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Before we forget
There’s a new book on Jon Lord being prepared for publication. It is called Before We Forget – A Work in Eight Movements, and promises to be a well researched tome.
Before We Forget – A Work in Eight Movements is not just a book — it is set to become the reference work on one of British music’s great creative visionaries. Jon Lord reshaped the landscape of modern music by merging the energy of rock with the finesse of classical themes, composition and arranging skill.
This beautiful hardback volume takes readers on an intimate journey through his creative evolution, features his personal insights, captures his many musical triumphs and the inflects his musical story with the reflections of his closest circle.
Why This Work Is Special
- The Concerto Edition is limited to 250 units and is numbered and signed by the author and by one of Jon Lord’s key collaborators, conductor Paul Mann
- Features exclusive behind-the-scenes and unseen photography
- Assimilates archival advertising images of the keyboard and synthesiser names that feature on band and solo recordings and in live performances
- Provides scholarly insight into his sounds, instrumentation (cataloguing every keyboard he used on stage and on record) and features definitive record of his various Hammond organs from 1965 to 2012, including identifying every Deep Purple Hammond from 1968 to 2002, seven different units in total
- The design and typography artfully blend the traditional and the modern.
This is the first and only book of its kind — a definitive chronicle built around “man and machine” and designed for classic and heavy rock fans, students of popular music and for anyone inspired by the fusion of rock and classical composition, by post-war British cultural history, by the bands Deep Purple and Whitesnake and finally, by the unique musical figure of Jon Lord.
It can be pre-ordered via the author’s website.
Thanks to the Deep Purple Podcast for the info.
Update (Dec 16): The Deep Purple Podcast has a bonus episode dedicated to the book, with the author Ovais Naqvi guesting.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Thank you for mentioning this 😃
He is my all time favourite keyboard player (I also like Don…) but JL was really special. As Uwe once mentioned: he had this statesman’s appearance.
December 13th, 2025 at 05:37Nice to see more admiration for Jon Lord. Classy looking it is in all aspects. Grumpy Rick would be pleased too no doubt, as would many other musicians who have plenty of respect for Lord. Uwe Hornung is going to need a new and much bigger castle soon, the way things are going with all these collector editions of all things Purple. Cheers.
December 13th, 2025 at 06:27Excellent!! Jon is my favorite Musician and the reason I got hooked on Purple!!
December 13th, 2025 at 11:52The only keyboarder who brings a greater smile to my face than Jon is him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWdcZqG02Ls
December 13th, 2025 at 15:33@3: I second that
December 13th, 2025 at 18:43@1: Jon’s stage presence was extraordinary. I’m incredibly thankful for having expierenced him on stage with DP, but also with Demon’s Eye doing the Concerto. I will always cherish these magical moments and keep them in my heart.
@4
Uwe, he is also a favourite of mine 😃
His voice isn’t that bad either 🤩
December 13th, 2025 at 21:22Jon Lord was an amazing musician – that’s indisputable. He was a master improvisor. He had an incredible ear to mind to fingers connection that is displayed in his serve-and-return duels with Ritchie and Steve. He could solo or support the rest of Purple with equal aplomb. And his compositions were innovative, appealing equally to emotion and the intellect. So it’s a no brainer to regard him as my favorite keyboardist/musician – an idol in the best sense of the word.
But while I have several musical idols, Jon is more than that. He coupled his amazing musicality with a gentlemanly, polite personality which (almost) always regarded others he encountered in life with respect. I’ve watched countless ebay videos of him being interviewed, and he always treated the interviewer with kindness, answering thoughtfully even though it might be the umpteenth time he was asked the question. By all accounts that I’ve read (or in conversation I’ve been privileged to have with a few people who knew him personally) he was genuinely a good person. None of us are perfect, and Jon was no exception – he couldn’t bring himself to tell Nick Simper personally that he was no longer in the band, for example. But Jon had a grace as a human being that serves well as a model – to me, anyway. Coupled with his musical genius, it makes him more than a musical idol – he’s a hero to me. And I have precious few of them.
December 14th, 2025 at 05:16And very modestly priced compared to the Rufus books.
December 14th, 2025 at 06:04If someone mentioned Jon Lord now, I would think of a bunch of his victories and one defeat
He experienced a sweet defeat when his “Concerto for Group and Orchestra” did not bring him commercial success and Ritchie said that was it as far as classics are concerned. Now they are moving into rock’n’roll. That was a sweet defeat for us, he brought us the greatest hard rock band of all time.
We listened to him in the best edition of Deep Purple, Whitesnake, PAL I listened to him playing blues, when he plays jazz, we listen to him with an orchestra. I love listening to him playing the classic Renaissance interlude in early Deep Purple in the ballads songs Anthem and Blind…or in “Lalena Donovan song.April is a classic song., his solo classics Bourée, Sarabande, Pictured Within (, Oh my God how Miller Anderson sang it at the Royal Albert Hall in 1999). ..
. Jon will live forever in our hearts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiDBenUfbxY
December 14th, 2025 at 07:49@5
You’re right Lars, he was something else 💜
I am so happy for you. Sadly I never saw him live, but I love to watch his act in the concert dvd’s I have 😊
And this:
December 14th, 2025 at 09:41https://youtu.be/69emuJqmqGg
with Ian as the vocalist, ohh touches my heart like not much else, my heart breaks and heals at the same time ☺️
Hello.
There´s no one like the late Great Mr. Jon Lord. Excellent player with all kinds of keyboards. Like we did see and experience during his solos during the years.
Not only a great musician, but humble, polite, civilized and humorous human being.
Always had a laugh when he introduced himself on stage: “…and my name is Rick Emerson”. As a tribute to the fellow keyboardists, of course. (I give You a hint. He´s not speaking of Don this time.)
He always played some Jean Sibelius (our national composer) as a part of his solos when he was playing in Finland. Great and very touching memories.
And does humour belong in music (like one Frank Zappa asked)? My answer is – yes it does! Here´s my favourite keyboard player besides Jon!
Check this classic out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQeuw880tKI&list=RDlQeuw880tKI&start_radio=1
It´s snowing for a change.
Best Wishes.
December 14th, 2025 at 10:09I had the rare pleasure of seeing his gig at Lichfield cathedral. And I don’t think he did many in the UK. Was an effort as it’s a three hour drive and it was a work day but it was absolutely worth it. One soundboard video was posted so I imagine it was recorded but sadly it’s never appeared in full.
December 14th, 2025 at 10:45Ivica, I don‘t see the Concerto from 1969 as a commercial defeat of Jon, it was the first Top 30 entry of DP in Germany for instance, none of the three Mk I albums had made so much as a dent before. Which new line-up of a band has done better with the live recording of a hitherto unknown classical piece played with a symphony orchestra. The Concerto wasn‘t exactly “leichte Klassik” either, mostly instrumental and contained even in abridged excerpts form no material fit for a single.
I think it did better than could be reasonably expected, gave Mk II greater initial publicity than Mk I ever had in Europe and most importantly gave Purple the nimbus of being able to play more than hard rock.
Of course it wasn’t as successful as In Rock (though that wasn’t successful in the US yet either), but then it was much less commercial music and didn’t mesh with the Zeitgeist as much.
I think the prize for Jon’s greatest commercial failure likely goes to PAL’s Malice In Wonderland – he and Paicey had high hopes for that ambitious project and invested their own money heavily, yet the album flopped big time, leaving critics unimpressed and Purple fans bewildered, no to mention its clash with the dawning Punk Rock Revolution. I took decades for it to – deservedly – crawl up in public appreciation though it still is and always will be a curator’s egg.
December 14th, 2025 at 12:31A legend! I had the privilege of Jon buying me a brandy once (Ian Paice too) at a restaurant in Henley, it was my birthday and they were in the restaurant too. A birthday I will never forget.
December 14th, 2025 at 13:41@14 Graham Payne
December 14th, 2025 at 22:51Oooh!! Wonderful! Unforgettable day!! ♥︎
@13
Uwe
Concerto for Group and Orchestra was Jon Lord’s ambition and great love for classical music to combine that music with rock, but only when he moved away from the essential fusion. With classical overtures within the rock milieu, Lord composed an exhaustive ode to :Sibelius,Holst, Ravel, European authors of chamber, vocal and orchestral music… and it’s no wonder that this music has found listenersin Germany (and Europe).
Some bands succeeded..and continued to do so. Deep Purple went in a different direction after the Concerto…made a legend (Ritchie and Jon did not give up the classic stabs from time to time, especially in the solos..especially Jon)
Personally, I really enjoyed the Concerto for Group and Orchestra. A few years ago I was at a sold-out concert in Zagreb (4000) (led by Paul Mann and Bruce Dickinson + close to 80 exceptional musicians). The concert consists of two parts – the first part is the complete Comcerto and the second part is dedicated to the hits of Deep Purple, Bruce performed 2 of his songs. 95% of the people (mostly Purple and Maiden fans) were at that concert because of that second part..I was among the 5%. Pure musical enjoyment to hear those fairy-tale sounds of symphonists combined with a classic four-piece rock formation. An incredible experience
As for PAL and failure…I think so guys (Paice,Aston,Lord) and they didn’t go for commercial success nor was it their priority. They didn’t want to compose music similar to DP because they would be compared (same case with Ian Gillan band).
December 15th, 2025 at 05:02PAL was trying to do something ahead of its time, a cross between jazz and rock. Tony was more of a storyteller, not a classy singer like DP had.
PAL and IGB with such music then had no chance with the majority of DP fans,,(1976-1977) besides Rainbow who had (with music much closer to DP atmosphere than them) Rainbow already had two strong studio albums and a living monument (On Stage)
1978/1979 Jon and both Ian will return to their roots
When I was young, angry and full of adrenaline I didn’t listen to Concerto and ‘Malice in Wonderland’..I bought them mostly as a DP fan to be in the collection
but
The last 20-25 years, I’m older, more “musically experienced” hahaha… I listen more often, all the albums Mk I, Concerto, ‘Malice in Wonderland and they seem better to me. Musically deeper, than …. Rainbow albums (1980-1983) or some albums in the later periods of DP, WS..
Uwe should be pleased to hear that I have ordered the Concerto on cd. I know, it has passed me by, time waits for no-one. Also the Before I Forget cd, the expanded edition, so that will be all I need to own of Jon’s music on cd, after owning those two on vinyl for decades. Sarabande and the not much listed too Pictured Within included in that collection, or mini collection compared to other aficionados collections.. I just picked up Pink Floyd’s new blu-ray release of Wish You Were Here. So tonight there will be some of Karin’s favourite band to watch in concert from 1975 and also to listen to the surround mix of the album. Karin, I will let you know how it all sounds etc, and then you can buy it for Anton for xmas to listen to. Nice and relaxing soothing music. He deserves it after all the Gillanism of the last few years and to prepare him for what is about to arrive in February. Cheers.
December 15th, 2025 at 06:14The great Sam Brown on vocals
December 15th, 2025 at 12:56At my first DP concert (1987), I brought a white sheet with a portrait of Maestro Jon Lord on it, copied from Windows, well done with purple spray in less than 10 minutes. I threw it on stage… but none of them opened it…😔
December 15th, 2025 at 17:06As a fellow Hammond organ player I’m really looking forward to this one.
The order is placed, thanks for the information here!
December 15th, 2025 at 17:47@ 14, are you related to Martin Payne. 🤔
December 15th, 2025 at 20:59Jon said in an interview at the time when PAL still existed (and hopes were high for it) that he envisaged the future of the group to be “somewhere between Little Feat and early Elton John“. He also called in that same interview Tony Ashton “the English Leon Russel” and acknowledged the influence of Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen on PAL. That to me didn’t sound like not desiring commercial success, but aiming at a more mature audience than, uhum, pimply teenagers playing air guitar😂and it sure was a radical about-face from what Purple had done (though DP’s Hold On wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Malice in Wonderland either).
In a way, PAL was also a continuation of The Artwoods had that band been given the chance to develop for another 10 years rather than split up in 1967.
Tony Ashton was a charming man, but very limited as a lead singer (on the album Malice in Wonderland all his vocals were doubletracked by Martin Birch with Bernie Marsden’s pleasant pop voice so what you hear is a Tony/Bernie hybrid). I believe PAL might have fared better with a more commercial voice (that still however sounded gravelly enough for Jon’s personal taste, he always had a thing for gravel-voiced singers: DC, Tony Ashton, Elmer Gantry, Miller Anderson), especially in the US where they should have seriously toured opening for acts like Average White Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Doobie Brothers, Joe Cocker and, indeed, Little Feat to find their audience. For that type of audience, Jon’s and Little Ian’s DP pedigree was of course a huge albatross around their necks.
December 16th, 2025 at 05:49@17
“Karin, I will let you know how it all sounds etc“
– I am very grateful MacGregor 😃
Anton does prefer goodies like dried salmon, dried beef etc, but I can assure you that he wags his tail when we dance around in the livingroom to this one:
https://youtu.be/JiFOlv-YAb8
“He deserves it after all the Gillanism of the last few years and to prepare him for what is about to arrive in February.”
– oh dear!
According to me, and Anton, we can never get too much Gillanism 😅
I mean, listen to the great man himself:
https://youtu.be/MYxTX1dGUeA
Yeah I know, not Purple, but what a diff he made for BS 😁 (imho amd all that…)
And MacGregor, this speaks for itself doesn’t it?
https://youtu.be/Fjpk66DRrAE
(And Ritchie’s smiling and everything 😃)
But this one MacGregor, this one gets my motor running every single time! Poetry, sublime rock and a lot of charms all around:
https://youtu.be/yoO6sTb2vEw
So even though other bands (like Whitesnake, Thunder etc) have made wonderful music, well, when Ian adds his vocal, as far as I’m concerned: it doesn’t get better 🤩💜💜💜💜💜 pure bliss
Have I mentioned that I’m going to see them TWICE next year 😍
December 16th, 2025 at 07:00@ 23
“…he wags his tail when we dance around in the living room…”
Probably looks something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpyYhAV9pX4
December 16th, 2025 at 07:56Karin, surely you have missed listing IG’s most angelic (for want of a better word) vocal ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d-5ttmFsck&list=RD1d-5ttmFsck&start_radio=1
December 16th, 2025 at 12:52@24
Aww a cute video 😊
Well, even though Anton turns 8 years old 1st of march ‘26, he hasn’t discovered that yet, and is pretty much still acting like a pup obsessed with too much restless energy, so when Anton and I dance around in the living room I lift him up 😄
Only when we listen to Whitesnake, he is completely in awe
https://youtube.com/shorts/rFBEp1RqZmM?si=t3w6WnExcGq-xPCw
Listening to his favourite Woman from Tokyo, it’s not possible for me to record him because his dancemoves are so energetic 😄
December 17th, 2025 at 06:24@25
Thank you so much David 🙏🏼
Yeah, his voice really is something else, isn’t it!
I have ordered the new Ian Gillan Band collection, and I hope that his voice will convince me to keep listening 😃
Ok, I’m not into jazz fusion, but so many of you in here have praised IGB, so I thought ‘well maybe I better…’
This song:
https://youtu.be/b-ScDz4Vj98
Here his voice has it all: angelic: yes, raw: sure!, phenomenal: ohhh my 🤩
And by this I wish you all a very lovely 17th of December, hoping your cups will be filled with joyous coffee and a little laugh will come from the bottom of your stomach at the absurdities of life and at the same time a deep inner joy that no matter what, we have Deep Purple’s music to enjoy 👋🏼👋🏼☕️
December 17th, 2025 at 06:33Jon will always be the hero of Deep Purple for me; a great musician and a wonderful human being. When working on the California Jam book many years ago I spent an afternoon at his house where he made me several cups of tea and talked about the Cal Jam show, DP, Whitesnake and Joe Bonamassa. This was three weeks before he passed away and he was still fully engaged with his music and career. He absolutely encouraged me with the Cal Jam book and I left his company very much uplifted by his spirit and worried for his health. A true gentleman of music. I look forward to this book.
December 17th, 2025 at 11:58Gillan especially drives me crazy and even when he sings You Make Me Feel So Good
December 17th, 2025 at 13:41https://youtu.be/jaSediKTh6k?si=TYXdX28TDsra8hZh
In a new interview with Guitar Interactive magazine, former Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse was asked if he’d be willing to return to the band for a possible one-off gig, or perhaps something more, if offered. Steve replied: “I think if the band felt differently, I’d feel differently, too. But I think there are a couple of guys in the band who were really happy I left, because they were going back to their roots and just wanted to be a rock band, and ‘don’t give me any of that sophisticated bullshit.’ And when you look at me as a songwriter, they definitely give you that sophisticated bullshit. I can’t do anything about it 😀 So I think the band is happier the way it is, and it would be a bit of a step backwards for them to want to do something like that… Anyway, they’re happier and better off that way. And I think the same here.”
December 18th, 2025 at 17:10@ 28 – I bet the tea Jon made was wonderful Mark and thanks for that lovely story. A surreal moment for you no doubt on that day at his home. Cheers.
December 19th, 2025 at 09:40@21
December 19th, 2025 at 12:59Not that is aware of!
hooray, Santa just delivered the Before I Forget cd and also The Concerto for Group and Orchestra. Lovely to have my favourite Jon Lord album on disc after so many years of vinyl and then no vinyl at all. Also the Concerto on cd, the offical Harvest release from many years ago. Bach onto this indeed. Merry xmas everyone and thanks to the good folk here running THS site, how do they put up with us all. Well, me at least, plus a few others over that Europe way, he he he. Another year gone another year older, ho hum. Cheers.
December 23rd, 2025 at 02:37I agree wholeheartedly to Mr. MacGregor: thank you for running this wonderful site…for all things Purple and some other things as well at times.
Thank you for that never ending stream of information, fun and for giving a decent home to all things Purple and then some. It means a lot
Happy holidays y’all!
December 23rd, 2025 at 14:46I agree with MacGregor and Max!
Thank you for the never ending spaß und fun in here 😃
Looking forward to new topics we can be filibustering until our brains explode and our memories are gone! But what a way to go 😃🤗
And a little kissie to you all 😙
Happy holidays everybody 💜
December 24th, 2025 at 07:36Its awkward and very contradictionairy consider my development of a buying consumer….
But I pre ordered it without really knowing whats in it.
Texts, pics and possibly techgizmo analysis of which I never did get a clue.
But its called CONCERTO so after pushed buttons I all of a sudden thought maybe the 1969 version ll be in it?
Never cared for the version he put out just before his untimely death.
I rather d have seen more performances of classical works which were on his shelve, I think.
Loved the solo stuff.
Do I now read that Before I forget came out expanded?
My version had a red cover with Jon behind his piano and I seem to recall a few bonustracks.
The LP version with the elephant once dragged to a local recordstore where Vicky was signing I still must ve somewhere.
I lived in a studentdorm across the road, in a neighbourhood of Leiden, so….
When he let Vicky Brown come over for a signing version I was probably the only one with that lp with me.
She was such a graceful and sweet lady, she laughed seeing the lp cover and was happy to sign.
Years later in London met Sam in the corridors of “Albert” .
Again, such a lovely person.
I hope I ll get into opening the box or what is it.
Since 2020 bought biographies, never read them.
January 7th, 2026 at 22:43@ 36- Rock, I have just purchased a second hand mint condition cd of that Before I Forget disc, original release 1994. The re release was remastered in the mid 2015 era, somewhere around that time. I don’t think the track listing is anything different to the one that we have. Four ‘bonus’ or extra unreleased tracks that the orignal vinyl never had, plus the interview. Not available anymore from what I have noticed, only second hand etc. I always owned the vinyl from it’s original release 1982. A nice story of you meeting Vicki Brown at that signing and later on Sam Brown. Cheers.
January 14th, 2026 at 22:42Hi Rock…I can really recommend Jon’s rework of the Concerto. I never liked that piece too much I have to say – until I heard his last version.
January 15th, 2026 at 17:09With Bonnamassa and Dickinson et al….it is a great recording, light years ahead of the 69 version, charming as that may be