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Celebrate the fact that we’re still alive
Another conversation between Roger Glover and a fellow producer, this time with Bob Ezrin. This is the video that had been produced in November 2019 to accompany Whoosh. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a treat, and it’s a joy even if you had.
Thanks to Purple Maniac for doing what the record company should have done, and to Beate for bringing it to your attention.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Thanks for the video and rather good it was done at the Whoosh album time. Steve’s last album too, a poignant reminder. It is an album that has a little more interesting songs for me, a bit more symphonic and spacial music. Many don’t like that, obviously not hard or heavy enough for them, but others appreciate it. Always good to hear Roger’s comments, on anything really and Ezrin’s too. Good to hear Ezrin say ‘seven minutes or seven seconds who cares’. Regarding length of music. He worked with Pink Floyd where length of songs was never a consideration in many aspects. Also a little mention of that Roger Waters lyric in that comment at the end there wasn’t it, he he he, and why not. Almost seven years ago this video, where has that time gone. Cheers.
September 1st, 2026 at 12:29I think Whoosh! Was a befitting, slightly melancholic swan song for Steve Morse. Of course, it was never properly toured. But the music on it is good. It is to me one of the best Morse Era albums for me, certainly the most poignant one. The low ratio of riffy or heavy songs doesn’t bother me, when I want to hear riffs, I grab a copy of Burn or a Judas Priest record.
September 2nd, 2026 at 12:35It is truly amazing how a band whose members are on average “numbered” around 70 years old managed to release such an energetic album in 2019 and until today. Versatile and interesting musicians, Still delivering good music.
September 2nd, 2026 at 19:11Youth is wasted on the young. We are obsessed with one singer, one guitarist one band, one musical genre when we are young..As we get older, we appreciate diverse music
Whoosh! a versatile musical journey classic hard rock sound, with visible touches of progressive rock, blues rock, retro rock, even baroque, as well as in small shades of progressive and heavy metal.
From the first “Throw My Bones” which opens the album with Steve Morse’s “groovy” guitar and all the way to the song that should have closed the album “Remission Possible” (a superb instrumental that shows how good Morse and Airey are) and “Man Alive”
For me the best song on the album “Nothing At All” where Steve Morse shines with that articulated riff, Don sends a tribute to Bach,. A symphony from a cantata. What a masterpiece!… it didn’t get any recognition
“Step by Step” Don continues with Bach (Jon Lord I’m delighted too hehe.. incredible harmonies
“The Power Of The Moon” a nice piece of progression…. a continuation of “Vincent Price” “.Rocabili What The What
Dancing in The Street a great piece of Funky jazz rock spiced up with Steve’s phenomenal guitar solo.
I’m happy to listen to Whoosh!… that album ages well.. it gets better and better
3
Correction(I guess my year…).the album Whoosh ! was released in 2020 ,not 2019 ..the song is titled .”.Dancing in my Slepp “not Street haha)
September 3rd, 2026 at 03:03Martha Reeves & The Vandellas ( Bowie and Jagger before live AID 1985)… let’s just dance…cheers
What makes me happiest: the truly sincere, appreciative, and admiring words for Steve—from both of them!
@2
September 3rd, 2026 at 13:48” Of course, it was never properly toured.”
I saw them live in October 2022 in Stuttgart, they played “Nothing at all” and “No need to shout”. And Roger played a bass-solo! Unfortunately he stopped that later 🙁
But that wasn‘t with Steve, Beate! I like Simon‘s style but he‘s not really someone to do Steve‘s parts justice. I meant Mk VIII never toured Whoosh!, sadly so. I would have liked to hear that.
September 3rd, 2026 at 21:56Whoosh is in the midst of Purple’s soft-prog downward spiral, winning ideas are in short supply, a mediocre album with 2 gems:
Nothing At All and The Long Way Round,
a nice song We’re All The Same In The Dark.
I never took the CD to the flea market for these songs, but the temptation was strong.
Step by Step and Power to the Moon two missed opportunities: there are some nice Don sounds, but then everything is monotonous.
halfway through the other songs I yawn, I understand why Ezrin made him shorten the songs!
September 3rd, 2026 at 22:23I think Whoosh is underrated – Corona pandemic and Steve‘s departure under less than happy circumstances saw it fall through a lot of cracks. It‘s also the least heavy rock of all of Steve‘s output with DP, but that doesn‘t make it a bad album. I think it‘s a grower and contains lots of finely crafted, thoughtful, even somber music. And whether that music adheres to the heavy rock rule book or sounds like reggae, I don‘t give a furry rodent‘s backside about as long as the compositions are good, which they mostly are.
September 4th, 2026 at 13:07I finally got around to listening to this in full and I would recommend doing so to anyone (i) still bemoaning Bob Ezrin’s entrance into the world of Purple, (ii) who thinks Whoosh! especially or Steve’s latter years with Purple in general were less than worthwhile, and lastly (iii) having adopted the theory that Bob E somehow found Steve’s guitar playing inadequate, disenchanting him in the process.
– Listening to this lengthy exchange, it becomes clear to me that Bob has achieved a position with the band, namely that of a not live performing sixth band member overseeing their creative process in the studio, that no outside producer ever attained with them. People might miss the Martin Birch sonics of yore and there is no question that Martin at the time created in the studio an accurate representation of DP’s already existing live sound that was co-responsible for their success, but I have found no indication that Martin was ever as involved, immersed and influential in Purple’s music as Bob is. Roger as a band member of course was when he produced the band, but he lacked the crucial outside perspective of someone like Bob. I sometimes think that Roger was only pushed into the position of producing the band – a role he didn’t want to have – because it spared the others from having to battle out who an outside producer should be with especially Ritchie being averse to strong producer figures telling him what to do (I think he and Bob would have butted heads pretty quickly!), Roger’s influence and direction as “the bassist who also knows how to produce” could always be conveniently contained. Add to that how the record company also saved money for a name outside producer.
– Bob genuinely loves and understands DP’s music. And when he pulls up Steve’s (beautiful) contributions at various points of the conversation to document something, you realize that he admires his playing. And not for the technical expertise and speed (Steve is always so obsessed with, failing to realize that the focus on technique – much like wearing muscle shirts as the preferred sartorial item – has its time and place for a youngish man, but maybe not for a septuagenarian), but for his choice of notes and fluid execution (aided no doubt by his impeccable technique). Like me, Bob doesn’t so much care for Steve’s speed but for what he contributes when he slows down – a wisdom I wish Steve would by now share (though I understand that in an instrumental trio like SMB there is always the temptation to be flashy for entertainment in the absence of a singer). (BTW, Ritchie’s impressive speed when he was still at the top of his game was never what attracted me chiefly to his playing either.)
– Whoosh! was a (light to medium) Prog record. Some of those guitar, keyboard and vocal parts that Bob pulls up for scrutiny or to elucidate a point sound more like individual instrument vocal tracks from an ASIA record (if you consider ASIA a Prog band and not as someone once deadpanned thinking man’s Air Supply 😂) than anything you would expect from the band otherwise known to the world via Smoke on the Water and Highway Star. Hearing those parts has made me eager to (re)listen to the album once again.
– I’ve always liked Whoosh!, somber and melancholic as it was (it fitted the lyrical themes). But based on this conversation between Bob and Roger, I am now wondering whether it should not be up there with Purpendicular and Now What?! as part of the top trinity of Morse era releases. It is almost cruel and definitely tragic that the COVID scourge kept this album from being properly toured and explored live, it could have been such an elegant good-bye for Steve from the band to then tend to Janice. He would have not so much gone out with a “bang” (the album is both musically and lyrically too thoughtful to be considered a “bang”), but with a work of beauty and sophistication. As it was, by the time Corona was contained, Whoosh! had lost all momentum, the entertaining, but hardly crucial for DP’s overall oeuvre TTC had been released, Purple were straining at the leash for renewed touring while Steve with Janine’s resumed illness burdening him was even more concerned with winding down operations and only retaining his SMB cottage industry. And Simon for all his qualities was not the right guitarist to present Whoosh! (of all Mk VIII albums) convincingly, the time to give a substantial part of Whoosh! the live presentation it deserved had irrevocably passed. Simon would frankly look and sound as out of place playing substantial parts of Whoosh! As Tommy Bolin would have playing Mistreated. We’re in a new and different Purple era now.
September 20th, 2026 at 15:18