In April 1989 Glenn played his first UK gig in thirteen years, when Trapeze performed a small charity show in Cannock. This was followed by plans to begin work on a solo album.

As ever, things did not pan out as hoped, although the album was completed by November 1990, with help from Robin George, Pat Thrall, Mel Galley and Dave Holland. The recording was dogged by various problems, and when Glenn wanted to re-visit some tracks after initial critical reaction Warner Brothers dropped the project altogether. That was in August 1991. The only track released was 'Haunted', which was included in the soundtrack of the Highlander II movie. Ten rough demos recorded in 1991 with Geoff Downes were eventually released in 1998, while eleven more finished tracks made in tandem with Robin George were (dubiously) released in 2008.

Following this new low, Glenn's career finally got back on track. Trapeze played some UK shows in 1992, with the basic trio joined by Geoff Downes. Glenn also had an unexpected return to the charts when he provided vocals for KLF's acid house hit "America: What Time Is Love?" (released in the UK, February 1992). At the same time the written press carried news that Glenn had overcome his cocaine addiction following treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic.

In 1992 Glenn was involved in the first LA Blues Authority album, a studio project which featured a selection of US rockers such as Richie Kotzen and Kevin duBrow. Glenn contributed "Messin' With The Kid" aided by Pat Thrall, which lead to him singing throughout a follow-up, released in 1993 as Glenn Hughes - Blues (LA Blues Authority Volume 2). It was still more of a session rather than an actual Glenn Hughes solo album, but was welcomed by fans as his comeback release, and was followed by a series of promotional shows which took in Sweden, Russia and Norway.

Through contacts made from his work with John Norum, Glenn based himself in Sweden and used local players from King Siguurd for his new live band and to record his 1994 solo album 'From Now On'. The musicians included John Leven and Mic Michaeli from the recently defunct Europe, and John Norum's drummer Hempo Hilden. In November 1993 the arrival of drummer Ian Haugland increased the ex-Europe quota to three, in time to record Deep Purple's Burn and You Keep On Moving as bonus tracks for the Japanese edition of 'From Now On'. The album was a strong if unspectacular return to the fray, and reached number one in the Japanese album charts. That lead to Glenn's Japanese record company gaining leverage in his musical direction, initially with the appearance of 'Burning Japan Live' album in August 1994, recorded during a short Japanese tour in May.

Haugland and Larsson ended up in Swedish rock band Baltimoore, where Haugland was eventually replaced by Hempo Hilden. Haugland, Leven and Michaeli joined a reformed Europe in 1998. Baltimoore also feature in the Glenn Hughes tree through guitarist Nikolo Kotzev. After leaving the band in 1994 he formed Brazen Abbot, with both Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner singing on his album projects, including the 2001 rock opera 'Nostradamus'.

From here on in, Glenn became one of the most prolific recording artists in the Deep Purple family, making up for lost time with very regular solo albums, sessions, tributes and side projects. Often simultaneously. The initial buzz from 1993-1994 largely dissipated, perhaps partly as a result. A case in point was that when 'From Now On' was released in March 1994, Glenn was busy fulfilling a prior commitment to tour the US with Trapeze.

Just over a year later the follow-up studio album 'Feel' was rushed out in Japan, this time with Deep Purple's 'Holy Man' as a Japanese only bonus track. The album was recorded with old colleagues Pat Thrall and Gary Ferguson, although neither took part in the ensuing tour dates, which surprisingly only included two or three songs from the new album. His band line-up was completely different from 1993-1994, and would continue to remain fluid. Ex Rory Gallagher / Steve Marriott drummer Richard Newman played three European festival dates in July 1995 before being replaced by Glenn Deitsch for the main November 1995 jaunt. Other musicians included Weird Al Yankovic's keyboard player Rubén Valtierra.

For his 1996 album 'Addiction', Glenn once again changed his band personnel. Joakim (JJ) Marsh handled guitar, became the cornerstone of Glenn's live band from then on, and was still gigging with him ten years later (with just a short period off for bad behaviour!).

Glenn's 1995 European tour had proved expensive for him, with a large American / British band and sometimes small audiences. For his 1996 dates he returned to using an all-Swedish band, and indeed that is where many of the dates took place. These were followed by a short trip to Japan in February 1997, which would prove to be his last solo shows there to date. 'Addiction' had been made in a rockier vein to 'Feel' at the suggestion of Japanese label Xero. Three tracks from a show in Tokyo 1997 were added to the US edition of Addiction as bonus tracks.

After a period of frenetic activity, 1997 proved a quieter year for Glenn, and when he toured Argentina in August 1997 it was with a largely American band, including George Nastos (who had played on the 'Feel' tour) and Gary Ferguson (Gary Moore and Hughes Thrall). The commercial promise of 1993-1994 was now gone, with his 1998 German tour receiving very little promotion and attracting small audiences. Glenn adapted accordingly, and the shows mainly consisted of oldies from his Trapeze, Deep Purple and Hughes Thrall days.

The same band helped record Glenn's 1999 solo album "The Way It Is", along with guests including Keith Emerson, and Guns'n' Roses drummer Matt Sorum. It dropped the hard rock edge of 'Addiction' for a more funk / soul feel. Promotion was very low key, with Glenn's solo shows for the year limited to a South American visit in November. Other live projects in 1998-99 included Tommy Bolin tributes and some American shows with Marc Bonilla and Keith Emerson. Both of these extra-curricular activities were recorded and released on live albums.

The band for Glenn's November 1999 South American tour saw the return of JJ Marsh on guitar, with Bob Hansen (drums) and Hans Zermuehlen (keyboards). A European jaunt with MSG in December was cut short, and it would be almost a year before Glenn would appear on stage again.

Glenn's 2000 solo album "Return of Crystal Karma" was recorded in January 2000, using Marsh and Zermuehlen, with Gary Ferguson returning in place of Hansen. The release was not backed by live activity, despite the first 15,000 copies of the album including a bonus disc 'Live In South America', recorded in Sao Paulo 1999. The album returned to a rockier formula than its predecessor. As a further reward to his fans, Glenn launched his own Pink Cloud mail-order only label, which released 'Incense and Peaches' the same year - a collection of 1995-1999 out-takes and demos. A collection of Christmas songs followed towards the end of 2000. Glenn ended the year by reuniting with David Coverdale for a radio performance in LA.

Glenn returned to the stage in October 2000, touring Japan in tandem with Joe Lynn Turner, a pairing which would lead to another project in the near future. Glenn's only solo tour of 2000 was in Europe during November.

The shows were mainly in Germany (supporting UFO), but were rounded of with a showcase gig at the London Astoria 2, Glenn's first UK show in four years. Glenn's touring band featured the players from "Return of Crystal Karma", but were reduced to a three piece. A new solo album titled 'Building The Machine' was recorded in early 2001, with keyboards handled by Vince di Cola. It was released in October (with the Japanese receiving bonus track 'Cosmic Spell'). Glenn's first US solo dates took place in March 2001, with the power trio there completed by George Nastos and Brian Tichy.

Glenn's solo shows in 2001 were limited to a European jaunt in May / June 2001 and two Russian shows in November, accompanied by his regular 'rest of the world' guitarist JJ Marsh, and new drummer Shane Gaalaas (who had met Glenn while playing with MSG in 1999).

Glenn was also involved in various other tours and sessions during the year, including dates with the 'Voices Of Classic Rock', a troupe of musicians mainly drawn from 1970s-80s AOR bands. He was also involved in recording Carl Kennedy's 'The Alchemist'. Glenn's solo band were employed to help record the Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner 'Hughes Turner Project' studio album in 2001 (with Vince di Cola on keyboards). From May 2002 JJ Marsh also took part in the European leg of the HTP tour

As if Glenn's touring schedule was not varied enough, he toured Europe again in 2002 with Uli Jon Roth's Legends Of Rock, and took part in US showcase gigs as part of 'power pop' trio Shape 68 alongside guitarist Jeff Kollman and drummer Robin Dimaggio. In 2003 he played shows with Argentinian band Rata Blanca (later released on DVD), Tommy Bolin tribute gigs, and fitted in a short 'Love & Homecoming' European solo tour with his regular trio, augmented by Lasse Pollack on keyboards. Pink Cloud later released a mail-order only live album 'Freak Flag Flyin' recorded during the British tour.