Listen Again: Ian Gillan Special
Part One [listen again]
Dixie Dregs: Take it Off the Top
Ian reveals how easy it was to choose Steve Morse as Purple's new "banjo player" when Ritchie Blackmore quit.
The Rolling Stones: Come On
Ian explains why the harmonica became so popular, what first impressed him about Mick Jagger, and how the Stones helped Ian's first band, the Javelins, get a residency.
Black Sabbath: Trashed
Ian tells how he didn't know he'd agreed to join Sabbath – and why a car crash inspired this song from Born Again, the one album he did with the band.
Ray Charles: I Got A Woman
When he's worried about getting older, Ian remembers Ray Charles did his best work in his later years.
Dusty Springfield: I Only Want to Be With You
When Ian and Roger Glover played together in Episode Six they thought they were well-paid... but the cheque on Roger's wall shows it wasn't true. Ian talks about his first tour and what Dusty's voice does for him.
Aerosmith: Love in an Elevator
Because, as Ian says, you can't have a two-hour special without some Aerosmith...
Part Two [listen again]
AC/DC: Girls Got Rhythm
See Aerosmith!
Elvis Presley: Trouble
Even opera singers admire the young Elvis' work – his voice has some amazing characteristics.
Brooke Benton: Kiddio
Benton's song shares something with the previous track, and the next one...
Ian Gillan: One Eye to Morocco
The title track from Ian's new album. He tells the story and outlines why he thinks the style on the album is perfect for it.
Ronnie James Dio & Roger Glover: Love is All
Glover saved Ian's musical career with an event related to this track. And Ritchie Blackmore lent a hand too, even if he didn't know it.
Part Three [listen again]
Cliff Bennett: One Way Love
A track which reminds Ian of the days when he was learning to sing professionally.
Jimi Hendrix: The Wind Cries Mary
Ian wasn't there the night Hendrix set fire to his guitar in London. He was outside, unable to get in...
Lonnie Donegan: Ain't No More Cane on the Brazos
Before Lonnie began churning out "commercial crap", as Ian puts it, he was revered as an expert in American folk music, which Ian has always found inspirational.
Edgar Winter: Tobacco Road
Continuing the folk theme, Ian discusses the importance of songs like Tobacco Road, their relevance as pieces of oral history and the value of the "field lament".
Nazareth: Love Hurts
Ian talks about Purplemania in Scotland and how Steve Morse cranks it up when he plays this song.
Part Four [listen again]
The Small Faces: Itchycoo Park
Ian remembers his admiration for the Faces and love of pirate radio.
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bad Moon Rising
Business versus music and CCR singer John Fogerty as a victim
Solomon Biurke: Down in the Valley
Ian recalls omantic nights with wine, girlfriend and soulful blues...
The Beatles: Love Me Do
Many things about the Fab Four inspired Ian; but one more than most, and it drives him on to this day.
Deep Purple: Razzle Dazzle
This track helps define how the band changed wit Steve Morse's arrival, and helped point to the future.
Ian Gillan: No Lotion for That
Ian ends with another track from One Eye to Morocco, which is based on the classic theme of "A woman you can't get off your back."
