Deep Purple's Rapture of the Deep just got a 2025 remix

I just got the new 20th Anniversary Remix of Deep Purple's 2005 album Rapture of the Deep yesterday, so this is a long ramble about my thoughts and feelings towards it and the original. In the picture above is my original copy - the Special Tour Edition metal tin on the left. On the right is the new 2025 remix. 

Rapture of the Deep is an album I've always liked a fair amount, but was never a favourite Purple record for me. It's one of those albums that has a bunch of songs I love and will listen to fairly regularly in playlists, but rarely in full. Yet whenever I do decide to listen to it in full, I almost always thoroughly enjoy it from near enough beginning to end. It was probably a 7/10 when I first got hold of it maybe 16 or 17 years ago (I'm pretty sure I was in college at the time, so a few years after it's original 2005 release). When I last reviewed it in 2020, I gave it a 7.8/10. It's easily an 8 for me now! Great album then, but I'll still admit that it's not one of my absolute favourites. I'm a Purple fanatic, and they just have so many great records. Anyhow, I think one of the reasons Rapture has never really been a go-to album for me is the fact the Bob Ezrin-produced albums that came after (Now What?!, Infinite, Whoosh! and =1... maybe not the covers album Turning to Crime though) kind of overshadow it for me. I just think they're superior albums in terms of songwriting overall. But like I said, I do still really like Rapture, and having this new remix is a nice thing to add to my collection.

I must admit however, when Roger Glover announced this thing in June (pretty sure it was June?), I was a little surprised. I never had a problem with Michael Bradford's original production job. I always thought it was a warm-sounding album with a lot of low-end. Absolutely nothing to really moan about or pick holes with. But Roger stated with the remix that "It's a new album now to me", so clearly the band were never that happy about the original! Until the remix was announced, I'd never actually realised that the band were without a record label after 2003's Bananas, and that their album sales were dropping during that period. Makes perfect sense of course - the early/mid-2000s were when iPods and MP3s were kicking off, and people were starting to download music on a regular basis and CD sales were on the decline. Who else remembers LimeWire?! Deep Purple were effectively uncertain if making albums was even worth it anymore at the time, and wouldn't record another studio album for 8 years. So I guess the decision to remix Rapture of the Deep may have some sort of deep, personal meaning for Roger and that the decision to do so was not necessarily driven by how the original mix sounded.

I will say that the new remix does still sound superior overall, to my ears at least. Not to the point where there's a massively noticeable difference as such, because like I said, I like the original mix too. But play a song like the heavy, groove-laden 'Wrong Man' from either version back-to-back, and you can hear Don Airey's organs cutting through the mix more in the 20th Anniversary Rapture. The upbeat rocker 'Things I Never Said' also feels more energetic than it used to now, somehow - and that's good! Also, the underrated ballad 'Clearly Quite Absurd' has a crystal-clear tone now. The original sounds a bit murky in comparison, but of course, I had to play it directly after the new remix to really notice. Generally speaking, absolutely nothing here sounds worse than what the original offered, and that's all that really matters at the end of the day. Even if I liked the OG mix, I cannot deny that Rapture 2025 is the superior product sonically. Phil Aston gives a very good review; he states that Ian Gillan's vocals have been elevated now. And he's right - again, listen to a track like 'Clearly Quite Absurd' and you likely will notice new-found strength of Gillan's vocal performance here. The new release also mixes up the order of the tracklisting - again, I never felt that the 2005 version flowed poorly, but actually putting 'MTV' - originally a bonus track - half way through the album now adds a lot more to the record. In addition to the main album is a second CD consisting of 5 instrumental studio rehearsals. The most notable is the unique Steve Morse guitar piece 'Closing Note'. The rest of the rehearsals are nothing to get too excited over, but certainly a welcome addition for fans.

So really, even though I was initially surprised by the fact the band had decided to remix Rapture of the Deep of all albums, now that it's actually out and I own a copy myself, it does make sense. Despite the fact I still like the sound of the old version, there's no denying that the spit n' polish of the 20th Anniversary remix has only improved it further. I sometimes had to hear certain tracks from Rapture 2005 to really notice the difference, but whatever. The thing I like most about Rapture 2025 however, is the fact it's only made me appreciate many of these tracks even more. The incredible title track has only gotten, erm, more incredible now! A highlight of the entire Steve Morse era for me personally. I also never realised just how much I love 'Things I Never Said' and 'Clearly Quite Absurd'. Both are classics of 21st century Purple. Like I said at the start of this post, the album's an 8/10 for me. The original an 8, the remix maybe an 8.3? Still not as good as any of the Bob Ezrin-produced records (bar Turning to Crime), but a great album nonetheless. Also nice is the packaging. The remix comes in digipak format, with a textured feel and new colour artwork. In the booklet is an essay from Geoff Barton with some added insight from Roger Glover.

The last thing I want to say is that I really hope Roger Glover goes back and looks at remixing 1998's Abandon and 2003's Bananas next. Not because I have any issue with the way they sound (in fact, Abandon is one of the ballsiest Purple albums ever). No, it's mostly because both have been out of print and erased from existence for a long time now. You can't stream either on Spotify - at least in the UK. I just want to see these albums readily available again. I still have my CD copies of course, but it'd be nice to be able to listen to Abandon via Spotify whenever I go to the gym. Even YouTube has taken down uploads of the album! Some of the songs on that album - 'Any Fule Kno That', 'Almost Human', 'Seventh Heaven', 'Fingers to the Bone' etc. - are fucking awesome if I say so myself. As for Bananas, well, that one has always been my least favourite of the Morse-era - but it still has plenty of standout moments. A remix of both these albums would still be a cool novelty, and I'm sure other Purple fanatics would be on board too. Oh, and if anyone in Judas Priest is reading this (which they won't be), please do the same with Jugulator and Demolition! 

Deep Purple SOLO PROJECTS/ARTISTS

Okay, so I've started this page because a lot of the guys who have been in Deep Purple at one point or another have all released solo records/other projects of their own throughout the years. It's got to the point now where I own enough of them to bundle them together onto this page. Examples include all the stuff Ian Gillan has done outside of Purple, and also albums from Glenn Hughes, Don Airey, Roger Glover etc.. In fact, I originally had a page dedicated purely to Gillan's solo projects, but now I have all this other stuff from other members of Purple too, I've decided to include them here too. The only exemptions for this page are Rainbow (Ritchie Blackmore) and Whitesnake (David Coverdale). Both these bands went on to be huge, and I even have a dedicated Rainbow page already.


Reviewed:
- Warhorse: Warhorse (1970)
- Ian Gillan Band: Child In Time (1976)
- Ian Gillan Band: Live at the Budokan (1978, live album)
- Gillan: Gillan (The Japanese Album) (1978)
- Gillan: Mr. Universe (1979)
- Ian Gillan & Roger Glover: Accidentally on Purpose (1988)
- Ian Gillan: Gillan's Inn (2006)
- Roger Glover: If Life Was Easy (2011)
- Ian Gillan & Tony Iommi: WhoCares (2012, compilation)


WARHORSE - WARHORSE          1970          (Angel Air)
- Standouts: 'Vulture Blood', 'St. Louis', 'Ritual', 'Solitude', 'Woman of the Devil'
Perhaps one of the lesser-known Deep Purple-related projects, Warhorse was a band formed by original Mk. 1 Purple bassist Nick Simper. I always felt a bit sorry for Nick - he played on the first 3 DP records but was unexpectedly given the boot in 1969 alongside original singer Rod Evans, in favour of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. I understand why Rod was booted out - as harsh as that sounds, it was because they felt his pop vocal style wouldn't match the heavier direction they were heading in. But I get the impression Nick was fired mainly because Ian and Roger were a package deal who came from the same band (Episode Six), not because of his bass playing abilities. I've never heard a bad word about Nick's bass playing. I listened to an episode of the Deep Purple Podcast where they chatted to Nick for over an hour. He was totally chill and honest about everything. Despite the fact he felt his sacking was unfair, there doesn't seem to be any real bitterness or hate from him, just disappointment more than anything. He said he was in favour of the new heavier direction the band wanted to go in, yet they still got rid of him! What really makes no sense is the fact when Deep Purple were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, practically everyone bar Simper was invited! Even Rod Evans was invited, which was crazy! Rod's been out of the public eye since 1980 after he formed a new 'bogus Deep Purple' during the real Deep Purple's original split, and was sued by the band. For the record, Nick was approached by Rod to join that fake Purple, but declined. Either way, as a Purple fan, I have as much respect for Simper as any other member.

Either way, it didn't take long before he came back with this first Warhorse album in 1970. This CD is an early heavy rock/prog gem. It sounds a bit like Uriah Heep, Grand Funk Railroad, Steppenwolf and Mk. 1 Deep Purple (minus the psychedelic element) to me, with some added progressive songwriting traits too. It's certainly not as groundbreaking or forward-thinking as Deep Purple In Rock of the same year, but as a heavy album from 1970, it has a lot going for it. Heavy rockers like 'Vulture Blood' and 'Burning' have those crunchy, blues-driven guitar riffs and Hammond organ rhythms in the background in the same vein as Uriah Heep. 'St. Louis' on the other hand, is an extremely catchy, upbeat number with a proto-metal riff and a surprisingly anthemic chorus. Maybe my favourite track on this album. 'Ritual' certainly rocks me too. It actually reminds me a little of Deep Purple's bluesy jam 'Lazy'?! Am I right people?! The 8 and a half minute 'Solitude' is an ambitious, dramatic piece of progressive rock. Maybe even epic. Great playing from everyone on it. The same thing can be said for the slightly-shorter closing track, 'Woman of the Devil' (which is just over 7 minutes).

I guess the biggest issue I have with this album is possibly vocalist Ashely Holt. Although he does kinda suit the music, he doesn't really have the best set of pipes either. He reminds me a little of David Byron of Uriah Heep actually, in that he's not the greatest vocalist ability-wise, yet he still does these almost operatic/soaring types of vocal arrangements. I'm not saying I dislike Holt - in fact, when he lets loose and really wails, he's actually really cool. Just a bit cheesy, particularly on the ballad 'No Chance'! At the same time, his vocals do add a certain underground '70s rock kind of charm that I can't explain! Holt would actually go on to sing for Rick Wakeman later on. I think Rod Evans would've been great on this record too, but hey-ho. As for the production, well, it's not exactly perfect - but certainly not poor either. The drums are a little thin, but Simper's bass tones are great. It has that analogue style that many old-school rock records have - which I do love in some ways. But it also means some of these tracks probably would've sounded heavier had they been recorded a few years or so later. You can't really blame anyone for this, but it's still crazy just how good some specific albums sounded during this period. Compare this to Deep Purple's 1972 masterpiece Machine Head and there's no contest.

It's a shame this band never really took off. They were signed to Vertigo, who also had Black Sabbath under their wing. But Warhorse sold few copies in comparison, and after their second album (Red Sea) was released in 1972, Vertigo dropped them completely. The band were done by 1974, and called it a day. I'm not entirely sure why this debut didn't get more attention. The musicianship is great, and the album is still pretty heavy for it's time. If I was around in 1970 and buying albums like Deep Purple In Rock, Paranoid and ...Very 'Eavy ...Very 'Umble, I'm sure I'd have loved Warhorse too. I love that early proto-metal, Hammond organ-drenched style, and even though bands like Purple and Heep were the masters of that sound, this is still is a great record in my opinion. Not a game-changer, but underrated as hell. Fortunately it's been reissued over the years, and is not particularly hard to get hold of on CD at least. Mine is the 1999 reissue by Angel Air, and features 5 bonus tracks. I don't remember when I got it exactly, but I think it was sometime during the pandemic 5 years ago. I regret not checking it out sooner to be honest, because I remember reading about Warhorse before I was even an adult!
Adam's rating: 8/10


IAN GILLAN BAND - CHILD IN TIME          1976          (Edsel Records)
- Standouts: 'Lay Me Down', 'You Make Me Feel So Good', 'Down the Road', 'Child in Time', 'Let It Slide'
After the famous 'Mk. II' lineup of Deep Purple finished their first stint together and crumbled in 1973, Ian Gillan subsequently took up several business ventures outside of music, before returning to the biz and forming the Ian Gillan Band in 1975. With Ray Fenwick (guitars), John Gustafson (bass), Mike Moran (keyboards) and Mark Nauseef (drums) in the band as well as Roger Glover producing, this project was a departure from Deep Purple's brand of exciting heavy rock. Yep, Child in Time - Ian's first solo album post-Purple - has much more of a jazz rock/fusion style going for it by comparison. Now, I've had this CD in my collection for a number of years. I don't remember exactly when it was I picked it up, but I want to say I was in my early 20s. Hell, I even reviewed some of my Gillan solo venture discs on this blog prior, and in my old review from 2017 I actually thought a lot of critics and listeners were exaggerating the whole jazz fusion label when describing this record. Not that I didn't find it to be jazzy whatsoever, I just didn't consider it to be a full-on jazz fusion experience. Hearing Child in Time again in 2025 as a 33 year old bloke, I sort of get what I was saying back then. But there's definitely jazz techniques on practically all of the 7 tracks here. I still think it's a rock album overall, just a heavily jazz-influenced one at that.

The good news is that despite the massive differences between Deep Purple and the Ian Gillan Band, I actually dig this album a lot! If anything, I seem to enjoy it more as I get older. The opening cut 'Lay Me Down' has some cool, swingy, jazzy grooves written all over it, and even though Ian's singing in a far more laid back style than usual (something he would occasionally do with Deep Purple on songs like 'Our Lady' and 'Anyone's Daughter'), it's actually quite nice to hear this side of him. The equally jazzy 'You Make Me Feel So Good' is cool too, and Ian actually delves back into more of his old self on this one. 'Shame' and in particular 'My Baby Loves Me' actually have some funky rhythms that blend well with the rock and jazz style of the album. 'Down the Road' is a pretty little ballad - very mellow and laid-back. Not in an acoustic, folky way, but in an almost gospel-manner thanks to the fine keyboard work and layered melodic vocals. I like it.

The title track was of course originally an epic masterpiece of progressive proto-metal originally found on 1970's groundbreaking Deep Purple In Rock. This new version holds on to the same lyrics, but the music itself has been altered to suit the rest of the songs here. This means it's no longer the dramatic, screaming heavy rock landmark it once was, but rather a somewhat tame, subdued and jazzy piece now. It doesn't hold a candle to the 10 and a half minute original, but that doesn't automatically mean it's bad either. Just different! In fact, it actually works quite well in this new format (and has also been shortened by around 3 minutes), and Ian even manages to fit those signature screams of his on it. The last song on the album, 'Let It Slide', goes on for nearly 12 minutes. It's a proggy, almost improvised-sounding number with a lot of slow grooves and emotion. It's a track I enjoy depending on what sort of mood I'm in - it's far too slow and laid-back to listen to in the gym, but it's quite pleasant to hear when sat at home in the evening, with a glass of Jameson's! And to be honest, that's kind of how I feel in general about this album. I like it a lot, but it's not one I can listen to every day of the week.

The Ian Gillan Band weren't all that successful commercially, especially compared to Deep Purple and his next project Gillan. They released 2 more studio albums after this one before disbanding in 1978, and Child in Time is still the only one I've managed to acquire in all my years of collecting. Ian Gillan didn't achieve the success he'd hoped with this band but this isn't a reflection of the music he made with them. I think it was more a case of 'wrong time, wrong place'. A lot of rock bands/musicians who'd been popular in the '60s/early '70s struggled by the time punk rock took off around 1977. Look at Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! marked their first downfall in popularity, but it doesn't mean the actual records weren't good. I guess the average rock fan wasn't expecting a jazzy rock record from Mr. Gillan either! Then again, Ritchie Blackmore was making big bucks with Rainbow right around the same time, and continued to do so in the '80s... so who knows?! Either way, Child in Time is not one of Ian's absolute best solo works, but like I said before, I seem to enjoy it more and more as time goes on. It's not a go-to album for me and because I don't listen to it very often, I'm finding it hard to call it 'great' (I think his next band, Gillan, were more representative of the man himself). But it's still a very good, underrated album overall. 
Adam's rating: 7.9/10


IAN GILLAN BAND - LIVE AT THE BUDOKAN          1978          (Edsel Records)
A strong and energetic live recording of a 1977 concert in Tokyo, Japan. At this point in time, Colin Towns was handling keyboards, and he would be the only member of the Ian Gillan Band who would follow Ian to his next band, Gillan. Anyway, the IGB material on here has been handled very well. They open with the progressive 'Clear Air Turbulence', which is easily one of the highlights of this disc thanks to the technicality of the music, and Ian's equally impressive vocals to match it. But really, I enjoy everything on here. Ray Fenwick's guitar soloing on 'My Baby Loves Me' is just tremendous. The performance of 'Scarabus' here does have some guitar muscle behind it too, so Ian hadn't completely ditched his hard rock side either. Speaking of hard rock, there's also renditions of Deep Purple's 'Smoke On the Water' and 'Woman from Tokyo' - well, I use the term 'hard rock' loosely, because 'Smoke' is actually played in a much funkier than usual manner! The main riff is still kinda there, but the bass playing is funky as hell and gives this air guitar classic a new coat of paint. The band make it work in their favour, and I actually enjoy this version of it. It's not the same as Purple performing the same song of course, but it's a fun little novelty for this Purple fan. As for 'Woman from Tokyo', well, this one's maybe a bit more rockin' in similar fashion to the original, but still has enough differences within the instrumentation to make this IGB rendition unique. With all the Deep Purple live albums out there (lord knows I own far too many of them), it's nice to have this as an alternative.

I hadn't planned on picking this disc up. I recently picked some Gillan releases I was missing in preparation for this page, and Live at the Budokan popped up on eBay. I payed £8 for it, used. My copy - as with most of my Gillan band discs - is the 2007 Edsel reissue. I've been a big fan of these since I picked up Gillan's 1982 album, Magic (the first Gillan solo album I ever bought), way back when these Edsel discs came out in '07. They're all presented really nicely with the slipcases and each one of them has notes from Ian himself in the booklets.
Adam's rating: 8.7/10


GILLAN - GILLAN (THE JAPANESE ALBUM)          1978          (RPM Records)
- Standouts: 'Secret of the Dance', 'I'm Your Man', 'Dead of Night', 'Fighting Man', 'Message in a Bottle', 'Abbey of Thelema'
After disbanding the Ian Gillan Band, Gillan (the man) formed Gillan - the band! Ian held onto keyboard Colin Towns from his previous project, and recruited big bald bass player John McCoy. Both Towns and McCoy would appear on every subsequent Gillan album during the 1978-1982 run, but on this self-titled debut album, Gillan (often dubbed The Japanese Album), guitarist Steve Byrd and drummer Liam Genockey also feature. This record would be Byrd's and Genockey's only appearance on a Gillan album however. Anyway, despite all the stuff Ian's done outside of Deep Purple, I think the band Gillan were probably one of his most successful outfits. I personally feel that a lot of his best works beyond Purple were with this band. For starters, this was the group that saw Ian move away from the jazzy rock sounds of the Ian Gillan Band, and back to a heavier, hard rocking style that made him famous in the first place. It gets better though - Gillan were a proper band, not just a solo project. Gillan himself, Towns and McCoy (and also Bernie Torme and Mick Underwood on subsequent releases) were all integral to the songwriting and made this band truly unique. They all looked drastically different from another, like a rag-tag bunch of misfit musicians - and in all fairness, they kind of just recorded whatever the fuck they fancied. And it worked! They may have primarily been a hard rock band, but they never sounded like Deep Purple even with Ian at the microphone. In fact, I've never really heard another band that sounds like the Gillan band. 

The 1978 self-titled is a strong start for Gillan, even if I feel better things were to come from this band. Some of these tracks would be re-recorded for their next album, Mr. Universe. Yep, 'Secret of the Dance', 'Message in a Bottle' and 'Fighting Man' would feature on Mr. Universe and - spoilers - I think are superior to the one's found on Gillan. But frankly it doesn't matter - these versions are still great. 'Fighting Man' is a really strong, moody ballad with Colin Towns and his keyboards really leading the charge on it. Plus Ian screams like he did on Purple's 'Child in Time'... Ian in his prime still. 'Secret of the Dance' is a frantic upbeat rocker, and so is 'Message in a Bottle' (no relation to the Police song!). Ian feels more at home here when compared to the Ian Gillan Band, and really lets his hair down on them. Like I said, these tracks would sound even better on the following record, but these versions still go hard. Just not as hard! 

The rest of the songs are all very solid too. 'I'm Your Man' is kind of a simplistic heavy blues stomper, and I totally dig it. 'Dead of Night' has a driving groove, and is all the catchier for it. I also like 'Not Weird Enough' a lot too - another fun mid-tempo rocker with a character of it's own. 'Bringing Joanna Back' is a classy, groovy number with some some surprisingly smooth keyboards. The rhythm section still thumps though, and this track still comes with some grunt. Frankly, everything on this disc is good stuff! Even 'Abbey of Thelema', which is kind of like a weird mix of heavy rock and jazzy lounge tones works for me! And closing cut 'Back in the Game' has some tasty, bluesy guitar chops.

I don't really have any serious bones to pick with this disc, but the production is maybe a little on the soft side. I think that plays some part in why any of the tracks that were updated on Mr. Universe sound better on that album. Not that Gillan sounds poor or anything - the drums are just a little reverby and fluffy. Also, even though the album's an easy 8/10 for me, it kind of feels like a warmup for what was to come next. A bloody good warmup though, I'll give it that. I think Bernie Torme replacing Steve Byrd really brought out the best of this band. Either way, the songs presented on Gillan are all very good, and any fan of the Deep Purple family tree (Gillan, Rainbow, Whitesnake etc.) should seek this one out.

A few more words. I'm fairly sure the whole 'Japanese Album' tag comes from the fact the record label Gillan were signed to went bust very soon after the album dropped (or something very similar). The original LP was released in Japan and was only available as an import, therefore didn't make much of an impact. Had it been released properly in Europe, I'm sure it would have done well in the UK. Everything else Gillan put out afterwards when they signed to Virgin did do well in the UK, and rightly so (in particular 1981's Glory Road - #3 and 1982's Future Shock - #2). Also, apart from 1981's Double Trouble, I have at least 2 copies of all these Gillan albums. This year (2025), a new Gillan box set simply titled 1978-1982 was released. Because I didn't have Glory Road on CD, or Double Trouble at all in any format, I went ahead and picked up this new box set. It was great value at just £30, especially since most of these albums have been out of print for some time now and are expensive as a result. Other than my 1994 RPM reissue of the Gillan album, my old copies of Mr. Universe, Future Shock and Magic are 2007 Edsel reissues (along with my Ian Gillan Band discs and also the Ian Gillan/Roger Glover album Accidentally on Purpose).
Adam's rating: 8/10


GILLAN - MR. UNIVERSE          1979          (Edsel Records)
- Standouts: Everything!
Now we're onto the really good shit, people! Ian hired his old drummer mate Mick Underwood (Ian and Mick had played together in Episode Six in the '60s) as well as flashy new guitarist Bernie Torme. Bernie's playing has a punk-like edge, and is even kind of spontaneous at times. But Mick is an awesome drummer too - compare 'Secret of the Dance' from The Japanese Album, and then listen to it again on Mr. Universe. It's a stupidly fast song either way, but the Mr. Universe version is scorching by comparison. Colin Towns' maestro keyboard work has always one of my favourite aspects of the Gillan band, and the additions of Torme and Underwood really add an extra level of already brilliant musicianship and playing. The band catch a breath on 'She Tears Me Down' - a classy, mid-tempo rock number that builds up to the thundering 'Roller'. 'Roller' is a fast, heavy, almost punky cut that's full of attitude and Ian's unique charm. It's really great. Like I said in my review of The Japanese Album, I can't really think of any other band that really sounds like Gillan, and songs like this prove my point.

The title track an upbeat, dramatic rocker. About half-way through is this chaotic wall of distortion and percussion, before morphing back into the song it started off as - it's brilliant. 'Vengeance' was released as a single, and has a strong New Wave of British Heavy Metal feel to my ears. Not surprising really, since the NWOBHM scene was just around the corner, and with Gillan touring with bands like Samson at the time, some people do associate them with the NWOBHM movement. I get that Gillan were not technically a heavy metal band, but they definitely had some songs that I would consider to be heavy metal. Anyhow, 'Puget Sound' is a sleazy number that keeps the music fresh and varied, while 'Dead of Night' is a darker, heavier beast. But is still kinda sleazy too in it's own right! Of course, 'Message in a Bottle' and 'Fighting Man' were featured on Gillan, but the versions presented on Mr. Universe are the definitive ones. 

Negatives? Not many. This is the high point of the Gillan band. The songs are all great, and my only real complaint is the fact Ian's sang on a few other records throughout his career that I like more! But this is still up there. Deep Purple are one of those rare bands whereby the vast majority of it's current and former members have nearly all had successful careers outside of the band. Rainbow and Whitesnake were obviously the most successful worldwide, but Gillan were a particularly big deal in the UK. I'm sure record labels and such probably contributed to the fact they didn't make such a big impact in the States, but I also think the eccentric British nature of the music and band members may have been a reason too. For me, it's part of what makes the Gillan band so call. And frankly, I think Mr. Universe is one of the best albums any member of Purple made outside of said band. The top spot will always be Rainbow's Rising for me, but Mr. Universe ain't no slouch! It may not be groundbreaking in any real sense of word, but the album just oozes character and charisma. The album cover doesn't do it any favours though; Ian standing in front of the ocean looking like he's advertising aftershave makes this look like a pop album, when it really isn't!!

Outside of albums like Deep Purple In Rock, Machine Head and Black Sabbath's Born Again (one of my favourite Sabbath records, and I don't care what others think!), this is Ian Gillan at his finest. 
Adam's rating: 9.2/10


IAN GILLAN & ROGER GLOVER - ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE          1988          (Edsel Records)
- Standouts: 'Evil Eye', 'She Took My Breath Away', 'I Can't Dance to That', 'Can't Believe You Wanna Leave Me', 'Telephone Box'
Not too long after Deep Purple's 1987 album The House of Blue Light dropped (an album I'm fairly sure most members of the band weren't too happy with, particularly Roger Glover), Ian Gillan and Roger Glover recorded Accidentally on Purpose as a sort of side piece. This CD is something of an oddity in Gillan's portfolio in that the album is essentially an '80s pop rock affair - synths and all - with basically zero Deep Purple or Gillan hard rock influences (even the Ian Gillan Band were drastically different). Maybe it's not hugely weird for Glover to have been involved in this - I bought one of his solo albums for the first time about a year or so ago (2011's If Life Was Easy) and found that his own material barely dabbles in hard rock, but for Ian Gillan an often-synthy '80s pop album definitely feels strange! Well, I've had Accidentally on Purpose in my collection for a number of years now. I don't remember being all that surprised by the music at the time because I'd already read about it before I got my hands on it. But I'd likely have been disappointed with this if I'd been a die hard Deep Purple and Gillan fan prior! I did actually review it for my old Ian Gillan-related page and gave it a 5.6/10... unsurprisingly, I wasn't really diggin' a poppy, glossy rock album in my mid-20s! I've gotta say though, this album sounds a little better to me in my '30s now! Not great of course, but whatever! 

The music is a huge departure from pretty much any of Ian or Roger's Deep Purple songwriting traits of course, but as a mostly poppy rock record, it's really not bad! Barely any guitar riffs, and the drums are mostly electronic from the sounds of things, but not horrible! The closest the album comes to hard rock is 'I Can't Dance to That' - it's a straightforward, riffy cut with enough bite to rock, but still catchy enough that it doesn't sound completely out of place with the rest of this album. Most of the album does not follow suit however - opener 'Clouds and Rain' is a slow-building, smooth kind of synthy number. I'm a little on the fence with the horns, but it's a relaxing listen. 'Evil Eye' is catchy and a little more upbeat. Ian barely raises his voice on 'She Took My Breath Away', almost whispering his way through it. Yet I like it! It's smoooooth! 'Via Miami' is far more energetic and probably one of the rockier moments on the album. Rockier in a boogie kind of manner that is. Ian and Roger also decided to throw a Little Richard cover in here with 'Can't Believe You Wanna Leave Me'. And it's pretty fun! Again, it just adds a little variety to the music. Roger's swingy basslines on 'Telephone Box' stick in my head while 'I Thought No' sounds like both men were genuinely having fun recording it, unlike Purple's The House of Blue Light!

I can't be entirely nice about this album. I'm not a fan of 'Lonely Avenue'. It's not terrible, just slow and a little tedious. The female backing vocals make it stand out, but the fact it feels like a blues song driven by '80s pop keyboards/synths just makes it sound weird to me, and not in a good way. But in all honesty, the only song that sounds like total dogshit to me here wasn't even featured on the original release of the album anyway! Like many of my Gillan discs, my copy of Accidentally on Purpose is one of the 2007 Edsel Records reissues, so it comes presented with the same style slipcase and packaging which is nice - plus 3 bonus tracks ('Cayman Island', 'Purple People Eater', 'Chet'). Yep, 'Cayman Island' - originally a b-side to 'She Took My Breath Away' - is pretty fucking awful if you ask me! It's effectively a reggae number - wouldn't be so bad if Ian - an English white man born in Chiswick - wasn't deliberately trying to sound Jamaican on it!! I guess it's good for a cheap laugh!

It's nice to see this one go up in my estimation. I originally reviewed it in 2020, and I'm not even sure I'd listened to it again until this new review in 2025. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Accidentally on Purpose this time around. I still don't think it's a classic of course, but both Ian and Roger sound comfortable here despite the often drastic musical changes from the norm. It's good!
Adam's rating: 7/10

IAN GILLAN - GILLAN'S INN          2006          (Immergent)

- Standouts: 'Unchain Your Brain', 'Bluesy Blue Sea', 'Day Late and a Dollar Short', 'Trashed'

Normally I'm not the biggest fan of albums full of re-recordings of old tracks. Depending on the circumstances however, they can sometimes work. Gillan's Inn feels like Ian was just having fun in the studio, looking back through his career and inviting friends and guests to play on new recordings of oldies. There's a small handful of tracks I wasn't aware of - I haven't heard every Ian Gillan solo album, but I was familiar with the majority of the original versions of the songs on this album.

I must admit, most of this album sounds good. I've always liked the band Gillan, and the version of 'Unchain Your Brain' from Glory Road kicks things off to a blazing start. Joe Satriani plays on it, so of course the guitar solo is outstanding. It was nice to see 'Bluesy Blue Sea' from the Gillan album Magic too - I've always liked that record, and this new version is noticeably heavier. Janick Gers of Iron Maiden, who originally played on Magic, provides the guitars to the re-recording, so that was probably something of a nostalgia trip for him. Never heard the original 'Day Late and a Dollar Short', but this version sounds great either way. Just a great, heavy, driving track with Uli John Roth on guitar and even Ronnie James Dio backing up Ian's vocals. 'Hang Me Out to Dry' is from another Ian Gillan solo album that I haven't heard yet (Toolbox), and again has Joe Satriani on it, plus Don Airey on keyboards - so automatically Don's keyboard tones give it strong Deep Purple vibes! Kind of reminds me of the Deep Purple album The Battle Rages On..., actually. Steve Morse lends his guitar talents to 'Men of War', originally from Gillan's Double Trouble (an album I am familiar with, I just don't have a copy yet!), so again, I get Purple vibes, but this is still a Gillan track through-and-through. 

'Trashed' caught my attention, because originally it's from Black Sabbath's Born Again - the only Sabbath album featuring Gillan on vocals, and also one of my favourites. The version here is still the same old speed metal classic, and Tony Iommi still plays on it, but here you've also got Roger Glover on bass and Ian Paice on drums, so essentially you have Deep Purple minus the keyboards, with Tony Iommi on guitar! I prefer the original of course, but this version is still fun. I've also always loved 'No Laughing in Heaven' from Gillan's Future Shock album, and once again, the Gillan's Inn version is basically Deep Purple performing the same track. 'No Worries' is an unreleased blues rock track. I like it!

Any downsides? Well, the re-recorded Deep Purple tracks feel slightly unnecessary. Deep Purple still exist as a band, and Ian's still with them, so it does seem quite pointless that 'Smoke On the Water', 'Speed King' and 'When a Blind Man Cries' are on here. If anything, it would've made more sense for Ian to have chosen a few tracks from an era when he wasn't in the band, such as the Glenn Hughes/David Coverdale-fronted lineup, or even the very first Deep Purple lineup with Nick Simper on bass and Rod Evans on vocals. I do quite like this version of 'When a Blind Man Cries' though, with Jeff Healey and Jon Lord, as it's very bluesy and soulful all the same. And it is kinda cool to hear Joe Satriani play on 'Speed King'; the man did actually fill in for Ritchie Blackmore when he eventually walked out, mid-tour in the early 90's.

I enjoyed this CD quite a lot. If anything, it's a celebration of Ian's career. If you flip the disc over to the DVD side, you've also got a whole host of extras too, which is cool. Given that 95% of the album is just re-recordings however, I can't exactly call this 'essential', but for Gillan fans it's still worth checking out. The guest musicians add new flair to the tracks, and they're all extremely well performed.

Adam's rating: 7.6/10


ROGER GLOVER AND THE GUILTY PARTY - IF LIFE WAS EASY          2011          (Ear Music)
- Standouts: 'Box of Tricks', 'The Dream I Had', 'Get Away (Can't Let You)', 'Feel Like a King'
I had no idea what to expect from this 2011 solo album by Roger Glover. I haven't heard anything else he's done solo-wise - unless you count the Accidentally on Purpose album with Ian Gillan - but I do of course know that the man is Deep Purple's iconic bass player, as well as appearing on numerous '80s Rainbow albums and a fair amount of guest appearances on others too (just check out his discography on Wikipedia). It's no secret that the man's also a prolific music producer. But in terms of writing music purely under his own steam, well, as I said, I wasn't sure what to expect. As it happens, the music on this CD is kinda varied and doesn't really follow one particular direction. The songs also feature a number of different musicians, with multiple different people handling vocals throughout the album, including Randall Bramblett and also Pete Agnew and Dan McCafferty from Nazareth. Roger's own daughter Gillian even sings lead vocals on the mellow, almost country-ish 'Moonlight' as well as the ballad 'Set Your Imagination Free' and the bluesy 'Get Away (Can't Let You)'. Roger himself sings on other tracks too, and has quite low, gravelly tone. He even manages to sound a little like Johnny Cash on the title track. All the singers involved differ a lot from one another, but all have been utilised rather well depending on the style of each track.

As stated before, the music is quite varied overall. The songs are relatively short for the most part, with most of them clocking at under, or just over 3 minutes - but there's also 16 of them in total. For example, the opening track 'Don't Look Now (Everything Has Changed)' has a reggae-like shuffle, 'If Life Was Easy' is something of a country-rock ditty, while others have a strong blues presence like the rough n' grimy 'Box of Tricks', and rootsy 'The Dream I Had'. 'Stand Together' is a solid soft rock cut, the acoustic 'When Life Gets to the Bone' is somewhat folky while 'When the Day Is Gone' has something of an art rock touch about it. Although nothing on here really excites me per se, I do dig nearly every track here. Just about the only one I couldn't get on board with was 'The Ghost of Your Smile'; former Elf and Rainbow keyboardist Mickey Lee Soule's almost spoken-word vocals didn't settle all that well with me.

This disc is a far cry from Deep Purple then, but clearly Roger wasn't trying to mimic his primary band with the songwriting and composition of If Life Was Easy. So don't expect to be rockin' out to this one, although closing track 'Feel Like a King' comes close! The long list of varying songs make this album feel a little directionless at times, but I suppose it also held my attention for the same reasons. It's a fairly lightweight, easy listening kind of rock record, and a good one at that. Not the sort of thing I'd typically listen to on a daily basis, so it's quite hard for me to really hold it in higher regard than a lot of Glenn Hughes' or Ian Gillan's solo work - but it's a nice album to just mellow out to after a hard day's work.
Adam's rating: 7/10


IAN GILLAN & TONY IOMMI - WHOCARES          2012          (Ear Music)
A really cool and interesting 2 CD compilation of mostly all kinds of different projects both Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi have worked on over the years! The biggest draw for me however, are the 2 tracks 'Out of My Mind' and 'Holy Water'. See, back in 2011, Ian and Tony formed a supergroup called WhoCares to record these 2 songs in order to raise money for charity (mainly to help rebuild a school in Armenia). The lineup for this temporary outfit was killer. Deep Purple's OG organ maestro Jon Lord, Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain behind the kit, Jason Newsted on bass and also, erm, HIM's Mikko Lindstrom as a second guitarist! Anyhow, it was awesome to hear all these guys playing together, especially Ian and Tony who hadn't really recorded anything with each other since Ian's short stint with Sabbath back in the '80s! The 2 remained good mates, hence why WhoCares existed. Anyway, 'Out of My Mind' is a slow, doomy affair with Tony's signature heavy riffing written all over it. But hearing Lord's organ work behind him is a treat too, and in general it sounds like it could have been on one of Iommi's solo albums. 'Holy Water' is a tad more melodic, but still pretty great. It actually sounds a bit more Purple-ish, like if the roles were reversed and if Tony joined Deep Purple! Either way, it's a shame WhoCares only set out to record a couple of songs. Imagine if we'd had an entire album from these guys! I guess Ian was too busy with Deep Purple, and it was very soon after this period that Ozzy would reunite with Black Sabbath...

The rest of this compilation is a nice mish-mash of Gillan and Iommi-related cuts; studio tracks from albums, rarities, live cuts, b-sides... the works. The CD booklet comes with notes from both men, explaining where each track has come from which is very nice. A handful of these songs I already had - for example, Sabbath's 'Anno Mundi' from the Tony Martin-era album Tyr is on here, as well as the updated version of 'Trashed' from Gillan's Inn. Also, 'Zero the Hero' from the Gillan-fronted Sabbath classic Born Again is here, but they kinda had to include something from that album. Great stuff either way. There's a terrific 1999 live version of 'Smoke On the Water', with Purple backed up by the London Symphony Orchestra and Ronnie James Dio! Yep, Ronnie duets with Ian. Can never have too much Dio! Another choice cut for me is 'Slip Away', which was an unreleased Iommi solo track from the Fused (2005) album sessions. I love the Fused album - as well as pretty much any time Tony has worked alongside Glenn Hughes - and 'Slip Away' is another heavy-ass number with Hughes' amazing vocals on top. I believe the WhoCares compilation was the only way to hear this track until Fused was reissued in 2024. Other favourites for me are the melodic Gillan solo number 'Don't Hold Me Back' and the lengthy Deep Purple studio jam 'Dick Pimple' (weird title).

I don't normally rate compilations if they're just a 'greatest hits' kind of package, but this one isn't. Obviously you've got the 2 WhoCares tracks, which makes it worth owning for that reason alone, but there's also a bunch of fun oddities that I didn't own. Musically both discs are all over the place due to the sheer number of different projects, but it's a very fun listen and one I think most Gillan/Iommi fans will get a kick out of. For that reason it's getting an 8/10.
Adam's rating: 8/10