Ian Gillan Vance's radio show. The reformed band rehearsed in Stowe, Vermont, and recorded the album "Perfect Strangers", followed by a highly successful world tour. Another studio album with this formation, "The House of Blue Light", followed in 1987, but Gillan was concerned with the final results, stating "There's something missing in the overall album. I can't feel the spirit of the band." This was followed by the live album "Nobody's Perfect" in 1988. The live album also featured a studio re-recording of the 1968 hit "Hush" with Gillan on vocals, to commemorate Deep Purple's 20th anniversary. (The original 1968 release had
Ian Gillan and Barnacle were quickly replaced by Bernie Tormé and by former Episode Six bandmate Mick Underwood, after Gillan saw Torme playing with his punk trio. This band had a more high-powered hard rock sound, and the release of "Mr. Universe" in October 1979 saw Ian Gillan back in the UK charts, although the independent record company the album came out on – Acrobat Records – folded soon after the album was released, prompting a contract with Richard Branson's Virgin Records. In Christmas 1979, Gillan was visited by Blackmore, who offered him the position of lead vocalist in Rainbow. Gillan declined