One of the most dedicated fans of the band — Axel Dauer — has passed away this Sunday morning, August 19, at a hospital in Saarland, Germany. He was 56. He suffered from a multitude of health problems, each of them alone can kill a man, and when they decided to attack all at once, he barely stood a chance.

I first met Axel after the show at the hotel bar in Bad Mergentheim in 1999. Over the years we became close friends. I stayed at his place near Wiesbaden every time I was in Germany. His hospitality and generosity were truly legendary, even at the times when his financial affairs were far from being perfect. I’ll miss that hearty laugh, that no nonsense approach, his endearing stubbornness, his equally legendary cooking skills.

According to his wish, his ashes will be spread in Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline.

Rest in peace dear friend. You will be remembered.

Glenn Hughes will release live recordings of his shows from the upcoming US tour. The tour starts on August 25 in Westbury, NY, and he will be performing his Classic Deep Purple Live Mk3/4 set. The recording will be made available as digital downloads only and can now be pre-ordered at $11.95 each, $29.95 for 3-show, or $74.95 for 9-show packages.

Wymer Publishing in the UK is preparing another Deep Purple book by Jerry Bloom. The book is titled Time to Kill and is dedicated to the last year in the life of Mark 2 lineup — The Battle Rages On album and subsequent tour.

2018 is not only the 50th anniversary of Deep Purple’s inception but it is also the 25th anniversary of the last time the classic MKII line-up performed together. Ritchie Blackmore famously called it a day during the Battle Rages On… Tour with his last show being in Helsinki on 17th November 1993.

To commemorate this brief but extraordinary tour we are pleased to announce that on the 17th November this year we will be publishing TIME TO KILL – a comprehensive timeline of the last year in the life of Deep Purple MKII, written by Jerry Bloom.

The book includes a detailed look at the album as well as a day by day account of the tour. With planned dates in America cancelled and Blackmore quitting before the Japanese tour, there was in all just 37 shows. Author Jerry Bloom attended 10 of them, and was backstage at most of those, helping to give a personal account of the shenanigans that went on as the tour progressed.

As Jon Lord said at the time, “the shows were done at an energy level and ability level I’ve rarely seen attained before. I think we played as well as we’ve ever played.” Each show is covered in detail and the book is also crammed full of previously unpublished photos. Both dramatic on stage shots and candid off stage photos that show the band relaxing in between shows, in hotels and on planes. This is a truly unique insight into one of the most over-looked but dramatic times in Purple’s entire history.

Housed in a purple buckram presentation box with silver block foiling, it includes a set of 6 prints, suitable for framing.

STRICTLY LIMITED TO 500 COPIES WORLDWIDE.

Publication date is set for November 17, 2018. Customers who pre-order by 31st September will have their name printed in the book on a dedicated Fan Page.

Thanks to Wymer for the info.

If you prefer the non-screaming, soulful side of Coverdale’s voice, this one might be for you.

Rhino Records is releasing a compilation of Whitesnake’s acoustic (or almost acoustic) tracks, titled Unzipped. The 5CD+DVD deluxe set will include a collection of live performances and studio outtakes. It will also be available in stripped down 1CD, 2CD and 2LP editions. Release date is October 19.

Disc 1 will be available on all editions, disc 2 on 2CD, 2LP and deluxe, while the rest is only on the deluxe edition.

We are not sure if the video disc will be in DVD or blu-ray format. Anyway, the 1997 recording was done only in SD as the HD technology was not available back then.

Track listing

* denotes previously unreleased tracks (or so the press blurb claims — we haven’t double checked)

Disc One: Unzipped… In The Studio: The Love Songs (available on all editions)

1. Love Is Blind
2. One of These Days *
3. All The Time In The World *
4. Wherever You May Go
5. Easier Said than Done *
6. Fare Thee Well *
7. Summer Rain
8. Forevermore
9. ‘Till The End Of Time
10. Wherever You May Go (Instrumental) Strings only *
11. Love Is Blind (Instrumental) Strings only *

Disc Two: Starkers In Tokyo (2CD, 2LP, and deluxe editions)

1. Sailing Ships
2. Too Many Tears
3. The Deeper The Love
4. Love Ain’t No Stranger
5. Can’t Go On
6. Give Me All Your Love
7. Don’t Fade Away
8. Is This Love
9. Here I Go Again
10. Soldier Of Fortune
11. Only My Soul (Acapella) *
12. Fool For Your Loving (Excerpt) *

Disc Three: Snakeskin Boots: Starkers In Europe

Starkers In Warsaw (Poland, April 18, 1997):

1. Intro
2. Sailing Ships
3. Too Many Tears
4. Here I Go Again

Starkers In Stockholm (Sweden, December 2, 2006):

5. Intro
6. Give Me All Your Love
7. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
8. Only My Soul (Acapella)
9. All I Want Is You
10. Dog
11. Here I Go Again

Starkers In Cologne (Germany, November 24, 2006):

12. Intro
13. Give Me All Your Love
14. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
15. All I Want Is You
16. Slow & Easy
17. Dog

Starkers In Paris (France, November 30, 2006):

18. Give Me All Your Love
19. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
20. Northwinds (Acapella)
21. All I Want Is You
22. Dog
23. Blindman (Acapella)
24. Here I Go Again

Disc Four:

Starkers Promo Tour Rehearsals (2005):

1. If You Want Me *
2. Give Me All Your Love *
3. Slow & Easy *
4. All I Want Is You *
5. Judgement Day *
6. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More *
7. Dog *

Starkers In New York (New York City, April 10, 2008):

8. Give Me All Of Your Love
9. Can You Hear The Wind Blow
10. All I Want All I Need
11. Lay Down Your Love
12. Fool For Your Loving
13. The Deeper The Love
14. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
15. Here I Go Again

WSTV Jams Excerpts (2012):

16. Easier Said Than Done
17. Fare Thee Well
18. Love Will Set You Free
19. Mistreated
20. Slide It In
21. ‘Till The End Of Time
22. Shake My Tree

Made In Japan Soundcheck Versions (2011)

23. Good To Be Bad
24. Tell Me How

Disc Five: Up Close & Personal

1. Wherever You May Go (Demo Version) *
2. Surrender *
3. Ain’t No Doubt About My Girl *
4. Scat Man Blues *
5. Love’s A Crazy Game *
6. I Will Love You *
7. Oh Baby You’re The One *
8. So Long (Acapella) *
9. So Long *
10. It Would Be Nice *
11. Slide Thingy Blues *
12. Down To The River *
13. Feel Your Love Grow Stronger *
14. Blues Jam Riff *
15. Fun Lick Blues *
16. Don’t Wanna Change The World *
17. It’s So Hard *
18. River Song (Early Version) *
19. Let’s Have A Drink Before I Go *
20. Can You Ever Forgive Me *
21. So Much To Live For *
22. Another Lick While The Missus Is Busy In The Kitchen *
23. Just The Two Of Us (Together You And I) *
24. Oh S___ Blues (featuring Jessica) *
25. Seasons *

DVD

Starkers In Tokyo (1997):

1. Sailing Ships
2. Too Many Tears
3. The Deeper The Love
4. Can’t Go On
5. Is This Love
6. Give Me All Your Love
7. Here I Go Again
8. Soldier Of Fortune
9. Love Ain’t No Stranger
10. Don’t Fade Away
11. Only My Soul (Acapella)
12. Fool For Your Loving (excerpt)

Starkers In New York (2008):

1. Give Me All Of Your Love
2. Can You Hear The Wind Blow
3. All I Want All I Need
4. Lay Down Your Love
5. Fool For Your Loving
6. The Deeper The Love
7. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City
8. Here I Go Again

Starkers In Warsaw (Poland, April 18, 1997):

9. Intro
10. Sailing Ships
11. Too Many Tears
12. Here I Go Again

Starkers In Stockholm (Sweden, December 2, 2006):

13. Intro
14. Give Me All Your Love
15. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
16. Only My Soul (Acapella)
17. All I Want Is You
18. Dog
19. Here I Go Again

Starkers In Cologne (Germany, November 24, 2006):

20. Give Me All Your Love
21. Ain’t Gonna Cry No More
22. All I Want Is You
23. Dog

Starkers In Sofia (Bulgaria, November 24, 2015):

24. Soldier Of Fortune

Starkers In Paris 2 (France, June 4, 2009):

25. Blindman

Starkers In Wolverhampton (England, June 16, 2011):

26. Fare Thee Well

Starkers In Glasgow (Scotland, June 15, 2011)*

27. One Of These Days

Bonus Features:

• One-on-One with David Coverdale and Adrian Vandenberg discussing Starkers
• Poor Albert’s Last: Photographic Slideshow (featuring audio from Sailing Ships)
• Purplesnake’s Forevermore Video
• Love Is Blind Music Video

Preoder here.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Steve Morse and Sterling Ball (CEO of Ernie Ball Music Man) discuss the future of electric guitar and why it is not going away any time soon. This discussion with Australian Musician magazine ahead of the Melbourne Guitar Show was prompted by recent financial troubles of Gibson and some media being quick to declare “end of the guitar“.

Read the associated article in the Australian Musician.

You’ll learn the story of a band with a singer who could not sing from a new promo video for the upcoming Javelins album posted today by earMUSIC.
Continue Reading »

Glenn Hughes was interviewed by Planet Rock at this weekend’s Steelhouse Festival in Wales: Continue Reading »

Universal Music has announced that it will be reissuing 8 of the back catalogue albums on purple vinyl. This reissue includes:

• Machine Head
• Made in Japan
• Who Do We Think We Are
• Burn
• Stormbringer
• Made in Europe
• Come Taste the Band
• Last Concert in Japan

All items are said to be new digital transfers of the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, cut to heavyweight 180-gram purple vinyl. Vinyl albums come with download codes. The reissues will come out on September 7 and will be priced €21 for 1LP (€27 for MiJ), or €157 for the whole bundle. They can be preordered from the label.

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

Roger posted this on his website:

I’ve known Pete York and Miller Anderson since the late 60s. Several early DP tours were with Hardin/York and we’ve often met from time to time since then.

Over the years, Pete has organized lots of these special events, featuring a phalanx of great musicians. In 1970, Ian Paice, Miller and I took part in Pete’s first one (I still have the poster advertising “Super Drumming” at Bumper’s Club in London).

Read more on rogerglover.com

Our Japanese correspondent sent in these video clips from a busy Osaka train station to our trainspotting department.

A couple more tour posters from Japan.

At the Shibuya Station in Tokyo:

Fukuoka poster: