Gillan: Magic (Virgin) **

THE INTENTION of the artwork on the cover of the latest Gillan opus seems to be an evocation of something merging images of David Nixon, "authentic'' Cabbalism and a style of drawing ripped from early Rupert The Bear annuals. But it's all wrong: the set-up of equipment on the front suggests alchemy, the changing of base metals into gold; the failure of the sleeve to get it right is very appropriate, for on vinyl Gillan also hopes in his attempts to transmute heavy metal into platinum potential. And how!