Ultimate Classic Rock has a Whoosh feature built around an interview with Paicey. The takeaway message is that despite And the Address being intended to close the full circle, this might not be the last Deep Purple album after all:

It might not be the last record. We’ve got all of this dead time. We know we can’t do any concerts until sometime next year. Now, 10 or 11 months, is a long time for musicians to sit around doing nothing when they could do something.

So, it wouldn’t surprise me – and I know there’s little mutterings going on – that we might get together towards the end of this year and see if we can write some more stuff. If we can, if we’ve got some ideas that we like, then there’s no reason at all why there shouldn’t be another record.

Read more in Ultimate Classic Rock.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info. Photo: street ad for the album as spotted in Kiel, Germany, by Tobias Janaschke.

Steve Morse will perform a virtual masterclass on Sunday, October 18 from 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern Time. Just like the recent one with Paicey, this mastercalss is organized by the Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp and is one of the series allowing fans interact with profound musicians during the pandemic. Attendance for the event is limited to 25 spots. Tickats at $150 are available via universe.com.

No Treble, a website dedicated to all things bass, has a fresh interview with Roger Glover. They talked about time off the road (Roger confirmed that he resumed working on his memoirs), chart success of Whoosh!, Bob Ezrin and the band’s songwriting revival of late, progressive influences on the album, luck and work ethic, never getting tired of playing Smoke, advice to young players, and enjoying one’s sandwiches, among other things.

Getting back to the record, you remade “And The Address” from Deep Purple’s debut album. Why that song in particular?

Since we’ve worked with Bob, we’ve made a habit of doing a cover on every album. Although it wasn’t fully spoken about, there was an assumption that this probably is our last album. We felt that about the one before this and the one before that, as well. We never know which is going to be our last album, but there is a feeling that we’re pushing it now.

Bob said, “Wouldn’t it be fun if the very first track on the very first Deep Purple album was the last track on the last Deep Purple album?” It’s a nice closing of the circle, if you like, so that’s why we did it. But maybe it was a bit premature because I think now that we can’t tour, we might as well make another record.

Seems like you have another one in you, for sure.

All we have to do is figure out where to go and how to get there. We live in different parts of the world and traveling is pretty constrictive.

I know after inFinite, you said you were ready to make another album right away. Is that how you feel now?

You know, I don’t know how we feel. I feel very up for doing another album. We’ve all agreed to do it, so it’s just a question of sorting it out. Where and when and how. We don’t talk about albums. When we’re on the road and traveling together, we don’t talk about writing songs for an album. We don’t write songs. We just jam and they appear.

Read more in No Treble.

Thanks to Jim Collins for the info, and kudos to No Treble for getting the photo credits right.

In the new installment on his channel Drumtribe, Paicey talks about click tracks and the editing wizardry that goes into a studio recording.
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Ian Gillan has turned 75 yesterday and he’s got a ‘happy birthday’ note from the president of Armenia Armen Sarkissian:

You have been creating art for more than 50 years and you are the one of those unique artists who is admired by several generation. I am aware that Deep Purple’s new album released at the beginning of August is occupying the first horizontal on the charts in different countries. This is yet another proof of your and your friends’ immeasurable talent and creative vigor.

I thank you for being our country’s friend since 1990. You are loved much in Armenia, thus I congratulate you also on behalf of the citizens of Armenia.

I recall warmly our meeting in June, 2019 in Yerevan, and will be happy to see you in Armenia again.

Thanks to Mediamax and BraveWords for the info.

Early indications of commercial success for Whoosh were right — the album has entered Top 10 in 13 European countries, climbed all the way to #1 in Germany, Belgium (Wallonia chart), Finland, Scotland, and Switzerland, and scored a respectable #4 in the UK (highest position since Deepest Purple). It is also band’s third straight number 1 album in the German market.

That’s an excellent present to Big Ian on his 75th birthday. Congratulations!

PS. we are tracking the album’s chart positions in a separate post.

Ian Paice will take part in a Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp virtual masterclass this Saturday, August 22, at 1pm Eastern Time. The event will be dedicated to celebrating the legacy of Neil Peart and Buddy Rich. Paicey will be joined by Matt Sorum of Guns n’ Roses fame and Gregg Potter from Buddy Rich Band. It will be hosted by Cathy Rich. Attendace is limited to 25 spots, tickets are $100 and available via universe.com.

Thanks to Yvonne for the info.

Now, who would have thought that mighty Child in Time would sound just as majestic in an acoustic (well, almost) treatment. Here it is, in all its glory, complete with a Mick Box-esque electric guitar solo. Performed by Akoustik Rock Trio from Germany.
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Paicey answers your questions. In today’s installment: Paice Ashton Lord, drum mounts, Don Bosco, The Mule, Knebworth, the immortality of youth, therapeutic drumming, and vintage Ludwigs.
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Steve Morse spoke to Innerviews, which resulted in an interview that is as interesting as it is long. Set aside some time and read it in full. Meanwhile here is a morsel to wet your appetite — Steve talking about Bob Ezrin:

This is the third album in a row Bob Ezrin has produced for Deep Purple. You also worked with him on Kansas’ In the Spirit of Things in 1988. What does he bring to the table that serves the band so effectively?

He’s like the designated chairman of the board when it comes to discussions. He throws in his opinion, but it carries a little bit more weight because he’s done so many great albums. He’s also one of the smartest guys you’ll ever meet in terms of memorizing the complicated details of a tune and what you played within it. He can hear all kinds of possibilities in his head. He’s always willing to jump in there and help you if you can’t come up with an idea you like. But in general, we write on our own and then he comes in and says “Here’s what I like. Here’s what I don’t like.” That’s been helpful to us, because it helps improve the arrangements.

Behind the scenes, when the rest of the band isn’t there, Bob seems to really get a lot out of Ian Gillan. One story I love is when Ian and Roger Glover were talking about lyrics and melodies amongst themselves in the rehearsal room, a voice from across the room, 50 feet away, would go “I’m not liking this.” [laughs] Bob would be looking at his iPad or laptop and typing and look up and tell you what he thinks with that big city, no-nonsense voice he has. But it’s serious enough to definitely make them stop and rethink what they’re doing. It’s also simply frank and inoffensive when he does that. He’ll do that to me too when I’m trying to do a line, melody or solo. If it’s too complicated, he’ll say something like “Morse, save it for your solo album. Give me something solid.” [laughs] He’s sort of like the drill sergeant you love.

As for how he’s changed across the three albums, I think he knows what I’m going to do before I do it now. And he wants me to play more like David Gilmour would and less like I would. In other words, he wants something spectacularly melodic and simple. That’s a huge challenge. What ends up happening is I do what I do and to some extent, I do bend to his wishes. He’ll take out a couple or even several solos. He’ll cut out pieces he thinks sound closer to what he’s envisioning. So lately, I end up with solos that are more clean and simple.

It’s a trust thing. I have to trust that his decisions make the song better. In a band in which everybody’s throwing in ideas—and I throw in a lot of ideas—you can’t be right most of the time. People will have their views. It’s more comfortable for me to just play in my style and relax. That’s what I do. But in a band, you have to take the support role most of the time. Everything I do is based around what’s going to fit the song in the eyes of the producer.

There is more in that vein, about the current pandemics, how it affected Steve’s life, music business, and society in general, how he sees his place in the band, his osteoarthritis, the 2018 Dixie Dregs reunion tour, the Flying Colors, how to do mixing in the garage with a toddler crawling around, and many, many other things. Read it all on Innerviews.

Thanks to Anil Prasad for the info.