Gillan and Iommi To Pair Up Again for Armenia

Various reports this week tell of Ian Gillan and Tony Iommi's intention to do another rock song for charity. According to the We Will Rock You web site:

The pair originally collaborated in 1989, when they re-recorded the Deep Purple classic “Smoke on the Water” to help raise money for victims of the Leninakan earthquake that struck Armenia in 1988.

In October of 2009 the pair traveled to Armenia to see first-hand how those funds had helped rebuild the community, but while visiting a local local music school they found that it had not been rebuilt in the wake of the disaster. So next week Iommi and Gillan, joined by ex-Deep Purple/Whitesnake keyboardist Jon Lord and Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain, are slated to go back into the studio. The foursome will record a new song entitled “Out Of My Mind,” and the money raised will go to rebuilding the music school in Armenia.

That is an interesting lineup! Gillan, Iommi, Jon Lord and Nicko McBrain? I have never heard of Nicko playing on anything but Iron Maiden albums. Wow, very cool.

But to say Gillan and Iommi "originally collaborated in 1989" is a vast understatement. Check out the below video. It is a virtual who's who of classic rock in 1989. Roger Taylor from Queen on drums, a thin Chris Squire on bass, Keith Emerson on keyboards. Vocalists include Gillan, Bruce Dickinson and Paul Rodgers. I saw Geoff Downes from Asia in there and the guitar player lineup is off the grid - Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore, Alex Lifeson, David Gilmour, Brian May. Holy moly! Why had I never heard of this before?

It's not the best version of the song but that lineup makes it worth watching all the way through. Also nice to know that half of the Born Again era of Sabbath will be working together again soon. I do love that weird assed album.

Happy Birthday Ian Gillan

Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan turns 65 today - wow, 65! I have loved Purple since I first heard them back in high school. I recall heading to the used record store (Streetlight Records in San Jose, California), coming home with In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head and of course Live In Japan.

I was ultra fired up when the Mark IV version reunited in the 80s and put out the fantastic Perfect Strangers album and the pretty good House of the Blue Light follow up. I saw both supporting tours and was blown away each time.

Back in the 80s, Gillan had just wrapped up his short stint with Sabbath on the Born Again album and tour. I did not see that tour but that crazy album still holds a place in my metal heart. It's when the band started to jump the shark but Gillan's screech went over pretty well and who can argue the intensity of Zero the Hero, Trashed and the title track?

On those Purple tours, I could tell Gillan's voice was starting to give him problems. After Child In Time, he'd take a break while the guys did an instrumental, and he coughed a fair amount onstage. I am pretty sure he has not sung that song in years.

I was also stoked to learn Gillan played the role of Jesus on the studio LP of Jesus Christ Superstar prior to the movie and Ted Neeley's still-chugging-along-as-a-65-year-old-Jesus run at the role.

Anyway, what a great career and it's still going! Gillan just told VH1 Radio: “I think time, obviously, catches up with everyone, but it’s certainly not something we’re planning at the moment, everyone’s in pretty good shape. I don’t think we specifically try hard. We all had a pretty healthy life.”

Here's a nugget from back in the day. Happy Birthday Ian!

Child In Time:

Iommi and Gillan - Born Again?

One of my secret favorite albums is Black Sabbath Born Again, a very weird version of Sabbath with Deep Purple's Ian Gillan singing. All parties involved admit is was an odd match that didn't quite work out.

However, bootlegs from that tour show that Gillan's piercing shriek worked pretty well for stuff like Iron Man and Heaven and Hell. It's worth listening to -- once.

The album is pretty good too and I'd say it would be fairly classic if it didn't SOUND so shitty. Not sure who produced it by suffice it to say they were going deaf. The guitars and drums are tinny and processed. There are good songs on it, though - the title track, Zero The Hero, Trashed and Keep it Warm are pretty good.

Anyway, I was shocked to see that Gillan and Iommi may work together again soon. According to the Eddie Trunk Web site, Iommi said:

"Ian was at [my place] a few weeks back, and we put a couple of tracks down, just to try and raise some money for Armenia. We raised some money 20 years ago and we wanted to do it again, to be able to buy stuff.

We went over a few months ago because they gave us an Order Of Honor from the president and so Ian and I went over and Pat Cash came. They showed us what the money had bought. They showed us this old music school; it was freezing and the kids had no instruments so we bought them some new instruments — drums and guitars — and we want to build a new school for the kids.

We're going to do a few songs and, hopefully, we can raise the money to afford to buy them a new school. The plans are quite open at the moment.

We've talked about doing a couple of shows out there, but it's about working round what we are both doing — because we [Heaven & Hell] hope touring will start again soon."

Call me interested! In the meantime, feast your eyes and ears on this: