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Next best thing to Quincy
There was quite a bit of talk on these pages recently about the production of Rapture of the Deep, and the role of Michael Bradford in particular. Here is an extended interview with him from a couple of years ago, where he talks about working with Deep Purple, among many other things. The interview doesn’t provide all the answers, but it’s good insight into the mind of the producer. The whole chat is well over 2 hours long, so we’ll steer you straight to the Purple bits, which last for about 15 minutes.
Thanks to EveryoneLovesGuitar for the interview, and to Uwe Hornung for bringing it to your attention.
P.S. You won’t regret listening to the entire 2+ hours of the conversation. Michael is a fabulous storyteller, and boy oh boy, does he have stories to tell!
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Nice. I had no idea that JL was ailing at the time he left. Obviously MB went into the gig with the right attitude, and all credit to him for that. However, the results were what they were, and I still do not like the production (sound) of these albums. Based on Junkyard Blues, I await the ROTD remix with much anticipation.
June 11th, 2025 at 11:34Bananas sounded sonically more sprightly to me than the darkish Abandon, yet it was harsh and clattery in places too. ROTD was just murky and dull production-wise, I dunno what happened, especially as DP chose Michael because of the radio friendly sound he created with Uncle Cracker’s Follow Me (a lovely song with a great sound). Was it the studio they employed?
I’m still happy that DP took the detour with Michael for two albums, I think it paved the way for the work with Bob Ezrin. Unlike all ye detractors, I like what he did and does!
June 11th, 2025 at 14:18With all due respect, it’s documented that ROTD production was quite rushed because Mr Bradford had other commitments.
June 11th, 2025 at 22:10It’s also documented that Jon Lord said in an interview in somewhere in eastern Europe while promoting his solo stuff that Roger Glover could have done a better job regarding the production of Bananas.
Regardless of all of this, just trust your ears and decide for yourself.
Music is an art so no one can agree.
Peace
✌️
“Rapture” reminds me of “Born Again”: some really good music, but poorly produced.
June 11th, 2025 at 23:16