Mr. Universe (album)

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Mr. Universe

Studio album by Gillan
Released	October 1979
Recorded	Kingsway Recorders, London, UK
Genre	Rock
Length	44:09
Label	Acrobat
Producer(s)	Paul "Chas" Watkins/Ian Gillan/Colin Towns/John McCoy
All Music Guide link
Gillan chronology
Gillan (1978)	Mr. Universe (1979)	Glory Road (1980)
Alternate cover

Cover of the Japanese release

Mr. Universe is an album by British rock band Gillan, released in October 1979. The album reached #11 in the UK album charts.

1 Track listing
2 Japanese version
3 1989 Re-release
4 Personnel
5 Audio files

[edit] Track listing

Side 1

"Second Sight" - (2.33) (Towns)
"Secret Of The Dance" - (2.54) (Gillan/Towns)
"She Tears Me Down" - (5.07) (Towns)
"Roller" - (4.43) (Gillan/Towns)
"Mr Universe" - (6.14) (Gillan/Towns)

Side 2

"Vengeance" - (3.34) (Gillan/Towns)
"Puget Sound" - (4.23) (Gillan/Towns/McCoy/Tormé/Underwood)
"Dead Of Night" - (4.04) (Gillan/Towns)
"Message In A Bottle" - (3.09) (Gillan/Towns)
"Fighting Man" - (7.28) (Towns)*

* Recorded at an earlier session with a different line-up and can be found on the original Japanese version of the album Gillan. Musicians for this track were Ian Gillan, Colin Towns, John McCoy, Steve Byrd (guitar) and Liam Genocky (drums).

[edit] Japanese version

A variant of the album was also released in 1979 in Japan only, on the East World label. The track listing was as follows:

Side 1

"Vengeance" - (3.34) (Gillan/Towns)
"Mr Universe" - (6.14) (Gillan/Towns)
"She Tears Me Down" - (5.08) (Towns)
"Your Sister's On My List" - (4.09) (Gillan/Towns)***

Side 2

"Street Theatre" - (2.42) (Towns)*
"Roller" - (4.37) (Gillan/Towns)
"Puget Sound" - (4.26) (Gillan/Towns/McCoy/Tormé/Underwood)
"Move With The Times" - (5.00) (Gillan/Towns/McCoy)*
"Sleeping On The Job" - (3.34) (Gillan/Towns)**

Total running time 39.24

* These appear on the 1993 re-release version of Gillan
** This version has not yet been released on CD
***Used as a B-side to the UK Trouble single and appears on the Future Shock CD as a bonus track

[edit] 1989 Re-release

In 1989 the album was re-released in CD format on the Virgin label. The revised track listing was as follows:

"Second Sight" - (2.33) (Towns)
"Secret Of The Dance" - (2.54) (Gillan/Towns)
"She Tears Me Down" (5.08) (Towns)
"Roller" - (4.43) (Gillan/Towns)
"Mr Universe" - (6.14) (Gillan/Towns)
"Vengeance" - (3.34) (Gillan/Towns)
"Puget Sound" - (4.23) (Gillan/Towns/McCoy/Tormé/Underwood)
"Dead Of Night" (4.04) (Gillan/Towns)
"Message In A Bottle" - (3.09) (Gillan/Towns)
"Fighting Man" - (7.28) (Towns)*
"On The Rocks" (live) - (6.38) (Gillan/Towns)**
"Bite The Bullet" (live) - (5.38) (Gillan/Towns)**
"Mr Universe" (live) - (7.20) (Gillan/Towns)***
"Vengeance" (live) - (4.42) (Gillan/Towns)***
"Smoke On The Water" (live) - (10.10) (Blackmore/Gillan/Glover/Lord/Paice)***
"Lucille" (live) - (2.32) (Penniman/Collins)****

Total running time 80.02

* Recorded at an earlier session with a different line-up and can be found on the original Japanese version of the Gillan album. Musicians were Ian Gillan, Colin Towns, John McCoy, Steve Byrd (guitar) and Liam Genocky (drums)

** Recorded at the Reading Festival 29th August 1981

*** Recorded at the Reading Festival 22nd August 1980

**** Previously unreleased

This version of the album was produced by Ian Gillan and Paul "Chas" Watkins, and mixed by John McCoy and Watkins.

[edit] Personnel

Ian Gillan - vocals
Colin Towns - keyboards/flute
John McCoy - bass guitar
Bernie Tormé - guitar
Mick Underwood - drums/percussion

[edit] Audio files

"Secret Of The Dance" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- This sample from the album clearly demonstrates the band's dramatic departure from the jazz-rock fusion sound of the Ian Gillan Band— 500 KB
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.