Bev Bevan: Ian Gillan, Black Sabbath and the Times crossword puzzle

GILLAN
Live Triple Trouble
(Edsel)

WHEN I was drumming for Black Sabbath in 1983 and 1984 , the lead singer of the band was Ian Gillan, and we became good friends.

Ian is most famous, though, for fronting Deep Purple, and only a couple of weeks ago they played Birmingham's LG Arena.

However, in the years that Ian was not with Deep Purple, before re-joining them in 1985, he made many solo albums.

This 3-CD set consists of live performances from the early 80s.

Disc one was recorded at London's Rainbow Theatre in April 1981 and features such rockers as Unchain Your Brain, Bite The Bullet and Purple anthem Smoke On The Water.

Disc two features songs from BBC Radio 1 series Friday Rock Show recorded later in '81 and includes No Laughing In Heaven, Vengeance and Born To Kill.

Disc three features Ian and his band headlining the Reading Festival in August 1981.

Exactly two years later he would be doing the same thing alongside Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and myself with Black Sabbath!

My enduring memory of Ian was how he could party until the early hours, yet still be first up in the morning, with no sign of a hangover, greeting us with a cheery "Good morning chaps!"

Then he'd go on to complete the Times crossword!