‘Tis this time of the year when the nominees for 2014 induction to the RnR Hall of Fame are announced, and Deep Purple are in the running again. You can vote at RollingStone.com (not that it will do much good).

Bob Daisley has his autobiography For facts sake published and Classic Rock spoke to him about it:

A criticism of the book is its lack of insight on Blackmore. You paint some nice pictures of Ozzy, Ronnie and others but we don’t learn a whole lot more than we already knew about Richie. Is that fair comment?

Maybe. Ritchie has a reputation for being a bit cantankerous and moody but I always found him very friendly. We socialised outside of the band. I suppose people were waiting to hear what an awful prick he was, and… ultimately he wasn’t.

It’s been rumoured many times but the book confirms that a reunion of the classic Rainbow line-up was in motion before Cozy Powell’s tragic death in 1998.

Yeah, that was going to happen. We hadn’t decided whether David Stone, Tony Carey or Don Airey would play the keyboards, but the four of us were getting serious. I hadn’t spoken to Richie but Ronnie had. And then, bang!, Cozy was taken out and everyone agreed it was no longer possible. It would’ve been disrespectful.

Read the rest of the interview in Classic Rock blog.

The book is available for order from Bob’s own site.

This was posted in our comments section elsewhere on the site. We decided to edit it an promote to a standalone post, so you can post your own impressions of the DVD in the comments.

I received the Japanese DVD of this show 2 or 3 weeks ago. Black Night should be familiar to most people here as it was on the Deep Purple – New, Live & Rare, The Video Collection (1984-2000) DVD.

First impressions that stand out, (good and bad): being a Huge RB Fan, Under the Gun is VERY inspired from a guitar standpoint! (My fave Track on the DVD). (Judging from IG’s reaction at the end, his as well!) I had to watch that 3 or 4 times! That song was also IG’s fave on the Paris 85′ DVD as well, prompting him to say: “Nice One Blackers”!

Lazy is played so fast that it sounds like RB wanted to get it over with… not impressed.

Strange Kind of Woman has RB and IG smiling back and forth and trading licks with very good natured attitudes that makes you think they were the best of friends during this time together.

Ritchie Blackmore’s Solo at he end of Space Truckin’ is filmed well but is the worst excuse for a solo I have EVER seen RB perform. What ever effect he used during this era sucks. It sounds like a panning stereo effect that is missing one speaker!

Speed King is my second fave track to watch. Trading licks between RB, JL, and IG. Great when one would play a motif and the other would finish it! Had me laughing as the skill and off the cuff humor in the runs is infectious!

Smoke actually sounds fresh…a good version. Sometimes I do not think I want to hear it played live ever again. I was pleasantly surprised by this version.

Once again, being a HUGE RB Fan, this period of his playing is probably a low point in his career for me personally. It is like he is trying way too hard to be flashy and play fast. He is not giving the notes room to breath, let alone choosing them as carefully as we KNOW he is more than capable of doing! For an example of this, compare this show with the new Rainbow Black Masquerade DVD… which showcases his speed, sexterity and FEEL!

The Japanese DVD Version of Perfect Strangers Live has a bonus track of Highway Star from December 13th and I was expecting an audience shot Track. Not the case at all as it is the same quality as the main show featured here. Maybe a release is possible of the December 13th Sydney show? I for one would buy it!

Scott W.

Perfect Strangers Live is out today and the record company offers another clip.

Knocking at Your Back Door:

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

For the first time in Greece, the “Jon Lord Tribute Band” and the Hellenic Musica Viva string ensemble present a live tribute to Jon Lord. Parts from the composer’s solo work will be performed, such as Sarabande, Before I Forget, Pictured Within, Beyond The Notes and To Notice Such Things.

What: live tribute to Jon Lord
Who: the “Jon Lord Tribute Band” and Hellenic Musica Viva string ensemble
When: November 10, doors open at 20:00
Where: Passport Music Stage, Piraeus, Greece
Tickets: €12, includes glass of wine or beer

Thanks to Stathis Panagiotopoulos for the info.

Eagle Rock has posted a second preview clip from the Perfect Strangers Live DVD, which is due to be released on October 14.

Black Night:

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

A first hand account of the infamous fire at the Casino de Montreux on December 4, 1971:

I was heavily engrossed in the concert. Frank Zappa was playing again as the drum set had been fixed, and he had written a song about Switzerland, Swiss cheese and all that. Also, he had a large head of a bunny rabbit near the front of the stage (made of plastic or something similar) which in my mind kept on changing into a scary monster. I had taken a strong dose of an illicit drug and was totally engrossed by the show. A few seconds after the fire started my girlfriend said to me ´Peter, there’s a fire’ and I remember looking behind me and seeing a large ball of flame. Because I was very stoned it LOOKED BEAUTIFUL, perfectly circular and with flames and sparks flying in all directions. I could only see the beauty and not feel the danger! I actually thought that the fire was part of the show!! (Because Frank had such a crazy reputation, I and many other fans too, thought that anything could happen at one of his shows!). Frank Zappa continued playing for a few more seconds and then changed to the song ‘FIRE’ by Arthur Brown, which had been a big hit in the late 60’s. They just played a few bars from that song, and then dropped their instruments and quickly made their way off the stage down a small staircase without having to go into the audience. I seem to remember somebody at the microphone saying ‘Don’t panic’. In fact nobody did panic because nearly everybody was so stoned that fear didn’t kick in and the audience exited in a more or less orderly fashion (like sheep, one following the other)!

Read the whole story in author’s blog.

Thanks to Pär Holmgren for the info.

Part 2 of the Q&A with Steve Morse and Joe Satriani. The first part appeared last week.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

A guitar signed by all members of Deep purple was offered as a prize in the Above and Beyond cover art contest. While we don’t know if the winner got a guitar, a Dutch artist Anna Schat-Vanger, who came second, has got one. Her submission was a painting called Meditation (pictured above), which was based “on her information about the song and her personal inspiration.”

Congratulations!

Classic Rock magazine has an audio preview of all 17 tracks from the upcoming Live in Europe album by Flying Colors. It does not seem to be easily embeddable elsewhere, so you’ll have to head over there to listen. Live in Europe is due to be released on October 14 via Mascot Records.