Search - Ian Gillan :: Cherkazoo & Other Stories

The best singer in hard rock

Cerberus | chicago, IL | 09/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One thing peculiar about Ian Gillan is that no two albums he recorded are alike. From the moment he joined Deep Purple in 1969, Gillan was viewed as a screaming machine with the highest possibly pitch... It's his voice you hear on Purple's classic tracks "Black Night", "Woman from Tokyo", "Highway Star" and of course "Smoke on the water". At the same time Gillan starrs in the famous A.L.Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" as Jesus. In 1975 we see a totally different side of Gillan. Now he records a couple of funky jazzy albums with his news band. But it's his 1979 solo record "Mr.Universe" that brings him back the fame. It's interesting to observe how his vocal and style changes from one album to another: listen to "Future shock", 1981, then put on "Born again" (with Black Sabbath). Sounds like two completely different singers.1984 marks the reunion of the legendary Deep Purple and with it Ian steps away from his solo career... but not for long! In 1988 his collaboration with Roger Glover produces another masterpiece "Accidentally on purpose". Again, here we see a new unusual side of Ian Gillan... The screaming machine sings blues, retro and even dives into country music."Cherkazoo and other stories" represents a collection of his theatrical songs. Here I would compare his style with "Genesis" and "ELO". One advice I'd give to new fans: don't judge about Gillan by listening to one or two recordings. Cherkazoo stands in this lineup as another masterpiece from one of the best singers in the rock history"

Whoa, 5 stars is a bit much

curbach@sbcglobal.net | Dallas, TX United States | 03/20/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Hey, I love Gillan, too, but let's not get carried away. This collection is very hit and miss as you might expect for a bunch of outtakes.The first few tracks were supposed to be the soundtrack to an aborted children's show that Gillan and Glover were working on before they joined Deep Purple. The tunes are amusing enough, but hardly essential. "Cherkazoo" is the best of the bunch and it sounds kind of like the Partidge Family ?!?!?!Then things get really weird. The remaining tracks are from the period between Gillan's initial departure from Purple in 1973 and the release of his first Ian Gillan Band album in 1976. Ever wondered what Ian was doing for 3 years (besides trying to manage hotels and motorcycle shops)? He was trying out any musical style he could think of that wasn't hard rock."Music In My Head" is a stab at Beatles style pop. "Driving Me Wild" (all three takes) is also in the pop vein. "Trying To Get To You" and "Ain't That Loving You Baby" represent the 50's rock-n-roll Ian grew up with. "She Called Me Softly" is a jazzy little comedy number. "You Make Me Feel So Good" and "Night and Day" point the way to the jazz fusion of the Ian Gillan Band.I'm skipping a few tracks here, but you get the idea. It's all over the map. Some of it works and some doesn't, but it's mostly interesting. By the way, the hidden 19th track is not really a song. It's just the sound of people goofing around while working on the backing vocals for "Hogwash"."

A Voice Like No Other

Kid Byron | Third Stone From the Sun | 06/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ian Gillan to me has a voice which is unparalleled in rock history. Cherkazoo is a testament to his incredible talent both as a songwriter and a vocalist supreme and the range of material contained within this recording is quite diverse. From the sitting around the campfire folksy sound of the title track to the R & R blast of Ian's terrific cover of the Elvis Presley tune "Trying to Get to You" to the very JC Superstar sounding vocals of "Driving Me Wild" which has 3 different takes included this CD is a sheer delight from beginning to end. Don't expect Deep Purple type music on this CD but if you love just plain great music by a vocalist without peer buy this CD you will be very glad that you did."