Latest episode of Talking Metal Digital podcast has a lengthy interview with Glenn Hughes. Never being shy of making bold statements, he said that if Burn had not been as successful as it was, Deep Purple’s RnR Hall of Fame induction would never happen. He also mentioned that he is going to the studio in June to record a new solo album.

Listen to the the interview (starts at 11’50” into the podcast and lasts until about 40 minute mark):

Or go there directly (MP3, 110MB) if the above does not work for any reason.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

A 2002 vintage interview with Ronnie James Dio, recorded during his joint tour with Deep Purple and Scorpions. He talks about importance of classical music in his upbringing and how him and Blackmore first connected through their love for J.S.Bach.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Edel will release Rainbow Monsters of Rock – Live at Donington 1980 on April 22. It will come as a CD+DVD set in a jewel box and as a digital download. The CD will cover complete performance, while DVD will include 30 minutes of the conclusion of the show as this is all the footage that has survived.

Track listing:

DVD

1. Lazy
2. All Night Long
3. Catch The Rainbow
4. Eyes Of The World
5. Guitar Solo
6. Difficult To Cure
7. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
8. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll

CD

1. Intro / Eyes Of The World
2. Since You Been Gone
3. Stargazer
4. Catch The Rainbow
5. Lost In Hollywood / Guitar Solo
6. Difficult To Cure / Keyboard Solo
7. Drum Solo / Lost In Hollywood (reprise)
8. Lazy
9. All Night Long
10. Blues
11. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
12. Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll

Update (March 10): As several of our readers quite rightfully pointed out, the CD does not, in fact, contain a complete performance from that night, with Love’s No Friend and Man on the Silver Mountain missing.

Thanks to BraveWords for the heads up.

With all this RnR Hall of Fame hoopla, looks like Deep Purple are getting more coverage by the likes of Billboard and Rolling Stone than in the previous 25 years combined. Billboard has some quotes from Glenn Hughes clarifying that he indeed will be attending the induction ceremony (in case anybody had any doubts):

All I know is I’m getting the award. There’s a lot of gossip and innuendo about who’s saying what. I’d love to play. I’d love to sing. And so would David.

A month ago David said to me, ‘Shall I reach out to Ian Gillan to figure out what we’re gonna do?’ He came back and told me that there’s a problem that Don and Steve aren’t getting inducted and there’s all sorts of scenarios with that and grumblings and this and that, and I said, ‘Well, I’m just gonna stay out of the way,’ and Coverdale is as well. If Ian Gillan wants to run the show on behalf of his Deep Purple that’s his business; my business is to show up and gracefully accept my award. But we’re really hoping that we will be invited to sing. I’d like to think that Deep Purple can be just one big happy family on the night, y’know? Egos outside the door and be graceful in what we do.

On the possibility of Blackmore attending the event:

You just never know with him, but I’d love it if he showed up. I just hope he has the balls to (attend), and for God’s sake he bloody wrote those songs. he wrote those riffs. He wrote ‘Smoke on the Water.’ Whatever happened — the eccentricities, the behavior, the name-calling and all that stuff — I say let it all go. Blackmore should be there accepting his award. I’d be very upset if he didn’t.

Thanks to Bravewords for the info.

On Saturday, July 16, Deep Purple will once again headline Montreux Jazz Festival, which celebrates this year its 50th anniversary. Festival tickets go on sale April 15, with full festival schedule to be announced the day before.

A 1992 vintage interview with Ian Gillan recorded during his tour of Brazil:

Thanks to Yvonne for the info.

David Coverdale at the Waerdse Tempel, the Netherlands, 2009; photo Arthur Nazarian http://www.fotovriend.nl/, cc-by-nc-nd

A summer Whitesnake tour was announced a couple of days ago. The tour is no longer billed under Purple moniker, but will be a regular greatest hits tour. What’s interesting, however, is the press blurb that accompanied the announcement:

We are truly excited & looking forward to playing at [venue du jour] in 2016 on what will be our ‘Greatest Hits World Tour’ & most likely my personal ‘Farewell to Arena Rock’ after over 40 years of writing & performing rock music.

David didn’t elaborate whether this means a retirement or a change in direction. Let the speculations begin.

German TV show Rockpalast will be showing on March 28 a 4 hour retrospective on the Essener Pop & Blues Festivals held in 1969 and 1970. The broadcast is touted to include excerpts from the shows, contemporary TV reports, and concert specials. Footage of Deep Purple performing in 1969 is known to exist, so fingers crossed.

It’s curious to see that in 1969 the band was yet to be considered a top of the bill performer and its profile is not even featured in the festival programme (unlike Muddy Waters, Nice, Fleetwood Mac, or Pink Floyd), ony an EMI advert for (then most recent) Book of Taliesyn. This would change shortly.

What: Essener Pop- und Blues-Festival 1969 & 1970
When: March 28, 00:45 – 04:45
Where: WDR Fernsehen

Thanks to Joerg for the info.

Rock Overdose has recently spoken to Joe Lynn Turner and has published a teaser for the upcoming interview. The teaser, naturally, features Joe explaining how he didn’t get the latest Rainbow gig:

I’ll tell you what happened. And that’s the short story. For over a year I was talking with his management and we wanted to have big plans with an authentic Rainbow reunion, with the integrity of the old members, with Doogie, Graham. Everyone singing, everybody playing. This what the fans really should see. Not what he is doing now. I believe it’s a cover band. And we wanted, I wanted, to be involved only if this was the situation. So, when he started to back off from that situation, I set this whole thing back and said: “If you want to do this, I’m not gonna be involved”, because for me, it’s a cheap way. And I don’t think the fans deserve it. I think it’s a shame that he feels this way. So, to make it short, I said I am not involved and then he would comment on the press and the newspapers that Joe Lynn Turner is not involved and he doesn’t know it yet. Well, I knew it. And it was a very classless way to announce that to the world and I don’t respect that very much. And I don’t think anyone should respect that. But that’s his problem. I’m not angry about anything. I just feel that I wasted my time in trying to make an authentic Rainbow reunion happen and I was betrayed. The fact of the matter is that I wouldn’t want to do it any other way. What he is doing now, is a cover band. I don’t think he gives anything to the fans. You could hear Ritchie play, but so what? That’s it. And I think a guitar player of his stature, should have the best way possible to return. I don’t think he made the right decision. That’s all I can say. He can do what he wants. Most people were saying that I was crazy, I was delusional, when I was talking about his return to rock and laughed at me. And I was upset about it. At the same time, I am not anymore. I was telling the truth. People should understand that I always say the truth. And what I said today IS the truth. I wanted an authentic Rainbow. Not this. So, good luck, Ritchie. I wish you well.

Complete interview will presumably be published by Rock Overdose some time in the future.

Blabbermouth has quotes from Blackmore’s interview to Dutch magazine Aardschok. We presume that the interview in question is the one that appeared in the January-February issue of the magazine, and that the quotes were translated back from Dutch.

Here’s what we can learn from the interview:

• He thought on and off about going electric for a while now, but got “the final push” after he heard the singer Ronnie Romero.
• The setlist will be comprised 70% from Rainbow and 30% Purple, with Dio era (including Stargazer) being central part of the show, plus a mix of JLT, Bonnet, Gillan and Coverdale.
• His acoustic style requires him to have long nails, which he has to cut short for the electric shows. This limits how often he can play electric in order to continue with Blackmore’s Night.
• He does not rule out a second round of electric shows, but not until 2017.

Read more in Blabbermouth.