Gillan's Inn

As long as Gillan is singing, rock’n’roll is not dead

Ian Gillan was one of the foremost vocalists of the heavy metal style of rock that emerged in the 1970s, earning his greatest renown as a member of Deep Purple, though he also led bands named after himself. One of the true rock gods, Ian Gillan was the original Jesus Christ Superstar and co-wrote Smoke On The Water (one of the most popular songs of all time and usually one of the first songs an aspiring rock guitarist learns to play) among dozens of other hits. He has played to tens of millions of fans and sold over one hundred million records. But Gillan is also an author, a playwright, a screenwriter, a songwriter and a philosopher with a wicked sense of humor and a bit of the devil in his eye. Pavarotti has said he is a genius, and David Gilmour declared that as long as Gillan is singing, rock’n’roll is not dead. Nothing sums up Ian Gillan more, than Gillan’s Inn With a back catalogue that goes back forty years and a huge network, he had plenty of songs and musicians to pick from.

Joe Satriani, Ronnie James Dio, Steve Morse, Roger Glover, Ian Paice and others

Unchain Your Brain is a fast, rough opener from Gillan's solo days and was originally released on Glory Road. Joe Satriani fills Bernie Torme shoes and really rips it up during the solo. Grandpa Gillan screams and shouts like a guy in his thirties. On Bluesy Blue Sea we hear Iron Maiden guitar player Janick Gers. During the early eighties Gers played in Gillan, so it's a kind of a reunion on this thumping song. Day Late And A Dollar Short is a song from a later solo period on which former Scorpions and Electric Sun guitar player Uli Jon Roth can really show his strut. The background vocals are provided by no other than Ronnie James Dio. So, a few centuries of rock experience on offer here. Joe Satriani returns on Hang Me Out To Dry, but plays a modest role compared to the screaming opener. One more song from the Gillan solo era, Men Of War, is also present. The great Steve Morse is probably better than the string slingers on the original version on the Double Trouble album. When A Blind Man Cries is the most famous Deep Purple B-side. On this quiet song we hear Jeff Healey, indeed a blind guitar player. Healey plays with less subtlety than Blackmore, and makes the song much harder. On Sugar Plum and Thrashed we hear Roger Glover & Ian Paice of Deep Purple. On the latter song we can truly speak of Deep Sabbath as Tony Iommi blazes thru the guitar parts on the opening track of the infamous Born Again album, the only record Black Sabbath made with Gillan as their singer. On the obligatory Smoke On The Water Steve Morse, Ian Paice, Roger Glover, Robby Takac & The Mississauga Singers participate.

Gillan’s Inn is an entertaining anthology from Gillan's repertoire

Rock legend Ian Gillan has long lived the epitome of the rock’n’roll lifestyle, so it's only fitting that his new album is a career retrospective that takes fans through the incredible journey that has been his career. Gillan’s Inn is a brilliant hard rocking album recorded in studios all over the world. It is an entertaining anthology from Gillan's repertoire. To build Gillan's Inn, Ian enlisted some of the biggest names from the past 30 years of rock history. Producer Nick Blagona who worked with The Police, Chicago, Rainbow and - how can it be different - Deep Purple twisted the knobs. Most notable absentees are Richie Blackmore and former Gillan member Bernie Torme and John McCoy. Still the result is undeniable fun, a romp through the hazy memories of youth, and a palpable reminder of the place Ian Gillan holds in rock’n’roll history.