Definitely Worth The Re-Issue
For those new to Gillan, and yes there may still be some of you out there, particularly as Deep Purple have just finished another UK tour (which feels like 6 tours in 4 years!), some may be looking to take a listen of his back catalogue.
There was a time in British rock history that Ian Gillan was not in Deep Purple. On leaving the Purps in '73 and rejoining in 1984 he set about a solo career as either Ian Gillan Band, Gillan or the delightfully named Garth Rockett & The Moonshiners. With 'Future Shock' we join the band four albums in. This is another CD from the Edsel reissue series of Gillan albums. 'FS' was the first of two Gillan releases in 1981, the other being 'Double Trouble'. This was a Golden period for the NWOBHM, especially for Gillan. Between Oct 79 and Nov 81, Gillan racked up both album and single success. In this two year period, they had 3 albums that hit the Top 20, all within the Top 12. Future Shock went to number 2!!
The band that recorded the excellent 'Glory Road' were still in place.....just!
This is probably the album that most defines Gillan. 'Future Shock' spawned two singles, 'New Orleans' and 'No Laughing in Heaven'. This CD is a collection of the 10 original studio tracks, with another 8 bonus tracks. Also included on this CD are 'Mutually Assured Destruction' and 'Trouble'. Both were released as standalone singles, the former was inspired by Ian's response to the US's nuclear policy at that time. If bands today use the US warmongering tactics as inspiration for singles then we'd have singles blitzing (no pun intended) the charts.
'FS' is a more experimental album than its predecessors, possibly down to the fact that it was the first to be produced by the band. The sound is more stripped and raw. Opener is the title track, and by now is a typical Gillan offering, fast paced and frenetic, with vocals to match. The single 'No Laughing in Heaven' is a real surprise, a merging of rap and rock years before Run-DMC/Aerosmith ever thought of it! 'New Orleans' the other single taken from this album is another cover in the Gillan back catalogue, all of which have proven to be firm favourites with the fans. 'Bite the Bullet' again is a typical signature song, followed by a real surprise of a ballad, (I don't remember Gillan being known for his ballads) 'If I Sing Softly'.
Once again the strength of the songs rise higher than a lot of the competition at the time, this is given further VFM with the inclusion and quality of the bonus tracks. 'M.A.D' is the pick of the songs on this CD, probably THE definitive Gillan song. (I mean the band, not the man himself)
As I mentioned above, changes were afoot. To keep it short and sweet, Virgin offered to fly the band from Germany to appear on TOTP to promote the 'No Laughing...' single. It was on one of their rare days off, and Bernie Torme refused to go. Net result, in comes Janick Gers but he was not allowed to be seen on TV performing another musician's solo.
The booklet includes an intro by Gillan himself together with lyrics and an expansive notes section which fans will enjoy. Also included is a transcript of an original Ian Gillan play called 'Ivan and Reg' which was part of the 'M.A.D.' single. Edsel Records have given these re-issues the love and care they deserve. Truly an essential listen of one of the best exponents of rock in the 80's