Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I just had a look at the new DVD, Ian Gillan: Highway Star - A Journey in Rock celebrating Ian's 40 years in the music business. I must say that the DVD is brilliant! This is an excellent and very personal look at the man, his music, his successes, and his failures. The story is told though very open and sometimes uncomfortably-honest interviews with Ian himself, of course, but also Ian's mum, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Don Airey, Steve Morse, Joe Satriani, Steve Morris, Tony Iommi, Ronnie Dio, Luciano Pavarotti, Colin Towns, Joe Elliot, "Funky" Claude Nobs, the beautiful and elegant Bron Gillan, and the late George Best.
The DVD is a thorough and detailed look at Ian's career from his first bands, which he fronted as Jess Thunder and Garth Rockett, on through Episode Six, Deep Purple, and his solo efforts. There is some amazing footage from all phases, including some great photos and rare footage that I have never seen before. There is even some footage from Ian's own private collection, never before seen, that is offered here. Some of the footage here includes television performances with Episode Six, great footage from Deep Purple's Bananas and Rapture tours, footage of the original Ian Gillan Band, and parts of a local news documentary showing rehearsals for the Gillan album Magic, showing the band tearing through a version of Lucille. Fans will be exceptionally pleased.
The interviews with former and current band members are particularly enlightening. Ian himself comes across as a very grounded, very down-to-earth, and open type of person. Of course, this will not really come as a surprise to those of us who know him. But the interviews with Roger, Paicey, and Jon offer a lot of insight into the infamous feud between Ritchie Blackmore and Ian. For those who might think that this perspective is skewed to make Ian look innocent and blameless, you would be wrong. They are very honest and open about how things went down. There is also some very enlightening hindsight offered about the Joe Lynn Turner version of the band. Joe Satch offers some great insight into the dynamics of the band as Purple were dealing with the loss of Ritchie and striving to prove that the band could exist without him. Then Steve Morse and Don Airey offer their own insight about coming into a band with such a history as Purple has and how the band's dynamic has assimilated their own styles and personalities.
There is also the discussion of the dissolution of the Gillan band. Again, this offers not only Ian's perspective on this important and uncomfortable part of his career, but also offers Gillan keyboardist Colin Towns' perspective on the matter. Of course, Colin's opinion is quite different, which has been aired and shared in the press by himself and John McCoy with no small amount of bitterness.
Of course, no documentary on Ian's career would be complete without some examination of his time in Black Sabbath. Many anecdotes about the rehearsals and recording of Born Again as well as the tour that followed are related by Gillan, his lovely wife Bron, and the inimitable Tony Iommi. I laughed so hard during this section of the documentary that I had tears in my eyes! The antics that Sabbath got up to out-Tapped Spinal Tap! And watching Tony relate the most mind-bendingly absurdities in his own quiet, soft-spoken manner made it even funnier.
The second disc is called End of Tour Blues - On the Road with Deep Purple. This disc offers lots of backstage footage showing the band arriving, setting up, and preparing for concerts in various locales. It provides a nice contrast to how Ian, as the singer, prepares for the gig as opposed to the other lads. It's also nice to have Ian himself guiding through his day as he prepares for the show, finding out how to get to the stage, taking in the ambiance and spirit of the arena, and quietly meditating to mentally and spiritually prepare for the performance. This disc includes lots of pro-shot onstage performances, offering several for each of five or six different venues including Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Cardiff among others.
In all, I can say that this is one of the best rock documentaries I have seen and I whole-heartedly recommend it to all fans of Deep Purple and of Ian Gillan. I understand the same production company is giving Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson the same treatment, and with this DVD as an indication, it should be great as well. The lighting, editing, and creative shot blocking is some of the best I've seen, the clarity of the picture is superb, and the interviewers certainly know which questions to ask. The DVD itself is a great bargain for the money, clocking in at a monstrous six-plus hours of material. And throughout it all, Ian's love of rock and roll and for Deep Purple shines through like a bright, enthusiastic, and unfailing beacon of light! This is a must-have!!!
Feb, 2007
Brent Soileau
Deep Purple Hub
[...]
Click Here to see more reviews about: Ian Gillan: Highway Star - A Life in Rock
Get 9% OFF
Click here for more information about Ian Gillan: Highway Star - A Life in Rock
0 comments:
Post a Comment