![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/morse6.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/airey.jpg)
Flair, swagger, and panache
The new album Splat! is technically still a few hours away, and it seems like everybody and their dogs are reviewing it.
There’s no theme here per se, but Gillan does populate the songs with cautionary tales and characters falling from grace, some reflection on aging and tongue-in-cheek macho posturing (“I’m a sophisticated man with the emphasis on fist”). He also laces tracks such as “Diablo,” “The Only Horse in Town” and “Jessica’s Bra” with vivid cinematic detail. All of this speaks to a band that’s still in fierce form and decidedly in rock as it nears its 60th anniversary. The battle is raging on — for now, and hopefully for some time to come.
The greatest compliment that can be paid to SPLAT! is that it never feels like an album made by a band simply going through the motions. Instead, it sounds like five musicians who still believe they have something worth saying. It may not rank alongside Machine Head, In Rock, or Perfect Strangers, but it comfortably sits among the strongest albums of Deep Purple’s later years. In an era when many classic rock bands rely almost entirely on nostalgia, SPLAT! proves that Deep Purple remain a creative force rather than a museum piece.
4.5/6
Brace yourself, because what the band delivers here is a rousing set of rock music where McBride sometimes lays down searing riffs, then Purple perform blues-inspired tracks just as they did in the 1970s, and at other times the band even manages to sound a bit poppier and sometimes a wee bit more proggy. And the interplay between Airey and McBride: it’s absolutely spot on! Not only do they know a thing or two about how to create a fascinating combination of their instruments, it seems they’ve added to the recipe and, in their own quirky and headstrong way, added a dash of laid-back flair and, at times, swagger and panache.
The primary impression here is one of tons of energy, enabled by Bob Ezrin’s glistening production and a widescreen mix that gives space to the various elements. Purple rarely let up on this album, switching between their trademark organ and guitar flurries for all the world like they haven’t been doing it for decades. Gillan doesn’t make the easy error of lapsing into unwarranted nostalgia or reactionary bitterness, either, although there is a song about the evils of AI, inspired by his struggles with an internet Captcha. The Lunatic was partly inspired by the banning of that word by the powers that be.
The musical textures aren’t uniform, though: a high point comes when Airey lets loose with a Stevie Wonder-style clavinet solo on the title track, itself based on a sinister, Dear Prudence-alike descending chord sequence that adds a nicely spooky touch. Splat! is a blast from start to finish, and whatever’s in the water at Purple HQ, we want some.
Where Splat! ultimately improves on =1 is that while compounding the impression of a new, improved Mark IX Purple (freshness, concision, engaging narrative lyrics seasoned with Gillan’s sometimes surrealistic wit and imagery), it’s also laced with unmistakable echoes of Mark II and III. Of Splat!’s 13 tracks there’s barely a stumble. Jessica’s Bra with its laboured titular pun is possibly a wee bit too 20th-century for its own good, but hey, who among us isn’t? Elsewhere it’s only a succession of highlights: Arrogant Boy is a compelling second cousin to Highway Star, Diablo as gloriously mad as a tree, and Splat! itself an irresistible groove.
In many ways, Splat! captures the very best Purple one could possibly expect to hear in 2026. Pretty good cover as well. They’ll go far.
Thanks to David Black for the heads-up on Record Collector.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
I guess this is an album for guys/gentlemen/men….
Have to be honest: it feels cold to me. Not warm as =1 is.
Have listened to it a couple of times, and maybe it’ll grow on me.
The best albums are always those you don’t love completely from the start. (Except In Rock, I just loved all of it right from the start, and FB, MH & WDWTWA)
Looking forward to read your views 😊
And this is killing me, but Ian’s voice seems strained 🥺
July 3rd, 2026 at 04:38@ 2 Have to agree that it feels somewhat cold and overworked. To much guitar and organ dominating. Not sure about the sound of Gillans voice either. But it might grow on me as new Purple albums usually does.
July 3rd, 2026 at 09:21cold and overworked…
July 3rd, 2026 at 11:00Weird – I find the album overwhelmingly joyous – if it were vinyl, you could see the good vibes of the band jump out of the grooves.
And it’s also “abwechslungsreich” like hell, the guitar and keyboard work is really snappy, with both men straining at the leash. Also pleasantly few Moorisms in Simon’s playing, always a good thing.
I think The Rider and The Beating Of Wings are currently my favorite songs, but the others aren’t far behind – the clavinet solo in Splat! had me wet my undies … sheer Ike & Tina Turner bliss!
https://youtu.be/bpuf6AmQH4M
Also: Big Ian is not only inventive/idiosyncratic with his melodies, but has also come up with some really catchy vocal lines all over the tracks – something that is not always his focus.
I thought =1 promising and a breath of fresh air, but this new goody is something else!
PS: So that is why Karin has made herself so rare here, she’s struggling with the new album … Keep the faith, Sista, and the forces of good will prevail!!
July 3rd, 2026 at 12:55“They’ll go far.”
That quote from Louder Sound/Classic Rock is just PRICELESS! ☝️😂
July 3rd, 2026 at 13:48I just finished my first listen on YT.
July 3rd, 2026 at 13:50A much better album than the last 2 singles had me expecting and a FAR better album than = 1.
An early observation.my ears anticipated another verse/chorus on quite a few songs.but no such luck.
I’m already humming the riff of Jessica’s Bra.It’s a toe-tapper,for sure.
@4
I’m glad you like it Uwe 😊
I admit I am struggling big time, with Ian’s voice, but also with the overall feeling.
However – there has been other albums I really didn’t like in the beginning, which now are among my favourites, but the big problem for me is his voice 😢
I seriously wonder if he can go on.
I have listened to footage from new concerts, and he seems to me to be having a hard time singing.
And no, I’m not comparing to when he was young, I’m comparing to ‘24’s footages.
Well, it is still Deep Purple, and I guess I will listen a lot more to Splat! just because it is from my favourite band! Had it been any other band I had never given it another chance 😞
When do we know when it is over?
I really don’t like to be feeling this bad….
‘Arrogant boy’ is really good!
‘Diablo’ ok-ish good..
‘Splat’ I just don’t get…
The rest of the tracks need to be digested more thoroughly.
But I guess it is an album with a much more masculine tone than I’m used to.
Have a lovely weekend everybody 😊
July 3rd, 2026 at 14:05First mpressions a big step forward from =1 which i thought was underwhelming.
Listening via steaming before the physical release arrives later today. Much happier with the Simon’s playing this time around.
Each track packs so much into the short play time takes a while to process.
July 3rd, 2026 at 14:46Guys I listened to it and I’m not impressed at all but hey maybe it is a grower. Again I keep beating on a dead horse but Ezrin production had taken over and it’s not Purple Paicey snare drums too loud I the mix I don’t know …
July 3rd, 2026 at 15:28Simon is not Morse musically Airey bless his heart is not Jon and plays same old same old technical stuff! The best song is Guilt Trippin’ I guess some fans will be thankful and ecstatic about this album, for some will be “ meh” I will listen to it for a couple of times and move on! As I mentioned before the Gilllan/ Paicey project !
Karin, I don’t even find the album that “heavy” – of course it has nothing to do with the sound of 70s Mk II (I never believed the promo blurb), that was a music from a different time aimed at – let’s face it – adolescents that had just grown out of Sweet and Status Quo and young adults. The amount of people in their 40s and older in the 70s who listened regularly to DP was – dare I say – miniscule.
But that doesn’t bother me in the least, this is DP NOW and I think the album is lots of things at once: catchy, ebullient, hilariously solo Kabinettstückchen-oriented, varied, unafraid to resurrect ‘old’ keyboard sounds (Don is great at that). I mean the keyboard intro to The Rider is something you would expect Flake from Rammstein to play,
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a1/4b/4a/a14b4a854f7805a44b6818c8851e4d5d.gif
those musical box/ring tone melodies he always does (to great effect). And Big Ian knows his limits and acts like them – he’s pulling off a senior performance akin to what an aging Marlon Brando did.
https://media.tenor.com/CIBG3V91e4sAAAAM/godfather-marlon-brando.gif
And:
B
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July 3rd, 2026 at 17:06!
!
First thing I noticed was that the singles give a distorted idea of the album. Somebody at the recording company decided that Purple is about heavy riff based up tempo songs and chose singles accordingly. Well, the album offers much more than that. Very diverse and yet very consistent from start to finish. It’s also more upbeat than any other album of theirs.
Boys sound like a very tight unit, production is good. The album also shows you can be proggy without 15 min songs in give movements. Rich textures, interesting harmonies and classic references make even compact songs sound intelligent.
Good listening and great work overall!
July 3rd, 2026 at 17:49I had my 1st listen just after midnight and am listening a 2nd time as I read comments here. My 1st impression was no bad songs, but maybe no great songs and that the 2nd half of the album was better than the 1st half. 2nd time through and I am enjoying this more than my 1st impression. The low points for me are The Rider and The Only Horse in Town, but not low enough to skip. I think that Arrogant Boy, Diablo, The Lunatic, Scriblin’ Gib’rish, & Guilt Trippin’ are bangers and Splat! might be my favorite.
Simon & Don’s superb solos catch my attention throughout the album. I disagree with several fellow fans who say that IG voice sounds strained.
My disclaimer is I am on vacation and listening from my laptop and that doesn’t do bass well sound. I expect the sound will be richer when I am home using my bluetooth speaker or CD player in my car.
Now onto World Cup and my 3rd listen during intermissions.
July 3rd, 2026 at 18:00My favorite album since Purpendicular. The playing is stupendous. Gillan is a wonder of nature.
July 3rd, 2026 at 21:01@10
Uw, thanks for that hint (Flake/Rammstein). I kept scratching my mind what this groove reminds me of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWtYzU40N-M
At least IG does not sing “Rrrrrider” 😉
Overall a great album. It rocks, it grooves, it swings, it sounds great. I like it.
July 3rd, 2026 at 21:36I am pleasantly surprised & I really do like it. It is in no way HARD ROCK but it’s Deep Purple 2026!! Its’s a bit of prog a bit of rock and some piano too. Don is all over this LP and he and Simon mesh well. Don doesn’t play as heavy as Jon and that’s ok. I don’t read into IG’s lyrics as long as he does not talk the song thru, and he sounds great for an 80 YO rock singer. I sure would like to hear some of these tunes in the setlist in August but I won’t hold my breath, anything but Black Night lol This LP is better than =1, IMO and not as hard as Perp. I compare it to Now What and I’m in the minority but i like Bananas and Infinite. It is amazing they are still putting out quality music and I’m proud to be a Purple fan!
ps just bought Ride The Rainbow….now there is some Hard Rock!!
July 3rd, 2026 at 22:48#7 Karin:
I think your concerns about Ian’s voice are unfounded, he absolutely offers an amazing elasticity and interpretation, he still has some high register parts and aggressive parts, as well as giving us a couple of screams.
I’d say the performance on record is excellent, but live is a different story. Obviously, we’ll hear it with our own ears soon!
Start with the most melodic and engaging songs, then move on to the more complicated ones. You’ll see that Splat will make you fall in love!
July 4th, 2026 at 01:52I’ve listened , learned,and read on – like it vey much .
Splat(song ) surprised me – didn’t know what to expect and as usual Deep Purple produces .Like the whole album .Ian sounds great (both of them ).
Rock On!
July 4th, 2026 at 03:25@10
Uwe, to me it’s a lot ‘heavier’ than =1 and the previous albums with Steve Morse.
And yes, I did think of the first fab albums with Mark ll when I heard ‘Arrogant boy’ and ‘Diablo’. Still do actually 😊
But you know, I’ve always considered Ian’s voice as THE rock voice, because it, besides sounds completely wonderful, has always been his voice that has carried the tune, been in front of the band.
And it is on the first two singles.
But – in ‘Splat’ and most of the other songs, his voice is drowning in the music.
Can be a mike thing! But I’m afraid it’s because he has lost his power. Oh man I would be happy if I’m all wrong here 😊
So nice to read different views on the album 💜
Re Bob Ezrin, well, I often get nervous twitching talking about producers. Mostly because Jeff Lynne (who also has a nice voice, or had..) overproduced good songs into “plastic fantastic” 🙁
I know a producer is necessary, and to me he is doing a great job, or was at =1, ‘Now What’, ‘Infinite’ and ‘Whoosh’.
I guess – GUESS – he also is good here, so I wonder if the band asked him to go in another direction!
Well, I keep on listening to Splat! (The album)
July 4th, 2026 at 06:22😊
@1,4,7,10
July 4th, 2026 at 08:11Hello Uwe and Karin,
I‘m not sure if it’s the heat of the last weeks or some kind of too much work before my holidays start on July, 12th – I‘m some kind of exhausted.
Yesterday my CD arrived. I‘m with you Karin, there are some albums that don’t touch you at first listen – and this one seems to be one of those. So I stay patient, listen some more times and tell you my thoughts later.
@16
Fla76 – thank you 🤗
“You’ll see that Splat will make you fall in love!”
– I never was out of love with Purple 😄
But yes, I am a bit worried, however, I’m not a quitter! I stay ‘till the bitter end ☺️
July 4th, 2026 at 10:38@19
Hallo Beate 🤗😃
Yes we had a really hot week too, not as hot as you had in Deutschland, aber hot enough 😄
I do exactly like you, dear Lady, I’m patient and keep listening to my all time favourite band – because (and now I’m quoting L’Oréal) they are worth it 🤩
July 4th, 2026 at 10:45SPLAT! Continues Purple’s journey into realms of prog never explored when Blackmore and Lord were in the group. It’s very clear that Don Airey is the musical director these days and the music reflects this. I doubt I’ll listen to SPLAT! much more, having already played it all the way through a few times. Hopefully the UK live shows don’t feature too much of the album, as to my ears this is well executed, but it sure ain’t Deep Purple.
July 4th, 2026 at 10:51Would you listen to this album if it hadn’t been released under the DP label? And is DP a group owned by Bob, or is he supposed to be just the producer?
July 4th, 2026 at 13:25Whoa, surprised to see many people ‘didn’t get it’ at first about Splat! To me this is a marvelous improvement from the boring =1 (I still call =1 as a Mark 8 album with European guitarist)
The songs on Splat! are crazy and fun (no, they’re not 70’s rock like Gillan co tried their hard to advertise the album). The band tried so many things (called freedom). In terms of creativity I put this record on the same territory as Purpendicular and CTTB.
And to me the most important, Simon looks like have found his feet in the studio. playing the banjo like he want it to be, spontaneous rather than meticulous approach. With plenty of guitar licks different than Mr. Blackmore, Morse, or Bolin. Although the recipe has become more apparent now, Simon-Airey interplays dominate their music.
July 4th, 2026 at 14:55Oh, oh, oh, dDejan, I think you‘re asking the wrong person that question! 😂 I was a Bob Ezrin fan BEFORE I was a Purple one, several Bob Ezrin albums are among my desert island ones: the Alice Cooper Group‘s series of early 70s album, his first solo outing Welcome To My Nightmare, KISS‘ Destroyer (hell, I even like The Elder), Peter Gabriel‘s debut and Hanoi Rocks‘ Two Steps From The Move are all seminal albums to me. Even Pink Floyd‘s The Wall is one hell of a production job, never mind it being a Roger Waters vanity and megalomaniac project too.
I just never envisaged that Bob and Purple would come together because I thought the band had a disdain for strong producer figures – turns out that perhaps only Ritchie felt that disdain/insecurity.
So Ezrin and Deep Purple together are a dream come true for me and I think he has done the exactly right things with DP – and they seem to enjoy it too.
Tony Visconti as a producer for DP would have been a dream combination too – he is my second-favorite producer (George Martin by his own admission has said that he is not the right man for hard rock – after the negative experience with UFO).
Now you ask and where are Martin Birch and Roger Glover as producers for DP in all this? To which I answer: Martin Birch was a great engineer who captured DP on tape in a way they could always reproduce that sound live. But he added little that wasn’t already there. And Roger did the same a bit more glossier. But as a producer, Roger did in my view a much better Job with Nazareth, Rory Gallagher, Judas Priest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVCB581Ibpc
and Michael Schenker than he did with Rainbow or Purple. His role as a band member inhibited him and he eventually realized that too.
The Ezrin era of Purple is for me a sonic revelation – horses for courses! It’s a producer/band combo for me as good as Judas Priest and Tom Allom or Def Leppard and Mutt Lange.
July 4th, 2026 at 15:22I agree with Karin. It does sound cold. Call me grumpy, but some of the tracks sound plodingly the same. Of course I’ve only listened to it once. I do like it better than =1. Simon does a great job but as for Don, too much from him! The highlite of =1 for me was Gillan’s singing on I’ll Catch You. Nothing like that on this album unfortunately. As for any resemblance to the mighty MKII, there is none. Oh well, I certainly will give this album more spins. My fav songs: Guilt Trippin, Arrogant Boy, The Rider and Third Call. I would have never thought that, after discovering their great band in 1973, 53 years later I would still be buying new albums from them.
July 4th, 2026 at 17:03As @13 said: best album since _|_
July 4th, 2026 at 17:07Better than =1
Will defo be added to car play list (got through vinyl)
Reckon Simon plays more like his style than on =1.
Some songs could be longer and I hate fade outs.
Well done purps. Look forward to hearing these live at the RAH!
🙂
@23
dDejan – yes, I would, because it comes down simply to the fact that I like this music. It does “work me” in a way it used to do with previous line ups and chapters of their history.
And mind you, I myself am very critical of Bob Ezrin, too, I think that the boys got used to relying on him far too much and he became more too much of the director. Still, I also think, we have to take in the circumstances of it too – if it wasn’t for him, maybe our favourite band wouldn’t be active anymore and they would go separate ways some time ago. Think about that, if that’s what you would prefer.
July 4th, 2026 at 18:21@22
John, if it ain’t Deep Purple – so how do you define what DP actually is? Or when? Or with whom? And why would you be the chosen one to define it one way or another?
Bands of this calibre become an institution and sort of representatives of a concept on type of music, more than fixed line-up. King Crimson is another example of creating this sort of musical realm. For decades people thought that it’s only there where Robert Fripp is. Even Fripp was thinking that to some point, until the passing of time and coming of age of his mind – proved it isn’t exactly so. Now you got the quartet of Belew, Levin, Vai and Carey playing KC and it’s up to the listeners to decide if it’s any legit or not. As it’s with DP case. We accept them in the way they morphed into the 9th incarnation. They do, too. This acceptance translates positively into the music and energy they create and give back to us. And you say hey, it ain’t them
WHO are you and what genuinely Deep Purple did YOU create last month/quarter/year/decade/halvacentury ?
” … Isn’t it ironic…. Don’t you think? …..”
July 4th, 2026 at 18:41OK, I’m going to do something now that Uwe will never do ….and admit I was wrong!
I thought Splat would stink …instead , I think it is absolutely fucking brilliant! Yes, fucking brilliant…I haven’t felt like this about a Purple album since …Purpendicular…I can’t wait to listen to it …again and again .
It’s not 1970s or 1870s or 2070s …its simply original, incredible, inspired and totally different to anything else , anywhere …its jaw dropping !
I could go on all week about how great it is …but I just haven’t got the words .
Kudos to everyone in the band …especially Ian Gillan …how the fuck does he do it !? …he really is a freak of nature.
I must say , I’m amazed , simply amazed that Karin doesn’t like it !….I thought she’d be raving about it and Gillans voice …perhaps she’s mourning cus Denmark aren’t in the world cup !
Me …I can’t wait for the next album and the next and the next …
I think they’ve done something special here
July 4th, 2026 at 19:57#30 Steve:
well done Steve!
I was waiting for your opinion and I’m happy that you like this orgy of creativity that is Splat!
it’s a drug!
It’s something that no other group in the world could have created.
I, who in the past have even harshly criticized Don for many musical reasons, am amazed by Don’s immense work, he truly gave his all!
and LittleIan is superlative, stunning, he looks 30 years younger!
Here we are all worried that Karin didn’t have the right feeling with this album, after all there are many points of contact with =1 and with the albums of the Morse era, and in Splat there is a ton of melody, so I’m really surprised that she wasn’t ecstatic!
July 5th, 2026 at 01:12[Hope it’s okay if I repost my thoughts here!]
My initial impression of the album is, alas, mild disappointment. Arrogant Boy and Diablo are atypical; Guilt Trippin’ is more representative. There are riffs, but few songs that begin in classic Purple style with thundering riffs. One of the songs is almost poppy, and there are other songs that have passages in major scales that are too jolly (to use Ian Paice’s perfect term) for rock.
I would love to know, though I doubt we ever will, who contributed the main ideas to the songs.
But my guess is that Roger contributed less than usual, and Simon, and especially Don (whose solo work is often excellent), more. There are fewer riffs in blues scales, and more in harmonic minor scales. The liner notes don’t credit Bob Ezrin as a songwriter (as they have done with recent albums) but merely as an arranger. And there are fewer irritating Ezrin mannerisms in the production than in previous albums produced by him (e.g., awful endings, talking, super trebly vocals, choirs-of-angels backing vocals).
But the soloing is excellent, and I need to get to know the songs more before rendering a final judgement. The album was advertised as heavy. And there are parts that are heavy in a traditional way: thundering riffs in blues scales played with a rough guitar tone. But it is also heavy in a different way–everything is mixed together, and there is some musical complexity that needs unravelling.
If the album recalls the Mk. 2 era at all, then Fireball is the album it most resembles. But it mostly resembles the pre-Ezrin Morse-era albums.
July 5th, 2026 at 01:18@30
Steve, I am genuinely happy you like Splat! – it’s not all I don’t like, ‘Arrogant Boy’ is phenomenal, in-your-face and lovely in its adolescence superiority (yes, men in their 80s can easily be like young guys in their outlook on the world!)
And ‘Diablo’ is dark in a lighthearted way 😊
Yesterday afternoon I went methodically through the rest of the album – and turned to ‘Machine Head’ to get some comfort afterwards 😞
I find Ian’s voice drowning in the music, whereas it’s carrying the tune in almost all the other songs he has ever sung.
Yes I’m mourning, not that the Danish football team failed big, I’m used to that….
I hope England win, but they are going to play in the thin air, which they are not used to. Hopefully Harry Kane can push through ☺️
Well, I look forward to the next albums …. Hopefully I can learn to enjoy this Splat! too…
July 5th, 2026 at 05:43@26
Leslie yes, ‘Third call’ is really good, come to think of it.
I have no idea if this is true, but maybe it’s the producer’s doings that Ian’s voice is less than what it uses to be in most of the songs.
I really don’t think we are grumpy because we tell it like it is from our point of views 😁
July 5th, 2026 at 05:56The only thing that really can make me grumpy is if there is no more coffee left and the shops are closed 🤣🤣 sorry, I always make sure there is PLENTY of coffee…
@ 29 – the ‘King Crimson’ projects are just that Thorsun, projects. Not Crimson by name as in the King. Robert Fripp was left with the name back in 1969 when original key members quit for different reasons. The remnants of the 1990’s KC lineup was deliberately broken up into ‘projects’ by Fripp, to see what each three piece lineup may conjure up from any embers that may have still burned. I know what you mean of course, but the name is what is paramount in many aspects. The KC ‘projects’ often have a name associated with them, example The Crimson Project. Back in 2014 I went and it was stellar, no Fripp and three ex members in that offshoot. The 21st Century Schizoid band, early 2000’s, no Fripp and ex band members from the early 70’s lineups plus a future vocalist and guitarist Jakko Jakszyk. The ‘Beat’ band, a KC album name that Fripp actually recommended to Belew when Adrian called him to ask him if he wanted to be involved in a reformation of the 80’s lineup. Anway, a tribute band or not a tribute band, that is the question in relation to many ‘nostalgic’ acts these days. Thin Lizzy for example are just one that is questionable to my ears and eyes. John M is entitled to his opinion like the rest of us. I know what John means though, we all have our own flavours as to what we enjoy. A lot of people only define something for a certain reason and I am one of those and there are many many more out there in this rock ‘n roll world. Each to their own. Slaves and Masters left me cold and there were four classic DP members in that lineup. The music is what it is all about with any of us aficionados. Cheers.
July 5th, 2026 at 06:09@23
dDejan, you hit a nerve here:
“Would you listen to this album if it hadn’t been released under the DP label?”
– no, to be completely and brutally honest, I don’t think I would 😞
I bought the album because I have loved every single album, every single song they have ever made. Maybe I need to mature a bit to be able to love this ☺️😉
“And is DP a group owned by Bob, or is he supposed to be just the producer?”
July 5th, 2026 at 06:18– that is a good question, I think though he is doing what the band ask him to do.. they don’t strike me as a suppressed group of people 😄
Personally speaking I would not review an album so quickly, just after one listen or so. Hell, I am still waiting to do the odd review on albums from the 70’s and 80’s, he he he. Seriously though, am I too critical, sometimes but not always. Some music takes time, some hits a bit quicker etc. Karin will change her mind, well I think she more than likely will. It has Ian Gillan on it this album, although, has the Ian Gillan Band shaken the very foundations for Karin, of all things Ian Gillan related. Interesting, we do hope she will survive it all though. Maybe she is too busy at present twirling that drumstick? I should say ‘attempting’ to twirl that drumstick. Cheers.
July 5th, 2026 at 06:20@31
Fla76:
“Here we are all worried that Karin didn’t have the right feeling with this album”
– well, thank you for your concern 😃
I tell you what: I blame it on the synesthesia that is going on in my head…
Normally I can tell instantly if I like or even love a song or not. Seldom do the colours change a lot.
You know – Metallica is a great example on what music makes horrible colours in my head, however normally Ian Gillan’s voice is pure delight and happiness.
And so is Deep Purple, with all the different guitarists there have been, and all the different producers there have been producing.
All that said: Splat! is not doing a lot of good for me, with the exceptions of ‘Arrogant Boy’, ‘Diablo’ and ‘Third Call’.
I honestly have to say that the rest are cold, more or less…..
July 5th, 2026 at 08:37@37
MacGregor – “Personally speaking I would not review an album so quickly”
I think it’s because of the synesthesia in my head! You know I instantly “see” the colours, no exceptions there 😊
F.i even numbers are red, all numbers with 5 in them are blue and the rest are black 😄 cannot change that! (However Pi is all red, don’t ask me why…)
I have the same with names, some names for people just don’t make sense for me 😄, and of course musica.
So I can pretty early on tell if I like the songs or not.
But I honestly hope I can learn somehow to like all the songs 😊
This synesthesia is a funny thing, brings me lots of joy.
July 5th, 2026 at 09:04On FaceBook I’m friends with this lovely lady who has the same, she is a wonderful artist and a musician.
The only thing I don’t appreciate is the fact that I cannot find my way. Luckily I have gps these days, but I tell you it’s a big problem for me. I have managed to get lost in our little village, and I tell you it is a tiny village.
So please bear with me 😊
#34 Karin No Coffee!!!! That is an extreme emergency!!! If I don’t get that first cup as soon as I get up, the day is wrecked LOL. Yes, it could be the producer’s doing about Gillan’s voice. He certainly still can sing better than most (as far as I am concerned he is the BEST Rock singer I’ve ever heard)! It would be nice if he and Roger would do a tour together doing some of their solo material. As for Splat, I’m going to get a cup of coffee, put it on and listen to it with no distractions. Cheers!!
July 5th, 2026 at 10:58simply asked a question, and I feel I have the right to do so as someone who has bought all their official releases—and bootlegs, too; I think the Japanese economy would collapse without people like me! It baffles me, though, that we live in an era where every new album gets praised, whereas I remember how critics tore some of the classics to shreds back in the day! And as a former footballer who played in the World Cup (I see you’re giving Karen a hard time about football) I can say that I’ve faced criticism from the audience after certain matches, and that’s normal, since not every game is top-notch. It’s a shame, though, that as someone who has been a DP fan for 45 years, I don’t have the right to hold a slightly different opinion.
July 5th, 2026 at 12:15Fla 76
Couldn’t have put it better myself…an orgy of creativity …and something no other band in the world could have created !
All this unnecessary comparisons with heavy …light ..1970s ..1920s …bollocks …its just a damn fine , excellent album to my ears …and I’m really proud and happy to say I am a DP fan once again ( not that I ever wasn’t….just a bit disillusioned that’s all )
I’m also glad that Gillan has publicly acknowledged the contribution of Steve and they’re gonna start putting one or two of his songs in the set ( if only there hadn’t been these nasty little spiteful digs at Steve …then we could have all accepted the transition to Simon in a much better way )
Do you know, talking of ” Splat” and the end of the human race and morphing into something else …I wonder if that’s what’s happening with Deep Purple? …I myself am just beginning to accept that we’ve got all these different versions of our favourite band and we either like them …or we don’t!
Do you think Purple could morph into something different..but the same ? As all the members die off or retire and they get replaced by younger ones of exceptional talent …so we will always have a version of Deep Purple? Bit like a football team !! Lol
Incidentally, has anyone noticed the similarity of ” For the benefit of Mr Kite ” …in Jessica’s Bra …somewhere.
Genuinely, really hoping Karin falls in love with it as I know what a massive fan she is and don’t like to see her disappointed.
Karin, if it helps , I’m convinced The beating of wings is about Bron .
Long live Deep Purple mark 283 ! 🤣🤣🛸
July 5th, 2026 at 12:21Been listening to the new album and have to say that Simon goes a great job but, and I never thought this about any other DP album with Don as he has done an excellent job, this album needs Jon on it not only for his playing but for helping with the arrangements. Of course that can’t happen.
July 5th, 2026 at 12:32Finally got into 1 song.. the title track (Splat!) 😀 and starting to like Jessica’s Bra. This one (the album) will take some time to enjoy..
July 5th, 2026 at 14:03Listening to Splat! (on the windshield) at Spotify and Uncommon Man suddenly plays. I love Now What and we will see about Splat!..
July 5th, 2026 at 14:56@29
How interesting.
Can you see the irony of giving your opinion on my opinion?
Don’t you think? 😁
July 5th, 2026 at 15:51@41
Your original point @23 is valid and is also the criteria I use to evaluate any album by DP. Unfortunately, since JL left, I find it rings true on far too many occasions. There are always diamonds in the rough however.
Turn a blind eye 😎 to those whose critical faculties have become somewhat blunted by simple blind devotion and loyalty to the group (nothing wrong with that though).
A lot of the reviews – official or not – are so self-reinforcing it’s like being in an echo chamber!
July 5th, 2026 at 18:05I hope Karen will find her way to like the album, as imho there are no arguments against it. I don’t think it’s cold. It’s better produced than 1, songs are more melodic and Gillan sounds more inspired with this material. His voice sounds much better than on 1 where you could hear him struggling in places. As great as I will catch you was… his voice was shaking there… So it’s imho more women sounding album if we see this in context of melodical, than the previous one…. It’s like for Gillan fans only part 2 if anything to me…
July 5th, 2026 at 18:33@40
Leslie, I have an arsenal of coffee 😃
And I have been drinking vast amounts of coffee, listening to Splat!
@41
dDejan, of course you’re entitled to have your own opinion!
Wouldn’t life be deadly boring if we all agreed on everything? Yawn and yawn again 😝
@42
Steve: “Karin, if it helps , I’m convinced The beating of wings is about Bron”
– thank you! It comforts me a lot that he still writes lovesongs to the love of his life 😊
I will give it another listen 😊
This is what Ian says about the song:
“Don’t be afraid of the dark, little one.
July 5th, 2026 at 18:39Everything will be all right in the morning.
Just before dawn, you will hear the beating of wings,
As the Angel of Light hurries the night away.”
So I cannot say it definitely is about Bron, but it is a nice thought 🙏🏼
@41, dD
You asked a question – I simply answered it. I’m not taking you away the right to hold up a different opinion. You asked if I would listen to this album, had it been relased under different banner – so I duly answer, yes. If it was Don Airey’s record following up “Pushed to the Edge” – i’d still like it and deem it excellent.
@46 John,
I admit that although it seldom happens – you managed to stir my irk and baited me to go for bickering over controversy. My bad, question only is – why one should do it. I’d rather hear if you could elaborate on what in the current circumstances would be “genuinely Deep Purple”. And I’m serious about the question, you made me curious. Maybe you have some sort of vision or concept that I can’t see – simply because I enjoy what we got. That’s all theres to it, really. This place is about discussion, fighting over matters to death is for socials that I don’t use.
I can only tell you both that I compiled myself two discs of my super favourite cuts of DP (more and less travelled) from the period 1996-2026 including favorites from “Splat!” and to my ears – they lay and fit excellently between anything else from the past. I of course base on personal perception – and as for it specifically – it’s really a happy one nowdays. You got yours, wheter “Splat!” fits there or not, kudos and respect.
July 5th, 2026 at 20:54Fans of this band are inscrutable sometimes. Splat is first-class hard rockin’ fun from beginning to end.
July 5th, 2026 at 22:22“If it wasn’t for him, maybe our favourite band wouldn’t be active anymore and they would go separate ways some time ago. Think about that, if that’s what you would prefer.”
But you’re not allowed to say that, Thorsun! 😬 According to the venerable Herr MacGregor that is uncorroborated conjecture and gossip, even more damning if applied in hindsight! Or maybe just I am not allowed to say it, who knows, he has more mood swings than Joan Crawford.
https://youtu.be/jkPW5K1IaKo
******************************
“OK, I’m going to do something now that Uwe will never do ….and admit I was wrong!
Commendable as that is, lieber Steve, there is no reason for you to signpost your previous errors in such a flashy fashion, we all know you’re wrong most of the time, but that is part of your endearing charm. You’re like a mole enrolling in flight school to do reconnaissance work from 40.000 feet above, everyone admires your will and determination to succeed, but, alas!, nature giveth us all inherent limits, ‘tis so. 🤗
For the record: I’m myself wrong often enough, it has never been an issue for me to admit that. [I reassessed the albums Tony did with Glenn (not the Sabbath one) for instance a while back and retracted my previously damning to lukewarm statements, maybe you missed it.] I find people who can’t admit to their mistakes or assume a new viewpoint laughable and pathetic.
********************************************
“It’s very clear that Don Airey is the musical director these days and the music reflects this.”
Amen 🙏, John M, how many times have I written this? Don has morphed into the lead keyboarder, major songwriter and musical director of DP and if he’s Batman then Simon is his sidekickin’ Robin, though I don’t know whether Simon shaves his legs with the same accuracy and commitment.
https://share.google/0ENESfDINKVGgMvdZ
And you know what? I think that is great! And to give you something more to chew on: The last time I heard a keyboarder play on a DP album as wholeheartedly inspired as Don does on the new one, the culprit was Jon Lord sometime in the 70s. You might like Jon’s style better, and that is ok, but there is no denying Don’s bubbling enthusiasm. He and Simon are to me a better team than Steve and Don, Steve and Jon and Ritchie and Jon in the 80s/90s. Now get your pitchforks out. 😂
*********************************
Finally, if (nearly) everyone here will continue praising SPLAT! to high heaven, my contrarian urges will kick in and I will have to activate the windshield wiper and say that it‘s fly crap! 🤣😂
PS: Karin, don’t give up, now that you have managed to even like IGB in parts, no challenge is insurmountable for you!
PPS: Did I mention that Bob Ezrin is the best thing that happened to DP since a young IG and RG shuffled into a studio to lend Blackers, Jon and Paicey a hand to record Hallelujah?
July 6th, 2026 at 00:28Been listeing to Splat since it came out. I liked the 3 singles they released very much. Upon listening to Splat I wasn’t too hooked on the songs except lunatic, sacred land and last horse in town….now I am loving all the rest! Still warming up to Rider and Beating of My strings. Can DP get back into Billboards charts with this? Maybe – saw it advertise on CNN with Ian Paice for a minute.
July 6th, 2026 at 01:51@52
“PS: Karin, don’t give up, now that you have managed to even like IGB in parts, no challenge is insurmountable for you!”
– well Uwe, I had that formidable drumstick to look forward to 😉
It’s his voice that troubles me. Except for a handful of songs, his beautiful voice is drowned in the music, which never have happened before…
What is insurmountable for me is to change the impression in my weird mind.
Most of the songs are 🥶
It feels like biting in aluminium foil – if that makes any sense.
I’m grateful I have all the other albums to comfort me 🧸
July 6th, 2026 at 07:41With the benefit of hindsight to hypothetical hogwash. Contact Uwe Hornung, he knows it all ladies and gentlemen. Now where is that crystal ball he so fervently clings to as he gazes into the past. No Ezrin, no problem, simply get another producer, there so many out there of the highest calibre. But no, wait, let’s all quit the band. As if! The fawning over uncle Bob continues. Stay tuned folks, same Bat time, same Bat channel. Cheers.
July 6th, 2026 at 10:00#54 Karin:
Explain to us what you mean by “voice drowned out by music”
In a studio album, if the vocals aren’t prominent, it’s nothing dramatic, it’s simply that the sound engineer and the band have chosen to mix the vocals more together than the instruments (which is exactly how BigIan likes it).
July 6th, 2026 at 10:26I have great respect for everyone on this site and hold no ill will toward any of you; my frustration is directed at critics who heap uncritical praise on the band, thereby doing a disservice to the group we all love. I also believe that albums containing 13 songs—six of which are merely filler—are utter nonsense because they kill the momentum. In my opinion, albums should have a maximum of eight tracks; *Stormbringer* proved that anything beyond that is just excess.
July 6th, 2026 at 12:55@56
Well Fla76, normally, or “normally”, Ian’s voice is very dominant, easy to hear, but I find on this album his voice is drowned by the music.
That’s all 😊
July 6th, 2026 at 12:57@54
Do the other albums offer you any comfort? The last three with SM I’ve already put them out of my mind since this fantastic record split out; for me, it’s also incredibly well produced. It sounds amazing!
July 6th, 2026 at 13:32Without babbling too much about it, Splat is for me the best DP album since Purpendicular, and just as adventurous.
Everybody’s on fire performance wise, the production sounds good (loads better than any other Ezrin era album in my opinion) and the songs are varied, vigorous and vital. Gillan also has written the best collective set of lyrics since I don’t know when. As a cherry on top of the Splat cake also the artwork is just fantastic. Somehow all stars have aligned for this one.
Someone commented earlier that Purple show here how to do excellent prog without long song lengths and I fully agree. This is hard rock, this is prog, this is prime level Deep Purple in 2026.
July 6th, 2026 at 13:36Herr MacGregor, if Bob Ezrin is so horrible, why do DP keep going back to him again and again? They have by now created six albums with him, that is 0ne quarter of their complete studio output over 58 years. Martin Birch produced seven albums with them (and produced DP for a shorter period than Bob, only for six to seven years, think about it), Roger six over a period of roughly 19 years, Derek Lawrence three (in basically a year or so) and Michael Bradford two. Do you think that DP have lost their ability to judge how a well-produced record sounds? That Roger and Little Ian have gone deaf? Or to turn your argument against you if I may: If it would have indeed been so easy for Purple to find another producer to gel with as well as with Bob, why haven’t they long done so, but stick with him? Has he somehow jinxed the band, cast a satanic spell over them? Does earMUSIC hold poor DP ransom? Does someone like Roger sit idly by as – allegedly – Bob Ezrin ruins six albums in a row with a crap production (never mind that all of them went higher in the German charts than their immediate predecessors – Germans apparently don’t give a Rattenarsch if an album is well-produced or not)? When Roger was dissatisfied with Michael Bradford’s engineering, the Bradford production era ended pretty swiftly if you ask me.
And another thing: All this moaning about the songs being too short? I think that is a more or less hilarious point/luxury critique. Or to quote my late dear mom: “If you have no other worries in your life, then I am truly, truly happy for you!” She said that whenever people seemed to her to get worked up about petty things. Which the duration of a song is: If it’s good, a short duration is still preferable to it overstaying its welcome. This of course comes from a man who always thought Stairway to Heaven lame, boring and waaaaaaaayyyy too long. SPLAT! Is filled to the brim with spirited exchanges between Don and Simon, they are really fun to listen to, I don’t need songs to clock in at five minutes or more to relish that.
RANT OVER.
And wholly out of context: Does anybody else also think that The Only Horse In Town with its organ riff sounds like 70s Kansas trying to be poppy? 😂
Hell of an album it is – much as it pains me to say this as the resident contrarian and mythbuster. Hopefully, my freak alignment with the majority opinion won’t last too long. Can we please have another Rainbow Rising or The Battle Rages On thread so I can follow my nature?
Can I also nominate SPLAT! as keyboard album of the year? 🤯
July 6th, 2026 at 14:16Flavio, the music on SPLAT! is indeed pretty dense and massive – not that I mind -, but then Ian’s vocals are mixed inordinately loud too and of course double-, triple- and even quadruple-tracked, something he has been doing since the 70s. Ian was always a multiple tracker when singing in the studio (and he was good at it). In contrast, David Coverdale double-tracked his verses hardly ever – of course he had Glenn by his side too.
July 6th, 2026 at 15:05(I meant to say more inside, I deleted the words in the phrase by mistake)
July 6th, 2026 at 15:22@56
Weird, have answered already, but never mind 😊
Ian’s voice, in all other songs I can think of, is very much in front, carrying the tune. But for the most songs on this record, his beautiful voice is drowned by the music.
But hey, that’s just me. If the rest of you love it, then by all means forget my opinion.
I just prefer this:
https://youtu.be/NwMRYOONsOA?is=kTjvsIlnTWkjk9wa
And this:
https://youtu.be/xROFR8DEbyk?is=GlCagipnvdrrecR5
This:
https://youtu.be/joMyO-BayNk?is=vnFoH2widG90wL6g
This
https://youtu.be/bigkSWMEUQ0?is=6qrsAWQvilF9ZXN4
And of course this:
https://youtu.be/5fM1IFKyQk0?is=YxuFQxd2O1715FU0
To this:
https://youtu.be/zT8NgnZGFlA?is=-TaU_zPt69Z–uD0
Not that the music is bad, but his voice is not in front like in the others…
This one:
https://youtu.be/iFSSENeMyy0?is=V-2cwbw4fUXhNSze
Reminds me of lot of Splat! – but his voice is very dominant.
I guess it a producer’s choice.
July 6th, 2026 at 15:49@57
dDejan!
“my frustration is directed at critics who heap uncritical praise on the band”
– I have been accused, and rightfully so, that I have been completely uncritical re Ian’s voice, but I guess my complaints about this album show I’m not a brain dead fan 😊
Btw: I see eye to eye with you re Splat! And I can tell you I’m sad about how this album turned out.
July 6th, 2026 at 15:55Mostly because I’m afraid they might not make that many albums anymore, and I would really hate it if Splat! is their swan song.
#62 Uwe:
but in fact even for me Ian’s voice is mixed higher than many Purple records,
July 6th, 2026 at 16:12but I don’t understand what Karin means by “overpowered”, perhaps because the keyboard arrangements are truly opulent and the songs, even if melodic, don’t leave you a moment of sonic respite, there’s really so much, so much stuff!
@59
AndreA – “Do the other albums offer you any comfort?”
– they certainly do 😊
My main complaint about Splat! is the voice of my Rock’n’Roll hero!
Besides that I find the album cold. Sorry cannot find another fitting word to describe my sentiment re Splat!
To be honest I like a few of the songs, ‘Arrogant Boy’, ‘Diablo’ and a couple more.
The albums with Steve Morse, well, I like them very much 😊
When SM entered the world of Purple I didn’t know better than he was the righteous choice.
Would I have loved Ritchie to have stayed on? You bet ya!
My all time favourite albums are with Mark ll.
But – and this is a big but: I have loved and cherished every song Ian has sung (until Splat!) because oh man he can sing (or could?)
The reason I loved Mark ll the most comes down to – and no I’m not embarrassed to be admitting this – no one on this beautiful earth can ever play like RB could! (Ok, maybe Jimmy Page….)(yes recently have I discovered this gentleman’s abilities on the guitar when this:
https://youtu.be/IbW5K2F1N28?is=ZsXNfz6gl6kzKsUU
entered my YouTube feed)
SM was a lifesaver yes, but he lacked the magic RB had. (Sorry Beate 🥺)
However Simon McBride is almost as good as RB. Or no, he is not, but the chemistry he has bought into Purple is without a doubt very good for the 4 older guys.
Splat! will hopefully make a lot of people happy. Me, not so much.
And I have listened, over and over, and it always ends up with me seeking comfort in this:
https://youtu.be/UAKCR7kQMTQ?is=KF3MavPz0JcR-VOC
And this:
https://youtu.be/6mQTDlQQ5RE?is=HaNVEao9lgbk-GjW
And this of course:
July 6th, 2026 at 16:15https://youtu.be/c7Q_vVI-ZO4?is=TI_gTTCxg3weK5kY
And for the last two links: no I could not and still can’t hear in any way some bad mood between my favourite singer and ditto guitarist 😊
“With the benefit of hindsight to hypothetical hogwash.”
You are of course aware, mein lieber Tasmanier, how that kind of stance puts you at war with any type of serious historical analysis? All of that is done with the benefit of hindsight. Are you really that a-historical – I thought you were Australian, not US-American – or are you just having a couple of bad days?
My overall interests are sort of confined: music, politics, zoology, WW II militaria trivia (I know, for ever stuck in adolescence, embarrassingly so … 😑), cinema and, yes, history of all kinds. Other than at, I mostly like to eat, drink or have sex.
But decrying hindsight as a tool to help one understand human interactions is news to me. Am I no longer allowed to say that the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A was a great single-seat fighter up to 20.000 feet, but suffered badly in performance once it climbed higher? Because that was something its brilliant designer Kurt Tank did not consider when he engineered it as air combat at that time took mostly place at below 20.000 feet?
https://64.media.tumblr.com/0c72b08dc0976dd5d558bc0edfcf303f/tumblr_mzcp1llEVO1sl27r8o1_500.gif
July 6th, 2026 at 16:29@ 57, dDejan,
Thank you, now I understand your point much clearer. As much as it may seem that I am hyping DP now with the new album; I’m actually not. My basics are different: When there is something to celebrate – I do it full on. The same is with criticizing – when something needs to be condemned – I do just that, as well. My review reflects this – I both praise and criticize new album, but the pros overweight cons for me, that’s it. So I’m not interested in “echo chamber” effect John was alluding too; it’s just that if there would be nothing to brag about – I’d be quiet.
And I do get your point dD, I would gladly remix the album to make it sound more natural and with clear plans, like “Purpendicular” and cut 4 tracks out in favour to expand those I listed worthy. So we agree here, sometimes less is more. Still, I’m positive about the album, but didn’t lose my head over it like mindless praiser. Which doesn’t cross paths with the fact that I enjoy it a lot.
July 6th, 2026 at 16:40Just seen this from the recording session…I don’t know what song it became
https://x.com/i/status/2074101129231659272
Karin …have you tried adjusting your settings on your stereo system ? I’ve just listened to the masterpiece that is Splat again …and Gillans voice is fine to my ears …in fact, I think he sounds like on Bananas or Rapture
July 6th, 2026 at 20:24….I don’t like to think of you not enjoying it …really hope you get into it
I agree with MacGregor regarding Bob, as well as with Karin about the “aluminum” sound; I would also add that Don’s solos are very predictable—and on that point, I absolutely disagree with Uwe, who claimed that Don and Simon were better than Jon and Ritchie were in the 80s and 90s. To add to that, Gillan repeats lyrics (“no need to shout” becomes “scribbling gibberish”), and musically, the song “Back to Back” is basically “Splat,” and so on.
July 6th, 2026 at 20:25@ 61, Uwe, I am about to repeat myself again, something I try damn hard at not doing too often. The Purple guys and Ezrin get on really well, they are happy with him being there. That is not a hard thing to be aware of, even all the way out here in no man’s land. Glover especially would be relieved that he doesn’t have to worry about all that ‘production’ etc. It suits them in their ‘retirement’ years to be able to just ‘get on with it’ in the studio. That isn’t what myself and many others are talking about. It is the sound of the final product that many do not enjoy. It is prevalent in today’s music world of course, a shame indeed. The dense sound to everything, well hard rock at least, too compressed and deadened, especially the bottom end. The engine room has never sounded worse for the wear, has it. From what I have heard of the three new singles, it does sound a little better than the previous recordings (albums) and other punters are suggesting that too. So uncle Bob gets a reprieve for now, he he he. Maybe he realised that Paice’s drums need more clarity and bounce or maybe Bob listened to many of us out here and took heed, he he he. Anyway, I like Ezrin as a character and he has an enviable recording career. He just happens to be the one in today’s world, with that DP sound on what we all hear out here. It probably doesn’t sound like that at all in the studio, who can tell. Anyway, don’t get your knickers in a knot just because I don’t like this ‘modern’ day sound. I haven’t locked Bob up in a castle somewhere just yet, although I have suggested he be put out to pasture, he he he, greener pasture that is. Cheers.
July 7th, 2026 at 00:16Well I have been listening online to the new album, perhaps I had better wait a little longer before I offer my critique. At this point in time the three singles sound like stand out songs compared to many others. Lets let time takes it’s toll. Is =1 a stronger album? Hmmmmmmmmm at this point in time it sounds like it is. Gillan’s vocal on this is rather annoying to say the least, however his vocal timbre has been going more and more nasally for many years and whiny too. More instrumental music is required to lessen the pain. Give me more time or even a little more rope, something, anything to dull the pain. I knew I should have kept my word and not ‘reviewed’ it after just one listen. What a hypocrite I am. Cheers.
July 7th, 2026 at 06:06@64
Steve:
“Karin …have you tried adjusting your settings on your stereo system ?”
– well, thank you, good idea, but I’ve listened to Splat! through my earphones, they are a very good quality, and no, the sound isn’t good in my ears (and mind…)
And when I listen to this f.i:
July 7th, 2026 at 08:00https://youtu.be/3EX7OL9__e8?is=1pZ0fIcEkEYUTrOL
It is pure bliss all the way through even though it isn’t Purple who are backing him up.
@ 73
What you’re saying about Gillan is really strange. When I listen to his voice on this new album, sometimes it feels like I’ve put on *Machine Head* or *Who Do We Think We Are*… it’s so clean and melodic that he sounds like he’s turned back the clock.
July 7th, 2026 at 09:10As far as I’m concerned, *=1* doesn’t measure up to this album; Gillan sings well on it, but not the way he does here on the new one.
…and this album is clearly superior to the previous one.
July 7th, 2026 at 10:08@ 75- All vocalists voices change with aging, it is natural. Especially rock music singers. Some lose that higher ‘lilt’ they had when younger. They sound more and more baritone as they age. Others lose the strength in their chest voice, if that is the way to put it. They sound more heady than chesty. My take on it. Ian sounds fine when singing down lower these days, as others have also stated. When trying to go a little higher and stronger he doesn’t have that strength in his voice anymore. Anyway these studio recordings are touched up too don’t forget. That is why live in concert is much better, more ‘natural’ to put it mildly. No multi vocal tracking etc and hopefully no pitch correction either, for a true live vocal performance. To my ears the =1 vocals are more to my liking, on the songs I enjoy that is. Portable Door, Lazy Sod, Pictures of You, Bleeding Obvious and I’ll Catch You. Hopefully there are a few songs on this new album that I can get into. As I have stated previously, more instrumentation gives listeners a more varied take on it all. Too much singing and too many short songs gets a tad wearing for my ears, and I think that of a lot of my favourite music from the last 5 decades or more. Quality vocalists are grand, but the old ‘less is more’ comes into play at certain times. Cheers.
July 7th, 2026 at 10:19After listening to it numerous times, I finally listened to it during my morning workout which is usually when an either kicks in or doesn’t kick in (=1) being a prime example, for me. I’m really liking this album now!! Add Beating of Wings to my list of favorite songs!! Only complaint for me is Don’s overuse of keyboards on some songs!! Irritating. Someone posted that the think the Simon/Airey duo is better than the Morse/Airey duo. To my ears they aren’t. To Karin # 67. Yes, I really like the Steve years and thought he was right for the band. Of course I still wish Ritchie and the late, great Jon Lord were still in the band!! They will NEVER be topped (Get ready for the arguments LOL). As for Ian’s voice, every time I listen to this album I pick up little nuance’s in his voice that I didn’t notice before. Maybe you will also. Now, for something that has nothing to do with Splat, one of my favorite Gillan Vocals and DP songs is Our Lady off WDWTWA. I wish that, during the Concerto Tour of many years ago, they had done it with a Choir!
July 7th, 2026 at 11:02Torsun, I also like the album somewhat, but that’s because today’s music has nothing to offer. I respect your opinion, but unfortunately not a single song stuck in my head and I agree with Karin that if this is their swan song then it makes me sad. I think musicians like this deserve a better ending.
July 7th, 2026 at 11:19And I bought concert tickets in October for my exactly 12 dp concert in my life and what will I see… Don who has been playing the same intro and the same solo for Perfect Strangers for 20 years and the same encore with Hush and BN, and the same Gillan in 1993 reproached Ritchie for playing the same songs… Well, maybe the songs were the same but the accompaniments differed not by tours but by concerts. My first concert was in Vienna 1985 and the second in Vienna 1987 and does it make sense to compare JON AND RITCHIE vs DON AND SIMON?
July 7th, 2026 at 11:37@ 75
July 7th, 2026 at 12:02I have never, never liked the rhythm guitar in SM.
I don’t miss SM at all 😁
Ops! my last was for @ 78
July 7th, 2026 at 13:00I don’t find Ezrin’s production style modern and I don’t find it old-fashioned. For better or worse it’s just Ezrin. Production style-wise, he has always been his own man and focused more on creating an overall atmosphere as opposed to obsessing over individual sounds. That of course puts him at odds with how Martin Birch worked, who had the credo that “if I record every individual instrument and the voice in the best and most faithful quality, then with a band like DP the rest will sort itself out”. And to Martin’s credit: That is what Purple apparently wanted in the 70s and it worked commercially well too. But at the same time: Martin’s production was like an accurate documentary as opposed to an own creation with its own mystique – he was not Jimmy Page as productions go.
When you listen to the 70s hits and peak cuts of the Alice Cooper Group do you then say “Oh, that snare was recorded really well!” or do you immerse yourself in the overall aura of these productions?
In a way, Bob Ezrin is the first “real” producer (in the sense that he creates something that is more than the sum of its parts) since Derek Lawrence who was replaced by DP with his engineer Martin Birch, Purple wishing a more direct sound at the advent of Mk I morphing into Mk II. It is unusual (and was to me certainly surprising) that a band as established as DP would at a stage so late in their career opt from having their records “engineered” to having them “produced” again.
I think a lot of people here have issues with Ezrin’s production because they find it intrusive and somehow diluting the band sound as they know and prefer it. They do not really want a producer to add something to Purple, they want him to document the band’s natural sound. However, that is not what Bob does or has ever done. And it’s obviously not something the band wanted to retain as its decision(s) to record with him in 2012 and in the many years after show(s).
Martin Popoff observed in his YouTube review of SPLAT! that Ezrin creates a “melange” from guitar, keyboard, bass, drums and voice – I think that is a very apt way of putting it. He also says that he is perhaps not the greatest fan of that melange, but that one can also look at it as an artistic achievement. I’m on the latter team – for me Bob Ezrin adds a magic of his own. Ezrin’s productions of DP sound different from the way DP regularly sounded in the same way that KISS’ Destroyer is sonically salient in their oeuvre. And I love how Destroyer sounds, it’s the only KISS album with elegance to it where Kiss otherwise had a tendency to sound hamfisted. Mind you, in the KISS ARMY Destroyer has always had its detractors who find the album is not an “honest” depiction of KISS and who prefer Eddie Kramer’s subsequent meat & potatoes production of Rock’n’Roll Over which I personally found a huge disappointment after Destroyer.
July 7th, 2026 at 13:09@80, dD,
Of course there is no sense in comparing Ritchie-Jon to Simon-Don, you’re right. And given the gigs you mention, it’s futile attempt at all. It’s like comparing eras of prehistory to present, and let’s not forget that Ritchie and Jon started it all.
I’ve seen videos from both of these shows and while I wouldn’t say they are the best gigs of 1985 and 1987 tour as whole – but they’re very good and pretty much inspired, especially 1987 it seemed like on that night thy had a lot of fun.
I also respect your opinion on “Splat!”. That’s the way it is – for some of us it makes superbly it – for some not. Life.
@81, Andrea
In early period of SM’s tenure in a band, his rhythmic play was downright AWFUL, a complete disaster. Like he did not understand that guitar needs to carry bottom with bass too, be a sonic foundation, not only chugging, light staccato in the back of the picture. He slowly evolved though, developed it and with time got much better on that. And scarcely, but still, sometimes his unlikely style worked, i e – I love the way he played “Bloodsucker” in Hanau (30 March 1996) – it still give me chills every time I put it on, especially “the Spitfire” effects with the pick down the neck at the end of the 2nd guitar solo. This is probably the blackmorest he ever got, and to boot, he duly pushed Jon to excel with his solo after that to enormous effect, too. I just love that version. Specifically “under” Join Lord solos bars – his lightness did strangely a work – it created a proper space to hear Hammond or piano beautifully.
To miss, or not to miss Steve… Well, it’s completely a different matter. To each – his own. 🙂
July 7th, 2026 at 13:58I think Steve was a fine rhythm player, very accurate – like Eddie van Halen playing rhythm. Steve was metronomic, but he wasn’t stiff – you could tell he was a Yank.
Simon’s rhythm guitar is minimalist Brit school which is also fine. Pleasantly choppy. With Don being so busy (and so loud!), a rhythm guitarist doesn’t have to do all that much with Purple. Ritchie of course took that to extremes by playing barely nothing in a rhythm guitar sense live.
July 7th, 2026 at 15:31Don’t know still.. really enjoy 3 tracks now, Sacred Land, Jessica’s Bra and Splat! But as an album.. hmm Struggling with the 5 first songs, good tracks but missing something.
July 7th, 2026 at 17:08@78
Leslie:
“Only complaint for me is Don’s overuse of keyboards on some songs!! Irritating.”
– funny you mention this, because it is among the things that make the album sound so cold to me.
“Of course I still wish Ritchie and the late, great Jon Lord were still in the band!! They will NEVER be topped.”
– you are so right! No argument here from me 😁
“As for Ian’s voice, every time I listen to this album I pick up little nuance’s in his voice that I didn’t notice before. Maybe you will also.”
– oh have tried and tried 😞
Of course not all the songs make my brain trying to jump out of my skull, find the nearest highway, and throw itself underneath a big lorry… 😈
I love ‘Arrogant Boy’, and ‘Diablo’… and ‘Third Call’, and a couple more are on my list to be loved with all my heart!
I enjoy so much to read all your different opinions 🤗
July 7th, 2026 at 17:20Ordered the box set – and the Dresden vinyl does not play properly. Needle jumps. My son said it’s the same with his copy. Does anyone here have similar issues?
July 7th, 2026 at 20:57New album is alright. The 3 singles were the best songs out of it, along with Rider (lyrics aside) and Splat. Jessica’s bra is quite frankly the worst Deep Purple song ever.
These 5 songs plus 3 or 4 from =1 would make a strong album. As it stands, they’re both just average in my book. Songs are way too dense, busy, vehicles for displays of virtuosity of a fashion I don’t particularly care for, especially in the keyboards department (BRING BACK JL!!)
I guess I’m just not a fan of The Don’s vision for Deep Purple. Steve Morse served to keep that in check and provide some balance, even if he’s ability to do so was dwindling in later years. I like Simon McBride, but he’s holding to this opportunity for dear life and will play exactly what The Don expects him to.
July 7th, 2026 at 21:18VD 89 I sign almost every word you say
July 7th, 2026 at 21:57#83 Uwe:
I’m also in the second group,
I find this Ezrin mix superb, everything well fitted together and blended into a vertical sound maremagnum.
with the due proportions of heaviness, I have the same positional auditory sensations as Rammstein’s Mutter, an album with a simply perfect mix.
Anyway, Nick Blagona also did an excellent job in the PS mix
then let’s remember that the final mastering also counts a lot
July 7th, 2026 at 22:37good comments VD and also dDejan, a so so album again by the sound of it. Songwriting? They have already musically said things over and over again, Gillan especially. So many vocal performances from the past that are too familiar these days. This happens of course, every musician has their own ‘bubble’ so to speak. It runneth dry after a while. Not to worry, as I don’t expect anything really, maybe a song or two these days can be something to enjoy. It keeps certain punters here out of trouble, he he he. I cannot agree with anyone who thinks these later albums sound superb as in the production and final mix. Where is that kick drum for starters. Too muddy the bottom end, again and again. At least Ian’s snare drum is a little more audible on this album, but he probably doesn’t hear the final product, does he? If he ever did, surely he would not be content with that drum sound. They should get Eddie Kramer, he knows how to get the drums and bottom end correctly. Cheers.
July 7th, 2026 at 23:06Rammstein’s Mutter (the album) is by far their best work though they have denounced it in hindsight as straying too much from the path.
In the last decade or so, Don has really emancipated himself as DP’s keyboarder. He was never my favorite keyboarder with Rainbow and I thought him initially stiff and angular, but he has really gained in stature.
All these people clamoring for Jon, I’ve seen the man a lot, but he never played from 1984 onwards like he had played between 1968 and 1976 – I guess the years with Whitesnake robbed him of some zest. And anybody who saw the Abandon tours in the late 90s: Jon was sometimes dialing it in, yes, he had grown tired of DP and who can blame him after some thirty years or so? I remember a gig in Hanau (not the great 1996 one, I was there), and it was clear to me that Jon was no longer operating on all cylinders. I think he enjoyed doing the Concerto “finally right”, but the touring routine with Purple and the stagnant set was wearing him down.
I know, now I’ve written something terrible. Doubleplusnotgood.
I find Don an extremely enthusiastic player live. And sometimes he gets carried away a little, but that is part of his nerdy charm, he’s straining at the leash. But since the last 13 years or so, his organ and keyboard arsenal has become the propulsive lead instrument in DP. I don’t have issue with that at all. He took up the ball and ran with it, someone had to.
July 8th, 2026 at 03:12#92 MacGregor:
In my opinion, it’s unthinkable that Purple wouldn’t listen to the album mix and give their opinion on the sounds and mastering.
Can you really believe that LittleIan didn’t like the snare drum in Rapture or Steve his guitar sound in Whoosh?
July 8th, 2026 at 10:27Come on, I’m Deep Purple, not the band of 15-year-olds who play in the basement and then record their first demo with their parents’ money!
I disagree 100% with you Uwe!! From 1984 onward Jon to me, was OUTSTANDING!! Many times he stole the show!! No, you have not written something terrible!! We all have different opinions. Get over yourself!! As my wise old Music Teacher told me a half century ago, everyone hears music differently. What one piece of music someone thinks is great another might think it is a piece of crap! I much much prefer Jon to Don 12 months a year 7 days a week 24 hours a day!! Do I think Don is bad, not at all, he is excellent, just a notch below Jon IMHO!
July 8th, 2026 at 11:08Sorry, I’m not into excruciatingly over-analyzing every decibel, acoustic nuance, or lyric syllable. Just enjoy this terrific album and appreciate that in our wildest dreams it could even happen. Too many Purple fans are spoiled silly!
July 8th, 2026 at 13:23Honestly, my parrot—who only knows two words—is more creative when it comes to repeating them than Don is during concerts and on albums! No offense intended, and I’m not being sarcastic…
July 8th, 2026 at 14:00Herr MacGregor, Eddie Kramer, really?! The man who was unceremoniously fired by DC because he couldn’t get his voice down in the initial Slide It In sessions?
So you seriously think Eddie’s meat & potatoes garage rehearsal flair production jobs like these ones here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq12PaGzwbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdFyUtlK3-A
are preferable to a cinematic production like Bob’s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlu2cdhbFvo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kesiUkmoF5M
The mind boggles and the ears wobble.
July 8th, 2026 at 14:52Feathered message for dDejan:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ys_1y1O9Veg
☝️😎
I grew up with three absolutely foulmouthed African grey parrots!
They would also drive our dogs nuts by imitating human voices calling them. 🤗
July 8th, 2026 at 20:05#92 MacGregor:
Well, honestly, Paice’s kick drum is the last thing I consider in a Purple studio album,
July 8th, 2026 at 23:34because since 1968 the kick drum has always had a mix that was never evident,
reluctantly but I got used to it, and it would seem illogical and pretentious to me that in 2026 LittleIan’s kick drum suddenly sounded like Lars Ulrich’s or Dean Castronovo’s or Alex Van Halen’s.
Yes, everything else is open to criticism, but I’ve been resigned to the bass drum for decades, apparently Paicey likes it that way.
@ 94- Fla76, I posted a link to an Ian Paice interview a few months ago, the interview was from a few years ago, (Ezrin era) where he was lamenting the sound etc. Do I need to attempt to find that again? If so I will. Basically it wasn’t what he digs etc, but he just accepts it, gets on with it and then hits the road, where the real action is of course. Cheers.
July 9th, 2026 at 01:27@ 97
dDejan – killer comment 🤣🤣
I don’t agree with you, but man I love a good burn when I hear it (or read it 😄)
Now tell us: what are the two world your parrot can say?
You are not being sarcastic?
Oh yes you are, and I applaud you 😆
I my humble and honest opinion, I adore Don’s way around the keys.
July 9th, 2026 at 05:19I loved Jon Lord. And again, in my h & h opinion, no one can match Jon. But Don is a worthy successor if I ever heard one 😊
@101: Yes! This is another thing that I think fans have such a hard time to understand. Everything becomes so big and fans have a hard time understanding why it isn’t that big for the people involved.
I learned that with Abandon where one track for some reason had turned into mono(!) during the mastering process. I thought this was unacceptable and I didn’t understand why something wasn’t done about it, or why nobody noticed. I talked to someone in the band about it who said, “I had a quick listen to the mix before they pressed the discs and it sounded fine. Don’t know what happened but it is what it is.”
I guess I can relate to that in my work. Sometimes thing are done in a way that I think is embarrassing or unprofessional but I also realise it’s not worth dealing with it, you move on, tomorrow is another show/album/product/batch, whatever your daily job is.
Also, regarding the comment @94 about DP not being 15-year olds recording in the basement; after a life working in music, my experience is that it is the 15-year olds who are obsessed with the kick drum sound and minor details that most listeners don’t think about. The more professional you get, you deal with it and move on. It’s not about not caring anymore, it’s just about self confidence, and confidence in the people you work with.
So many new bands are afraid of leaving their precious artistic creations in the hands of others. They rather engineer mix and do everything themselves. All while arguing with each other whose guitar should be loudest or how the kick drum should sound. Professional acts often record their parts and then let someone else do the mix without them even present. Some members of the band have commented on how Ezrin edited the recordings of Splat while mixing. Something they didn’t agree with, but accepts.
July 9th, 2026 at 09:19For Karin and Uwe: Thanks for your comments and the link; those “two words” are actually two short sentences. The first, addressed to me, is: “Come home!” And the second, addressed to our daughter, is: “Study, Mina!” The investigators trying to determine who taught the parrot these nasty things suspect my wife!
July 9th, 2026 at 11:56I see there’s a modicum of chart success already; Number One in Amazon UK’s Best Sellers in Classic British Rock.
Oddly, it hasn’t made their Best Sellers in Hard Rock top 100 though Guilt Trippin’ is at #6, with In Rock at 18, =1 at 19 and WDWTWA, RotD, Whoosh! and DP 30 all between 50 and 100 along with Lovehunter and Difficult to Cure (but not Rising !?)
July 9th, 2026 at 12:04Ah, Svante, Doktor Hornung speaking, may I release you from your traumatic experiences of yore by pointing you to the fact that – as Roger Glover had at the time announced – the single of Don‘t Make Me Happy featured the stereo mix?
https://www.discogs.com/release/8342496-Deep-Purple-Dont-Make-Me-Happy
Are there any other psychological ailments I can help you belatedly surmount?
PS: Paicey‘s kick drum not audible? Are you nuts? Or deaf? Or both. Ever since the advent of CD I can even hear it on the Derek Lawrence productions (such as Lalena). I always hear it plenty well and find it easy to seek out, it‘s just not overbearing or sounds like a sack of potatoes tumbling down the stairs —> John Bonham. (Let‘s not even talk about Lars‘ nonsense bass drum work and sound!)
Ok, I might be professionally deformed, the bass drum is what I listen to first and foremost when playing with a drummer – and to me that is the key component in his playing, I deem it more important than snare or hi-hat work or even breaks. Guitarists only ever listen to hi-hat and snare, simple life forms they are … 🙄
July 9th, 2026 at 14:48I meant to ask whether Mr Kite saw the benefit of Jessica’s Bra. Perhaps he was the fella in the corner.
July 9th, 2026 at 16:41The choice to leave it to others caused RG to go back and do a remix of ROTD. Better to do it right in the first place. Hopefully =1 will get the same treatment in a couple of years. That mix also leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully, things sound better on Splat!
July 9th, 2026 at 16:56“Well, honestly, Paice’s kick drum is the last thing I consider in a Purple studio album …”
For that dastardly, vile and honorless comment, Flavio, you deserve demotion from DP-Generale to, I dunno, “Led Zep Soldato Semplice” or somethin’ and I will personally tear off your insignia!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Bp4N1PCcI
Let it hear in every hall
Put Flavio against the wall!
Are you at least Catholic, can you repent? Maybe someone can forgive you, I can’t. 🤣
July 9th, 2026 at 17:37The bass drum comes through clearly!
July 9th, 2026 at 19:20@88
July 9th, 2026 at 20:17Max yes I have issues with the Third Dresden vinyl (clicks and pops), the other two were ok after a good clean.
#103 Svante:
In a certain sense, it’s paradoxically true that unknown bands are more of a pain in the ass for his people (I myself worked in a small recording studio in Milan around the 2000s and I know it well), and if Purple really care little about their sounds, then they’re wrong in any case!
They make mistakes if they like sounds that they later find unsatisfactory, or they make mistakes if they don’t listen to these sounds and then later find them unsatisfactory.
I mean, my opinion is that in any case the fault is not of Ezrin or Bradford, or any other sound engineer who mixes according to his ears….the band should always be the ones who have the last word.
#109 Uwe:
Ahahahah, Not the Zeps, please! I love LittleIan’s kick!!!!
I said that because I was basically never satisfied with Paicey’s kick mix on pretty much any studio album, even the 70’s ones.
you say that “it’s never invasive” I would have liked it to be a little more invasive, not a metal drum kick, but a little more invasive, that’s for sure!
July 9th, 2026 at 23:22@112: But most artists don’t listen to their own albums so why should they be bothered by small things that theyy might not be satisfied with?
July 9th, 2026 at 23:32#113. Is there a source for this claim? 🙂 I would guess most bands, even on an amateur level, listen to the final mix before they approve it for release. Unless they’re totally detached and can’t be bothered. In any case, if that was the case, there’s nothing good coming from that approach.
July 10th, 2026 at 03:36@111 Thank you Blair …so we will return it. After all we bought the box set because of the vinyl with the Dresden show.
July 10th, 2026 at 07:23@106 Oh yes, right. The world famous CD single of Don’t Make Me Happy. Good thing you can find a copy of that in almost every second hand music store or at flea markets, right next to Aerosmiths I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing and Chers Believe
July 10th, 2026 at 09:29@ 114- not so Daniel. Only some band members have an interest at times it seems. Paice and Glover back in the early 70’s, were any of the other band members there mixing etc. I would say most probably not. Leave it to Martin Birch. In the 80’s and 90’s Glover was there, but who else from the band itself? Way back in the early 70’s we have those humorous but realistic stories of certain bands having all members jostling at the desk, pushing and shoving etc. But that is probably not a common scenario. Anyway, each to their own. Myself, I would want to be there, making sure the drum sound is really good just like Ian did back in the 70’s. I wouldn’t be concerned about anything else of course, just the drums, he he he. As Cozy said ‘the drums are back’! Isn’t there another saying ‘let there be drums’. Uwe will be rolling his eyes, again. Cheers.
July 10th, 2026 at 10:37#110. In the title track, yes. In My New Movie it’s harder to find. Unfortunate with those inconsistencies. I also find RG’s playing a little buried overall. But despite this, a much better mix than =1.
July 10th, 2026 at 20:40Never change a winning team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwe2AEMrPKU
July 10th, 2026 at 22:33@114: There are numerous interviews with musicians saying they don’t ever listen to their records after they are done.
July 10th, 2026 at 22:57Tilly, you cannot blame me if your dear father was so lackadaisical as not to buy the promo single at the time – you could get it at any CD & Schallplatten Börse for little money. EMI Germany had sent it out to all shops and radio stations in Germany – and we still had a lot of those in 1998. It wasn’t rare at all.
And Roger had justified in Darker Than Blue that they would not rerelease Abandon with the track mixed in stereo so as not to incite people to buy the album a second time, but he mentioned the single as a way to get it.
Of course it’s all nonsense today and I hope that if Abandon is ever rereleased it will of contain the stereo AND the mono version. It was a glitch at the time, they didn’t realize it until the album had been released.
But when you speak to real Beatles buffs they always insist to get the early Beatles catalog in mono because that is where all the real production work went into – the stereo mixes were prepared hurriedly only in the aftermath because conservative recording engineers thought it was a passing fad, a sound gimmick. However, for me the mono recordings don’t work because I grew up listening to the Beatles in that charming archaic radical stereo like on Nowhere Man, where all the music is to one side and all the vocals are to the other. For some reason I liked that extreme wide panning and miss it with the mono recordings. It doesn’t sound “Beatlish” to me if it is not there.
July 10th, 2026 at 23:53Svante is right, everybody and his brother doesn’tlisten to the end masters. Blackmore and Dio never heard the end master of Rising. Nor did Big Ian listen to Born Again’s end master until he got a courtesy delivery of the already released album from the record company.
July 10th, 2026 at 23:57Rock Voorne you are so right!!!
July 12th, 2026 at 15:11#113 Svante:
It’s a general discussion, which doesn’t only concern Deep Purple…I believe that the band’s musicians, possibly all of them, have a duty to have an impact on their sounds, on the mix and on the final master of each album.
It’s a sort of respect towards their own work, towards the fans who listen to it (and judge the album by throwing crosses as if they were raining from the sky!), and also a way to take away some responsibility from the sound engineer, because it’s too easy to say after years “that album sounded terrible”
oh no, handsome guy, if that record sounded terrible you should have woken up when you were recording and mixing it!
July 12th, 2026 at 21:20also because the sound engineer is not Jesus, and he can make mistakes too.
Doug, the classical composer that reacts to rock music, did a vid on a couple of tracks of Splat! :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX1q-OWIoSI
These vids are kind on the “influencer” side… But somehow enjoyable nonetheless
July 14th, 2026 at 13:49#125 Manic:
it’s actually a very interesting video.
the guy had probably already analyzed the songs before the video, but even if quickly, he does a nice harmonic analysis, which should make those who say that Splat sucks understand, that there is an absurd, meticulous, non-trivial compositional and melodic work.
July 14th, 2026 at 21:42and that Don Airey’s writing is of such depth that you’ll be surprised if you manage to grasp all his passages.
“It’s a general discussion, which doesn’t only concern Deep Purple…I believe that the band’s musicians, possibly all of them, have a duty to have an impact on their sounds, on the mix and on the final master of each album.”
That is a commendable ideal, Flavio, and maybe it happened in a band like 10cc where all four original members were recording studio buffs, but in most bands there are some people who don’t give a hoot about engineering and production and others who do. I’ve seen drummers and lead guitarists who were only obsessed with getting their own instrument to sound “right” to their ears to then quickly leave because the recording and production process bored the hell out of them.
I don’t hink that Blackmore for instance was really all that obsessed with the production and mastering of of his work as long as he was satisfied that he had gotten his parts down well. To my knowledge, neither he nor RJD ever heard the final master of Rising (they were touring at the time and the album had to hit the shelves quickly due to pressure from the record company) which might account for why it ended up sounding like it did. If you listen to other albums Blackmore or Dio played and sung on, there certainly seems to be no indication that they were friends of relegating the bass to inaudibility. I mean Ronnie was a bassist himself!
Manic @125, thanks for posting, as music podcasters go, Doug is fearlessly unfashionable, but I really like his music teacher approach too! He knows what he is talking about and he has a childlike curiosity about things, that is a nice and rather rare combo in this day and age.
July 14th, 2026 at 22:30#127 Uwe:
When I was young and worked in a medium-sized recording studio in Milan, “garage” bands were certainly very demanding with the audio engineer, there was always at least one musician who recorded his band’s demos and rightly or wrongly wanted to have a say in the matter.
absolutely legitimate.
to the point that if he didn’t like the job, he could even avoid spending the money on the mix, take the separate tracks and mix the album at his home!
but most of the time they were people who objectively had no idea what it meant to mix and master an album, exactly like many users of THS or a thousand other forums who criticize the sound of an album without having any idea what the job of a sound engineer is.
and this regardless of the technical means, because at the time I recorded on the ADATs with the digital channels passing through the Motu audio cards with Yamaha 02 mixer and Logica/Cubase sequencer in the first versions, and I can assure you that it was madness compared to today!
With today’s PC power, today’s software and today’s sound cards everyone thinks they’re a sound engineer, that all you have to do is add 4 plugins and it will sound good, but that’s not the case, if you don’t really know the basics of microphone technique, compression, equalization etc., you’re not doing the job, you’re just using random plugins.
then going back to Purple, for me it is unthinkable that they delegated 100% of the sound of the albums to Bob, especially with Roger who has been a successful producer for 20 years!
Without being maniacs like Michael Jackson, Springsteen, Queen who spent hours and hours listening to and advising their engineers, or many others,
I can’t believe that DPs don’t care totally about their sounds.
It’s crazy to believe this, just as it’s crazy to point the finger at Bob, who gave Purple’s records a modern sound, different from all the other bands, tied by an invisible thread from the first to the last album, exactly as Martin “The Legend” Birch did in the 70s and Nick “Tone Guru” Blagona in the 80s.
July 15th, 2026 at 20:59At least RG listens and shares many of the views expressed here.
”I want this next album (Splat) to be a bit beefier,” he explained. “Better drum sound, not so compressed, not such high vocals. I’m a fan first — I listen and think, ‘What do I want to hear?’”
https://98rockme.iheart.com/content/2026-01-31-deep-purple-set-sights-on-june-release-for-new-album/
July 16th, 2026 at 07:43