Red ink (we'd tried dark blue on Issue 41). The Slaves & Masters tour rolled on into America, then back to Europe, and even though the magazine still had the air of 'shell-shocked editor' about it, things were calming down. Ian Gillan's first post - DP Reunion album was just out, and that gave us something to look forward to.

Elsewhere we took the opportunity to look back at Knebworth, with the release of the double vinyl album/CD set in July (which I again went to town with on the artwork; Connoisseur never forgave me for using a fifth day-glo ink on the sleeve!), take a good look at old Deep Purple tour programmes from 1968 to 1991, and feature three pages on the band's first and last UK gigs.

The launch of our own CD label RPM Records was announced; I think our first three titles were out just before Xmas, although the label officially started in early 1992. Needless to say, there were plenty of Purple related ideas for this, although the idea of the label was to delve into all areas of popular music. There was also the feeling that the three of us who started the label were just so fed-up at working for other people's labels, and seeing them balls things up (in particular I'd had a run in with Castle, about to reissue "Private Eyes" and saying 'does it really need new sleeve notes?'). The label is still going, although I am no longer involved with it. Which makes it sound like that's the reason it's still doing well! This, and the onward march of digital technology, had also spurred me on to go back to college to get some experience using Apple Macs computers and Desk Top Publishing software. So issue 42 was the last to be put together using the old Amstrad PCW.

It might be hard to believe it now, but a reprinted article covered the story of Glenn Hughes and Linda Blair getting hitched. This was included as there wasn't any actual news from the man himself, beyond the fact that he had appeared on stage in the UK with Trapeze, and there were signs that his self-imposed exile was about to end. The magazine also had Ian Gillan's infamous sock photograph reproduced across half a page, courtesy of the man himself. If you don't know what we're talking about, well we'll not spoil the surprise except to say he's wearing a sock! I also note that I'd managed to catch Nine Inch Nails live over in Manchester. It was a superb show, but what is really strange is, as I type this, I've just been over again to see them, and astonishing 14 years later... anyway, that's Issue 42 - 28 pages packed full of meaty goodness.!

Tickets for the band's American tour went on sale in mid March, and many were priced quite reasonably - this was in an effort to counteract the general down-turn in the live rock scene which has affected ticket sales across the board there this year. Purple were due to hit the road in Burlington on April 4th, but for some reason the first couple of gigs were put back and the Burlington show took place instead on the 10th. Support for the tour was US outfit Winger and the pace was a little less hectic than previous tours, with quite a few breaks: twenty five shows due to end in Denver on May 18th. Needless to say, some of our US faithful managed to catch the band.

APRIL 15th. Michigan. "Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the show. As much as I disliked 'Slaves', after seeing the band live I think they deserve my full attention. It's not Mk2 but they were still damn good! Ian Paice was superb with a lengthy solo in 'Smoke', the longest solo of the tour he later told me." John Barnes.

Not everyone was so lucky. "I'd given up thoughts of seeing them. My plane was due in at 8.45 and I knew they came on at 9.15 - but the theatre is 45 minutes from the airport, Our plane arrived early so I threw my suitcase to a friend and grabbed a cab, only to arrive at the theatre at 9.10 and find there was no show. Needless to say I was upset at the cancellation as well as the $40 cab fare. The girl at Thames Talent could not or would not give me any explanation, but suggested I call in from time to time to see if the tour was going to be resumed!" Eric Eisenstein. Eric wasn't the only one to miss out. Sometime after the shows at Philadelphia Tower on April 19th and 20th the rest of the tour was simply pulled. As to why they cancelled, well it's hardly the sort of thing the band's press office will be issuing stories about. There is no doubt that sales for some shows were slow, on the other hand in other tons they had to switch to bigger venues to cope with demand for tickets.

Four Japanese shows were anounced at very short notice for June 1991, and all the tickets (for Tokyo at least) went very quickly. The audience however remained unexcited, prompting Jon Lord to come to the mike and tell them to wake up! Originally the band planned to redo some of the US shows, and Vince Chong sent us an advert for a gig at Kingswood, in Toronto, Canada. However this series of Purple shows was cancelled in its entirety.

Instead the band had more time off until late August when they had lined up shows in Brazil; four in Sao Paolo, and three elsewhere. The band flew in early on August 15th, to find press people waiting - sadly not for them but the national women's volleyball team! The first gig was delayed three hours, because the lasers were delayed at customs. The press were fairly merciless in the reviews; they all bemoaned the lack of Gillan. The touring routine began to take on the scope of an alternative world tour as shows in eastern Europe were slotted in. Following Poland and Greece they played two shows in Israel on 28th & 29th September, incuding one in Tel Aviv.

DEEP PURPLE: KNEBWORTH 85. Connoisseur DP VSOP 163 LP/CD/MC

This finally sneaked out on the July 8th 1991 official release date, with advance orders getting on for 30,000 copies. The project turned a little sour when it became clear that we weren't going to be able to get UNDER THE GUN or WOMAN FROM TOKYO on to the set. Windsong & Strange Fruit issue quite a lot of BBC material and they've done some sort of deal to put out Friday Rock Show recordings. Claiming that Deep Purple's Knebworth set was one such presentation, they'd taken the tapes! A situation developed whereby the whole project might have to be scuppered, so we went with what the BBC had left. The BBC records show that WOMAN FROM TOKYO was taped, but we still don't know about UNDER THE GUN (it's largely academic now in any case).

As for packaging, plans for a nice limited vinyl edition in a wallet, with prints, a poster and pass were scotched by the higher ups at Connoisseur. I did want to feature the audience more though, and make it a souvenir for people who were there. I spent so much time and energy on the gatefold (I know it's crazy but somehow they still seem to merit it, maybe 'cos I know each one I do could be the last) that the CD package suffered, The LP back simply wouldn't reduce, so I had to rush an alternative design.

Wind In The Willows - The Concert took place in a marquee at a Freiburg music festival on June 14th and 15th. In concept the piece is very much like the Butterfly Ball - only this time the animals trot into town, check out how bad things are, and trot back. The gig lasted two and a half hours. Jon Lord was the main draw for Deep Purple fans, other luminaries included Graham Bonnet, Don Airey and Ray Fenwick. As it was a set piece, I couldn't see Lordy being able to stretch out much, but it could be I was wrong.

"The second show was filmed by four cameras. The music was very good, especially the first half, Jon seemed to get a solo every othre song, and one together with Don Airey. For this Jon did a bit like Space Truckin', worth the effort of travelling on its own. Don Airey impressed me too, and Ray Fenwick kept the whole thing together. At the end the audience were boiling and we got four encores, though we had to scream for a long time before the last one! They did 'Love Is All', 'Gimme Some Lovin' and two more." Helmut Gerlach. (a recent dvd of the show is reviewed here)

Before setting about recording, Ian debuted his new live band in Russia, arriving in Moscow on June 27th. Just a handful of gigs to warm them up, done as a four piece. Ian, Steve Morris, plus new bassist Brett Bloomfield (from Starship), and drummer Leonard Haze from Y&T. In Augist, Gillan, as they now seem to be calling themselves, played a long standing engagement in Denmark; festivals in Odense on the 10th and Skanderborg the next day.

Rasmus Heide was at the shows - "It was a beautiful day, with the sun shining. Ian loved it but Steve wasn't fond of playing outdoors in the daylight. Out of a set just over an hour long, they only did four old numbers, including 'Maybe I'm A Leo'. While they were a little rough after just one rehearsal they sounded good. The bass player was a real livewire and Steve has grown immensely since the last tour, without keyboards or rhythm guitar he is working really hard and it sounds much better. At the second show Ian sensed the crowd were largely unresponsive, so they opened with 'Smoke On The Water' to get them going. 'Black Night' was also added."

GILLAN. TOOLBOX. East West- : October 14th 1991 : UK LP/CD

Eagerly awaited or at least looked forward to with curiosity by many of you, IAN GILLAN's new album hit the stores just as we were finishing the magazine. I shall be interested to see how people take to it. NAKED THUNDER got a better reaction within the DPAS than I'd expected, and I wonder if I'll be the only one feeling a little unsure about this new one. The unease stems from the feeling that they've concentrated too much on one aspect of Ian's style and in so doing sacrificed much of what it is most of us love about his work; the humour and unpredictability.

Not that they've done a bad job you understand, but it lacks (to my ears) something to lift it or mark it out as more than just another competent rock album. And rock album it certainly is; forget the often commercial edges with which Naked Thunder abounded (and made its lack of success even more disappointing), here Ian and the band just go straight down the line from start to finish. That's not to say he doesn't hit you in places; most of TOOLBOX is great fun (life is indeed a box of rocks!) but few of the tracks keep it up all the way through. For me the opening track CANDY HORIZON is the best of the "straightforward" rock numbers. The tingle factor is supplied by the start of DON'T HOLD ME BACK, you can forgive him anything for the first few moments of this number. It's down to the Beastie Boy/Aerosmith influenced DANCING NYLON SHIRT to provide what is still for me the albums real highlight though. Part 1 is good and when Ian launches into his "come here boy", we're back on real Gillan form. But it's the reprise at the end of the album which takes me off - Ian seems to shrug off any restraints and just lays in to the lyrics. It's imaginative, you can feel the spark and hear the enjoyment. Brilliant.

Glenn Hughes has been on a UK stage at least three times that we know of since last issue. He did a full set of Trapeze material down in London in July, and two guest spots as well. One of these was with Nicko McBrain, Iron Maiden's drummer, who was doing a set with mates at The Standard in Walthamstow. The other was with AOR funsters FM, with whom Glenn did a Stevie Wonder song. That's the good news (and by saying that you know what's coming next don't you?).

We heard early in August that Glenn's album had been dropped by Warner Brothers. This seems to be a culmination of events which have dogged the recording. It was all finished back last year, but when reaction from a few friends was a little critical he began tinkering and redoing bits and it seems Warners aren't prepared to put any more money into it. The upshot of all this is that the album probably won't now come out, although if he gets another deal I could imagine some of the tracks might be reworked. So that just leaves us with one new recording on the film soundtrack to Highlander as mentioned last issue.

VARIOUS ARTISTS. Music From & Inspired By The Film Highlander 2, Bronze 9031 73657 2, Europe 1991, CD

Hughes fans are well advised to look this out - at once. To my mind his track, 'Haunted', is one of the best vocal performances Glenn has ever done, almost whispered in places, and really haunting. The musical backing (by Robin George) is OK but rather cliched, and one would have liked a rather more imaginative job to match the effort Glenn puts in to it. It has chart potential too, in a superior sort of way.