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A well put together documentary about Tony Iommi’s Seventh Star project. Everything you wanted to know about it, but were afraid to ask. Featuring interviews with Tony Iommi, Glenn Hughes, Tony Martin, and Dave Spitz. Continue Reading »
Our long time contributor Stathis Panagiotopoulos reminisces about what happened 40 years ago in Knebworth, England.
I was 11 years old in 1974 when I heard Deep Purple for the first time, and it was a defining moment, one that changed my life in ways more profound than I could explain in a short article.
There were no concerts happening in Greece back then, let alone by a group as big as Purple, and I was too young to be allowed to travel abroad to see them.
And then they split up. And all I wished for was for them to get back together, so I could see them live just the once, I thought I’d die happy after.
And just then they did, and it was announced that they would play their home turf at the Knebworth festival on June 22, 1985, 40 years ago today.
I worked through the winter of 84 to collect money to be able to travel. I got my ticket. And then I took the train from Thessaloniki, Greece to go to London. I got there a couple of days later, and on the day of the concert I took another train and travelled to Stevenage with a few good penpal friends, some of whom had seen Purple in the 70’s and some that would see them for the first time.
It was the UK, it was the summer solstice, and, needless to say, it was pissing down with rain. I was up to my knees in mud. I didn’t care. I got inside early, immediately when the gates opened, I watched all the bands. Enjoyed myself immensely.
And then 10 p.m. came around, the lights went down and the taped Bach intro came on.
Cut to the same day, June 22, 2025. Driving back from the morning’s dive, I blasted the Knebworth CD on the car stereo at a dangerously high volume. And relived that day, and it felt as if time had stood still.
When the song about the football team that got kicked out of the league for drinking came on, I was moved to tears. This is the defining Purple song for many of us who weren’t there in the “halcyon days” but joined a bit later. This is what it was all about. Can you remember, remember my name? Can I? Fuck, better than my own name, for sure. For the first time, I was one of the thousand warriors.
Going to Knebworth I knew what to expect. Pre-internet there were double vinyl bootlegs from Australia and the US, so I knew which songs they would play, the solos, the running order, everything. What I didn’t know was, would I be disappointed? Would it be up to what my mind had created during thousands of hours of listening to records and tapes?
In short, was it as good as I expected? No. It was much, much better. Indescribably better. In hindsight, Knebworth might not have been one of the best reunion gigs, but the feeling, the emotions, the sense of being THERE when and where it happened, when and where those five extraordinary musicians threw the naked thunder to the crowd, that feeling was incomparable to anything else, and I was surprised to get it all over again driving back from the five today.
The songs, the musical ability, the sound, the vision, the majesty of Purple, there was never a band that could even come close – there still isn’t and as far as I’m concerned there never will be. What made them DEEP PURPLE (and I can’t put THAT into words, Lord knows I have been trying and failing for years!) is still there, and it will be until the last concert.
From the opening of Highway Star to the fireworks after Smoke on the Water, five minutes passed, it seemed. And when Gillan said “we’ve heard the weather report, the sun is coming out in ten minutes”, I think I believed him.
I was drenched, dog-tired, and indescribably happy. That very morning I thought I’d see them once and die a happy man. After midnight, I wasn’t so sure. I went back, again and again, for another 120 times. Still, if Knebworth had been my first and last Deep Purple concert, I could have died a happy man. That’s how good it was.
Stathis Panagiotopoulos
Black Country Communion performance at the Hellfest from June 21, 2025, has been posted to YouTube by ARTE Concerts. It is promised to be available for a whole year, until June 20, 2026. Continue Reading »
Another Purple book from the ever prolific Martin Popoff — Seven Decades of Deep Purple: An Unofficial History. It is due to be published on September 28, 2025 via Schiffer Publishing.
Dive into the saga of Deep Purple and unravel the untold stories behind the legendary band, from their groundbreaking albums to their tumultuous journey through rock history to the present.
Seven Decades of Deep Purple tells the electrifying story of one of the most iconic bands in rock history.
From the band’s explosive formation in 1968 to the classic Mk. II lineup—Gillan, Blackmore, Glover, Lord, and Paice—and through all the iterations to the present day, this book delves deep into the band that brought the world unforgettable hits like “Hush,” “Speed King,” “Child in Time,” “Smoke on the Water,” “Highway Star,” “Burn,” and “Perfect Strangers.”
Through nearly 50 interviews by the author with Purple alumni, plus dozens more with others who are part of this story, readers will journey through the group’s formation, lineup changes, album sessions, and live performances, with the narrative emerging as the story of creativity itself, a tale enhanced by the use of over 450 images.
Album by album, it’s Deep Purple’s music that gives this book its solid-rock foundation. Starting with 1968’s Shades of Deep Purple, the book discusses all their genre-defining albums, including In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head, Burn, Purpendicular, Whoosh!, and 2024’s =1.
Seven Decades of Deep Purple captures the essence of a band whose influence transcended generations and shaped the sound of modern rock.
Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to their music, this book is a must-read for anyone wanting to explore the legacy of one of rock’s most enduring and relentlessly vital and creative forces.
What: Seven Decades of Deep Purple : An Unofficial History
Author: Martin Popoff
When: Sep 28, 2025
Where: Schiffer Publishing
ISBN: 9780764369919
Format: hardcover, 7″ x 10″
Pages: 640, with 420 colour and b/w photos
MSRP: $60.00
Available from the all good bookstores as well as the publisher.
[Update Jun 23]: We hope to be able to offer you our review of the book some time in September, before the publication date.
Thanks to Gabi for the heads-up.
Blackmore’s Night also took advantage of the latest technologies undistinguishable from magic (and undoubtedly enhanced with magic spells and fairy dust). Here is the around-the-table performance of Magical World, which originally appeared on the low profile VHS release Live In Germany 1997-1998. Continue Reading »
Louder Sound publishes a Prog magazine feature on Carl Sentance talking about Don Airey.
“I first met Don through a friend many years ago, when I was in Welsh heavy metal band Persian Risk. It was around the time he’d just joined Rainbow, and it was the first time I’d met someone quite famous. He was just so down-to-earth – a normal guy, a wonderful guy.
Then years later when I was in Krokus, we were doing a festival in Switzerland; Don was playing too and he took my number, and in 2006 we did our first gig together, in Austria.
Continue reading in Louder Sound.
Another classic Gillan clip — Mutually Assured Destruction from the Rock Goes To College show on February 23, 1981. Continue Reading »
If you felt that you don’t own enough copies of Made in Japan or appropriately branded socks, your prayers have been answered. There will be another super deluxe reissue of the iconic live album, this time remixed by Steven Wilson (original stereo album and Dolby Atmos) and Richard Digby Smith (the 3 shows). It will be available as 5CD+Blu-ray and 10LP box sets.
The Steven Wilson remix of the original stereo album may or may not actually be a new one. This is what he said back in 2017:
There are a lot of things I’ve done that have gotten shelved. I mean, Deep Purple’s Made in Japan (1973) — I did that years ago, and it never came out.
Let’s see what is coming out now.
Official promo blurb:
NEW STEREO AND ATMOS MIXES BY STEVEN WILSON, PLUS NEWLY REMIXED VERSIONS OF ALL THREE JAPAN CONCERTS
EXCLUSIVE VINYL EDITION INCLUDES ALL THE MUSIC ON 10LPSOn August 15, 1972, Deep Purple took the stage in Japan for the first of three shows that would give rise to one of rock’s most celebrated live albums, MADE IN JAPAN.
MADE IN JAPAN (SUPER DELUXE EDITION) features new stereo and Dolby ATMOS mixes of the original by acclaimed producer Steven Wilson, all three concerts newly remixed by Richard Digby Smith, and several rare single edits.
Singer Ian Gillan, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord, bassist Roger Glover, and drummer Ian Paice—Deep Purple’s famed Mk II lineup—turned studio staples like “Smoke On The Water,” “Highway Star,” and “Space Truckin’” into explosive live statements. “We came halfway around the world and found the audience singing every word. It was magical,” Glover recalls in the collection’s liner notes.
The band enlisted engineer Martin Birch — who had worked on several of their best-known studio albums — to record the shows to eight-track tape at Festival Hall in Osaka and the Budokan in Tokyo. The performances on MADE IN JAPAN (SUPER DELUXE EDITION) capture Deep Purple at full throttle, powering through songs from their then-new album Machine Head, along with fan favorites like “Child In Time,” “Strange Kind Of Woman,” and “Speed King.” The collection also includes rare single edits, like the German version of “Black Night” and the Mexican edit of “Space Truckin’.”
The live album garnered widespread critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone declaring it “Purple’s definitive metal monster, a spark-filled execution of the typical Purple style.” This recognition led to its impressive ranking at No. 6 on their “Readers’ Poll: The 10 Best Live Albums of All Time.” AllMusic also praised the album, stating that “Deep Purple pushed its music into the kind of deliberate excess that made heavy metal what it became.” Additionally, the album achieved commercial success, landing at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Wilson harnesses the raw energy of the original tapes in his new stereo and Atmos mixes. “It’s all completely as it happened on the night,” he says. “The album has a power and sense of abandon that they never quite captured in the studio. Hopefully this new mix makes it feel even more like you’re there.”
Preorder from the official store or somewhere closer to you. The official store has a variety of bundles and assorted reissue merchandise.
It is scheduled to be released on August 15, 2025 via Universal. There’s no word at this point which label will be releasing it.
The Steve Wilson mix of the Highway Star has been posted on streaming services to whet your appetite. The track also appeared on YouTube, but we are told that availability varies by region and other supernatural phenomena.
Thanks to Nigel Young and Trond Strøm for the info.
Another book on the horizon, and it is a Whitesnake story by Martin Popoff, being published by Wymer.
In Walking in the Shadow of the Blues: The Whitesnake Story, the first ever full biography of the band, top music writer Martin Popoff tells the tale of rock legend David Coverdale, from his Deep Purple roots to the two distinct incarnations of his mega-popular creation.
Whitesnake began life as a UK-based blues rock outfit, until the lad from England’s chilly east coast transported the act to America’s sunny west coast in search of fame, fortune, big videos and even bigger hair. Coverdale found them all, and 1987’s self-titled album went eight times platinum in the US alone before the band’s bright star waned in the face of grimy grunge.
In this book, Popoff conducted 30 interviews of major characters, including Coverdale himself, to piece together the band’s roller-coaster history. He follows their story through the hirings and firings, the splits and reunions and the image changes which have enabled Coverdale, through his Whitesnake vehicle, to position himself firmly within the pantheon of hard rock greats.
If you’ve rocked out to anthems like “Here I Go Again,” “Fool For Your Loving,” “Still Of The Night” or “Slow An’ Easy,” this is essential reading.
Yes, for the job at hand, Popoff interviewed (and many of them multiple times), David Coverdale, Bernie Marsden, Neil Murray, Micky Moody, Adrian Vandenberg, Steve Vai, John Kalodner, Doug Aldrich, Keith Olsen, Ian Paice and many others, to deliver his usual album by chapter, with every song touched upon. So, what are you waiting for… Come An’ Get It!
What: Walking in the Shadow of the Blues: The Whitesnake Story
Author: Martin Popoff
When: September 19, 2025
Where: Wymer Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-915246-89-9
How much: £17.99
Pre-order through the publisher.
Deep Purple have headlined this past weekend the Best of Blues and Rock festival in São Paulo, Brazil. This marked their first public performance since November 10, 2024. The hiatus, previously explained in an interview by Ian Paice, stems from the intention to take the live performances easy this year, playing “a day here, three days there”, with touring to resume in earnest in the Fall.
Our man in Brazil Marcelo Soares reports from the festival:
Deep Purple’s only show in 2025, before November, was an open air gig at the Ibirapuera park, in São Paulo. The stage was at an auditorium designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer, with the white walls serving as a screen for the live images that also were used behind the drums and organ.
The organizers of the Best of Blues and Rock festival had announced one day before that they had sold about 85% of the 15,000 maximum tickets — which means nearly 13 thousand tickets sold. There was room for that many people. Even the rain that insinuated itself in the morning made room for a beautiful sunset.
No new songs were played. We had pretty much the same set of the German tour in October, but three =1 songs were dropped to fit the festival duration. Otherwise, the running order was the same. The three new songs played in Europe but not here were Portable Door (!), Now You’re Talking and Old Fangled Thing.
Purple hadn’t played together, at least onstage, for seven months, so this was their first show this year. Their playing was as sharp as if they had played together the week before. It might have helped that they did some rehearsals in a studio in the city before the gig.
The three =1 songs included in the set (A Bit on the Side, Lazy Sod and Bleeding Obvious) were not well known by the crowd, but they were not shunned either. It’s more a factor of the record industry than anything else, indeed. Lazy Sod had more people singing along, because of the video. And the energy in Bleeding Obvious is a very strong high point for the show; even if few people sing along, most will dance.
It’s important to have this nice share of new material. The band is alive and creative, and all the press reviews of the concert made a point of noting that.
About the band themselves, what original thing can one say, having followed them for so long as we have? My wife, who saw them for the second time, got very impressed at their competence, energy and high spirits. I never cease to marvel at that also, but then I have witnessed it time and again since 1997.
Roger is energetic as always, with a shining smile. Seeing him jump onstage, you can almost forget he turns 80 in November. Wish I had half his knees. (He, too, or so a wise man told me.)
Gillan never leaves his wit at home. After When a Blind Man Cries, people kept shouting his name and he cut it all with an “enough of that already!”. He also announced he gave up on explaining what Lazy is about.
Don quoted some bossa nova and Aquarela do Brasil. For the encore, he wore a Brazil soccer team jersey, in a move to reclaim the jersey last seen at the Madonna gig in Rio.
Simon was acclaimed by the crowd. Before Smoke on the Water, when there was a seeming mix-up on what he should have done (in Germany he did a solo at that time), the crowd chanted his name. He has the chops and the swagger.
Paice seems to do with less effort, in his 70s, what he had to be an athlete to do in the 70s. He is a master of his craft, like all his colleagues.
The two opening acts were far better than I expected, especially Judith Hill — a family act, with her mother Michiko Hill on Hammond and synths, her father Pee Wee Hill on a funky bass and a voracious drummer. The older Hills met in a funk band in the 70s, and the rhythm in the show was simply hypnotic, in a great mood. I didn’t know her before, and now she has two new fans at the same address.
Before Judith, we had the Brazilian rock band Hurricane. They were very excited to be in the same bill as Purple, and their keyboard solo showed younger musicians are still listening, learning and practicing what Jon Lord and his contemporaries did.
There are musicians able and willing to carry the kind of music we love for at least as long as Purple’s career so far. It’s great to see all those generations in the same stage.
Encore:
A few pieces of video evidence:
Thanks to Marcelo Soares for the review, and to mfg05 and Bruno Capelas for the video clips.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing