Ace, will you kindly stop helping me spend money!!!
..............ordered!
Sometimes you have to be radical when it comes to the bank manager!
I'd agree, but she's sat here with me!
Ordered! Along with All Day and All of the Night from good old ebay.
Now have to work out if they're early birthday pressies or late xmas!
It's arrived!!! Gobsmacked at the footage. Everything was done so WELL!
Still waiting for mine :-(
Mine came Monday morning as well, expect a review later today
Still waiting for mine :-(
The Glory Years review
The Rock Goes to College footage is finally released and worth the 27 years wait to see the classic Gillan line-up firing on all cylinders. Previously, only Mr Universe and New Orleans were available on You Tube, but now the viewer has the whole concert and here is my review on both the live footage and bonus material. The cover has as expected a shot of Ian singing, but the reverse has the group shot and total running time is 60 minutes
Oxford Polytechnic Feb 18th 1981
Second Sight is in full flow with the extended intro of Unchain your Brain is let loose, at this stage, only stills of the band are shown with a personnel list of who does what, like we don’t already know!
The band is shown ready to play to a rowdy up-for-it crowd, many sporting long hair, which is just how I remember it back in the day.
John McCoy has half his head shaved and looks particularly menacing at the camera several times and bounces up and down a lot. Bernie is on fire with his white stratocaster and his lightning bolt etched on his cheek.
Unchain your Brain is received very well and a compere comes on stage looking decidedly dodgy as a bearded Roger Waters look-a-like and introduces the band to the audience. Mr Universe is played and this is the same clip I posted last year from You Tube, but this quality and sound is far superior. We have Round 1 of Colin Towns and Bernie duelling with their respective instruments through Mr Universe, which is mesmerising.
After this song, Colin has a spotlight on him and shows why he is held in such high esteem by this individual as he plays the intro of Abbey of Thelema before playing a few bars of Gershwin and then some honky-tonk piano to the intro of No Easy Way. McCoy encourages the eager crowd as we get a rousing version from the band. Bernie plays slide on this and we get Towns v Torme Round 2 which has Ian join in on those blasted bongos and throws the rhythm out completely…….luckily, Mick Underwood is on hand to take over and show just how drums should be played and we get a decent drum solo keeping a strict rhythm and perfect timing. Mick taps the hi-hat intro to Trouble and the crowd know this one and go berserk which fires up the band a few more notches delivering a scorching version with Bernie particularly getting a second wind as he attacks his fretboard and no doubt leaving Ian Gillan wondering a few months later how MAD he was to let him go!! On the subject of MAD, that’s what’s up next as Ian fluffs his lines with the introduction but he laughs it off and says ‘cheers’ for what seems to be the umpteenth time! Again, value for money and those lucky students lap it up. Colin Towns has another stab at an intro, and we get On The Rocks, albeit a shortened introduction sans the church organ, but this performance is as every bit as good as I remembered them play it in 1980. McCoy demonstrates head banging on a par with the seasoned fans.
Time for a short breather as Big John dons the legendary Dulux jacket as Bernie fires the whammy bar intro to Vengeance, which is a crowd favourite with the students. Encore of New Orleans with some Spinal Tap moments. When I saw Gillan on the Glory Road Tour, Bernie switched his guitar at a very subtle moment and we all thought he had trashed the strat he’d been playing all night……….tonight however, his roadie simply hands the soon-to-be demolished guitar to him in front of his Marshall amps, its so blatantly obvious. Bernie does the right thing and proceeds to smash the cheap Chinese model up and shows some fancy footwork kicking the mortally wounded instrument about the stage and it dies a death as it’s kicked over the pit. Bernie in his euphoric state of a great gig coupled with the climax of a smashed guitar walks around in a daze and straight into his amps!! Now, I stubbed my toe on an amp once, hurt like Hell, but never face first!! Ouch!! But its not over, some security member tosses the guitar back on stage for either it be played more (as if) or for Bernie to have another go at bashing it up. No chance, the band have left the stage.
Overall, a great gig from a fantastic concept that should get re-introduced. Good clear sound and decent camera work not dwelling on the just singer as is sometimes the case.
After all that, time for a beer and it’s the video vaults next, and what a treat we have!! First off is Vengeance from a German TV show, this is the same version that appeared on the Angel Air release of Edinburgh 1980 DVD released last year. However, this is a clearer and crisper picture, and it pains me to say that as I know John McCoy and all at Angel Air are so damned committed to the job in hand.
Sleeping on the Job promotion is next, again, this is the version that I posted from You Tube last year and was also included on the Angel Air release. Again, this version is so clear and crisp and doesn’t suffer with the static line running through it as the previous versions had.
All those Top of the Pops memories come flooding back as we get four clips. First is the hairy Cornflake, Dave Lee Travis introducing Trouble with Ian miming out of synch. Bernie plays a Red and Black strat on this one. New Orleans is next up with the band dressed from the Future shock era, with Bernie sporting an eye patch and his bullet belts, McCoy has his beard in plaits and for some reason, the set up is the opposite as when they played normally, hence, Torme and Towns on opposite sides as normal. Simon Bates introduces what is now an iconic performance of No Laughing in Heaven as this was the version played immediately after Bernie quit. McCoy plays a double neck and the band do look ill at ease with the proceedings, all except of course, you know who! Mick Underwood must have been watching a spaghetti western on the way back from Germany to record this, as he’s wearing a poncho and cowboy hat. Hmmmm.
Finally, we get what I think was Bernies last visual recording with Ian Gillan with M.A.D. Again, the attire of Future Shock is donned by band members with John McCoy wearing his flying helmet in this song.
Whilst the Top of the Pops songs are great to watch, what I feel spoils them is Ian Gillans poor delivery of the mimed vocals. They are out of synch and he looks like he’s bored and going through the motions. The band however look fantastic, and I’d like to know if they did play their instruments live as I cannot see them looking like they were miming or playing air-guitar stuff, albeit WITH an instrument.
Overall, a great inclusion to have in a collection and showing why Gillan were such a musical force when the ‘classic’ line up were at play. My only criticism is the inner sleeve notes that were obviously written by someone within the Ian Gillan camp as opposed to a fan of the band, who re-iterates Ian Gillans version that Bernie was sacked for refusing to travel to record the Top of the Pops slot. I wasn’t happy with that bit at all, left a nasty taste after the previous one hour of fantastic viewing. Still, we all know the REAL truth!!
Thanks Phil, as stressed, just a fans opinion. It was well worth watching again today as well