GILLAN – The Japanese Album aka ‘Gillan’ [remastered & expanded] *HQ*

As requested, here’s the very first music Ian Gillan released after Deep Purple, simply titled “Gillian”. The LP was only released in Japan, Australia and New Zealand in 1978, but the album sold well in the UK as an import, aided by positive press reviews.
In the early Nineties, the album was finally put on CD combining tracks from the Japan / Australia / New Zealand original version, with the Japanese edition bonus tracks of the second Gillan album ‘Mr. Universe’, plus unreleased tracks.
All tracks on this reissue CD titled “Gillan – The Japanese Album” were finely remastered.
While the following GILLAN albums had a rocking sound quite different to Ian’s previous years with Deep Purple, the material on “Gillan – The Japanese Album” is pretty Purple-ish, and one all fans of the band and the vocalist need to hear.

This marks the beginning of the GILLAN we all came to know and love in the early ’80s. John McCoy and Colin Towns were already in place on bass and keyboards respectively, guitarist Steve Byrd and drummer Liam Genocky were the other musicians involved (the sleeve notes of the original release credit Liam Genocky as playing drums and percussion, while this CD release “Gillan – The Japanese Album” instead credits Pete Barnacle)
Together they achieved a unique sound.

The songs were sublime, uplifting, and rockin’. Numbers like ‘I’m Your man’, ‘Back In The Game’, ‘Bringing Joanna Back’, ‘Not Weird Enough’, and ‘Abbey Of Thelema’ are some of the best songs Ian has ever co-written. ‘Move With The Times’ and ‘Street Theatre’ appeared on a Japanese version of ‘Mr Universe’ and are included here.
‘Fighting Man’ is Gillan at their very best and is worth the price of this CD alone, why this track isn’t included on ‘Classic Rock’ compilations is another mystery!

If you want to own a piece of genuine classic hard rock expertly performed by a group of talented musicians and one of the best voices in the business, then you cant go wrong with this.
Highly Recommended

1 – Street Theatre
2 – Secret of the Dance
3 – I’m Your Man
4 – Dead of Night
5 – Fighting Man
6 – Message in a Bottle
7 – Not Weird Enough
8 – Bringing Joanna Back
9 – Abbey of Thelema
10 – Back in the Game
11 – Vengeance
12 – Move With the Times
13 – Sleeping on the Job
14 – Roller

Tracks 2 -9 first released as “Gillan” in October 1978
Tracks 1, 12 first released on Gillan “Mr. Universe” (Japan edition) 1979
Tracks 11, 13, 14 previously unissued versions

Ian Gillan – vocals
John McCoy – bass
Colin Towns – keyboards
Steve Byrd – guitars
Liam Genocky / Pete Barnacle – drums

out of print