Sun Red Sun
Sun Red Sun


Tracks:

1. I Know A Place
2. Hard Life
3. Outrageous
4. Lock Me Up
5. Final Curtain
6. Responsible
7. Deadly Nightshade
8. Big Misunderstanding
9. Intoxication
10. How Do You Like Those? (Four King Bananas Missus)
11. Outrageous (Alternative Version)

Line up:

Ray Gillen - lead vocals on 1-4, 11
Al Romano - lead & rhythm guitar; bass on 6-9; lead vocal on 7, 8
Mike Starr - bass on 2, 4-6
Bobby Rondinelli - drums on 2, 4-10
John McCoy - bass on 1, 3, 10, 11; guitar on 1, 3, 11
John West - lead vocals on 6, 9
Chris Caffery - guest guitar solo on 6
Mike Sciotto - drums on 1, 3

Record Label / Year of Release:

Sun Red Sun Records 1995

Notes:

Raymond A. "Ray" Gillen (May 12, 1959 – December 1, 1993) was an American rock singer, best known for his work with Badlands, in addition to his stint with Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s and recording most of the vocals on Phenomena's classic Dreamrunner album.

Gillen was born on May 12, 1959 in New York, but was raised in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. He was an only child and started singing while in high school. He played the New Jersey club circuit with various bands, most notably Vendetta and Harlette. In 1985, he joined Bobby Rondinelli's band, Rondinelli.

In 1986, Black Sabbath started touring for the Seventh Star album when after only a few shows, singer Glenn Hughes got into a fist-fight and lost his voice due to the related sinus and throat injuries. Gillen was offered the job to replace Hughes, which meant leaving Rondinelli to accept the offer.

During the time of the Seventh Star tour, Gillen was asked by project director and co-producer Wilfried F. Rimensberger to join Mel Galley's Phenomena for the recording of the album Dream Runner, which features vocals from Glenn Hughes, John Wetton and Max Bacon. He recorded 4 tracks and the album became a classic because it unites some of the greatest rock voices of the 80's on one album. Ray is also featured in Phenomena's 'Did it all for Love' music video although he was not involved in the actual recording of that song.

After the Phenomena recordings, Ray Gillen joined John Sykes' (previously with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and a different band called Badlands) new band Blue Murder. Gillen sang demos but parted company when Sykes decided to handle vocals himself.

Gillen then contacted Jake E. Lee to form a band. In 1988 Gillen started to form Badlands with Jake E. Lee (former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist) and recruited his friend Eric Singer with whom he had played in Black Sabbath. Ray recorded three albums (Badlands, Voodoo Highway, and Dusk) with Badlands and toured from 1989 until 1992. In 1993 Rimensberger was planning a remake of his first Metalhammer Loreley Festival but this time specifically to stage Phenomena's first ever life performance, with Ray Gillen on vocals. It was going to be the launch event for a series of concerts across Europe in 1994. Ray called from New York and told Rimensberger in Munich that he can't as he was too ill to perform.

Gillen went to New York City to form the band Sun Red Sun with old friends, but he died from an AIDS related disease in a New York Hospital on December 1, 1993.

Re-release by Angel Air Records in 1998.