Hold tight
Another Friday, another (yep, you’ve guessed it) classic Gillan video clip. This time it’s On the Rocks off the Rock Goes to College from February 23, 1981. Continue Reading »
Another Friday, another (yep, you’ve guessed it) classic Gillan video clip. This time it’s On the Rocks off the Rock Goes to College from February 23, 1981. Continue Reading »
And another contribution to our quickly growing better-late-than-never section. British newspaper The Sun had an interview with Ian Gillan published in July 2024, around the time =1 was released. Our regulars, particularly those who’ve been around the block once or twice, aren’t very likely to learn anything new from there. Curiously, the article is illustrated by a video clip (among other things) of Mark 4 Paice/Ashton/Lord jamming in the studio with Martin Birch at the soundboard helm. Worth checking out.
Thanks to David Black for the heads-up; to Nigel Young, Drew Thomposn, and Uwe Hornung for the correction.
A couple of trainspotting items of marginal interest, probably not warranting their separate posts.
In a recent interview, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull talked about guitarists who played “nicely” – Hank Marvin, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Ritchie Blackmore — “Precise, accurate, they sang melodies.” This bit starts at 3’20” and wraps up at 5’40” into the conversation.
On other news, Japanese manufacturer of bathroom fixtures Kakudai has released their 2025-2026 catalogue with a cover art that is a remake of the Burn artwork.
It is not the first time this company uses a classic album cover as inspiration for their catalogues.
Thanks to Nigel Young on both counts.
Another new(ish) release courtesy of letters to our better-late-than-never department. A Warhorse live album was quietly released some time in January 2025 via SingSong Music (a company founded by George Harrison himself). It is a recording of their one-off reunion gig from 2001.
A founding member of Deep Purple, British music veteran Nick Simper left after recording on the band’s first three albums to form hard rock act, Warhorse.
Along with Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath and Juicy Lucy, Warhorse settled quickly into the ranks of embryonic cult record label, Vertigo.
Initially counting Rick Wakeman in its ranks, the line-up settled down with Simper (bass), Ged Peck (guitar), Ashley Holt (vocals), Mac Poole (drums) with Frank Wilson replacing Wakeman on keyboards.
Warhorse’s 1970 self-titled debut was well-received and the band became a popular attraction on the live circuit. A return to the studio in 1972 for ‘Red Sea’ with Pete Parks replacing Peck showed musical development and assured direction.
While a bolt from the blue came with the band’s sudden dissolution, the line-up reunited for one night in January 2001 at Woods Club in Borehamwood near London to play a memorable note-perfect set that reached back to the glory days of three decades prior.
Recorded for posterity by BBC producer Tony Wood, the tapes have languished until now and their first ever release in “Live At Woods”.
Warhorse’s albums, copies of original LPs selling for vast sums on the collector market today, have never been out circulation.
“Live At Woods” serves to complement them admirably, reviving some of the band’s favourite compositions in an incendiary set that measures Warhorse’s reputation as a devastating live act – at full gallop!
Apparently there is no physical media on offer so far (although Nick Simper’s website is hopeful for a CD release “out soon”). The album is available for streaming and download only via this link. Physical aficionados will have to burn a CD themselves or wait for “out soon” to materialize.
Thanks to Arch for the sharp eyes.
Our better-late-than-never department presents you with the self-titled album of the studio project called Sign of the Wolf, released earlier this year. The project lists several members of the extended Purple family in their ranks: Doug Aldrich and Steve Morris on guitars, Tony Carey on keyboards, and Vinny Appice on drums. The lineup also includes Andrew Freeman (Last in Line) singing, Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed/Eclipse) on guitar, Josh Devine (One Direction/Lavera/Turkish Delight) and Johan Kullberg (Hammerfall) on drums, Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot, House of Lords) on bass, Marl Boals on bass & backing vocals, Steve Mann (MSG/Lionheart), and Mark Mangold on Hammond.
The project was created by Fireworks magazine’s Bruce Mee, who co-wrote most of the material together with Fredrik Folkare.
Here is the playlist of the album tracks:
Reviews: Get Ready to Rock, Metal Temple.
Thanks to Fla76 for the heads-up.
Ian Paice not only continues to tour with Purpendicular, but they also completed recording a new album together. The album is whimsically called Banned, and release date is pencilled in for October 10, 2025.
In the hot summer of 2024, the band decided to write their fourth album in a remote village high in the mountains near Porto, Portugal.
The concept was agreed on the first night, but that concept took a twist when the devastating fires took place that very evening, putting the lives of the band in grave danger.
The band were rescued off the mountain from their villa, to a safer option and to an alternative accommodation, where they spent the night watching the fires rage on the veranda.
It was here titles and more ideas came to fruition, to add to the already conceptual theme of Banned, which summarizes today’s sensitive culture, in that the slightest wrong word can get you banned, adding the pun Banned with the last two letters before the last D in the word being crossed out equaling the word Band.
With all this in mind and the whole band in agreement, it was then decided to add an autobiographical theme also, telling the story of events as they unfolded that treacherous night where many people lost their lives and homes.
The final recordings of the album were completed in Italy, Poland, and the UK. The record is produced by Alessandro Debiaggi and Robby Thomas Walsh. It is a fresh modern look back at the ’70s.
Robby Thomas Walsh (Ireland) – vocals
Ian Paice (UK) – drums
Murray Gould (UK) – guitars
Alessandro Debiaggi (Italy) – keyboards
Mauricio Torchio (Italy) – bass
Thanks to BraveWords for the info.
A second single for the upcoming remix of Rapture of the Deep has been released. Behold, it’s Clearly Quite Absurd. Continue Reading »
More of the Derek Lawrence recollections of the days gone by. Some of it overlaps with what you may have seen on these pages previously, but it never hurts to do it again. Continue Reading »
Derek Lawrence recalls his association with Joe Meek, meeting Ritchie Blackmore, and a new band coalescing around them. Continue Reading »
Ritchie Blackmore reminisces about being in Hamburg, doing nothing, when he got a telegram from Chris Curtis… Continue Reading »