Gillan (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Ian Gillan |
| Defunct | 1982 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Gillan was a British rock ensemble established in 1978 by Ian Gillan, the former lead singer of Deep Purple. The group enjoyed considerable commercial acclaim in the United Kingdom from the late 1970s through the early 1980s, producing five albums that reached the top 20 and six singles that entered the top 40 charts. The band dissolved in late 1982 when Gillan accepted a position with Black Sabbath, prior to his reunion with Deep Purple in 1984.
1978: Formation
In July 1978, Ian Gillan disbanded his earlier project, the Ian Gillan Band, retaining only keyboardist Colin Towns for his new venture, Gillan. He brought on board guitarist Steve Byrd, drummer Liam Genockey, and bassist John McCoy. Initially adopting a progressive rock approach, they released their debut album titled Gillan in September 1978, which secured record deals exclusively in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. This album was reissued on CD in 1994 by RPM Records under the name The Japanese Album, featuring some altered tracks. Shortly after recording and their live debut at the 1978 Reading Festival, Genockey departed and was replaced by Pete Barnacle for the subsequent tour.
During Christmas of 1978, Ian Gillan turned down an invitation to join Rainbow but invited Ritchie Blackmore as a guest at their holiday concert—marking their first collaboration since 1973.
1979–1981: The glory era
The initial album’s moderate success led to a European contract with Acrobat Records in 1979. Before commencing work on a new record, guitarist Byrd was succeeded by Bernie Tormé and drummer Barnacle replaced by Mick Underwood, who had previously worked with Ian Gillan in Episode Six. Tormé’s aggressive guitar style steered the band toward a heavier metal sound. Their first release with this lineup, Mr. Universe, incorporated revised tracks from The Japanese Album and charted in the UK; however, Acrobat Records’ bankruptcy hindered its momentum, prompting a multi-album agreement with Virgin Records.
In Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, an alternate version of Mr. Universe featuring a distinct tracklist avoided duplication of earlier Gillan material; several of these songs were included on the Japanese Album. Taking advantage of the rising NWOBHM movement, the band expanded their fanbase throughout Europe.
The group reached its peak in 1980 with the release of Glory Road, which was initially issued alongside a complimentary album titled For Gillan Fans Only. Despite extensive touring efforts, they were unable to penetrate the North America market.
By 1981, frustration mounted due to limited financial rewards despite their success in Europe and Japan. Following the release of Future Shock, Tormé departed during a tour in Germany shortly before the band appeared on the UK program Top of the Pops.
1982: Struggles and final shows
Janick Gers, formerly of White Spirit and later associated with Iron Maiden, replaced Tormé. This formation issued the live/studio double album Double Trouble at the end of 1981, followed by their final studio effort Magic in August 1982. Financial disputes intensified during this period, and Ian Gillan underwent surgery for vocal cord issues. The concluding concert took place at Wembley Arena on 17 December after which Gillan disbanded the group to focus on recovery and accepted an offer to join Black Sabbath, causing enduring resentment among members—most notably John McCoy.
McCoy later compiled collections of unreleased studio material under the title The Gillan Tapes. Bernie Tormé and McCoy collaborated on the GMT project, releasing two albums in 2006 and 2009 respectively. Tormé passed away in 2019, followed by Underwood in 2024.
Band lineup
- Ian Gillan – lead vocals (1978–1982)
- John McCoy – bass guitar (1978–1982)
- Colin Towns – keyboards (1978–1982)
- Steve Byrd – guitar (1978–1979; deceased 2016)
- Liam Genockey – drummer (1978)
- Pete Barnacle – drums (1978–1979)
- Mick Underwood – drums (1979–1982; deceased 2024)
- Bernie Tormé – guitar (1979–1981; deceased 2019)
- Janick Gers – guitar (1981–1982)
Ian Gillan Band/Gillan chronology
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Studio albums
| Year | Title | Album information | Highest chart rankings | Certifications (sales criteria) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | SWE | |||||||||
| 1978 | Gillan (also known as The Japanese Album) | Released: September 1978 Label: East World |
— | — | — | ||||||
| 1979 | Mr. Universe | Released: October 1979 Label: Acrobat |
11 | — | — | ||||||
| 1980 | Glory Road | Released: August 1980 Label: Virgin |
3 | — | — |
| |||||
| 1981 | Future Shock | Released: April 1981 Label: Virgin |
2 | 64 | 45 |
| |||||
| Double Trouble | Released: October 1981 Label: Virgin |
12 | — | — | |||||||
| 1982 | Magic | Released: September 1982 Label: Virgin |
17 | — | — | ||||||
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts. | |||||||||||
- Remastered versions of all Gillan albums from 1979 to 1982, except for The Japanese Album, were issued in 2007 featuring additional tracks.
Live albums
- Live at Reading '80 (1990), Raw Fruit
- The BBC Tapes Vol 1: Dead of Night 1979 (1998), RPM
- The BBC Tapes Vol 2: Unchain Your Brain 1980 (1998), RPM
- Live At The BBC - 79/80 (1999), Angel Air
- Live Tokyo Shinjuku Koseinenkin Hall (2001), Angel Air
- On The Rocks Live in Germany, June 1981 (2002), Angel Air
- Live Wembley 17 December 1982 (2002), Angel Air
- Mutually Assured Destruction Glasgow 1982 (2006), Angel Air
- Live At The Marquee 1978 (2008), Angel Air
- No Easy Way CD: Live Hammersmith 1980, DVD: Live Edinburgh 1980 (2008), Angel Air
- Triple Trouble (2009) (Recorded live during 1981/1982), Edsel
Compilation albums
- Trouble - The Best of Gillan (1991), Virgin
- The Gillan Tapes Vol. 1 (1997), Angel Air
- The Gillan Tapes Vol. 2 (1999), Angel Air
- The Gillan Tapes Vol. 3 (2000), Angel Air
- Unchain Your Brain: The Best Of Gillan (2007), Music Club
- The Gillan Singles Box Set (2007), Edsel
- The Vinyl Collection 1979-1982 (2016)
DVDs
- Live Edinburgh 1980 (2006), Angel Air
- The Glory Years (2008) (Live recording from 1981), Eagle Rock
Singles
| Year | Title | Highest chart positions | From album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| 1979 | "Vengeance" | — |
| 55 | rowspan="2" |Glory Road | ||||||||
| — |- | "Trouble" |14 |Non-album single |- | 32 | rowspan="4" |1981 |- | "New Orleans" |17 | rowspan="2" |Future Shock |- | 31 |- | 36 | rowspan="2" |Double Trouble |- | 25 | rowspan=3 |1982 |- | 50 | rowspan=2 |Magic |- | — |- |
| "—" indicates singles that failed to chart. |
|---|