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In this very candid interview Candice Night spills the dirt on her husband — what kind of torture devices he has in the dungeon, how he does his garden wizardry, his nicknames, and how he likes to drink blood. Ok, we made the last one up. As for the rest… Continue Reading »
Turning to Crime didn’t make it in the charts as far as its predecessors. But consider this: at any other time such recording would probably be relegated to a bonus disk for some tour edition of a “proper” album. So, not too too bad, all things considered.
Send us any missing information — with proof links — as to how the album did in your country.
Countries and territories are listed in alphabetical order.
The album was released worldwide on November 26, 2021.
This list was last updated on Thu Dec 16 01:32 UTC 2021.
Ian Gillan spoke to BBC Radio, which resulted in a very interesting, slightly off-the-beaten-path conversation.
The last time we spoke, we were talking about the dreaded aging process, and I remember you humorously said to me that you walk down the road and listen for a clank to see what’s dropped off next. How are the energy levels?
Well, there’s only so much you can do to prepare for a Deep Purple show, and fitness is one thing.
Of course, strength, it’s all diaphragm for a singer, it’s pretty physical, so we shall see when we get up there – when we get the stage running.
And throughout my life, it’s taken four or five concerts to get up to speed with the stamina for a show. I’m normally on my knees by the encore, but we’ll see.
Nothing else has really changed, so the voice is working in the studio, but that’s a different thing altogether. I don’t know, to be honest, we’ll see.
From a creation point of view, you’ve described Purple in the past as being an instrumental band. For this one, the pressure was off because you didn’t need to write any lyrics. Was that just made for a much easier ride?
Yeah, of course, I mean you don’t have to think about it if you’re not writing, so you don’t have to think, you have to play it.
The idea of these, I think the selection of the material was the stuff most suitable to Purple-ize, the word I use for what we’ve done on this album.
I think we will understand that you can never improve on the original, it is what it is, and it’s embedded in everyone’s mind.
But what you can do is have fun with the arrangements, and that’s what we did here because songs were selected on that basis.
Do you remember the first record that you bought?
I do. It was, I bought a record for my sister, it was a 45, and it was Bobby [Vee], ‘The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,’ I think was the title.
I think it was Bobby Vee, and then the second record was when I shared with my friends, we couldn’t afford to buy many records, and we bought Little Richard record, it was ‘Good Golly Miss Molly.’
Listen to the whole thing here:
Thanks to Raised On Radio for posting the clip, to Ultimate Guitar for the transcription, and to Gary Poronovich for bringing it to your attention.
Here is a roundup of Turning to Crime reviews from the web that passed through our mailbag over the past couple of weeks.
Deep Purple’s new, vibrant covers disc, “Turning to Crime,” is a raucous, exhilarating effort, the latest achievement from a classic, timeless, and seemingly ageless band. Deep Purple make the songs their own not by rearranging them or making drastic changes but by simply putting their collective high-energy stamp and singular musicianship on the material. The band doesn’t just give the songs a boost; it’s more like a giant leap to a new level of excitement.
RIFF Magazine (7/10):
One could ask whether the world needs another cover of “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu,” “See See Rider” (part of Mitch Ryder medley “Jenny Take a Ride”) or “Let the Good Times Roll.” You could ask that about any number of Chuck Berry songs, too, but you almost never hear complaints about the myriad versions of “Roll Over Beethoven” or “Johnny B. Goode” out there.
But Deep Purple, true rock believers with their legacy of lightning guitar runs, classically inspired organ fills and straight-ahead hits like “Smoke on the Water,” “Highway Star” and “Perfect Strangers,” come out of left field with Turning to Crime. The album is a set of 11 covers (plus a mostly instrumental medley) that, while not always reworked enough to justify their existence, usually offers, at the very least, an interesting (and rollicking) listen.
It’s an understatement to say that selections such as Huey “Piano” Smith’s “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu,” Little Feat’s “Dixie Chicken,” Louis Jordan’s brassy “Let the Good Times Roll,” Bob Dylan’s “Watching the River Flow” or Jimmy Driftwood’s “The Battle of New Orleans” seem out of the box. But these surprises are surprisingly convincing. Guitarist Steve Morse gets to employ some different playing techniques, Don Airey rolls out a little barrelhouse piano on some of the tracks and drummer Ian Paice sounds assured in the different rhythmic approaches. Gillan, meanwhile, can sing just about anything, so his voice winds up being the best ambassador for this unlikely fare.
If you’ve ever planned on hosting a backyard hoedown and wanted to book live music for it, don’t be surprised if people start suggesting Deep Purple after this new album of theirs comes out on Friday.
Turning to Crime is a delightful tribute to friends, contemporaries, and the songs that raised the members of Deep Purple. It’s an adventurous journey into the artists they emerged and might have even shared a stage with, and is a sincerely appreciated return. The tracklist may be varied, but Deep Purple reminds us that rock and roll will never die.
This record, which really should be titled Turning Back Time, is an absolute blast. For the first time, the band have collaborated remotely, out of necessity due to covid (a rendition of Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’s Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu must’ve been high on their tongue-in-cheek agenda). And it’s a triple-jabbed delight, with the band channelling their inner Showaddywaddy.
Deep Purple have returned with Turning to Crime, a humorous take on the album being 12 tracks and 50 minutes of entirely cover songs! The lazy attempt to stay relevant from many bands with sinful releases of covers or re-releases has long been criticised and Deep Purple recognise that. This album is anything but that, though.
American Songwriter (2.5/5):
At this point, one might conclude that Deep Purple are either content to turn themselves into a cover band, simply taking a breather prior to their next set of original offerings, or are merely finding themselves bankrupt as far as any new ideas of their own are concerned. Granted, they share each piece with their blustery trademark style, but even so, hearing Deep Purple cover a slice of archetypical Americana like “Battle of New Orleans” seems rather ludicrous. Bob Seger’s otherwise obscure “Lucifer” comes closest to fitting the bill, but aside from that, one has to wonder why they chose to revisit any of those other offerings.
Ultimately, those that are somewhat cynical might suggest that the album title is, in fact, all too apt.
There’s nothing particularly profound or eloquent to say about this record other than it’s a pleasant reminder that Deep Purple’s ”Long Goodbye” has no end-date in sight. As long as they keep churning out a cohesive sonic assault of their own and other’s music without stumbling or lowering their standards, what else are they going to do? They’ve been on a roll with Ezrin for nearly 10 years and they’re not about to go down without a fight — even if it means Turning To Crime.
I think this might be one of the best covers albums I have come across. There is not a bad track on this set. Not even an “it was okay” track. This version of the band – I believe we’re up to Mark VIII now – is, in my opinion, the best since their Mark II heyday.
…And even with the famous artists, Deep Purple could’ve gone for their greatest hits. However, they didn’t. Once again, it would seem they picked by heart instead of wallet.
That’s why we got a record sounding so playful and energetic. Okay, I get it, sound recording studios these days have all the capabilities to make the dullest recordings sound dynamic. But there’s still this feeling Deep Purple quite enjoyed making this album. It actually does sound like a group of young and talented musicians, full of hope and admiration for their heroes, starting out as a band with covering what they’ve heard on the radio. No sheet music, simplified tabs or outsider help. Just five youngsters living life to the fullest and enjoying playing music as such.
Honorary mention: our contributor and co-founder of Perfect Strangers of Finland Matti Rinne wrote a review of the album for the local magazine Riffi. It’s naturally all in Finnish though.
One of our contributors has sent in his review of Turning to Crime.
First off, let me get this out of the way. Was I excited up front to find this album did turn out to be a covers album as the rumors suggested? NO! On the contrary. Nobody was (Especially me). Who would look forward to that? The only positive take I had at all was that at least we were getting something, and I hoped it would at least be listenable. While waiting for its release and delivery, I did manage to read and listen to many of the interviews from the band members describing how and why they came to the decision to do it. Their approach was a common sense and noble concept. They couldn’t tour or all get together in the studio due to Covid and other restrictions but wanted to do something. They only come up with original album material during jam sessions together in the studio. Nothing is pre-made. That is how they do it but couldn’t. So, they agreed to each submit some cover songs that meant something or influenced each of them which were already written that just needed their personal touch or expression. Rather than do the typical easy thing and cover a bunch of easily recognized common songs that fall into the Purple Wheelhouse that the fans would probably approve of, they chose tunes that influenced themselves in some way from their past and present. Most of which are obscure to us Purple fans or most Rock fans in general (except for maybe a couple). The songs ran from Old Country/Blue Grass to Motown to Swing to Classic Rock to Blues to Big Band, etc. Most of which unfamiliar to most of us which gives the album a newness. Great, unfamiliar songs that ring a bell and are played incredibly well, with vigor. “BRILLIANT”.
Well, I finally got my copy and gave it two listens about 2 hours apart so as to digest the first listen before hearing it again. So, why “BRILLIANT”? Because it sounds fresh and original, and for the songs they did that are familiar, they put the Purple Stamp on them as they did with the rest. They each stand out due to the extreme diversity. Kind of reminds me of “Fireball” in that there are many different facets to it and it’s all over the place. Each band member stands out due to the influence the songs had on them, and each song stands out due to the influence each band member had on the song. From beginning to end, there is some really good playing and FUN on this album. Remember FUN when taking your first listen. Go into it with their frame of mind and the situation which lead to its creation. Forget song selection and center on their effort. They are all on FIRE! Gillan sounds better than ever. Really stretching out. Paicey has picked up the pace. Steve stronger than has been. Don really shines. Roger is rock solid and SINGS! Plus, the production and mix is incredible. Bob Ezrin really came through on this. Honestly, I am actually satisfied if this is their last. I am glad they put this out in leu of an original album. It stands alone and is honest and refreshing. I believe it was smart and broke the cycle. I also believe that if there is another original Purple album on the horizon, putting this album out will lead to a refocused approach to a better album. They got to play and record some different stuff, breaking the monotony of pushing the creative juices. Now they will have an all-new freshness when heading back into the studio if we are blessed and that comes to pass.
I ripped the CD and burnt a copy adding the Bonus track, putting it between White Room and Caught in the Act medley. Fits well there. A couple of these songs would be great to hear played live when they tour. For me, “7&7 Is”, “Oh Well”, “Lucifer” and “Shape of Things” would be fantastic. Still looking forward to hearing some tunes from “Woosh”. In closing, there is some really good stuff here and it may be a covers album but comes off as a Purple Album. Crank it and HAVE FUN!!!!!
hydeman heyder
Don Airey and Ian Paice were interviewed by Planet Rock on November 27, on the occasion of Turning to Crime release. The chat gets rather interesting once the inevitable “why covers?” question is dealt with and out of the way. Continue Reading »
Ian Gillan was interviewed by Radio Rock 106.6. Amid explaining the Turning to Crime concept, the conversation touched upon a variety of topics, including marching in the straight lines wearing bright red jackets, basses made from tea chests and broomsticks, and a love affair with Portugal. Continue Reading »
Roger Glover was interviewed by Rock Antenne out of Germany. Listen to him talking to the giggly DJ. Roger is his usual patient and eloquent. Continue Reading »
Ultimate Classic Rock interviewed Ian Gillan on the occasion of Turning to Crime release.
We had a long discussion about this. You can never improve on an original, so it’s a challenge. But Deep Purple primarily is an instrumental band. It always has been. The music comes first to us. So the songs we selected were songs we could Purple-ize. I think I wasn’t looking at it that way, but the guys were, and I’m so glad they did. It was really a chance for the guys to stretch out a bit after all those months locked up.
When I joined Deep Purple [in 1969], I left what was called a harmony group, or a West Coast harmony group, into what became a hard-rock group, a heavy rock group, a heavy metal group. Everyone was fixated on having a damn label for everything. We never signed up for that. All of that music, across the board, we thought of as rock. Anything that was not Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra, it was rock. There was grown-up music and kids music, that was it. And [rock] was kids’ music. So everything on [the album] is what we would consider rock.
I think [drummer] Ian Paice had a few worries about ‘The Battle of New Orleans,’. But Roger and I used to sing that song in a balled called Episode Six back in the ’60s. [Guitarist] Steve Morse, being American, was like, ‘How can you guys sing a song about the British getting beaten by the Americans?’ I said, ‘I know you wouldn’t do that, Steve.’ [Laughs] You’ve got to understand that British humor; we laugh at everything, including ourselves — and particularly ourselves. It’s just a great song, so we had a lot of fun doing it.
Read more in Ultimate Classic Rock.
Issue 247, dated Dec 2021/Jan 2022, of the UK’s Powerplay magazine features Deep Purple on the cover with a Turning to Crime feature inside.
“We like to do a thing called ‘Purpleising’,” says Ian Gillan about Deep Purple’s latest release, their first ever whole album of cover songs, “and in that I mean that musically the band get to stretch out and expand the songs, and the arrangements are fantastic, and I’ve enjoyed listening to this record more than most.”
Copy of the magazine can also be ordered from the virtual Newsstand, they ship worldwide.
Not quite a cover story, but the band is also featured in issue 2021/11 of the Sweden Rock Magazine. It includes a 2-page interview with Roger Glover.
And last, but not least, the band is also featured in 2022/01 issue of the German Playboy magazine, with an interview with Roger and Big Ian. Roger’s quote of the day: “I think if we weren’t musicians, we would be a comedy team like Monty Python”.
Thanks to our editor emeritus Benny Holmström and to Yvonne for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing