Come Taste the Band Purple in 1984. When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1975, there was uncertainty over whether the band would continue, as they did when Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left in 1973. It was David Coverdale who asked Jon Lord to keep the band together, and Coverdale was also a major factor in recruiting Tommy Bolin to take the guitar slot after hearing Bolin's work on the Billy Cobham solo album "Spectrum". Rehearsals for the album were recorded by Robert Simon, who was originally engineering the album. But after a dispute with the band over scheduling, the band left Simon's
Gillan (band) time and the group gained popularity in Europe. In 1980 Gillan reached the peak of their success, releasing the album "Glory Road", with initial copies containing the free album "For Gillan Fans Only". However, the band remained unknown in North America and were unable to raise any interest there despite a long and difficult 1980 tour there. By 1981 the band members had become disgruntled that their European and Japanese success was not translating into increased financial rewards, and after the "Future Shock" album, whilst on tour in Germany, Torme left just before the band were due to fly back