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Here and gone

Roger Glover enjoying Bluesfest; Ottawa, July 18 2015; photo © Nick Soveiko cc-by-nc-sa

Goldmine publishes a retrospective of “insightful glimpses into the band’s musical soul” taken from Roger Glover’s interviews that he gave to the magazine over the years.

Roger Glover’s opinion on concert bootlegs

When you’re in a band you really don’t know what you are, what you represent to fans. We know what we are between us. And bootlegs in the early days were definitely frowned upon. It was illegal and they didn’t sound that great. But I remember when I was considering reforming Deep Purple for Perfect Strangers, whether it was a good idea or not, and that was when I started listening to some older recordings and thinking, “Actually, we were a lot better than I thought we were.” (laughs) I was all for it then. And as soon as we started playing I knew that it was right. We jammed together and it felt so good. We’ve always been a live band. The whole point was live. Back when I first started with the band, you know, we didn’t get played on the radio. We didn’t have any kind of coverage or anything. It was just the audience that was there that night. Actually, nothing much has changed in that respect. Music is a kind of a strange and wonderful art form. You can’t touch it or smell it or see it. The moment you hear it it’s gone. With a museum you can look at things, with books you can read them and so forth but music’s just here and gone. And the only way you can actually capture that is by recording something live, which is not the same experience as being there of course. Being there is everything.

Continue reading in Goldmine.

P.S. Happy belated, Reverend!



21 Comments to “Here and gone”:

  1. 1
    Kosh says:

    I love Roger, I dig his vibe… easily the one member of the Purple family I’d like to share a beer or two with.

    Genuinely seems like a lovely man, who has a passion for his art, and a seam of genius running to his core.

  2. 2
    Adel Faragalla says:

    With the extensive catalogue of recorded songs in albums. I would say some songs never had the breeding seeds that other have.
    Rat Rat blue, The Spanish Archer, The sun goes down, A Simple Song and just only few examples.
    I think it’s time to appreciate the forgotten songs and I hope it gets to be played live before the curtains goes down permanently one day in the not distance future.
    Peace ✌️

  3. 3
    Dr. Bob says:

    It’s worth reading the article on Goldmine.

  4. 4
    Fernando Mattedi says:

    #3 Dr. Bob is absolutely right, one can’t miss the full article!

  5. 5
    Georgivs says:

    “Eastern Bloc countries and places like that, the audience is usually in their 20s. And younger.”

    So, he echoes Ian’s opinion about audiences consisting of teens. Well, at the shows that I attended there were quite a few people in their 20s but I’d say most people were still 30 and older.

    Also, there is no emoji that would adequately replicate my wry grin when I’m being called ‘Eastern Bloc’.\ Eastern bloke, maybe. Oriental, whatever…

  6. 6
    Uwe Hornung says:

    Some clichés just stick, Georgivs, you’re the man from the cold no matter what the actual temperature in your neck of the woods is … ; – )

    20-year-olds tend to flock diretly before the stage more than older folk do so that might distort Roger’s impression a little.

  7. 7
    Adel Faragalla says:

    At least Roger is more realistic when he says the majority of fan are 20 years old.
    Ian Gillan think the majority are 18 years old.
    I guess they both need long distance spectcales.
    Harmless fun anyway 😁
    Peace ✌️

  8. 8
    Tony says:

    Child in time ……not even the best lyrics ever written……. in my opion …..best song ever!

    Child in time is the reason that I became fan of Deep Purple, I was 1986,… I was 14 years old…..

  9. 9
    Rock Voorne says:

    ” The original songs on the early three Deep Purple albums were not really good, heavy songs. There was some interesting stuff, but the best songs they had were covers like “Kentucky Woman” and “Hush.”

    Is this for real?
    I think old Rog needs new spectacles and a kick in the nutz.

    Cant believe he is gone Bananas again, like that stupid cover way back which degraded a fine album.

  10. 10
    Adel Faragalla says:

    Rock @9
    It’s coming from the same guy who said he was pissed off because the bass player from MK1 was not inducted into the R&RHOF.
    I said at the time that Roger was talking BS and I got slaughtered from fans on this site who thought differently.
    It’s all harmless fun 😂
    Peace ✌️

  11. 11
    Leslie S Hedger says:

    Have to disagree with Roger about those first 3 Deep Purple Albums. Songs like “And the Address”, “Mandrake Root”, “Wring That Neck”, “The Shield”, “Chasing Shadows”, “Painter”
    “Why Didn’t Rosemary”, “Bird Has Flown” and “April” are, in my opinion, some of the best Purple Songs! Some of them might not be Heavy but they sure are good.

  12. 12
    Uwe Hornung says:

    With a few exceptions such as Anthem, Chasing Shadows or the April piece, I always thought that Mk I’s covers were better than their own material too. That wasn’t really surprising as they had patterned themselves after Vanilla Fudge who mostly played rearranged covers too. And a lot of the Purple rearrangements were actually quite good – Mk I were perhaps more creative and varied arrangers than the line-ups that followed them which mostly adhered to a certain arrangement recipe based on the guitar/organ twin riff attack.

    Whether Mk I’s arrangements translated well to the stage in 1968/69 is another matter – in the late 60ies amplification was still developing (albeit in giant steps), they would have probably been able to present their music better with the technology available in the mid-seventies.

  13. 13
    MacGregor says:

    The MK 1 original material is rather good in places, some wonderful ideas, playing & melodies. The covers are good also however like most covers they don’t get repeated listening to over time. Many artists when starting out do cover versions of other peoples songs. The key ingredient is usually another musician or two joining & then the creativity steps up a notch or two with original compositions. Yes with Steve Howe, Tull with Martin Barre, Floyd with David Gilmour, Genesis with Steve Hackett & Phil Collins. There are many examples of the ‘magic’ formula appearing out of the ashes of the original band & succeeding. It is wonderful. Cheers.

  14. 14
    Ivica says:

    I would not agree with Roger. The first three albums are good, there are many worse albums in the history of DP (“Slaves And Masters”, “The Battle Rages On…”, “Who Do We Think We Are”, “Abandon”, “Rapture of the Deep”). “Shades of Deep Purple” is the weakest of the first three. Husha” has become a classic, has a very nice “One More Rainy Day” and “Mandrake Root” This song contains the germ of that hard rock that Deep Purple will later form. “Forsiran is a psychedelic-progressive way. The second album ” The best Mk1 attempt to get “Kentucky Woman” to “Hush” success, “Wring That Neck” is a classic, the duet “Shield” – “Anthem” that sounds simply perfect, in semi-ballad forms under influenced by the psychedelic moment “Anthem”, the most beautiful piece of pop music ever sung by a hard rock band.
    The third and last album of the first line-up has the best moments “The Painter” (for me Jon Lord’s best kye solo), coming hard rock is felt in “Why Didn’t Rosemary”. However, the album remains best known for Lord’s excellent “April” and the cover “Lalena”. which is the best ballad of the band’s first phase.Lots of good music

  15. 15
    Uwe Hornung says:

    Wring That Neck was always a good instrumental track, true. That melody/riff just stuck.

  16. 16
    Adel Faragalla says:

    To be honest it’s nice slagging off your previous family members just to prove a point.
    The shining fact the MK1 had the biggest DP single and sold a lot of records.
    So someone found them good on the ears.
    Cheers 🤞

  17. 17
    GAVIN MOFFAT says:

    Shades of Deep Purple is sonically very akin to Deep Purple in Rock, possibly because they only had … I think… 2 days to record it and one to mix. In a way they had their signature sound … then lost it. I like the period atmosphere it has 😀
    There are actually some dodgy edits throughout but it’s the Mark 1 album I’ve probably played the most. The other 2 have so much going on in them and repay repeated plays. Kentucky woman has one of Ritchie’s best solos IMO with …and the address not far behind.
    Of the bands full studio catalogue Rapture of the deep is the only album I hardly listen to … I’m waiting for that Roger Glover remix he once suggested as a project. I was one of the first Purple fan club members in 1973-74 aged 15. I wrote to the DPAS asking if Roger’s proposed album Butterfly 🦋 ball was going ahead. Simon asked him for me and got him to sign ✍️ a piece of paper, which he sent on. Meant a lot to that kid 👦🏻 Thanks Roger. Butterfly ball is a fantastic album. He did consider turning it into a stage musical. The songs are def’ good enough. Cats 🐈 got staged … anything is possible. 😀 The worst film of a musical ever made IMO.

  18. 18
    Rock Voorne says:

    Mandrake Root and Wring that neck formed live stapels for years after MK1 s demise

    And the adress wasnt covered by mk Morse because they felt it was a turd. Pun intended.

    I kinda like Hey Joe with the Spanish influence, would not have minded if it was much longer.
    Wonder if any of all the fade outs were thrown in a garbage van or,,,,?I read once Jon Lord threw a lot of his Concerto 69 stuff into the garbage….

    Strange dudes, these Purple Guys.

    Yesterday I saw a GILLAN show from 92, just before reentering the band and thus, IMHO, sounding dissappointing on TBRO.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkze_-rqKjo

    Where was the TOOLBOXTHUNDER, Ian?

    @ 10

    If the band had real cojones then they would have in full sincerity and with INTEGRITY demanded Simpers to be inducted and strangle Rod and Ritchie to join/attend as well.

    I m never sure if RB was happy to stay away or that the reason was his injury.

  19. 19
    Uwe Hornung says:

    Roger has said nice and complimentary things about Nick in the past, like that to this day he hasn’t been really able to emulate the bubbling flat-wound string sound on Nick’s Precision Bass on the original Hush even though he has tried. And Nick himself has said that he views Roger as the superior songwriter.

    Mk I had real charm, but they sounded very mid-sixties and not like the dawn of a new age in rock (no pun intended). The frilly shirts and the bouffant hair wasn’t the only thing outdated about them in 1968. In Rock wasn’t only new music, but also a complete image overhaul – and Ian G and Roger were very much part of that.

  20. 20
    Gregster says:

    @11 Agreed, there’s many a superb tune on the Mk-I albums…And some strongly hint Jon’s orchestral development & the band direction to come ( if only for a short while lol )….

    @19 There were also others who were similarly influenced by what I call the early Pink Floyd sound…If people appreciate that even today, you could consider the first 3 x Alice Cooper albums, as they are quite good, & make quiet a good representative of that sound & era, no bollox !

    Peace !

  21. 21
    Rock Voorne says:

    @ GAVIN MOFFAT
    ” Shades of Deep Purple is sonically very akin to Deep Purple in Rock, possibly because they only had … I think… 2 days to record it and one to mix.”

    Maybe you have a point somewhere but as far as I recall, read the stories on IN ROCK that album wasnt in 2 days but sessions over a long time.

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