Search - Ian Gillan :: On the Rocks

A lost treasure!

Metaljim | Kansas USA | 01/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With the discovery and release of the soundboard recording of this show, the folks at Angel Air gave rock fans a real treat. Unlike many of their releases, Angel Air actually came up with a winner here. Great sound, a truly historic show and an essential release for any fan of Gillan. One of the final shows featuring guitarist Bernie Torme, this CD captures the energy and chaos that was a Gillan show. (They only performed three more concerts after this before Torme left the band.) This disc contain almost the entire concert, with only the opening number "Unchain Your Brain" missing. This was a tour to promote the soon to be released "Future Shock" album, so about 1/4th of the concert is made up of songs off that album. Those tracks are "No Laughing In Heaven", "Bite The Bullet", and "New Orleans". There are three tracks off the excellent "Glory Road" album, including "No Easy Way", "If You Believe Me", and "On The Rocks". The other tracks include the singles only "Trouble" and "Lucille", "Vengeance", from the "Mr. Universe" LP, the Purple chestnut "Smoke On The Water" and the solo spots for drummer Mick Underwood and guitarist Torme. Any fan of Deep Purple's dynamic live shows, with virtuoso performances on keyboard and guitar over a rock solid rythymn section, will probably find this CD hard to resist. A recommended purchase that's not just for the collectors."