Unchain Your Brain! The Gillan Story

First off, here’s the back cover hype:

“Between 1978 and 1982, Ian Gillan didn’t exactly reinvent himself, like many artists do. In fact it was the opposite—he returned to his manic-panicked rock ‘n’ roll roots with his revitalized band, simply called Gillan.

Aided by Colin Towns (from previous outfit the jazz-fusion-like 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 Janick 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, documenting the five-year journey of this remarkable career.”

But let me just add, I’ve often called Gillan my favourite band of all time, based on consistency across the band’s killer six albums. So it was my pleasure to take an insanely detailed look at these records—Gillan, Mr. Universe, Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble and Magic—along with every last B-side, out-take and CD bonus track.

If you’ve got my Rainbow and Whitesnake books, this is pretty much the same format (including lots of pictures), and of course it completes the trio of Purple-adjacent yummies—don’t expect a Paice Ashton Lord book from me any time soon.