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A proper forum
Twenty years ago we had a forum on this site. In 2026, we decided it was time for a return with a new forum.
I can’t seem to remember why the old forum shut down. Since Facebook launched at that time, I have a feeling the sign of the times then was that these kinds of forums would move to Facebook instead.
Why a forum at this time? The editorial team here at THS, along with some feedback we get from visitors, think that the comments to our articles often stray too far away from the topic. People seem to have a need for more discussions and a proper forum software will handle that better than the comment section here.
We are going to start with having the forums unmoderated. On the other hand, moderation of the comments will become tougher. Jokes and dog discussions and posts about non-DP family bands will have their new home in the forum.
Any feedback on the forum is of course welcome, preferably in the forum category ”Site Feedback”. We have started with a simple setup with a few categories. We will see how it develops over time.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
THANK YOU! This is fantastic news.
July 17th, 2026 at 19:00I’ll just say that what I love about this site is that you can comment directly on the news without forums or platforms like Disqus, which are now unique on the web!
even a little old, but unique.
Anyway, the forum is very welcome, we might need it more than I think!
July 17th, 2026 at 19:15As the guy trying (and failing) to moderate the old forum, it was closed down simply as we couldn’t keep on top of the negativity and flaming. As this was also the time Bruce was talking about creating a new “official” page for business use, it was easier to shut down the forum to show we could be professional.
July 17th, 2026 at 19:48Well, that plus I was just about to get married and no longer had time to spend 2 or 3 hours a day approving/deleting posts. And yes – I still remember the names of the worst offenders.
PS – if you need a moderator, I have experience 😉
July 17th, 2026 at 19:52I liked it when Roger Glover commented a few years ago on THS. I know they’re busy, but it would be nice of them to interact with some of their hard-core fans. For one thing, it’s an opportunity for them to dispel myths and set the record straight on many things.
July 17th, 2026 at 22:04A brilliant solution in search of a problem.
Never been much of a fan of “Homelands”, didn’t work too well for South Africa either.
But it will either gain acceptance or not. Or turn into some hellhole of tribal intolerance.
July 18th, 2026 at 00:30Yo,
Great idea imo. I’ve been away for a few years for a number of reasons, but the forum idea makes sense to me.
I’d certainly love to start a thread as to the grossly over-looked importance of Deep Purple Mk-VI, & the sublime high-energy band performances that delighted the lucky-ones that were there when Joe Satriani’s presence displayed just how good the band is when everyone is happy & working the songs together. Amazing…
These performances are equal to or better than the Copenhagen 1972 gig in terms of outright-power & delivery imo. (Check-out the 1994 Sweden gig)…
A forum would provide the opportunity to discuss & discover this most vital period in the bands history.
*Thanks to Mr.Udo (RIP) for suggesting Joe as RB’s replacement for these shows, & thanks to Joe for reminding the band of just how much ass they kick !
Ciao !
July 18th, 2026 at 01:39I don’t understand, however, what criteria should be used to choose whether to write here or on the forum.
July 18th, 2026 at 07:33Wouldn’t it be easier to just place myself and a few other commenters here in a separate category, the ones who ‘waffle’ on category that would be. That way others here would know to either enter or stay clear of that section, he he he. And if anyone else in other categories was to go off topic, their punishment would be to be cast into that category of ours and never to return to any of the ‘normal’ categories. A little bit of discipline could do them no harm me thinks.. This way THS could stay as it is and everyone would be happy……………………… well some may not be, you would have noticed I did NOT mention any names there…………., oh if it was only that easy eh? Mind you, our separate category would still need some poor blighter to moderate it in some sense, enough to drive even the strongest man or woman insane. Although they (the moderators) have survived up to this point in time. Or have they? Cheers.
July 18th, 2026 at 09:51Fantastic!
I assume we’ll still be able to comment directly on news articles and discuss?
July 18th, 2026 at 11:08@10: Yes!
July 18th, 2026 at 11:16#9 And who would decide who needs discipline MacGregor since EVERYONE here, including you, are guilty of going off topic? When the blind lead the blind, get out of their way!
July 18th, 2026 at 12:39I registered myself there Folks!
July 18th, 2026 at 13:00I understand that our “stray away”s from topics might be annoying – so the idea seems to be a good one, let’s see if we can get it going there. And keep ‘more to the point’ thing here. It might be a bit of challenge for some of us at the start but that’s the fuel of development.
July 18th, 2026 at 13:19#11 Svante:
Like Andrea—and perhaps others—I’m not sure exactly when to comment on news here and when to post in the forum.
for example, where should I write my impressions of yesterday’s DP concert in Este?
July 18th, 2026 at 14:24Hello.
Well, Svante @11 maybe just answered to what I thought of a bit myself. (I´m old, slow and simple, sorry for that : ) ) And just like the way MacGregor @9 put it. Always spot on!
But there´s one comment elsewhere (I´m disclosing no names) on THS and about another topic… Maybe we just should let our heroes (being on vacation) be on their own.
Privacy for them and some respect, too. We´re not paparazzies here.
Best Wishes from rainy You know where.
Kippis.
July 18th, 2026 at 16:1720 years too late dudes. you should have never shut it down. now you revive something you should have never gotten rid of when DP is on its last legs and old Ian looks like he is going to croak. Sure, DP will still be around afterwards, but no more new material and resorting to rehashing old debates regarding where’s Richie, who the best singer or album, etc.
July 18th, 2026 at 17:22Opinions are like whistling in the wind so it depends on which way the wind is blowing.
July 18th, 2026 at 19:40Peace ✌️
Hi Gregster, long time no see!
July 18th, 2026 at 20:35AndreA @8:
ideally, we would like to see the comments that are just the factual feedback on the post. that is, if you have additions/corrections. everything else should go to the forum.
the reason is, comments are premoderated, so poor svante has to read through each one of them before approving. forum is postmoderated, and has a facility to flag offending posts, so essentially it’s crowdsourced affair 😉
July 18th, 2026 at 22:44Doug @4: we might just take you on that offer!
July 18th, 2026 at 22:45@15: Reviews always goes to reviews@thehighwaystar.com. If you don’t see it as a proper review for some reason, put it in the forum.
July 18th, 2026 at 23:18@ 12- as I said Leslie, I would already be there in THAT category. I have never denied going off topic, ever. And I have always had respect for Svante and whoever else that may be a moderator here, having to go through everything, all the time. I have also held back a lot on certain posts, so I have some sort of ‘self discipline’, but I lack total control at times, just like many aficionados here. This is why this new forum has to be set up, all good from my side looking at it all. Bring it on as we say. Cheers.
July 18th, 2026 at 23:42“ideally, we would like to see the comments that are just the factual feedback on the post. that is, if you have additions/corrections. everything else should go to the forum”
Well, that is a clear yardstick then and bound to reduce traffic no end. Welcome to the age of obsequiousness. We will then have in principle two types of comments only:
“I applaud this piece of news and have nothing to add other than that there is a typo in line two.”
“Much as this news is welcome (or devastating), we also need to point out the following related facts …”
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/22/82/f6/2282f6435b9c13c9b35a5482aa0e43e4.gif
A message board then to public acclaim, as tidy as it is lifeless.
Now where do we go …
July 19th, 2026 at 04:19@James Gemmell
July 19th, 2026 at 09:58I agree
@24: Because there is only black or white in the world? Anything goes or it’s North Korea?
This site is, and have always been, a labour of love. It’s not run by a board of people aiming for commercial success and uniform approval of the band, management and record companies. We have not gathered in our secret lair and tried to figure out how to make life as difficult as possible for the people who visit this site. We wanted to try something semi-new. We haven’t decided already that this will be a success. If in a year from now it turns out to have been a bad idea, we are perfectly OK with going back to scratch, or try something else.
For me, who was involved in my first Web based forum in the mid 90s, my main thing is functionality. These comments have gone from just that, comments, to discussions. Inserting a long link to an image as you did, breaks the system and looks ugly. I haven’t tried doing that in the new forum but I hope it handles these things better than it works here. Also, if a discussion branches out in different topics, it is easier to follow the particular thread you are interested in, instead of scrolling through 100 comments to find the 5 you are interested in.
BTW, about that secret lair; if life and funds allowed the international crew that runs this site to gather once in a while in a bunker somewhere, believe me, we would do that. But I have a feeling it would be somewhere we could catch a few DP gigs and I think there would be very little talk about forums or not and more about music and beer.
July 19th, 2026 at 10:54@ 24, Uwe,
Why grumble, instead of trying to embrace opportunity? Svante does put out the reasons for it quite well. If there’s a consensus that there should be more order here – let’s do it. It doesn’t cost much to try it. And new habits usually are a form of development. I guess if this should be a missed move, we’ll be able to revert to the previous state anyway. My 3 cents, if I may.
July 19th, 2026 at 11:48I did enjoy the veering off tangent on discussed subjects if these referred purely to musical topics. But the self celebration of few in the manner of me, myself and my dog, of how great I am in front of the wide audience rather interested in Deep Purple than that, got out of control and went really tedious with time. Now they can have their own topics in the dedicated off-cuff section on the forum, and cultivate their fandom and followers there. I’ll be able to have it outside eyesight, instead of having to endlessly scroll through it. And I trust I wasn’t alone in that feeling here, TBH. It’s a Deep Purple site, and if not just that – then at least music site with non-personal purpose.
July 19th, 2026 at 12:27I hear you, Svante, thanks for your reply. Admittedly, I am extremely wary of the change (I’ve seen it not work, but that is only anecdotal evidence and can hardly establish a rule), but you’re right, it’s worth giving it a try. Bad ideas reveal themselves just as good ones do.
The Highway Star as a source of everything DP-related (and unrelated! 😂) and the people behind it are very much appreciated by me. I admire its longevity and was attracted to it long before I became more active a few years ago. You and Nick have done a good job and I don‘t doubt your intentions and my North Korea reference has of course no basis except me being my usual nasty and inflammatory self. 😈 (BTW: I‘m not at all black or white, 90% of life is varying shades of grey, sometimes soberingly so.)
July 19th, 2026 at 13:13An excellent idea!
I love that it is the same format as Arturia’s forum, which I already know.
You are absolutely right Mr. S., when mere comments develop into big and rich discussions, they naturally suggest a forum format.
It will be a success, I’m sure!
July 19th, 2026 at 15:52All the best, J.-
Sounds great fun …Uwe could have a thread where he asks a question …and answers it himself…talks about himself and how brilliant he is …then closes the thread himself ……oh wait , he already does that on here ! Lol 🤣🤣🤣
( only joking Uwe …don’t throw a tantrum )
Seriously though …how do we access the forum ? Is it part of this site or a separate entity ?
July 19th, 2026 at 16:22@31: https://forum.thehighwaystar.com
July 19th, 2026 at 18:40To everyone in here:
Ok, I am wary, like Uwe, because of the new forum, but I will let it be a new experience!
But I also need to tell you this:
I spend some time at FB, and there are a lot of Purple fans there who never wanna go in here at THS.
They are very nice people, funny, know so much about Purple and I asked them: why don’t you join THS?
The answer was: it’s boring, it is an echo chamber, it is dry etc.
I told them that we are a lot in here who have daily laughs (or indeed I believed it was like that… now I know better!) but they had tried some years ago and found it boring.
So my comment is meant from a kind heart:
I know this cannot cover us all, I know we are very different people.
And so many of you in here are very wise people, and I have learned a lot🙏🏼
When I tend to make some fun it’s actually because my knowledge is so tiny, but my love for Purple’s music is very strong, and I enjoy very much the debates and the fun we have had in here.
But please don’t let this be for the chosen few who can discuss for ages about what kind of string Ritchie/Steve/Simon used when they played ‘whatever’!
Please don’t let all of us who merely love the music don’t be discouraged of all the techniques… (maybe that’s just me ☺️)
Of course I apologies for my comments about someone living in my home who is not a human (🐶) and I am sorry some of you hated so much the posts about him… but I never intended to annoy any of you.
I merely saw this as a home away from home, and I may be thick as a plank, but honestly I have jumped over a lot of posts where the content wasn’t of any interest for me, so I assumed you guys did the same when some of us discussed off topics.
On the other hand I have seen some of us have exchanged little gifts, some have arranged concert-trips to someone who otherwise couldn’t attend a concert, and I was very happy to see this development.
I am sorry if all this camaraderie will vanish.
In a world that sometimes can feel cold and unfriendly, I found this forum to be warm and a lot of fun.
Thank you admin 😊
July 19th, 2026 at 19:34Yo,
@19…Thank-you leiber Uwe !
I always visited from time-to-time, though had little to contribute in print to be honest. Once I discovered myself repeating posts too often, I realized I have to get-out, live-a-little-more, learn-some-more, & enjoy myself. And adding more music to the collection helps in these matters greatly, as you can develop a spring-board to awareness & further discussion about DP & other great bands, by listening to the other many great bands of similar vintage that are still going strong, especially when you investigate the one’s that toured / shared the same bill together way-back-when…
One of my biggest regrets until recently is not having discovered Manfred Mann’s Earth Band for instance, where the first 6-albums of the original quartet stand as equals to anything put out by the major players imo, such as DP, LZ, & Sabbath etc etc. It becomes clear after listening to these albums why they were on the same bill at times with these bands…And Mick Rogers would have to be one of the worlds finest guitarists, with an amazing sense of melody ( & tone ) that drops my jaw every time I hear him play, & also where-by his playing never stopped evolving over the decades.He really has an amazing musical mind, that perfectly complimented Manfred’s playing, probably better than JL & RB ever achieved playing together..And yet many wouldn’t even know of this amazing union…
I’ve also read in here that many are suggesting that the end-is-near for DP, which is bollox imo…The Earth Band are still touring Europe with success & Manfred is 86 now, so I see that as a great yard-stick to hope for…And when you add-in that Robin Trower has recovered from a serious illness & is touring the US-of-A once again, things look up-&-up for DP imo.
* Worth noting here also is that Robin Trower’s Live album from 1976 has been reissued as a 2 x disc set, with the original album remastered, along with the full show for the first time ever, all in a book format / enclosure…And his most recent live release from 2025 is stunning with him working the vocals & touring as a power-trio. Both albums are awesome, & first impressions of Robins voice remind me of Mike Hug from Chapter Three…
Anyhow, a forum would allow us to expand, discuss & compare influences that help make DP stand the test-of-time, along with the continued opportunity to discuss the great music that they continue make !
Long live DP !
Ciao !
July 20th, 2026 at 01:28Most of all I want to shout out a big thank you for the admins who keep this thing running! Great work and very much appreciated. I don’t take for granted all the time that is put in this project.
July 20th, 2026 at 08:21In all now required brevity, Gregster, and seeing that this exchange hardly warrants opening a thread in the new forum: I think MMEB great too (and Mick Rogers a wonderful guitarist), but they suffered from the same syndrome The Hollies, Vanilla Fudge, Three Dog Night and Dr Hook & the Medicine Show did: If the vast majority of your material is written by others, no matter how good and inventive your own arrangements and execution of the songs are, you will never have the same recognition as a band writing its own material. That seems to be an iron rule in rock (not so much in pop though).
July 20th, 2026 at 13:57Look guys, I’m really forcing myself to adjust to the new era
https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-01-2015/489u68.gif
and be positive about this all, but I see one practical problem:
Apparently, not all threads on the, uhum (man, I’m feeling all classical antiquity today), “Official Announcement Board of the Senate” (hereinafter OABS) are automatically mirrored in the “Forum of the Plebs” (hereinafter: FP), people have to start threads there (that is at least as I understand it). That takes a lot of immediacy away and raises questions like “Do I really want to start a thread for this?” or “Where does this whimsical comment triggered by news from the OABS now go on the FP?“. That – to me – diminishes the reading experience because I like impromtu, unexpected off-the-wall, “Late Night Show humor”.
It would be worth a consideration to have all OABS items automatically mirrored in the netherworld of the FP. A reader of the OABS could then decide for him-/herself whether (s)he wants to sully/immerse him-/herself with/in the FP comments or keep his/her virgin white toga sparkling clean by sticking to the OABS.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtRaQF60gn06qnndr6bjrsapA8vAkJT42V0KN-vpm4GXxAIR8QbF-7kdzY&s=10
Yes, automatic mirroring in the FP would also create orphaned threads where no one contributes (just as not every subject on the OABS garners the same or sometimes even any interest), but I believe that to be a tolereable side effect. Besides, there are members here who are not shy to comment on everything (and mostly themselves) and my honorable brethren Steve always says I’m one of them …
As always just my two cents, absolutely tantrum-free I hasten to add. I’ll work at keeping that arm down too.
PS: Karin, for the record and strictly between us: Anton is one ugly mutt if I’ve ever seen one (yet I’m sure he has a great character, looking like he does he really has no other option), yet his occasional presence here never bothered me for even a nanosecond. Any views to the contrary are only the usual vile conspiracy by cat-lovers (= a disfigured mutation of the dreaded –> Led Zeppelin fan).
July 20th, 2026 at 16:18Nice posts # 33 and 34!! I say “Bring on the New Forum!! In the words of the Great Moe Howard “Whats the worst that can happen”!! Hopefully we can still have a sense of humor!! 🙂
July 20th, 2026 at 18:36@37
Uwe 😁
“Someone”, also known as 🐶, will from now on never appear in public in here, however: should anyone feel some kind of sadness about not hearing the latest news of his, ahem, whereabouts, we are both to be found on FaceBook… same name as in here ☺️
Besides that, I agree.. yes I do!
I know I asked the question when I started in here: do we decide the topics ourselves, and you Uwe answered: no, the dear admin people do that.
So I’m a little bit bewildered by this newfound freedom, I’m afraid I can’t handle it!
Well, live and let live… all power to the plebs 🙏🏼😁
July 20th, 2026 at 20:08#37 Uwe:
I also agree with Uwe’s thoughts, I love the comments and discussions under each news item, of course you must have the patience to scroll through them all and stay updated, and I think that’s also the beauty and peculiarity of reading THS.
That said, I understand the site managers’ difficulty, and I will try to contribute to the forum as well.
July 20th, 2026 at 21:16@39
Miss K!
When are your “Ian Gillan Appreciation”, “Anton’s Wisdom” and “Best New Talents” threads premiering on the new Forum??? I’ll be waiting! 🙂
—
Unlike Flavio, I prefer the Forum format (I needed a RSS reader for more or less keeping track of this here!)
I also like that you can start threads without the need of a related news item having to just happen!
Conversely, you don’t have to scan the forum’s latest posts to get news about the band because the NEWS section of the main site takes care of that, so it’s all good 🙂
Best, J.-
July 20th, 2026 at 23:15And you don’t have to wait for me to approve your posts. 🙂
July 20th, 2026 at 23:18@41- that is easy J, you look in the DP related category for anything to do with big Ian, the ‘everything else’ category for Anton his attempts at getting to ‘celebrity’ status and any other music in the ‘that is not related to DP’ category. As that old saying goes, ‘it ain’t rocket science’, he he he. My concern with Anton is that he may think it was me that derailed his quest to stardom, the poor little thing. See you over at the forum, where ‘anything’ goes, in a manner of speaking. Cheers.
July 20th, 2026 at 23:28Svante @42: It was always kind of suspenseful to see whether mine would get through or not, you blocked a couple of good ones, you raggmunk-munching Swedish oppressor!
But then us poor Germans are used to Swedish dominance …
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/29a_Gustave_Adolphe_%C3%A0_la_bataille_de_Breitenfeld%2C_1632.jpg
July 21st, 2026 at 01:03@41
Julio ! 😊
“When are your “Ian Gillan Appreciation”, “Anton’s Wisdom” and “Best New Talents” threads premiering on the new Forum??? I’ll be waiting! 🙂”
– I almost choked on my coffee this morning!
Well, wait no more! (Or maybe a bit more, have to collect me and 🐶’s thoughts…)
“I also like that you can start threads without the need of a related news item having to just happen!”
– mea culpa!
I admit to be guilty in going off topic more than once, or twice (well, all the time to be honest 🫣)
“Conversely, you don’t have to scan the forum’s latest posts”
– I highly recommend speed reading! Let you get through vast amounts of posts in a short time…
And then I’ve discovered something very interesting!
When someone answers you, you get to see that in your very own and private inbox – neat 😊
Well, see you in there! Coffee’s on me – if you bring it yourself 😃
July 21st, 2026 at 05:20“And you don’t have to wait for me to approve your posts.”
Indeed, the process seems to be far more sophisticated than that by now, lieber Svante:
“Hello,
This is an automated message from The Highway Star Forum to let you know that your post was hidden.
https://forum.thehighwaystar.com/t/disgruntled-old-timers-not-joining-this-new-forum/32/4
Your post was flagged as spam: the community feels it is an advertisement, something that is overly promotional in nature instead of being useful or relevant to the topic as expected.
This post was hidden due to flags from the community, so please consider how you might revise your post to reflect their feedback.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Yamen-sitzung.jpg
You can edit your post after 10 minutes, and it will be automatically unhidden.
However, if the post is hidden by the community a second time, it will remain hidden until handled by staff.
For additional guidance, please refer to our community guidelines.”
No need to “handle” anything for me, danke schön, feel free to deposit your “community guidelines” in all available orifices, you’ve just lost me for the Forum of the Plebs. My FP stay was curtailed quicker, much quicker – within a few hours actually – than even I anticipated! What a communication-enriching concept it is, let’s not even talk of the revelatory experience it has been. I should really follow my gut feeling more often.
PS: “Come on Uwe, it isn’t THAT bad here. Cheers” Certainly bad enough for me, Herr McGregor! I wish you happy frolicking there.
PPS: I think Ian Gillan would write a song or two about an “automated message” like that. Maybe something for the next album?
July 21st, 2026 at 05:30@42
Svante 😊
Are you sure we can manage that ☺️
– wait a minute, so you say even a highly interesting topic as ‘diet tips’ will go on without being frowned upon?
May I link to a little bit here:
July 21st, 2026 at 05:33https://youtu.be/5NWBRPNseiU?is=FazJ6yTHBIUiTUfX
(Especially the smile at 4:07… and the dance move)
Seriously, at the end of the day , no one can moan , it’s just a fabulous way for all us connoisseurs here to discuss all things Purple ….if you don’t want to use it …don’t use it !
Hats off to the good folk of The Highway Star I say …and thanks
July 21st, 2026 at 23:48Yo,
@36…
Agreed Herr Uwe, even Ian Gillan has stated that “Rock artists wear their own clothes” as being the fundamental difference between Rock & pop musicians…
But let’s not forget that over the years, even RB stated that DP’s songs were of poor quality, & wanted to bring-in “proper” song writers to up-the-ante, which he did do eventually with Rainbow with huge successes…Namely the Russ Ballard tunes circa 1979-80…
It appears that both Manfred & RB had similar trains-of-thought, or perhaps more likely low self esteem about their own ability / efforts.
Ciao !
July 22nd, 2026 at 01:58Flash thought, Gregster: That is something DC never did, get in outside writers I mean, even when WS shed its scales and replaced them with big hair. Much as the new WS – by DC’s own admission – patterned itself after acts like Bon Jovi and 80s Aerosmith, he never relented on that (except for the atypical ‘Last Note of Freedom’ tune from the ‘Days of Thunder’ soundtrack) even though John Kalodner repeatedly had a go at him about that (Kalodner was worried about the songwriting in WS once Sykes had been ousted, he didn’t really think Vandenberg a match in that department, I think he was right).
I like Russ Ballard as a pop songwriter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDJMdog_CVs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te0yn-f8670
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrn6GcDMHBY
and didn’t mind Ritchie straying into that field to finally get the long desired hit, but I wouldn’t call either Since You’ve Been Gone or I Surrender emotionally deep in Rainbow’s oeuvre. They are good fun for what they want to be, but even a(n) (also commercial) song like Stone Cold stirs me more, it sounds more natural with Rainbow. Rainbow playing those Ballard songs always sounded a bit tongue in cheek for me. Since You’ve Been Gone is essentially a number SWEET could have belted out, even if Brian Connolly with his limited range wouldn’t have been able to hit all of Graham Bonnet’s notes, but Steve Priest could have helped out on those.
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band alwas showed real rearrangement craft and ingenuity in how they played other people’s songs – I don’t really hear that with Black Sheep of the Family, Still I’m Sad, SYBG or I Surrender with Rainbow, Rainbow’s versions of these songs are only scarcely different to the originals, certainly no radical departures from the script. Not like the Pixies did here, when they incongruously covered a lighthearted classic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc
to give it a “Leonard Cohen meets Nick Cave” makeover and turn it into this brooding number:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDd-180FQ8U
I regard what the Pixies did as art.
July 24th, 2026 at 15:46Those Rainbow cover songs I always skipped, too commercial and ‘poppy’, for want of a better description. It isn’t that they are bad songs at all, but it always made me wonder, why? Anyway talking of cover songs beefed up, and yes I always enjoyed MMEB doing a few and also Santana. He made a living out of covers, did he not and man oh man he did a few pearlers too. Jeff Beck also ventured a lot down other people’s roads. They all did mix it up much more than Ritchie ever did though. Blackmore was returning to his earlier roots in music, covers, session work etc. Cheers
July 25th, 2026 at 23:48Yo,
@50…
Herr Uwe stated qt.”Manfred Mann’s Earth Band always showed real rearrangement craft and ingenuity in how they played other people’s songs”…
I agree 100%. A great band indeed. And MMEB would prove to be an awesome place to start for any young people wanting to streamline historical investigation into the so-called birth of “The British invasion” of the 1960’s onto the world. Manfred Mann spear-headed this so-called invasion prior to the Stones or Beatles…And he’s never stopped playing ! The family tree & links to other great bands is huge !
Also, should DP ever wish to release a boxed-set of all their material, MMEB sets an awesome example of how to go about it…Check-out the MMEB 40th anniversary boxed-set for a job well done !
Ciao !
July 26th, 2026 at 00:54A news post turned into a discussion about Manfred Mann. Perfect example of something that should move to the forum!
July 26th, 2026 at 07:51#50 Uwe:
July 26th, 2026 at 13:04Stone Cold always sends shivers down my spine when I listen to it, a magical atmosphere…Ballard’s songs sung by Bonnet have never had that effect on me.
Yo,
@53…
Very-true indeed ! But there are strings related to these posts that link-up DP, it’s not simply off-topic diversion. I do try to always add DP in the discussion somewhere. After-all, they did tour together in 1971 !
Ciao !
July 27th, 2026 at 00:06@55
And I saw them together in Copenhagen in 2001.
janbl
July 27th, 2026 at 12:00And MMEB spielte dem Headliner den Arsch ab opening for Reunionbow on the German dates. The difference between Mick Rogers and Ritchie’s displayed electric guitar abilities was painful to watch and hear. Of note, Robert Hart, the singer of MMEB, had a command of zee Eengleesh langwich too, and Manfred Mann didn’t look panicked on stage like poor Jens Johansson did either! 😂
A night to remember that set a pro outfit apart from impromptu gatherings of underrehearsed musicians either past their prime or inexperienced in the field.
July 27th, 2026 at 15:36Yo,
@56 & 57…
Manfred has stated that “The phone keeps ringing” for bookings in Europe, but has reduced elsewhere…
I have acquired most of the officially released music & videos from MMEB, & man there’s a lot to get through, & line-ups remained ever-changing since 1976, where like Rainbow, each new album featured a new addition. But the music remained pretty-good, that’s for sure. The band was always ahead-of-the-game as regards to trends, though the original quartet made their own unique mark imo.
You’re very lucky to have so many good bands visit so often !
Mick Rogers is a musician of the highest quality imo, along with Manny of course & the rest-of-the-band. Mick was sadly voted-out of the band during “The Roaring Silence” sessions for wanting the band to take a more Zappa influenced style, though he was welcomed back into the band in the mid-80’s, & has remained ever since.
Ciao !
July 28th, 2026 at 00:15