Filmed at a time when punk was ruling the world. This particular archive release proves that despite what the music press would have you believe there was a significant amount of people for whom punk meant nothing. At this point in his career Ian Gillan had been out of Deep Purple for about four years.

The Ian Gillan Band was more of a Jazz Rock band than a straight-ahead rock band. This concert was promoting the second IGB album Clear Air Turbulence and so a number of the tracks are from that album. For most Purple or Gillan fans the real draw will be the three Purple songs performed at the end of the set. Child In Time, Smoke On The Water and Woman From Tokyo all have that jazzed up arrangement about them and whilst at first listening it sounds strange to here these songs like this they do bear repeated viewing in this format. In addition to that the audience also seem to like the arrangements. To put this into context you have to remember that at this point Deep Purple had split up and no one was actually playing these songs.

As a bonus IGB guitarist Ray Fenwick is featured in a ten-minute interview relating various incidents surrounding the band and their short moment in rock history.

There is also an audio interview with Ian Gillan recorded in Japan in 1977 and various rare outtakes which are played whilst a slide show of contemporary photos are shown.

As Deep Purple and of course Ian Gillan have a large and staunch market ready and willing to shell out on new and archive releases this DVD will do well and so it should as it captures an interesting moment in time and Ian Gillans career.

***

Review by Jon Kirkman, Rock Ahead

© 2003 All rights reserved.

£17.99

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly