No Laughing In Heaven / One For The Road. Lucille / Bad News. Virgin VS425: June 1981: UK pic sleeve. Well, whatever you think of the tracks, they certainly continue to try and keep their fans happy. Three new recordings, plus a rearranged song from Future Shock - which I thought failed a bit in this edited version. My favourite was actually 'Bad News', which I really like. Some good vocals plus that haunting piano tone from Colin, reminding me of Keith Emerson's Nice days. The pic sleeve came in glossy card, with a price sticker on, though later copies did omit this, and were printed on paper. It went into the charts as usual due to Gillan fans, and straight back out of them again!

After their gig in Genk reviewed last issue (which, by the way, is in Belgium not Holland - and which the Belgian Fan Club managed to video), the band undertook a German tour in June. Meantime the single went straight into the charts, necessitating a plug on Top Of The Pops. The band presumably cancelled their gig in Dortmund and arrived in England on the 23rd minus Torme. For some reason he refused to do the trip. Despite this the band managed to make a backing track (you can't mime to the actual disc, you must cut a new backing and mime to that!) that evening, and recorded the show on the 24th as a four piece - McCoy playing a double-neck lead and bass guitar! Torme's refusal to make the trip was, it seems, the culmination of some months of unhappiness, and the management found a replacement in Janick Gers for the rest of the tour. The band spent the rest of Wednesday breaking him in, and returned to the tour on the 25th, debuting in Cologne that night. At first it seemed as if Janick was a temporary replacement, but it was soon made permanent. As for Torme, well I wasn't sorry to see him go. He seemed to have a very limited style which consisted of making a lot of noise, and rarely if ever played a solo, certainly not on record. Occasionally his style suited the songs, but more often than not it spoilt them.

Janick Gers many of you will have seen as his band White Spirit supported Gillan here in 1980. They were lousy, though I must admit I was transfixed by Gers - mainly as I could not believe my eyes. His stage show was just lifted straight from Ritchie Blackmore - dressed all in black, he'd caught every little movement; fingers over the neck, lead against the strings, down on one knee, the whole works. It was rather sad really. I sincerely hope he can tone it down from now on, because it will lose them a lot of fans if he doesn't (Neil Jeffries spotted him at the Rainbow gig in London recently by the way - wonder if Ritchie has ever seen him?). That said, I can't remember much of his playing at all, so I await their vinyl debut with interest.
The pic has been loaned to us by Marc Brans in Belgium, taken in Aug 1969, probably in Holland. it's one of the earliest live Mk 2 pics we've seen. lan wearing his worn out Episode Six trousers!

Gillan broke his new band in on home soil with a few warm-up dates just prior to the Reading Festival, including one at Wessex Hall in Poole, Dorset on July 25th 1981. This gig, like the others I presume, was only advertised locally, so I'm grateful to Martin Hibbs for letting us know about it. Not only that, but he cycled ten miles to cover the gig, and got to speak to the new guitarist (quite a feat, as they've decided not to do any interviews for a while yet). Janick explained that things might be a little restrained as he was still learning the material. He said the band were off to the Marshall factory the following week to pick up some new gear, before returning to London to work on the new LP.

"The band went through a set which was similar to the last tour here: Unchain / No Laughing in Heaven (with a noticeably different guitar solo in the middle / BiteThe Bullet / keyboard solo - No Easy Way / Janick - Towns duet / drum solo / Trouble / If You Believe Me (guitar solo intro, then a McCoy Underwood duet, and a really good bass solo from McCoy) / On The Rocks - with the long flute solo, and a bit of Child In Time thrown in / Vengeance - very strong / New Orleans / Smoke On The Water - the first of two encores, with a brilliant solo from Gers. It started with a cello type piece with a classical feel to it, then sped up with a tremelo solo sound which seemed to be a repeat of Ritchie's Donnington performance. However Smoke.. was what I would say is the best since Purple's, and better than any of Torme's. Lucille was the final encore." Martin says everyone he spoke to preferred this line-up to the previous one, so if Janick restrains the Blackmore movements, maybe things will pick up in the Gillan camp!

The band headlined at Reading; their appearance on the bill is by now almost traditional, and a full UK tour starts in November - many venues are already selling tickets (Manchester Apollo had them on sale in July!). The double live album, already postponed once, may well be ditched - but instead the next studio album may contain new songs, along with some live material, and will be issued for the tour.

Going back to the Future Shock LP, I'm told that 'Joel (Dork) Michiels', which is scratched into the vinyl, is the name of a guy who discovered some sort of secret message on the previous LP For Gillan Fans Only. Noel White tells me that some of the backwards vocals between 'Higher & Higher', and 'Your Mother Was Right' are disgustingly interesting, but you'll need a reel to reel machine to hear them. The Scottish TV Gillan concert has been networked to some extent, but turned out not to be too brilliant. There is no sign of a Cliff Bennett single yet, but Gillan has produced a single for Firebird called Nightride. Torme is going to re- commence his solo career now he is out of Gillan.

Solo projects have been taking shape during the quiet spells - Bernie's second is out now with Jon and lan on it again, and he is booked to do a third! Jon Lord fiinally got into the studio in early September, and had to turn would-be guests away at the door! Among those who did get past the security were George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Simon Phillips, lan Paice, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, Simon Kirke, Mick Ralphs and David Coverdale - as well as another un-named vocalist. Looks like the talked about classical item has been shelved. Release is in 1982 (if they can get all the guests onto the sleeve!).

To cap it all David has also been thinking of a solo disc! Meantime he did Roundtable reviewing singles on Aug 21st, as well as a session for Bernie on the Tommy Vance show. Micky Moody has been busy with the Nolans (huh?). Video owners had better start saving for the forthcoming video on the band, which will feature live footage as well as backstage scenes etc. I can see a video machine being on a good many Xmas lists this year!

John Hassett spotted some nice large Purple, Paice and Whitesnake photos on the wall of a garage in Henley, and discovered that it's where Paice and Gover bought the porsches. It looks as if it will be Feb 1982 before we get another chance to see Whitesnake live here, when their album (taping in October) will be out.

Whitesnake: Don't Break My Heart Again / Wine, Women An' Song. Polydor 7DM: Japan: Pic sleeve: 1981 Or, as one of our Norwegian members put it, "Don't Make The Charts Again"! Thanks Ketil. Anyway, usual Jap type cover with a close up live colour pic of David on, logo, and titles. The back has lyrics to the a-side.

Whilst with the Whitesnake vinyl scene, Patrick O'Brien scored a bunch of US promos recently, so brief details for you:
The Time Is Right For Love / ditto United Artists UA X 1291 - 1 (mono/stereo)
Long Way From Home / Long Way From Home United Artists UA X 1323 - (mono/stereo)
Fool For Your Loving / Fool For Your Loving, Mirage WG 3672 (mono/stereo)
Sweet Talker / Ain't Gonna Cry No More (3.30)) Mirage WTG 3766
He also found a test pressing of Ready An Willing, each side on a separate album, with blank b-sides. Label says REL 1, April 1980.

Bemie Marsden: And About Time Too. Parlophone PCS 7215: UK: 1981 Finally surfacing here, it gets included because Paice plays on three songs - competent but unremarkable stuff, and so does Jon Lord - though you wouldn't know it unless the sleeve said so! I don't really see the point in having someone guest unless you're going to use them. Both he and Paice get a small pic each. The album itself is bland American style rock.
Bernie Marsden: Sad Clown/You & Me Parlophone R 6047: 1981 pic sleeve. Only found this by accident cheap! Needs including as Paice is on drums. Sleeve is just Bernie's head off the LP front.
Bernie Marsden: Look At Me Now. Parlophone PCS 7217: August 1981 His second solo album! Released here just a few weeks after going out in Japan. More of the same, again with both Lord & Paice guesting. Think I'll wait til I see it cheap again.
Bernie Marsden: Look At Me Now / Always Love You So. Parlophone R 6050: UK: August 1981 The accompanying single, with a live pic of him on the front, which is somewhat better than the horrendous album sleeve. That must be it unless he issues another next week!

Nick Simper's Fandango: Future Times Shark / lnterford 148.506: Germany: 1980. My German is not very good (well, non-existant really), but there does seem to be second album out by Simper's current band. As the first LP ('Slipstreaming', reviewed some time ago) was poorly received, we thought the band had just fizzled out, but it looks as if they might have gone to ground in Europe to earn a living. I expect some import copies will surface here for those of you dedicated or curious enough to want it. It's unlikely that Gull records will want to issue it here. There are nine titles listed:1/ Pull Out & Start Again, I'll Never Get Over-You, Get Down Lay Down, She Was My Friend. 2/ Future Times, Undercover Man, Something's Burning, Hard Drink & Easy Women. Jeez, the titles alone are enough to put me off it!

Whilst we try and answer any questions you may have in your letters, those requiring a long reply, or which may be of interest to other members, are sometimes held over, and printed here. Preference is given to questions we haven't answered a million times before!

Q&A: I have a cutting from a local paper which claims that a guy called Steve Wells was once in Deep Purple.ls this a line-up I missed or what? Peter Law.
Nope, just lousy journalism! Some time in 1974 Purple Records decided it was about time they had a fan-club. Two guys were offered the task, one of whom was Steve Wells. They managed to issue a few single sheet newsletters and some photos, but due to lack of time on their part, it faded out after about a year. Wells was playing in a group at the time, and eventually this took up too much of his time for him to run the club as well. How anyone confuses running a fan-club with actually being in the group I'm not sure! His band is called Le Clique, but whether they're any good or not I don't know.

Q&A: When Ritchie Blackmore has his name shortened from Richard, is it spelt with or without the t?
This question is one we have been asked over & over. Me, I always type it Ritchie with the t, though looked at logically it should be Richie I suppose. News cuttings from 1963/64 spell it with the t, but for his 1965 solo single it was Richie. Blackmore himself reckoned recently that it was Ritchie, but that on the album SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE, it was mistakenly spelt Ritchie. By that time he was getting into the paranormal, and he realised that the extra letter made his numerological number six rather than nine, which was better for him, so he stuck to it from then on. For an explanation of these numbers, you will have to ask Ann! (Or the man himself).

Q&A: Can you tell me who the members of Deep Purple are married to, how many children they have etc? Thanks! Judith Russen.
Judith has been trying to get some answers for ages now, so, whilst it isn't information I really know much about, I've had a root about through the old cuttings. They're not much help either, but still! Coverdale's wife is called Julia, don't know when they were married or anything, lan Paice got married to Jackie Gibbs in May 1976, they have two kids - one is called Jamie. Jon was married to a girl called Judith in early 1969; I believe he and Ritchie both got married relatively close together, as there are photos of them both with their wives taken at the time. Ritchie's wife (it was his second, I don't know anything of his first) was called Barbel or Babs, and was a German dancer. By a strange twist of fate, both wives were divorced in the same court on the same day in July 1976. Ritchie recently remarried, and I believe Jon may have too. lan Gillan, well I don't know if he ever did get married, but he and Zoe have been together since 1972 I think, and she often goes on tour with him. Roger married a girl also called Judy. She was mentioned in a report back in 1973 when some stupid Danish berk attacked her and a concert promoter after a gig. She also sang at the Butterfly Ball concert and on the LP. I hope the info is of interest Judith! As I said I'm not too into the off-stage side of things, and we don't keep any details as such.

Q&A: I've had enquiries from lain Richardson and others concerning copies of the Book of Taliesyn LP with a small Made In USA sticker on the back.
I first saw these some years ago; the sleeve is identical to the UK copy apart from this sticker. Inside, the label is the normal Harvest one, except that the country of origin is stated as America. So far as we know, the Harvest label has never been distributed over there, so all we can do is guess! After Tetragrammaton went bust in 1969, to try and keep the band alive in the USA, there was maybe some deal done to keep supplies available until Warners took the band over in 1970. Over the years, some copies have filtered back here. If this theory is right, there ought to be copies of the bands third LP with similar stickers! Anyway, if anyone can shed more light on it get in touch.

Whilst with Taliesyn, several people wrote in with some info on the origins of the name, following a query in ish 24. So here goes: Taliesin was the son of a witch, cast to sea, and washed up on a Welsh beach, and found by Elphin. He named the boy Taliesin. He is said to have lived around the sixth century. The Book of Taliesin is contained in The Mabinogion, and is the story of his legend and his poems which fortold events. It seems the songs were not written down until the C12th, but were passed on orally. The poems had little to do with mystic arts, but were mainly about the heroes and battles of the time, legends etc. The name Taliesin means Radiant Brow. Purple mis-spelt it (I think there is a place called Taliesyn in America). Anyone who who wants to read all the poems needs to order "Four Ancient Books of Wales" by W.F. Skene from their local library, via University of Wales in Aberystwyth! My thanks to Kirn Rose, Peter Mapp and Lesley Miller - who just happen to have copied all 350 poems out by hand at home. If anyone else comes on about rock fans being dummies I shall quote this lot at them.
"I am old, I am new, I have been dead, I have been alive.....I am Taliesin".

A few things happening on the bookshop front, firstly two new song-books. Chapells have issued a Future Shock book, but it can only be recommended if you want the music, cos there are no photos in it at all! Also just out is a pricey Whitesnake songbook, this time a best of job with stuff off all the albums. It has a colour section at the front with some rather poor individual live pics, and one very nice group shot.