Don Airey interview on Metalhead.ro
In anticipation of the first concert of European tour, Romanian magazine Metalhead published an interview with Don Airey in it’s online edition:
Thanks to Metalhead.ro for permission to reproduce the interview.
![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/paice2.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/airey3.jpg)
In anticipation of the first concert of European tour, Romanian magazine Metalhead published an interview with Don Airey in it’s online edition:
Thanks to Metalhead.ro for permission to reproduce the interview.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Airey has indeed taken the hammond by the throat. Don brought freshness back into the band. Let’s face it, Jon was kind of dragging his feet towards the end, just like Blackmore was in the early 90’s.
October 28th, 2007 at 17:28One more thing, when Don talked about the next album he said…it’s might not be quiet what people expect.
Well, I hope that means something like a DVD ALBUM rather than the typical CD album. Aren’t CD’s on the way out anyway? LOL. I hope not, but I’d love to see Deep Purple do something that would be trend setting in the world of new albums. Imagine the option of watching the album if you wanted to. I don’t think it would cost all that much either to make a dozen videos. I know someone who makes great videos for hardly any money at all, so I know it can be done without the old excuse of it would cost too much money.
October 28th, 2007 at 19:34Ormandy, you may be right–it could have something to do with format.
What *I* expect would be another traditional album with a harder direction than the last two, fitting into their progression of late. If the next album is *not* what I expect, then it might be different in format–say, a downloadable-only album–or different in content, such as a 40th Anniversary retrospective.
I’m hoping “not what one expects” means a harder direction. Don did speak at length about moving away from the commercialism of “Bananas” (one would think they would have learned their lesson–“commercial” doesn’t work for them) and taking another step in the “Rapture” direction (songs like “Wrong Man” and “Rapture of the Deep”).
October 29th, 2007 at 02:39Hopefully he means they are taking a different approach to the songwriting…Making them up on the spot is a bit hit and miss. He mentioned that Purple always worked like this, but the didn’t in the old days…Blackmore (usually) would have a bunch of ideas and he would try them out in a live setting and the band would jam them. Bear in mind that you had at least 4 brilliant composers in the band then: Blackmore (riffs) Lord (chord progressions) Gillan/glover (melodies and lyrics) and then little Ian to pull all of the dynamics (arrangements ) together.
I don’t think (personal opinion) that this version of Purple has anywhere near the writing talent of the Mk II Purple and I hope they will think a little longer and harder about the song ideas. for the new one. I very much like the new “Morse era” stuff, but they would never have been as commercially successful as MkII even if they had been from the same era (IMO)
On another note…lets hope they get somebody in to produce the new record properley…bananas and ROTD sound like they were recorded in a garage!! especially Paiceys kit!!
October 29th, 2007 at 11:05A downloadable only album? Please be wrong about that.
October 29th, 2007 at 16:21I will check out anything new from Purple, as long as its not produced by Michael Bradford.
…….or Jeff Lynne…..ha ha
October 29th, 2007 at 18:59Good interview with Don, as far a new album I will take whatever they send our way in any format……………… I guess we all will really! I don’t think Bradford has done a bad job at all certainly better than Abandon.
October 30th, 2007 at 00:54Scratchplate, I hope you are right about the ‘different approach’. Your analysis of how the classic Mk2 line-up wrote songs is very accurate and I agree wholeheartedly. I thought “Bananas” sounded a bit rushed, “Rapture of the Deep” less so, and I’m hoping the next one is even better. They need to produce themselves as well. Roger Glover did a fine job of turning the knobs.
And yeah, I hope I’m wrong about a downloadable-only MP3 album but I see it coming… No packaging, no shipping costs…$$$ profits, profits…
Albums were a lot more fun when they were on vinyl with that big cover and pictures in the inner sleeve…and the covers that opened up… CDs with nice booklets are great. A total digital medium though? Thumbs down.
Am I the only person who likes “Abandon” and “Slaves & Masters”?
October 30th, 2007 at 02:51It’s always the same every time , the new album will be better & harder then before. Then when you buy it , it’s nothing flash , just a couple of good songs. There isn’t much guitar work by Steve on the last album, you would expect more from a top class guitarist. Yes the studio sound quality was nothing special,Come & Taste The Band sounds better & that’s from 75. Live Purple sound hard & fresh they need to go back to basics & try to produce that sound on cd.
October 30th, 2007 at 06:31Cheers T…I also like S & M and Abandon because they are different. i think S & M showcases the songwriting structure that Ritchie, Joe and Roger worked on as partners. I don’t however consider them to be “classic Purple” For me that special period was over after Gillan left for the first time. Despite this, i am a big fan of all periods, each has there own merit, there is no other band IMO that has such a varied and colourful body of work as Purple!!
Ps. Lets all try and do something about the production on the next one..I am speaking from experience, Michael Bradford should never produce another Purple album!!
October 30th, 2007 at 11:55Albums were great when you could just listen to the LP and read the liner notes over and over. But in reality those days are probably over and over. I am the father of 3 and they listen to a lot of music and buy probably 80% online in the mp3 format the other 20% in cd’s and used vinyl. We may not have much of a choice soon.
October 30th, 2007 at 21:30I do like Abandon and Slaves And Masters but ROTD much better.
Don’t think much of The Rapture Of The Deep album . Loved it when albums end in a bang like Hard Lovin Man , Space Truckin , Dead Or Alive etc Before Time Began is so terrible . Am glad Don made it to DP , but don’t feel he is being used the right way. How about some long solo’s to end the songs or to open them . Rainbow ‘s Bent Out Of Shape has much better sound quality than Rapture Of the Deep , it really does.
November 2nd, 2007 at 13:51