AUG 10/98
By Alan K. Stout
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Taking over on lead guitar in a band such as Deep Purple could be an
daunting task for most musicians. Unless, of course, your name is Steve Morse.
Morse, who was named "Best Overall Guitarist" five times in Guitar
Player
magazines' readers poll, was hardly a no-name when he joined Purple four
years ago. In addition to his work with Dixie Dregs - a critically
lauded act
that mixed jazz, rock and fusion - Morse formed the Steve Morse Band and
also
did a stint with the progressive group Kansas.
Still, the talented player admits he was at first a bit apprehensive
about
stepping in for the legendary Ritchie Blackmore.
"I'm one of those people that just cannot do a gig if it doesn't feel
right,"
says Morse in an interview.
"We had a little trial period where both myself and the band were unsure
if
was going to work ... After four dates, I was totally blown away that
this
band - who everybody thinks as the beginning of heavy metal - wanted to
improvise more than I did with The Dregs."
Deep Purple formed in 1968 and now consisting of Morse plus original
members Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice and long-time vocalist Ian
Gillan has had members playing musical chairs throughout much of its
existence. Members have left and returned and the group has even
disbanded
and then reunited.
Morse says the harmony within this incarnation of Purple is simply the
result
of good fortune.
"It's really luck and chemistry," he says. "Imagine taking a new guy
randomly
by their credentials on paper and then finding out that you get along
great.
That's all it was...
"Roger is an extremely (open-minded) listener and listens to a huge
variety
of music. He heard of the trio and all the Dregs stuff and thought it
would
be really interesting and weird to replace the guitar spot with somebody
radically different than Ritchie, so that they wouldn't be seen as
trying to
copy him.
"I thought it was a bold move. It made me like the band before I even
knew
them."
When asked to explain the difference between joining two such well-
established bands as Kansas and Deep Purple, Morse admits that he was
actually more familiar with Kansas' music than Purple's.
"With Kansas, it was unquestionably a band which I knew every bit of the
material they had released," he says. "With Purple, I was a big fan
during my
formative rock years, but when the band broke up and went through the
various
versions, I was not so aware. In fact, I was just as aware of Ritchie
Blackmore's Rainbow as I was to the rest of Deep Purple's catalogue."
Still, Morse says he's made an unexpected pleasant discovery since
playing
Purple's music.
"The sections in the tunes are more open than any group I've ever played
with," he says, reiterating his love for improvisation. "Jon's got the
kind
of ears you'd very rarely find ... and Roger is incredibly musical. Ian
Paice
is as solid as a rock, but he plays a little bit of swing. He's perfect
...
Ian Gillan welcomes me as part of the show instead of trying to
dominate. He
loves to stand there inside the band and hear the music."
Morse says fans have been accepting and supportive of his work with the
band.
He says the band's latest album, titled "Abandon," was named for the
group's
approach to writing and recording.
"Ian," says Morse of Gillan, "thought the band played with abandon,
without
fear or without worry."
On the tour trail, Morse says Purple mixes up the classics with the new.
"Smoke on The Water" "Hush," "Highway Star" and "Woman From Tokyo" are
all
there.
"For me, these are tunes that came about at a very happy time of my
life," he
says. "The teen-age years - that's when everything opens up and your
life
changes. It's always a great reminder of that to me ...
"And," he adds. "The stuff's good."