British label Top Sounds Records is releasing an album compiled from the three BBC sessions of The Artwoods: Saturday Club — 13th March 1965, Holiday Pop — 19th April 1965, and Jazz Beat — 8th January 1966.

The ARTWOODS — Art Wood, Derek Griffiths, Malcolm Pool, Keef Hartley and future Deep Purple organist Jon Lord — recorded for Decca, Parlophone and Fontana from 1964 to 1967 and their Decca back catalogue in particular has been well documented by retrospective re-issues and compilations. The thirteen canvasses in ‘Art’s Gallery’ however are sourced completely from three live radio sessions that the ARTWOODS recorded for the BBC during 1965 and early 1966 and were not known to still exist. The British Broadcasting Corporation saved a number of tracks the group played for the Beeb and these have since appeared on the Cherry Red ‘Steady Getting It’ set, the rest of the ARTWOODS’ radiophonic output however was not kept by the BBC with the tapes being erased or junked. Thanks to diligent home taping by a particularly keen fan at the time, the ARTWOODS’ music for radio on ‘Art’s Gallery’ can again be heard in public for the first time in over fifty years. And besides welcome live takes of familiar favourites such as ‘Oh My Love’, ‘She Knows What To Do’ and ‘Don’t Cry No More’, there’s a spoil of cool numbers that the band never committed to disc. There’s the upbeat jazz of ‘That Healin’ Feelin’ and ‘Smack Dab In The Middle’, the slow burning blues of ‘How Long, How Long Blues’ and ‘Black Mountain Blues’, the soulful grooves of ‘Out Of Sight’ and ‘I Got A Woman’ and the pure mod suave of ‘Comin’ Home Baby’ (and more!).

The vinyl version features a profusely illustrated 16 page ‘Radio Times’ sized booklet with a story featuring contributions from lead guitarist Derek Griffiths, and the CD comes with a 24 page edition. The music has been restored to the highest possible standards from the only known surviving reel to reel recordings and Top Sounds feel sure there’s a splendid time for all to be had from a visit to ‘Art’s Gallery’!

Track list

1. GEORGE MELLY introduces the ARTWOODS
   Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966
2. WORK, WORK, WORK (Naomi Neville)
   Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966
3. OH MY LOVE (Terry Fox, Brian Smith)
   Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965
4. OUT OF SIGHT (Ted Wright)
   Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965
5. I AIN’T GOT NOTHING BUT THE BLUES (Duke Ellington, Don George)
   Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965
6. I’VE GOT A WOMAN (Ray Charles)
   Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965
7. SHE KNOWS WHAT TO DO (Gump)
   Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965
8. SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE (Charles Calhoun)
   Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965
9. THAT HEALIN’ FEELIN’ (Les McCann)
   Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966
10. BRIAN MATTHEW reads a request
    Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965
11. COMING HOME BABY (Tucker, Dorough)
    Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965
12. BLACK MOUNTAIN BLUES (J.C Johnson)
    Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965
13. HOW LONG, HOW LONG BLUES (Leroy Carr, Scrapper Blackwell)
    Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965
14. OH MY LOVE (Terry Fox, Brian Smith)
    Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965
15. DON’T CRY NO MORE (Malone)
    Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966
16. GEORGE MELLY ends the programme
    Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966

TSLP 007 VINYL album with 16 page booklet
TSSCD 007 COMPACT DISC with 24 page booklet

Vinyl:
UK £21.00 including postage
Europe £24.00 including postage
USA / Canada £28.00 including postage

CD:
UK £14.50 including postage
Europe £17.50 including postage
USA / Canada £18.50 including postage

The album can be ordered directly from the label through a rather convoluted process.

Thanks to Nigel Young for the info.

The Decibel Report has an exuberantly written review of one of the shows Paicey did with the Buddy Rich band in London last month.

‘Twas a hot summer’s night and waiting in the VIP queue outside the venue whilst awaiting the first show of the day to end one could feel gentle excitement mounting. This was raised somewhat when a possible co-conspirator (or witness to the crime) Ian Gillan sauntered past and joined the queue to take his Place In Line.

Once inside this cosy and classic Jazz House in London’s Soho, we were escorted to a front of house table immediately in front of two rather impressive and imposing drum-kits.

Posh drinks and elegant burgers served, we settled into our seats to await a mystery performance. Subtle jazz maybe? Gentle tunes a possibility? Car crash in the making? Who knew? We certainly had no idea how this most unusual of gigs would pan out. The world’s top rock drummer guesting in a jazz band that is still considered to be one of the top acts in its field. Curiosity was killing these cats in the front seats…

Continue reading at the Decibel Report.

We can confirm that Ian Gillan was in the audience at one of the shows, as well as a number of other celebrities were spotted. Quite bizarrely, absolutely no photo or video was permitted and strictly enforced (the picture above is from our stock). This just leaves us to hope that something was recorded professionally and will see the light of day some time in the future.

Thanks to Akemi Ono and Jim C for the info.

Wymer is publishing another book on Ritchie Blackmore. It appears to be (primarily) a photo book of 128 A4 pages in full colour, with narration by Jerry Bloom.

Publicity blurb reads:

This new deluxe photo book compiled by Blackmore biographer Jerry Bloom is the perfect companion to his 2006 biography Black Knight, as it portrays Blackmore’s career with photos and memorabilia from 1958 to the present day. Not only does it feature a large selection of photos, many of which have never been seen before but following years of research by Bloom, it also includes the most comprehensive gig list ever published, for Blackmore’s pre-Deep Purple career between 1958-67 with over 300 gigs detailed from his days with The Outlaws — backing Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis; with Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages; Neil Christian & The Crusaders; and even going back to his earliest bands such as The Vampires and The Kestrals. Augmented with memorabilia from the time, the book also plots Blackmore’s career in photos, through Deep Purple, Rainbow and Blackmore’s Night along with narrative by Bloom that puts the visual elements in context. This is a limited edition of 1,000 copies worldwide in a bespoke, custom-made presentation box with a set of prints.

The book can be preordered for £59.99 plus shipping from the publisher. Publication date is pencilled in as September 12, 2019.

Back in 2016 Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tosin Abasi toured together under the Generation Axe moniker. According to Steve Vai:

The idea was to create a seamless show with one backing band and 5 completely accomplished and astonishing guitarists that take to the stage in various configurations, performing some of their solo music and merging together as cohesive co-creators of lushly orchestrated guitar extravaganzas.

One of said guitar extravaganzas was a 10-minute jam based around Highway Star and performed as an encore.

This track is from their live album The Guitars that Destroyed the World: Live in China due out on June 28.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Flying Colors will release their third studio album — called Third Degree — in September 2019 via Mascot Records.

The release will be accompanied by a brief tour, grand total of 10 dates. Five of them are stateside: MorseFest in Tennessee on August 30, followed by four shows quite literally squeezed in between Steve Morse’s schedule with Deep Purple: September 5 in LA area, October 7 in NYC, October 11 in Philadelphia metro, and October 17 in Chicago metro. Tickets for LA and Philly go on sale this Friday, June 7. NYC presale has already started.

Four more dates are being arranged in Europe in December. Steve will be touring there with his day job between December 1st and 10th with quite a tight schedule of 7 shows in 11 days. Another show is booked for next spring on the Cruise To The Edge, which departs from Miami on March 27, 2020 for 6 days of prog rock and fun in the sun.

On a related note, the first Flying Colors album has been rereleased in 2017 as True Colors. That release is said to contain the original mixes before they were butchered by the loudness wars of commercial mastering. $8 digital download gets you 16-bit WAV files, 320 kbps MP3, 256 kbps AAC, and a newly designed 102 page high resolution digital booklet. There is no hard copy available, you’ll have to burn one for yourself if you really want to.

Sorry to everybody who missed it because we did.

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

More interviews from the red carpet at The Ivors.

Ian Gillan and Ian Paice were interviewed together, and then separately, by the MusicNewsWeb. Paicey mentioned that they’ve just spent 5 weeks in the studio in Nashville, which may or may not result in releasing something, eventually.
Continue Reading »

Despite the prolonged lull in Deep Purple touring, Paicey is keeping himself busy by playing with various bands around Europe. Having just finished a jazz residency in London, he is heading to Italy for June 2 gig with a local band, then off to Bulgaria, France, Belgium, and Germany to tour with Purpendicular. He is booked to do another two touring legs with Purpendicular — one in August, and one in November. That band is hoping to finally shake off the ‘tribute’ moniker by releasing another album of original material later this year, with Ian on drums. He will return to his day job in December.

These gigs is a fairly low(ish) key affair, with the new dates being added constantly and the old ones refined, so check our calendar regularly.

Update (May 29): ex-Rainbow keyboard player Paul Morris will be joining Paicey and Purpendicular on this tour and the upcoming album.

A 2002 vintage interview with Roger Glover and Steve Morse has been posted to Youtube. The interview was taken before the show on the joint tour with Dio and Scorpions in Concord, California, by a dude who calls himself Metal Matt, but looks like he just stepped out of a Bee Gees video 😉
Continue Reading »

A Didi Zill retrospective exhibition is on display at the Rockmuseum Munich, which is located in the Olympiapark Tower (Olympiaturm). The exhibition will be open throughout the summer until August 30, and Deep Purple are, of course, featured prominently. Admission to the Rockmuseum is included with the tower admission itself. The museum has peculiar hours, perhaps in accordance with the rock’n’roll lifestyle — it is open from 9 am until midnight, albeit last entrance is at 11:30 pm.

Fun fact: the famous Munich venue Olympiahalle is located next door to the tower at Olympiapark, which was built to host the 1972 Olympic Games. The first concert after the games ended was held there in January 1973: Deep Purple supported by Steppenwolf Dick Heckstall-Smith band.

Thanks to Yvonne for the info.

Graham Bonnet spoke to Australia’s Heavy Magazine promoting his upcoming short tour down there. He mentioned that he will be marking the 40th anniversary of Down to Earth by performing the whole album live:

We’re actually going to play the whole ‘Down To Earth’ album that I did with RAINBOW that’s never been done before, so it makes an interesting show, I think, along with some oldies but goodies. I think it’s going to be good.

When I was in RAINBOW, we did a lot of their old stuff that Ronnie Dio sang, so when we played songs from ‘Down To Earth’ live, we probably only did about four or five songs — something like that. We never did the whole album as such. This is everything. I’ve got to relearn songs that were, like, B-sides to singles… There’s about two or three that have never been done live before, so this is quite an experience for me, apart from the audience.

Graham Bonnet Australian tour dates:

Jun 6th 2019 – Enigma Bar – Adelaide
Jun 7th 2019 – Corner Hotel – Melbourne
Jun 8th 2019 – Manning Bar – Sydney

Tickets, including VIP passes, are available from the promoters Hardline Media.

If you feel hungry for more Graham anecdotage, we leave you with another Australian interview:

And here he is, belting out Eyes Of The World in 2018 like there’s no tomorrow:

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.