I'm beyond gutted and distracted to learn of Bernie Torme's passing,
almost weeping... I never met him or had seen him live but I always
loved playing and his attitude of this punky
"being-myself-whatever-the-fokk-I-choose". He never got the credit he
deserved for his talent; Gillan stint was his highest shoot to the
stardom and to this day it's one of my favourite areas of the Purple
Tree. Still, it's not that Gillan was a smart-arse who reinvented
himself to join his own raised kids in NWOBHM wave. It was Bernie, John
Mc Coy and Colin Towns that got him there. And they really did some epic
stuff together. "Mr Universe" alone, phew, most of it was composed
before Bernie joined, but what a record it is. The tracks which he
co-wrote - the title one (that became his tour de force live) and
"Roller" are kick-in-the-balls high octane reapers. And the albums that
followed ("Glory Road" and "Future Shock") are so much more diverse in
musical taste ("On The Rocks" will remain my Top 5 favourite track of
life until I myself call it a day, and "If You Believe Me" - now talk
about Irish punk playing some gutsy blues in your face, come on!). Stint
with Ozzy - insane. Decades in which not much big happened later on -
sad. Still, he stuck o his guns and played what he wanted.
Hell, I
feel lost. There was no good news from his camp for weeks so it seems
it's been looming... still, what a bummer. I will cherish that one
e-mail I got from him when he appeared to put his legacy in digital on
Bandcamp, saving his fans from paying copious amounts of money for his
long deleted solo alums never released on CD. I said to him that one of
my favourite things he did was a record put out in 2000 - Gary Barden
had then a project called Silver. Album was "Dream Machines" and
featured (along Gary and Bernie) Don Airey on keys and Marco Minneman on
drums (Doro Pesch had her hand in backing vocals too). Amazing rock
album, where Bernie's full tilt mode shines... He was happy to learn my
attitude and said that he wouldn't mind colaborating with Colin Towns
again... He was real, he noticed those who liked his work.
I will
miss these yelling notes that were his trademark sign built into his
phrasing. His tone was one of a kind and instantly recognizable, though
in a wider picture he'll remain one of the greatest guitar heroes
completely unsung to the world.
Salute, Bernie; I miss you like hell already.
Gillan, Mr Universe - live Oxford Polytechnic, 18th Feb 1981
https://youtu.be/jI-po_zD1gs
Gillan, No Easy Way (starts at 0:57) - live Oxford Polytechnic, 18th Feb 1981. Mesmerising duel between Torme and Towns in the end. This was a hell of a live band, I always loved them.
https://youtu.be/sHgUsMXOHH4
Gillan - The BBC Tapes Vol 2 : Unchain Your Brain(1980)
https://youtu.be/7PSuZPQFo5Y
The best existing live release of Gillan with Bernie on guitar, full stop.
And "On The Rocks" - forever and ever the beast... The NWOBHM that went genius straight into progressive rock.
https://youtu.be/BvttENLjb28
Two days before Randy's anniversary... So sad. Sty safe, Bernard!
