Ian Gillan revisits his youth and picks for the Louder Sound eight songs that “set one of rockās greatest frontmen on the path to glory”.
Chuck Berry – Rock And Roll Music (1957 single)
Chuck Berry was the first and the best. Heās the guy who wrote Roll Over Beethoven, who wrote No Particular Place To Go, Johnny B. Goode, Sweet Little Sixteen, Memphis, Tennesseeā¦ come on! And Rock And Roll Music, I mean, the lyrics here are so expressive of the time.
Chuck Berry was a maestro, the teacher for everyone in rockānāroll. Over the years Iāve probably sung virtually every song that he ever recorded. One night in Germany he used Ian Paice, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover and Jon Lord as his backing group: he used to turn up without a band and just adopt the support act.
Iāve a recording of a live set he did with The Swinging Blue Jeans, in Hamburg, where every song starts fast and just gets faster: it was uncontrolled mayhem. Absolutely wonderful. They were three chord songs, but nobody could deliver them like Chuck. Heās one of the true greats.
Graham Bonnet and his bass player and life partner Beth-Ami Heavenstone recently appeared on the Disturbing The Priest podcast. Graham tells, amongst other things, a story of how his then lucrative career in commercial jingles was interrupted by a phone call from a French chĆ¢teau.
It’s about an hour long, and you may have heard some of these stories before, but Graham always tells those stories with gusto that makes them enjoyable.
David Coverdale has appeared on the October 11 episode of the Trunk Nation show on satellite radio. The show might eventually be posted as a podcast on Eddie Trunk’s website (we just don’t know when). In the meanwhile, here are some quotes of what he said regarding the state of Whitesnake after the forced tour cancellation last year:
There is still a Whitesnake and there are still offers coming. I can’t entertain anything (performing live) until I get my physical aspect together. I had a fall recently, which I don’t think helped myā¦ I’ve got two torn rotator cuffs, which would certainly compromise my performance, but arthritis (and) all this kind of stuff’s kicking in. It’s so awful, getting older and having this burden of responsibility to try to be as good as you can so you don’t disappoint anybody. But I can’t commit to anything until I know how my health is. The last thing I wanna do is go on tour and have to do what happened last year, which was come home, tail between my legs. It was heartbreaking, and being sick for a year didn’t really help matters.
My heart goes out to Steven [Tyler] after the [recent AEROSMITH tour] cancellation. It’s so awful, getting older and having this burden of responsibility to try to be as good as you can, so you don’t disappoint anybody. And I know how he feels, and I sent my love to him through our friends, mutual friends.
Alice Cooper released a new album called Road on August 25. Bob Ezrin produced the album (him and Alice go waaay back) and our own Roger Glover was a guest musician on the album, playing bass on one track Baby Please Don’t Go.
Glenn Hughes will embark on another US tour in February 2024. He will again be preforming his Classic Deep Purple set, comprising mostly Mk3 & Mk4 numbers. Gilby Clarke of Guns N’Roses fame will be a special guest on the opening night at the Whisky A Go Go in LA. Enuff Zānuff and Bad Marriage will be supporting on most dates of the rest of the tour.
Child in Time and Flight of the Rat are featured in the new action flick The Creator, released to theatres on September 29. Both can be heard on the car stereo while the protagonist (played by John David Washington) is driving the sufficiently retro pickup truck, escaping from the bad guys. Both tunes can only be heard for a few seconds, though. Blink, and you’ve missed it. Nevertheless, both tunes got the credit.
Some time before the start of the US tour that wrapped up in late September, Glenn Hughes spoke to the Rockin’ Metal Revival podcast. He mentions at one point that he’s heading to Copenhagen next, and that gig was on August 11, 2023. Continue Reading »
Louder Sound profiles Warhorse’s self-titled debut album for their Album Of The Week series.
In the summer of 1969, Deep Purpleās incoming vocalist Ian Gillan had a devastating caveat. āHe made it very clear that he wasnāt joining without Roger [Glover],ā then bassist Nick Simper said. āI was definitely peeved.ā
Reeling from this de facto sacking, Simper took up with soul belter Marsha Huntās backing band, White Trash, and gradually began replacing its sub-par members. When a pregnant Hunt herself stepped away, Warhorse emerged in its own right, with Simper giving vocalist Ashley Holt the run-out heād almost had with Purple in 1968.
āHe was far better than any of the various vocalists who fronted Deep Purple,ā Simper told Let It Rock in 2008. Rick Wakeman, too, was briefly in the frame, before the line-up was completed by guitarist Ged Peck, drummer Mac Poole and keyboard player Frank Wilson.
On the 10th anniversary of reopening, Ian Gillan sends a message to the teachers and students of the music school in Armenia that he helped to rebuild:
To the staff and students at āOur School in Gyumriā
Dear All,
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy 10th anniversary.
It was a joy and a privilege to play a small part in the building of your lovely school of music.
I remember when the cold wind was blowing through the broken walls and your hands were cold, and yet you all persevered under such difficult conditions and gave everything to your music. I was deeply touched by the dedication of the staff and the application of the students in that broken place.
There is a special place in my heart for you all, so I am sending love and encouragement with the simple message that āMusic can be a friend for lifeā so please continue to fill the world with melody, harmony and rhythm, textured skill and expression. It really does mean so much to us all.
Thank you for your wonderful efforts, I hope to see you again before too long.
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