![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan4.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/airey2.jpg)
Some sort of hip-hop dance thing
Put Simon Mcbride into a studio, give him a guitar he’s never played, stick him with a track he’s never heard, and put the whole thing on YouTube. Sounds like fun!
improvisation
noun [ C or U ]
UK: /ˌɪm.prə.vaɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/ US: /ɪmˌprɑː.vəˈzeɪ.ʃən/
- a performance that an actor, musician, etc. has not practised or planned
- the act of making or doing something with whatever is available at the time
Thanks to PRS Guitars for making this happen, and to Tobias Janaschke for the heads-up.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Ace guitarist! I love Simon’s playing style. I hear bits of Blackmore and Gary Moore in it.
February 16th, 2024 at 22:47All that gifted young lad now needs is the right band + some decent size audiences and I can really envisage him going places.
(And man does his playing sound dyed-in-the-Northern-Irish-wool Brit!)
February 17th, 2024 at 02:46‘To improvise or to not improvise, that is the question”, Shakespeare 1601. Anyone who knows the key & an instrument including percussion, well maybe not anyone but a lot of musicians just hear something & straight up ‘know’ how to add to it. The guy mixing making a big deal out of it, well it is entertainment on youtube. I like how McBride kept it simple & in check as some guitarists would have shredded all over that & ruined it & used it as a showoff session. Some commenters compare McBride to Gary Moore in some aspects, I am not sure why. McBride is much more laid back than Gary, who was from a hard upbringing & we don’t blame him for being so intense at times. McBrides approach to rock music appears to be from a different angle to Moore’s. Thanks for posting this. Cheers.
February 17th, 2024 at 03:35Fantastic performance! Worth thinking of turning into a new Purple song
February 17th, 2024 at 10:08Yo,
Well played Simon, though it was a “gift” for sure, & not too tricky really, with only a verse & chorus sections within the natural key, & designed as a platform for a guitar solo…And we all thought they were going yo trip-you-up !
Quality on-the-spot original melody created, well done ! The guitar is a nice one too.
Uwe said qt.”All that gifted young lad now needs is the right band + some decent size audiences and I can really envisage him going places”.
LOL ! DP has just given him that opportunity, & it looks like he’ll slip-in quite well…And this “teaser” makes the upcoming new DP record even more intriguing imo…
Looking forward to the new release !
Peace !
February 17th, 2024 at 11:21“dyed-in-the-Northern-Irish-wool Brit”? He sounds like Satriani. Similar to Satch and Petrucci, it’s very hard for Simon to play an off note. An asset in bands like Dream Theater but a possible liability in a band like DP. Looking forward to the new album nevertheless.
February 17th, 2024 at 19:10Fantastic. Understandable, looking at his influences. Lukather, Satriani and especially Moore. Anyone who knows his history or heard his interviews would know that.
February 18th, 2024 at 00:43Once had the pleasure of seeing him in a small room (maybe 50 of us) in Newcastle at a PRS promo event nearly 20 years ago.
Such a nice guy and incredibly talented. If only I’d practiced more!
February 18th, 2024 at 02:19Daniel, I hear Bit grit in him, something Steve never had (no offense meant, he came from somewhere else and had many other qualities). But you’re right, there is definitely also Satriani. (Who perhaps doesn’t sound quite as American as Steve with all his Americana influences?)
Speaking of Joe: For those of you who always clamored for a Mk VI live recording, there is now a (semi-legal?) Japanese label release of the 26 June 1994 St. Gallen, Switzerland, radio show called “Deep Purple featuring Joe Satriani – Live in Switzerland 1994”
https://www.amazon.de/Live-In-Switzerland-1994/dp/B0CM3BVB23
and Joe Satriani is definitely fiery on it (the whole band actually is). I came out late last year, no idea how long it will be available.
The gig has been available as the “Fireball over Switzerland” boot in the past,
https://youtu.be/8Wo6e0nuas8
but the boot, though of principally very good quality, was always marred by the recording running too slow (unless you had one of those DJ CD players where you could adjust the speed). That has now been thankfully rectified on the new release,
https://youtu.be/y8yMX5fvPdA
which also documents the full gig on two CDs (the boot was a single CD and hence missed quite a few tracks). So you also get tracks like ‘Anyone’s Daughter’ where Ian quips “This is a very intimate song. About a brick.”
I’d say if you want the studio record-less Satriani era of DP covered, this is the place to go. And yup, there are parallels to what Simon does today. I wonder if DP ever made a soundboard recording with Joe available to him given what a Satriani-nut he was as a kid?
February 18th, 2024 at 13:47I’m waiting for that new DP album ….as frozen people … sun….. also new album Black Country Communion
February 18th, 2024 at 16:26Wow that was good and fun to see/hear. Makes me even more interested in the next DP album.
I play African djembe and Mideastern dumbek drums. I don’t think that I am very good. What I am bad at is hearing drummer and then imitating what they do and chainging time signatures. What I can do is keep a 4/4 or 3/4 beat and I’ve gotten pretty good at listening to the other musicians while I play. I tell them that I only know how to play what I make up. The most fun is jamming on songs that I don’t know. It’s all about getting a feeling and improving to find a grove and finding a space for a fill ever now and then. Pretty much what Simon did, except he’s a million times better.
February 19th, 2024 at 03:14Yo,
Simon, in case you’re actually reading through these replies, & feel a little uncomfortable with the cross-references to other people, I do have a solution to your potential woes…
Start playing a Fender Stratocaster.
Peace !
February 19th, 2024 at 05:19@ 9 RE: Live In Switzerland 1994
Interesting set list:
■Disc 1:
February 19th, 2024 at 08:521 Lamb Shackle Man
2 Maby Im a Leo
3 Fireballs
4 Perfect Strangers
5 Picture of Home
6 Keyboard Solo
7 Knocking at Your Back Door
8 Someone’s Daughter
9 Anya
10 Purple Holy War
11 Blind Man
■Disc 2:
1 lazy
2 Satchel Boogi
3 Space Tracks
4 Women From Tokyo
5 Black Wet!
6 Speed King
7 Smoke on the Water
Where did you get that list with the hilarious mistakes, 775 Dilligaf? On the CD I have, all titles are printed by their correct name.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/opAAAOSwqoxlfSLs/s-l1600.jpg
February 19th, 2024 at 13:17Uwe, it is from the US Amazon site: https://www.amazon.com/Live-Switzerland-1994-Deep-Purple/dp/B0CM3BVB23/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IOJ5PU5D8LQ2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tDnbiaxCwijsoFA2-BhGTPcYeQeD7gm2q1lW1j7TayL6wFF61kLrGjY2lNN_obpFUxG4MqeCYzeK7n0TETse5Q.JRM40YyqGd5BMAPrMweDO_cGoTAHqRziX5dPzhy0g9k&dib_tag=se&keywords=deep+purple+live+in+switzerland+1994&qid=1708374932&sprefix=Live+In+Switzerland+1994%2Caps%2C568&sr=8-1
February 19th, 2024 at 20:36A case of lost in translation I believe. Perhaps they translated the Japanese titles (themselves a translation of the original English titles) and everything became jumbled up, like ‘Ramshackle (Ram-shackle, geddit?) Man’ morphing into ‘Lamb Shackle Man’. The goobledygook description text certainly seems to imply that.
Thinking about it, “lamb shackling” sounds a bit like one of those more risqué male Aussie pastimes we always hear about, furry bondage you know … Let’s not go there.
February 20th, 2024 at 02:11@ 16 Let’s not go there… Yes let’s not; besides, my pal Joey Harris already did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHO2aEjZ0jc
February 20th, 2024 at 11:08I don’t know about that, where did we learn all our habits, customs & rituals, white man at least. From Europe & Britain it seems, hmmmm. Anyway a while ago apparently there were more sheep in New Zealand than human beings. That says something. Didn’t you visit there sometime ago Uwe, he he he. Cheers.
February 20th, 2024 at 11:11NZ was lovely (as would be Australia I’m sure). But its inhabitants hold a grudge against you guys. Cause of all the Aussie migrants called possums there …
https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/animal-pests/possums/
I almost ran a possum over there and when I told our NZ hosts (an otherwise animal-loving family) about swerving with the car to avoid killing it, they looked at me sternly and admonished me: “You should have run the damn thing over, opportunity wasted!”
And yup, they do have a lot of sheep (and cattle) there, but I never witnessed anything suspicious!
February 20th, 2024 at 15:41Diligent anthropologist @17: “The way the boys seem to pick and choose … anything wearing a noose …” 🤣
Local practices aside, I find cross-order (in a taxonomic sense) sexual encounters within the mammalia class largely overrated! 🤷♀️
February 20th, 2024 at 17:47Yo,
@19. Possums are fine imo. I see a few families of them on my evening walks, & one little fellow not-so-long ago was showing off his ability to jump from the ground up onto the trees, & then Tarzan from tree-to-tree. He then came down, wandered over, & jumped on my leg, & then sprang onto a tree…Amazing, & quite funny too !
The NZ people may have reason for complaint perhaps, but it’s surprising how they didn’t talk about the feral cats…These poor animals are essentially neglected house-pets from less-than-considerate owners. They will & do kill anything & everything to survive.
I’d suggest that a possum is a far-more natural fit in the environment than any feral cat. And the once-owners of these cats are even a far worse species to deal with.
Peace !
February 20th, 2024 at 22:23RE: “I find cross-order (in a taxonomic sense) sexual encounters within the mammalia class largely overrated!”
Done a lot of things in my life but never felt any inclination to go down that path. However, I can see how someone living in a place with lots of wide-open spaces, not many people and plenty of critters running around might…
February 21st, 2024 at 08:59Disclaimer: The above comment was not directed at anyone in particular.
February 21st, 2024 at 09:19NZ is all weird as an ecology system as in its untampered original state it lacked any relevant predators, that is why the possum wreaks such havoc there. It has next to no natural enemies and has abundant food sources, none of them adapted to a predator environment. It’s an invasive species from Australia that was initially introduced in NZ for fur farming. A few escaped or were let loose when fur farming went out of fashion, the rest is (natural) history.
When I was in NZ there was discussion in the newspapers of resuming the large scale poisoning of possums via dropping cyanide from aircraft in infested areas.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/7b7nkd/new-zealand-is-killing-possums-with-something-called-1080
NZ is the only country which even only dares consider something like that and the measure is in part even backed by ecologists who are desperate in the face of the possum onslaught.
That said, I’m always in two minds about “invasive species”. I see their impact on traditional eco-systems, but part of me also thinks that this is evolution/animal migration/survival of the fittest doing its work. I believe that most if not all animal species are geared to enlarging their habitats when- and wherever they can. And frankly, I have yet to hear of an invasive species being pushed back successfully anywhere in the world. One man’s cane toad (in Aus) is another man’s possum (in NZ) is another man’s raccoon (in Germany, we even have them where I live) is another man’s earth worm/night crawler (in the US and Canada where what is in Europe a beneficial species has sans natural enemies to hold the population in check become an issue to local forest vegetation with their incessant burrowing and dead foliage devouring work – they didn’t exist in North America until European settlers brought them with them) or carp (ditto in North American lakes) and wild boar.
February 21st, 2024 at 14:18Don’t forget rats also have had a devastating impact in NZ. Both as we know are omnivore’s & are very agile & very aggressive & they breed like, well rabbits. My brother worked on the South Island for about 18 months or so about 12- 15 years ago. Out in the wilderness baiting & trapping both species in an attempt at minimising their impact & their numbers. Between that and irresponsible tourists he said it was a interesting time over there & no doubt incredibly scenic all the time. Maybe we should include a couple of DP affiliated songs with those species in the title. Flight of the Rat, Rat Bat Blue are two that spring to mind. Not sure about the Possum though, or even brush tail, hmmmmmmm. Talking of Rat Bat Blue I do wish Gillan had never used the word ‘baby’ at times. ‘Hey Baby what you gonna do” sounds a little like Percy. Cheers.
February 22nd, 2024 at 04:04If he’s going to play like that and with that sound on the new Purple album, I, for one, will be very happy!
February 24th, 2024 at 13:18#26, yes me too, I’m looking forward to the new album, whenever it might be released.
February 25th, 2024 at 07:38Yo,
In case Simon glosses through these replies, there’s a new store in central London that’s opened-up, named the “Gibson Guitar Garage”, at 62-62 Eastcastle st. ( Just off Oxford st.). There were a few commendable guitar-slingers at its opening a few days ago, namely Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, & even Brian May from Queen was there !
Nothing wrong with the SG’s imo, & the “modern” Flying-V would suit Simon quite well, though it would be a Custom Shop job.
Peace !
March 1st, 2024 at 23:25Let the poor kid continue to play his PRS, nothing wrong with those guitars. Not everyone has to play either Fender or Gibson.
Tommy playing his Explorer is visually unmatched in any case!
March 2nd, 2024 at 01:58@29…
LOL ! I’m only making these suggestions since Simon keeps getting his PRS’s “given” to him with every filmed appearance he makes, that’s all…That last green/maple guitar he was given in the video is stunning..It reminds me of the UK’s Patrick Eggle line of guitars, as used by Bill Nelson. Actually, I’m surprised that Simon isn’t using the local maker to be honest…
And since we’re talking guitars, Alex Lifeson via his own brand “Lerxt”, that makes affordable hand-made tube amps, has recently released a “Strat” style guitar via Godin(?) in honour of his early 1980’s efforts on a modded Stratocaster, & he also has sublime Gibson & Epiphone guitars to choose from, for those seeking signature guitars that feature his design upgrades. These aren’t cheap however, though the Epiphone is by-far the best-buy, as Alex even states himself…
Peace !
March 2nd, 2024 at 23:31