Mutually Assured Destruction (Glasgow 1982)

In 1982, Gillan seemed like they were on top of the world. They'd easily survived the forced departure of guitarist Bernie Tormé and the arrival of his replacement, Janick Gers, while their latest album, Magic, their fifth, cast its spell on the U.K. chart, levitating into the Top 20. Inevitably, that set's release was accompanied by a major U.K. tour, which included a show at the Glasgow Apollo in early November. What made that gig special was that it was recorded by Radio Clyde for rebroadcast on DJ Tom Russell's show. The local station, serving the Strathclyde area, cropped the 80-minute concert down to fit into the hour slot, and the results were broadcast on December 2nd, not to be officially heard again until the release of this CD. Kicking off with two numbers from their new album, Gillan then surprised the enthusiastic crowd by knocking out a version of Deep Purple's "Black Night," then launched into a slew of hits and fan faves, before finishing the set with an explosive take on Purple's signature song, "Smoke on the Water." It was a rip-roaring show, as this CD makes evident, and a good thing, too, for the band would not survive out the year. Bar the following night's gig at Edinburgh, the next time Ian Gillan climbed a Scottish stage, five years would have passed, Gillan were gone, and the singer was once again fronting Deep Purple. The Apollo gig inevitably made its way onto bootlegs, with the expected loss of sound quality along the way. Mutually Assured Destruction finally gives it an official release, so fans can experience it in all its glory. The two bonus tracks, incidentally, were also recorded live, but over a year earlier, at a gig in Munich, Germany. The mood is quite different but the sound is still good, and beyond plushing out the set, highlights the bluesier side of the band. A must-have for all fans.