Video clip for the Deep Purple’s cover of 7 And 7 Is is now out Continue Reading »

There is a new documentary out, it is called Count me in, it is about everything drums and drumming, and features interviews with luminaries of the art, including our own Ian Paice. He is joined by Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Roger Taylor (Queen), Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Cindy Blackman-Santana (Lenny Kravitz, Santana), Jess Bowen (The Summer Set), Clem Burke (Blondie, Ramones), Emily Dolan Davies (The Darkness), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Topper Headon (The Clash), Bob Henrit (Kinks, Argent), Jim Keltner (Plastic Ono Band, Ringo Starr band, Traveling Wilburys, Ry Cooder), Abe Laboriel (Steve Vai, Sting), Samantha Maloney (Hole, Mötley Crüe, Eagles of Death Metal), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros, Hellride), Rat Scabies (The Damned), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Ben Thatcher (Royal Blood), and probably quite a few others we forgot to mention.

It is put together in quite an entertaining way, well paced, and can be recommended to all music lovers even if they are not particularly interested in drums per se.

An interview with the film’s producer:

The film is now available on Netflix, at least in some countries.

Fun fact: that magnificent fireplace in front of which Paicey was filmed, most likely belongs to his local pub. It’s even got a credit 😉

German Amazon is lisiting a Blackmore’s Night release Winter Carols. This appears to be a yet another repackaging of the 2006 album, already re-released in 2013 and again in 2017. This new edition is due on November 19, 2021.
Continue Reading »

Couple of upcoming release from the family tree people.

Bernie Marsden is releasing a solo album called Chess. I will be a second album in his Inspiration Series, which is a collection of tributes to the artists that helped inspire and shape his own style and taste. The first release in the series, Kings, came out earlier this year and featured 10 tracks originally recorded by Albert, B.B. & Freddie King. Chess expands on the concept by featuring tracks from the artists who recorded for the legendary Chess Records: Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf , Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters & Elmore James. Plus a couple of Benny’s originals.

Track list:

1. Just Your Fool
2. “Back In The USA
3. Grits Ain’t Groceries
4. I’m Ready
5. You Can’t Judge A Book
6. I Can’t Hold Out
7. Won’t Be Hanging Around
8. Fattening Frogs For Snakes
9. That’s Alright
10. Who’s Been Talking
11. Lester
12. Johnny

Lineup:

Guitar & Vocals: Bernie Marsden
Bass Guitar: John Gordon
Drums: Jim Russell
Keyboards: Bob Haddrell
Harmonica: Alan Glen

The album will be released on November 26, 2021.

In other family-member-doing-tribute news, there is a followup to the Still Wish You Were Here project, and this time it’s Animals Reimagined – A Tribute To Pink Floyd. Graham Bonnet is one of the people involved. And what a set of prog and fusion luminaries it is…

Track list:

1. Pigs On A Wing 1 – Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew) & Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)
2. Dogs – Graham Bonnet (Rainbow), Vinnie Moore (UFO), Kasim Sulton (Utopia), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) & Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson)
3. Pigs (Three Different Ones) – James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Al Di Meola, Joe Bouchard (Blue Öyster Cult), Patrick Moraz (The Moody Blues) & Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra)
4. Sheep – Arthur Brown, Rick Wakeman (YES), Jan Akkerman (Focus), David J. (Bauhaus) & Carmine Appice (Cactus,Vanilla Fudge)
5. Pigs On A Wing 2 – Jon Davison (lead vocalist for YES), Albert Lee & Billy Sherwood (YES)

This album is out on November 19, 2021, via Cleopatra Records.

Thanks to BraveWords on both counts.

It is official now. The release date (November 26) and the track list for the 22nd Deep Purple studio album Turning to Crime are as we’ve reported before.

The album will be available in the following formats:

• Digipak CD
• Jewel case CD
• Digital download
• Crystal clear vinyl 2LP
• Black vinyl 2LP
• Limited edition creamy white 2LP gatefold
• Limited edition 5×12″ vinyl box set including DVD Locked Up: The Making Of Turning To Crime

The Locked Up: The Making Of Turning To Crime documentary will also be available on DVD and Blue-ray separately from the album itself.

Promo blurb from the label:

DEEP PURPLE announces new album “TURNING TO CRIME”, out November 26th on earMUSIC

With strong tailwind from last year’s chart leading album “Whoosh!”, DEEP PURPLE surprises with new album “TURNING TO CRIME” and new single “7 And 7 Is”.

The new album, released by earMUSIC, will reach the worldwide community of Deep Purple loyal fans only 15 months after Deep Purple`s latest studio album “Whoosh!”, an album saluted by prestigious chart achievements (3rd consecutive #1 in Germany, as well as well as #4 in the UK) and acclaimed by critics who praised the creative strength of a band that continues evolving with every release.

“Turning to Crime” is the first studio album by Deep Purple entirely made of songs not written by the band and previously recorded by other artists.

The “time trilogy”, consisting of “NOW What?!”, “inFinite” and “Whoosh!” (2013, 2017 and 2020) have sold over 1 million albums, topped the charts 11 times and achieved more than 40 Top 10 positions worldwide.

Producer and friend Bob Ezrin, who worked with Deep Purple on the previous albums forming the “trilogy”, was once again an important part of the new studio work.

The first single “7 And 7 Is” will be released October 6th.

Producer and friend Bob Ezrin assigned each band member a few of the selected songs to arrange. No one knew what the other band members were creating, how they arranged the first demos, until the results were shared. They all became co-producers of “their songs”, and once everybody else joined, it all turned into DEEP PURPLE songs.

The recording process should not make us misunderstand the true nature of this album: this is handmade music, this is “real” as it’s always been with every DEEP PURPLE album. When DEEP PURPLE are recording, they play together their songs from start to finish. They made no exception on this record. The only difference is that they played their instruments and their parts on their own, having to “imagine” what the others would play – in a way, as it happens when they were improvising on stage.

Despite the recording of this album relied a lot on today’s technology, the band resisted abusing the possibilities offered by today’s recording techniques by re-recording certain passages again and again. DEEP PURPLE is not cut and paste rock and roll! This makes them different from a lot of music that is currently recorded.

So, the “fun experiment” turned into something that galvanized them and that shaped quickly into a real piece of art. “TURNING TO CRIME” is Deep Purple enjoying playing music without commercial plans nor losing their edge and drive. This is DEEP PURPLE coming full circle.

The first single “7 And 7 Is” will be out October 6th and delivers the message of “TURNING TO CRIME” perfectly: This album is about fun, but taken seriously. The songs have been written by others, but “TURNING TO CRIME” is 100% DEEP PURPLE. Gillan, Glover, Paice, Airey, and Morse love making music together and cannot be not be held from doing so – not even by Covid. Despite the crimes to be commited.

Thanks to Hristo and Lutz for additional info.

The first single from the upcoming new Deep Purple album has landed today, October 6. It is the opening track of the album 7 and 7 Is, written by Arthur Lee in 1966 and originally performed by his band Love. Continue Reading »

Paicey talks about the story behind the recording of Space Truckin’. Continue Reading »

While the rest of us are pondering whether an album of covers will taint reputation of the band, Elizabeth the opera singer digs into the shadow vowels and intricacies of glottis control. Continue Reading »

Another vintage article about Deep Purple, which originally appeared in the New Musical Express on December 12, 1970. It is based on interviews with the two Ians and tells the story of troublemakers in Germany, Aston, Gardner, Dyke and Lieber, Big Ian’s involvement with the Jesus Christ Superstar, and work on the upcoming album that eventually became Fireball.

Commie Fraulien incites ruinous concert riots

Richard Green in Germany with Deep Purple

THERE’S a very mysterious Fraulein X going the rounds of German concert halls that quite a few bands would like to get their hands on at the moment. Deep Purple encountered her and her devious activities twice during the first half of their current German tour when she organised riots of a very frightening nature in Hanover and Heidelburg.

Purple are the latest group to suffer from the deplorable antics of “fans” who want all concerts to be free. At the slightest suggestion of an entrance fee, upwards of a thousand troublemakers gather at the hall and provoke everyone in sight into damaging property.

“They had battering rams in Heidelburg and they were trying to get at the band,” Ian Paice told me when I joined them in Hamburg. “I was really frightened. They had us cornered in the dressing room… if they had got to us I hate to think what would have happened.

Continue reading in Music history for those who are able to read.

Thumbs up to Geir Myklebust for the hard work.

It’s still 3 more days to the announcement from the label, but with the online behemoth retailer listing up, it’s pretty much as good as official — the new Deep Purple album will be called Turning to Crime, it will be an album of covers, and it will be released on November 26, 2021, on CD and 2LP.

Some of you have already surmised, and the promo blurb confirms that it is an album of covers because the the band were unable to get together at the same place at the same time, jam, and write new material due to you-know-what happening in this world for the past 20 months or so. Recording for the album had to be done remotely, from wherever they’ve been sheltering from the pandemic individually (which is probably 3 or 4 different countries).

After five decades of records made chiefly of original material, Deep Purple’s 22nd studio album consists solely of songs written and previously recorded by other artists: a criminal offense commonly described by the rock police and purists Grand Jury as “doing covers.” Studio recordings of songs previously released by Love, Huey “Piano” Smith, Fleetwood Mac, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles & Quincy Jones, Little Feat, The Yardbirds, Lonnie Donegan/ Johnny Horton, Bob Seger System, Cream, plus the “Caught In The Act” medley feat. songs by Freddie King, Booker T. and the M.G.’s, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin and The Spencer Davis Group came to life with the band, for the first time in their career, recording them while not being in the same room. “Turning To Crime” is Deep Purple enjoying playing music without commercial plans nor losing their edge and drive. This is Deep Purple coming full circle. This is 100% Deep Purple.

Track list:

1. 7 And 7 Is (Love)
2. Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu (Huey “Piano” Smith)
3. Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac)
4. Jenny Take A Ride! (Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels)
5. Watching The River Flow (Bob Dylan)
6. Let The Good Times Roll (Ray Charles & Quincy Jones)
7. Dixie Chicken (Little Feat)
8. Shapes Of Things (The Yardbirds)
9. The Battle Of New Orleans (Lonnie Donegan/Johnny Horton)
10. Lucifer (Bob Seger System)
11. White Room (Cream)
12. Caught In The Act medley:
    1. Going Down (Freddie King)
    2. Green Onions (Booker T. and the M.G.’s)
    3. Hot ‘Lanta (The Allman Brothers Band)
    4. Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin)
    5. Gimme Some Lovin’ (The Spencer Davis Group)

Our criminal playlist has been updated with respect to the Medley.

Thanks to Scott Mcnay for the heads up.