Couple of new entries to our trainspotting project.

A restaurant called Deep Purple has opened last year in Chiangshu, China. It specializes in western (as in European / North American / Australian) food. The band gets a nod in their self description:

The name Deep Purple traces its roots back from the mysterious and dreamy color that brings everyone a sense of imagination and nostalgia. The world famous Deep Purple Band is a legend in the history of rock music, and is the root for the name Deep Purple.

It does not appear that the band’s music is featured though:

At deep purple enjoy your meal while listening to the wide selection of music covering: village country, jazz, Bossa Nova, French, and lounge music.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in Texas, a nine year old boy was struck by lightning during soccer practise and is making a very slow recovery. Local TV station reports:

Just recently came the recognition of his favorite song, “Smoke on the water.” His sister, Julia, loaded it on her iPod and played it for him at the hospital.

“He sort of squinted his eyes first, and then he started smiling — just the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face before,” said Julia Hermann. “It was really incredible to see.”

Thanks to Yvonne and Andrey Gusenkov for the info.

Two new Rainbow box sets are coming out.

The first is an 8LP vinyl set called The Polydor Years. It contains Rainbow studio albums from Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow to Bent out of Shape, plus On Stage. Finyl Vinyl is not included. The albums are straight copy of the originals content-wise, without any bonus tracks, and are pressed on 180 gram vinyl. The box was released on November 24 in the UK, with other territories to follow in early December.

The second set is titled A Light in the Black 1975-1984. It was rumoured quite a while ago, with some details starting to emerge now. This box set will contain 6 disks, plus a 60-page booklet with photographs by Ross Halfin, history of the band, and album artwork. One of the disks is reported being a DVD with 1980 Monsters of Rock performance, and remaining 5 CDs touted to contain a mix of Rainbow classics and unreleased tracks. Release date is pencilled in for January 26.

Both box sets are being released by Universal Music.

Thanks to Super Deluxe Edition, Darren Keeler and metal-district.de for the info.

The documentary DVD that was included in the 4CD+DVD box of the Made in Japan reissue this spring, will be released separately as a standalone DVD by Universal on December 12 (at least in continental Europe).

In other news, Deep Purple (Overseas) and Universal are remixing Made in Europe for a box set release some time in early 2015. There’s no word on the content of said box yet.

In yet another news, Stereo33Books are preparing a new Deep Purple photo book compiled from shots by former Melody Maker photographer Barry Plummer, taken on the band’s British tours between 1971 and 1974. The book is also due some time in early 2015.

Thanks to Peter Chrisp, Daniel Falaschi and Darker Than Blue for the info.

The official YouTube channel has posted an expanded version of the video interview with Colin Hart. Colin started working for the band as a roadie back in 1971, then became tour manager for Elf, Rainbow, and post-reunion Deep Purple. It was probably recorded shortly after his retirement from the band circa 2001. Many of what he said has been greatly expanded in his autobiography.

After discovery of the Deep Purplestraat, everything else feels like we’re kinda scraping the bottom of a barrel, but new stuff keeps popping up.

Michel De Pourcq sent in this photo of a clothing store in Wijk Bij Duurstede in Netherlands:

Hmmm, where have I seen that font? It makes me thing that the store name is not a coincidence…

Cris ‘no relation’ Blackmore writes:

Went to get some dessert the other night and walked into Rockin’ Crêpe, a small restaurant in Huntington Beach, CA. All of the crêpe are named after rock bands and of course, my first question was “Where’s Deep Purple?”. Sure enough, listed under Turkey Crêpe Entrees was the real deal… An instant classic! Thin sliced turkey breast, fresh strawberries, dried cranberries, and rich brie cheese. Smoke on the water! (270 calories)

I have to admit I went for the Led Zeppelin (it was dessert after all) Strawberries and cream, but when I need the real deal to fill me up… I will ask for the Deep Purple (MK II version please)

Joe Lynn Turner was featured in couple of recent podcasts, promoting Rated X and talking Rainbow.

Talking Metal 504: his interview runs from around 22 minutes to 46 minutes mark into the podcast.

Or listen to it in your favourite mp3 player.

Iron City Rocks episode 253: pretty much the whole episode is dedicated to the interview. Listen to it in an mp3 player (24min, 22MBytes).

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Joe Lynn Turner gave an interview to Metal Forces promoting the freshly released Rated X debut album. He said that guitar player Karl Cochran suffered a stroke while recording the album and Nikolo Kotzev had to finish it in his stead. He will stay with the band until Cochran recovers. He also mentioned that the band is hoping to book some summer festivals and is already working on a second album. Towards the end, conversation shifted to the rumoured lately Rainbow reunion:

I’m really concentrating on Rated X, and I hope it does very well. So far so good, and of course there’s always the Rainbow reunion (laughs). Always. The completely rumoured, long-awaited Rainbow reunion. You never know with Ritchie (Blackmore, guitarist and Rainbow founder), so we’ll see if that happens.

In my opinion, for Rainbow it would be one last shot and then going out in a blaze of glory so to speak. I think the fans deserve it, and to honour all of the members of Rainbow, past and present. I always feel that in my sets, I play Rainbow, Purple, and things like that because no-one else is doing it. I play Ronnie’s songs and all that stuff, Graham’s (Graham Bonnet, Rainbow vocalist from 1979 until 1980) whatever – I have no compunction about doing that material. I think it’s all a part of the legacy, and that we should do it willingly as singers of the same band. I know Graham’s still out there doing it as well, and Doogie (White, Rainbow vocalist from 1994 until 1997) in his own way. It’s a big family.

Read more in Metal Forces.

There’s a new Whitesnake live album out — Live In ‘84 – Back To The Bone. It features the band in transition from the good old boogie band to the hair metal one.

The album comes in two editions: DVD+CD and standalone DVD. The bulk of the DVD was recorded at a festival in Seibu Stadium in Tokyo with John Sykes on guitar, while bonus tracks are coming from Jon Lord’s final appearance with the band in Sweden.

CD features live performances recorded throughout the 1984 tour. Caveat: the sound quality of these is very bootleg-ish.

Track listing

DVD:

1. Gambler
2. Guilty of Love
3. Love Ain’t No Stranger
4. Ready an’ Willing
5. Slow an’ Easy
6. Crying in the Rain
7. Guitar Solo
8. Soldier of Fortune
9. Drum Solo
10. Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City
11. Don’t Break My Heart Again
12. Gambler (featuring Jon Lord)
13. Guilty of Love (featuring Jon Lord)
14. Love Ain’t No Stranger (featuring Jon Lord)
15. Ready an’ Willing (featuring Jon Lord)

CD (only available as a DVD+CD combo):

1. Gambler
2. Guilty Of Love
3. Love Ain’t No Stranger
4. Slow An’ Easy
5. Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues
6. Ready An’ Willing
7. Guitar Solo
8. Crying In The Rain
9. Soldier Of Fortune
10. Love Ain’t No Stranger
11. Ready An’ Willing
12. Slow An’ Easy
13. Whitesnake medley featuring Jon Lord: Gambler / Guilty of Love / Love Ain’t No Stranger / Ready an’ Willing

The album came out on November 10, with Japanese release arriving October 29. It has already landed at #1 spot in Japanese charts.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Bernie Torme is touring UK, promoting his latest solo album Flowers & Dirt. Metal Express Radio talked to him, and it’s an interesting interview. He spoke about how he joined Gillan band, how he left, and quite a few things inbetween.

Or listen directly (mp3, 69MB).

Thanks to Classic Rock for the info.

I’ll see your Highway Star hotel and raise you a Purple street, says Rudie Rutjes. In the town of Lent, which is just north of Nijmegen in The Netherlands, there is a new neigbourhood with streets named after rock bands. And there it is — tucked neatly between Pink Floydstraat and Queenstraat — the venerable Deep Purplestraat.

Other places of interest discovered after some idle googling:

• Deep Purple Way, San Jose, California, USA
• Deep Purple Drive, middle of nowhere, Florida, USA
• Deep Purple LLC, Birmingham, Alabama, USA (listed under restarurants)
• Deep Purple Homestay, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
• Deep Purple beach resort, Chennai, India
• Deep Purple bar (?), Jamshedpur, India
• Deep Purple Nail & Beauty, Ashwell, Baldock, Hertfordshire, UK

Ah, well… I need to get a life 😉