance, he played a lot of roles, but he was a unicorn in music if I ever saw one. Like Prince was too.
And I adore his beautiful Iman. Woah she is extraordinary beautiful 😍
And Sweet was from the happy days when I was a little kid. So they automatically have a certain place in my heart. Just like Marc Bolan and T rex have.
Uwe, I guess you have listened to DD a lot, and you seem to be find with the plastic fantastic, and you know what? I am at peace with that, completely 😊
And yes I do love an electric guitar (also acoustic though) but it’s almost always the singers that get my attention.
And when it all adds up, as it does in the links I send, then I am a happy Dane 😃
But you’re right, there are some bands, some singers I just can’t stand. Blame it on my head ☺️
…..You really did??
Really really?….. there you actually impressed me 😉
Last night, before sleeping I found this on YouTube:
May 20th, 2026 at 08:42https://youtu.be/LaRqpYHHhXg?is=IwOEFGWMWsaDlHsv
Ohhh, I fell asleep laughing 😆
Do you know about him? Have never seen him before 😊
@57
Haha thanks for the kind offer Karin, but not for now 😁
And also, let’s be honest here (and I issue this small Pepe Le Pew-ism in the most benign, gentlemanly and friendly way): Renée has nothing on you 🙂
Jasper: Yes, I caught your mention elsewhere that he is doing the Floyd musical too, I will check that out!
Best, J.-
May 20th, 2026 at 13:01Me scurrying away, site veteran MacGregor? Call me Gallipoli and you’re ANZAC! ☝️😎
May 20th, 2026 at 14:29@ 51 – J, I have that Jeff Beck and Jennifer Batten dvd live from Japan, excellent it is. He didn’t really tour with another guitarist much at all, no need to if he had a keyboard player. Batten is a wonderful guitarist and of course also covered for what usually would be a keyboard player. That tour would have been very good to see. Excellent drummer and bass guitarist too. As always with Jeff all the musicians he ever had supporting him are world class. Cheers.
May 20th, 2026 at 14:50@ 61- so they are safe genuine links then Karin, if Uwe survived them, then maybe I will too, he he he. I thought they may be all click baits…………for us innocent males. Maybe I will check out a couple of them, if I have about three weeks spare time that is, he he he. Cheers.
May 20th, 2026 at 14:55@63
Thank you very much ☺️
We have just had a small earthquake in Denmark, 4,2.
May 20th, 2026 at 15:10Does not happen that often…
Anton is still in one piece🥰
@65
Same tour, yes!
Drummer was Steve Alexander whose day job was Duran Duran.
They were excellent!
Best, J.-
May 20th, 2026 at 17:43@ 67- we hope it wan’t ‘you know who’ pointing at your country and shaking his fist because he can’t get it’………..Cheers.
May 21st, 2026 at 05:38@ 68 – He he he, don’t let Karin see that Duran Duran mention, even their drummers wouldn’t escape her wrath. Seriously, Steve Alexander is a very highly qualified drummer and one that flies under the radar. A wealth of experience and also involvement with different genres and musicians. I had never noticed him before the Jeff Beck DVD. Cheers.
May 21st, 2026 at 07:39@ J f FA,
I envy you so much seeing Jeff Beck in 1999. This was one of my favourite line-ups of his bands. Jennifer Batten – mind blowing, limitless and yet so well fitted in the role of support guitarist / keyboard (by guitar) player. Steve Alexander – just amazing, seemed to have so much fun in playing the drums. And Randy Hope-Taylor – man, oh mahn! what a monster on the bass. Amazing big tall guy and what a player. I only have their “Live In Tokyo” video (not sure if it’s official, TBH), but their playing is just otherwordly. I mean, my beloved “The Pump” – itself it’s a run worth my money, and there is so much more. At the very end, last encore – “Big Block” – Jeff literally tore the strings out of the Fender’s neck. They were such a blast in this configuration. Not to mention the fact that while I not always was ready to follow Jeff’s experimental instincts – then “Who Else!” with all the electronica flirt of it – is an magnificent album. I just love it! Glad I’ve seen Maestro myself, but in 2011 and in 2019. Good gigs, but nothing mind boggling. I remember taking my brother and his wife to the ’11 gig. They are no fans of guitar wizardry at all – but I told them: “This guy is the most innovative thing besides Hendrix that’s still there right now. You have to see him once in your life.” They liked it, the set was varied and well measured, but – as for JB standards – very rounded and polite. Better this, than nothing! But 1999… It was a real deal.
May 21st, 2026 at 09:28@70
There, there MacGregor, I am not that horrible you know 😆
More like overstuffed with Duran Duran, thanks to my native supermodel Renée Toft Simonsen!
But you’re right, I have never checked out the drummer. Well, no need to 😃
May 21st, 2026 at 12:19@67
Wow, I hope everyone is safe there K!
News mention it was the strongest in more than a decade 🥺
@70
DD mention: Ha ha you are right Mac, ooooopssss!! 😅
@71
Thanks T! It was great!
Astonishingly, you can see snippets of it if you search for “Jeff Beck en Montevideo, cine Plaza 14 de octubre 1998” on YouTube (26 year old mind-blown DP fan not shown)
All the best, J.-
May 21st, 2026 at 14:31@72
On the all important topic of Danish belles, I had a brief crush with Sidse Babett Knudsen from HBO’s “Westworld”. Then the terrible second season happened and the crush (with both actress and series) was over…
Cheers, J.-
May 21st, 2026 at 18:00@73
Thank you J 🙏🏼
May 21st, 2026 at 18:16No people were hurt, no animals were hurt, some houses and buildings have cracks in the masonry, but that’s all.
Anton felt it, I didn’t feel anything.
Yes the strongest in 14 years.
But apparently we are placed so far away the zones where the quakes really happen, so no need to be overly nervous 😊
But of course I used the incident to get another cup of coffee, and listen to this song a little bit louder than usual 😄
https://youtu.be/uIaXva9akfs?is=wKT4YSGSekYN6Ioa
I mean: should I be so unfortunate to die earlier than planned, at least I could draw my final breath to beautiful music 😍
“Wow, I hope everyone is safe there K!
News mention it was the strongest in more than a decade 🥺”
Well, just look at who lives there, Faraway J …
People are sayin’ the woman is damned …
She makes the earth shake with a wave of her hand …
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AH-0AbHkj00
May 21st, 2026 at 20:22Karin didn’t ‘feel’ a thing, bummer. I was thinking it may have been a ‘Carole King’ situation. Cheers.
I feel the Earth move under my feet
I feel the sky tumblin’ down
I feel my heart start to tremblin’
Whenever you’re around
Ooh, baby, when I see your face
Mellow as the month of May
Oh, darlin’, I can’t stand it
When you look at me that way
I feel the Earth move under my feet
I feel the sky tumblin’ down
I feel my heart start to tremblin’
Whenever you’re around
Ooh, darlin’, when you’re near me
And you tenderly call my name
I know that my emotions
Are somethin’ I just can’t tame
I’ve just got to have you, baby
Uh-uh-uh, uh-uh-uh, yeah
I feel the Earth move under my feet
I feel the sky tumblin’ down, a-tumblin’ down
I feel the Earth move under my feet
I feel the sky tumblin’ down, a-tumblin’ down
I just lose control
Down to my very soul
I get hot and cold
All over, all over, all over, all over
I feel the Earth move under my feet
May 21st, 2026 at 22:51I feel the sky tumblin’ down, a-tumblin’ down
I feel the Earth move under my feet
I feel the sky tumblin’ down, a-tumblin’ down
A-tumblin’ down, a-tumblin’ down
A-tumblin’ down, tumblin’ down
@74
Hey you also know about Sidse Babett? Yes I’m truly amazed by the fact that so many Danish people are known beyond the borders 😃
Have you by chance seen this lady:
May 22nd, 2026 at 04:55https://youtu.be/89tiHi4wM8Q?is=TQwrgfkISXvZ91aV
(Psst: she is also a very good singer dear admin ☺️:
https://youtu.be/RocwgGq9iAc?is=o5ng0LfKKvsnYzoQ
14 years old 😄)
But oh she is an amazing actress 😊
@76
Uwe 🤣
Come on! I can not be blamed for earthquakes surely….
If I possess such powers, aren’t you then a bit afraid to which location I return the drumstick should you vex me 😆
May 22nd, 2026 at 04:58They did call that earthquake “Karin” btw, make of that what you will. 🤐
https://youtu.be/J5huLO-9i3Y
May 22nd, 2026 at 06:22Ahem, if I may interject with a more musical comment regarding WESTWORLD, it was more the inimitable Ms Clementine Pennyfeather aka Angela Sarafyan that allured the cowboy in me. 🤗
https://s2.r29static.com/bin/entry/ef2/426×639,80/1663121/image.jpg
https://youtu.be/xhfWxunlOyc (And that is our very own Roger Glover playing the bass on that track as he does on the whole Dan McCafferty solo album!)
May 22nd, 2026 at 07:07@77
No MacGregor, I did not feel anything because I was far away from the epicentre 😊
And thank you so much for writing the very nice lyrics in here.
In return I will link to this adorable tune:
https://youtu.be/_6hXpnLxSuY?is=OA-OpoTOhsn4wNFh
Has absolutely nothing to do with earthquakes but these guys, Sort Sol, are an old punk band who now have mellowed quite a bit, but please notice the vocalist, Steen Jørgensen, his voice is beautiful 🤩
May 22nd, 2026 at 07:18See! I can listen to other singers than Ian the Mighty 😃
[Grabs popcorn, reads the hilarious exchanges…]
@78
Sidse I just saw on that particular show, “Westworld” (brilliant first season, crap followups).
I do have a thing for “noir” thrillers in a Nordic setting (I also like ice cream).
From your country I liked very much Netflix’s “Equinox” with actress Danica Curcic.
From Uwe’s country, “Dark” (brilliant first season, crap followups) with…err the kid in yellow raincoat 😀
I checked your links, don’t know the lady but the “retired spy” plot sounds fun!
Best regards,
May 22nd, 2026 at 12:58J.-
@83
Ok I grab some coffee then 😊
I really love Sidse Babett, but I never saw Westworld..
Not that I didn’t wanted to, and to be honest I never heard any bad reviews either, but I don’t know how I should get the time to watch everything when I also wanna listen to music, and do all the other things every day 😊
But she was completely adorable in this film:
https://youtu.be/Ih6dhtlmQtY?is=XB-L2TsW0khY5j11
Sorry it appears only to be in Danish.
But this lady! She is a very very very good actress:
https://youtu.be/HHRNtiKrC44?is=azigm6xZduyvgK3u
Her name is Sofie Graaboel.
I can really recommend this to everyone.
Ice cream?! Yes, who does not like ice cream 😁
Danica Curcic is another great actress 😊
Now it’s your turn!
May 22nd, 2026 at 14:53Which series or films can you recommend?
#81 Uwe:
Ted McKenna was also on drums!
May 22nd, 2026 at 15:17the song is beautiful, it reminds me of something from the Wizard’s Convention
@84
Thanks K!
I do enjoy dark intrigue set in Nordic or British or European settings, full of intense and unlikely, almost bordering on deranged characters, who somehow manage to redeem themselves in the end, plus the rare appearance of a more humane soul, as if a beam of light broke through the darkness…
But hey, enough about the forum 😀
Sidse: Movie looks fun! I will check it out!
Westworld: Don’t even bother, HBO removed it from its OWN catalog!!
Since you are a romantic and a music lover, shall I recommend “Daisy Jones & The Six”?
A series only 517% inspired by Fleetwood Mac saga 🙂
(And Uwe, before you fire away, two words for you: “Camila Morrone”)
Best, J.- ☕️☕️☕️
May 22nd, 2026 at 18:09@81
Ha ha Dr.Uwe, I thought you were going to mention Ramin Djawadi’s STUNNING soundtrack but hey, Clementine rocks too!!!!
All the best, J.-
May 22nd, 2026 at 18:16@21 & 22. My wife came down the aisle to “never a word”. When it started my non-Purple best man said “who’s this by” and raised his eyebrows and shook his head when I told him. True story now – I met IG at Bristol airport and told him about my wedding to whit his answer was “what album was that on?” It was 6 in the morning and he was reason James Patterson book so may have been a bit addled.
May 27th, 2026 at 14:39David, you’re a true romantic!
https://media.tenor.com/-_-pX9ry-1YAAAAM/113.gif
I now feel guilty for initially thinking you might have picked something wholly inappropriate, like Knocking At Your Back Door! 😑
May 28th, 2026 at 23:45@ 89- Uwe, I hope that short little video of that lady fainting isn’t what is going to happen to Karin in November at the DP concert in Copenhagen. As soon as Ian Paice commences his drumming intro to Highway Star, Karin faints. Paramedics are called and take her to hospital. Three weeks later she awakes: What happened she asks the nurse. Nurse: “well apparently you fainted at the DP concert you attended, at the very beginning of the first song. Not only did you miss that concert but apparently the one in Germany too and all you have kept saying is ‘it’s all too much’…………… Cheers.
May 30th, 2026 at 08:29@90
MacGregor 😃 first of all: the concert with Deep Purple in Copenhagen is in October, in Hamburg it is in November – and yes, I plan to be there at both concerts 😊☺️
Re me fainting: not easy for me to faint… and if it should happen I will cry until the day I die! 😁
No Sir, I’ll be wide awake and in my seat 😍
Thank you for making me laugh out loud right from the morning 😃 much appreciated 🙏🏼
May 31st, 2026 at 06:32@ 91- aha, yes Karin I checked the concert dates so I would be covering both of those in the three weeks that you were ‘out to it’. I am sure you will not pass out. Well not until Ian Gillan trundles out and starts singing, then………paramedics are called…………again…..he he he. Cheers.
May 31st, 2026 at 10:04@92
MacGregor please remember I’m an old lady (60 yo next year!) so I think my passing out days are way over 😄
What I would faint over though would be if I one day didn’t have anymore coffee 😵💫
This is a very good example of how I sound WITHOUT coffee:
June 1st, 2026 at 14:11https://youtu.be/G7RgN9ijwE4?feature=shared
😁
When did you make the transition from Max’ inadvertent (for which he has copiously apologized) “mature” to the rather unflattering “old”, Karin?
Wow, that happened fast. 😑
Re Karin’s imminent DP concert attendance, I expect her to bring the drum stick along, raise it in the air together with two fingers pointed upward, waving both hands, thus indicating to Little Ian that she needs another one (drum stick that is)! You know how wimmin are, never satisfied …
https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konen_i_muddergr%C3%B8ften
https://fairytalez.com/da/the-fisherman-and-his-wife/
June 2nd, 2026 at 20:41Yes I have to agree with Uwe in regard to Karin all of a sudden lamenting being ‘old’. And that makes me wonder, is she now too old to attend rock concerts. Maybe it is time to stay at home knitting a jumper for her partner or even Anton. Something constructive in her life rather than a loud rock ‘n roll concert that can only lead to hearing damage. And what is it with certain people owning just one drumstick, he he he. Mind you, how ironic is that for me these days as that is exactly what I’m doing, still owning one of Lee Kerslake’s drum sticks from the Uriah Heep concert of 41 year ago. At least I am not attempting to ‘twirl ‘ it though. That is something I honestly never bothered with. For me it was all very simple and straight forward, ‘see drum, hit drum’. Cheers.
June 3rd, 2026 at 08:49@94
Uwe let me tell you this: I will rather be honest about my age (and yes, 60 is old, isn’t it? Compared to the youth-worshipping culture we live in…) than trying convulsively holding on to a long-lost youth 😁
Max actually just spoke the truth, and I was just making some jokes with him.
I really am not that vain, believe it or not 😅
The other day a man called me on the telephone, (in Denmark we have this organisation called Ældresagen – an organisation who takes care of older people’s interests), and well I do have somewhat of a youngish voice so he asked to talk to my mom… 😄 well, after that confusion was corrected, he wanted to talk to me about all the rights I have as an old woman in Denmark!
It’s not the first time they have called me, and I always treat them nicely, but do I feel like an almost 60 yo? No, to be honest now and then I still feel like 17 inside… actually I have people in my life who very much make me feel like a young woman!
I can tell you another thing: that drumstick will never leave my home!
What would I do if something happened to this glorious piece of art?
As far as I remember you said the other day in here that you don’t have more drumsticks, so I keep it safe in my safe 😊
@95
June 3rd, 2026 at 09:58“is she now too old to attend rock concerts”
– no I don’t think I am!
Well, as a Lee Kerslake fan, have you at least now gotten the hang of jumping on the skins of the floor toms for some dramatic gestures to the audience?
Taking care for 41 years of Lee’s wood? I didn’t know you were THAT romantic!
June 3rd, 2026 at 10:25@88
Interesting!
I played Oasis “Wonderfull” (appropriate) and also Porcupine Tree’s “Shesmovedon” (wholly inappropriate, but you know, just in case we divorce one day 🤣) at my wedding.
Fast forward a couple of years, I mentioned this to the merch guy on a Porcupine Tree show in London and the guy (who happened to be their tour manager too) gifted me an used Gavin Harrison drum stick, Gavin being one of the top drummers in the world.
So count me in on the “celebrity stick owners” club too!
PS. No Purple songs at the wedding, we weren’t that good as players…
June 3rd, 2026 at 12:39Too old to rock ‘n roll, too young to die! A rather good Jethro Tull ‘concept’ album about a failed ‘star’ being washed up and then enjoying a comeback of sorts,. It is never too late. Something like that. Regarding Lee Kerslake’s antics on stage Uwe, no I wasn’t ever tempted to destroy my Sonor drums like that, crazy as that is. The single drumstick I have enjoys good company on a shelf alongside the Gillan box set I purchased last year. Lee next to the late Mick Underwood, both now enjoying each other’s company. Cheers.
June 3rd, 2026 at 23:35@ 98- Excellent J re the drum stick from Gavin Harrison. A fine modern day rock drummer indeed. I have those Porcupine Tree albums from Stupid Dream up to Fear Of A Blank Planet. Excellent songs, instrumentals, heavy and light music with wonderful ambience also at times. Great in concert, I went twice, in 2008 and 2010. Harrison was awesome live as they all were. Gavin ended up in Fripp’s final King Crimson lineup. As the lead drummer and in charge of arrangements etc. Personally I don’t think he fits into that older ‘jazzier’ at times Crimson. He does a stellar all round job though, as does Pat Mastelotto and the occasional third drummers who also played keyboards and mellotron, Bill Rieflin and Jeremy Stacey. Anyway, good to see you enjoy some of the Tree. I wasn’t interested in their latest ‘comeback’ at all. Without their bassist Colin Edwin, no thanks. A wonderful musician and also a co-songwriter with Steve Wilson back in the glory days of PT. Cheers.
June 4th, 2026 at 10:23@98 (Myself)
God, sorry Noel, I meant WONDERWALL, please don’t sue! 😀
@100 (Mac)
Yeah! “Stupid Dream” to “Fear”, their very very best period me thinks (though I do love the spacier earlier era as in “Coma Divine” et al)
Saw Gavin with both KC (2019) and PT (2007 & 2022) and he was amazing.
The influencer kid PT hired in place of Colin was dreadful, but y’know…inner politics happen…
I’m glad to see Colin making a comeback with Baldock Transmission and Voyage 35, those blissful fretless grooves…
Take care Mac!
June 4th, 2026 at 13:46Best, J.-
Count me in as someone who appreciates Porcupine Tree! They were very influential, I hear quite a bit of them in modern rock bands.
June 4th, 2026 at 17:20Indeed Porcupine Tree was a breath of fresh air for me in 2002 when I was sent three albums. The new one being In Absentia, with Gavin Harrison joining on drums. I do have a slight preference for their two earlier albums though, not as metal influenced. Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun are my favourites and drummer Chris Maitland is wonderful, a more laid back drummer, powerful in a non metal style, for want of a better description. But still very much up there with his technique and sound. I am a bit out of touch with their very early material. I am not saying Gavin is necessarily a metal drummer, but he is more than capable of that style and his influence no doubt helped change the band when he joined. The earlier Signify album is what I hear as the turning point in Wilson’s approach to a more dare I say it, commercial song orientation. The earlier more instrumental experimentation ‘solo’ material of Steve Wilson’s is something I should listen to much more. He is influenced in many ways from the later 60’s into the earlier 70’s. I also can hear a little Cold Play and even Radiohead in bits and pieces on quieter songs. There is a piano song on Lightbulb Sun that smacks of John Lennon big time. A good mix of clever songs and instrumentals with the ambience giving them a good overall sound with only a little metal here and there, thankfully. That connection Wilson has with Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth, no doubt has influenced Wilson. He does tend to focus on the dreary morbid melancholic side in many of his songs. And from what I have read it isn’t anything to do with his upbringing, which was very pleasant and enjoyable. Wilson just seems to be drawn to those darker subject matters for some reason, a little too much at times for my overall liking and that is saying something. I had better crawl back into my cave and light a candle or something. Cheers.
June 5th, 2026 at 02:38@102
Nice!
@103
Yes Mac.
I kept hearing about them in the 90’s, those persistent whispers about this “Floyd-like band with a great songwriter” but did not check them out then.
My first album was “In Absentia” too which I loved and then backtracked through their catalog.
Maitland was amazing, a powerhouse, but like you say, in more fluid, musical way.
An example of his stellar drumming outside PT could be Nosound’s “The Anger Song”.
You are also right on all other accounts: Steven, happy family guy, but drawn to Dark Matter(s) for inspiration, clever integration of metal stylings, etc. Now he is an even happier and married guy, which sadly, caused his output to significantly drop down in quality (there is always a price).
But 1995-2015 PT/SW, I will always treasure.
Cheers!
June 5th, 2026 at 13:14