The official Youtube channel has posted a 16 minute fragment of the Deep Purple’s performance in Providence, RI, on March 5, 1985:

Makes you want to see more, eh? 😉

Two of our old friends — Trond Strøm and Christer Lorichs — have published some great pictures from the recent Scandinavian shows:

• Oslo Spektrum, February 4, 2014
• Cloetta Center, Linköping, February 10, 2014

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov for the info.

BBC’s Radio 6 Musical Time Machine has a 1993 vintage interview with Big Ian.

And whatever you may say about Big Ian (he might be fast and loose with the facts sometimes), but he is the ultimate pub story teller — witty and entertaining. Even if you’ve heard those stories before.

The episode is 30 minutes long, and is available for listening online for 4 more days (that is until February 18-ish).

Thanks to Yvonne Osthausen for the info.

Falconer Salen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Tuesday, February 11, 2014

I went to see the band last night in Copenhagen. It’s been a few years and I actually enjoyed it. Sound was the best I’ve heard from them and like seeing a bunch of old friends I delighted in the reconnect, not knowing if and when I would see them again. Even though there will probably be more chances.

Staying home seemed like a crazy consideration once at the show. Those who say “it’s all over, they’re just going through the motions” would likely change their minds if they saw them. I doubt anyone walked away saying that was a bad show.

Quite the contrary, once there it was evident to me they’re really in some sort of zone now where they’re enjoying their playing. And that they could go on like this for a long time, possibly even releasing new albums. Now What?! is a defining album for them and the vibe of those songs set the mood for the concert. Along with the solos of which there were plenty.

One comment I saw about them being the only true jamming band left like that on an arena level rang true with me as well. The show was ’70s’ in that sense even though the improvisation and playing of Airey and Morse is different from Lord’s and Blackmore’s. With Gillan now going offstage more, there seems to be a heavier focus on soloing and it was a bit overpowering at times. On the other hand, the sheer assault from Morse and Airey (massive Hammond sound really) was the ‘hard rock’ ingredient in the show. Otherwise it would have been closer to jazz 😉

Paicey sounded powerful still, with him and Glover really grooving, even more so now than before? Gillan’s lung capacity decreased but tone intact (and dignified because of the latter). There is only one Gillan and there’s no faking it, nor will there be. So if he has to go to the tent every now and then in order to recuperate, then so be it…

Airey now almost the driving force with his sound, his solos on the Hammond often manic. In fact, when his proper solo spot started I thought he had already had one (starting Lazy). By the time Hush came around I had lost track of the number of lengthy workouts he’d had, but the solos are the format of the show now and will continue to be I think. A slight reduction of these with Gillan singing a bit more and the balance would have been perfect. Switching Apres Vous out for another opener would also be wise.

Perfect Strangers a crowd highlight, Gillan’s singing making it sound majestic. Paicey’s snare hit at the ending, Gillan front of the stage hands raised, lights out, classic. All hands in the air clapping after this one.

Goosebumps for me as well when Paicey closed out his solo, the fast part. He just sounded so powerful, sharp and one of a kind.

I actually enjoyed the newer songs more than say Space Truckin (played too laid back), just to hear Gillan pull these off close to the studio versions, and really giving it his all in order to do so. The tent beckoned afterwards…

If I were to sum up the show with one word it would probably be dignified.

Rating by DP standards: 4/6
Rating by normal standards: 5/6

🙂

Review by Daniel Bengtsson

Last summer Doogie White did this very interesting interview for MetalTalk.net. The bulk of it revolved around his work with two of the great guitar players, who have quite a reputation of being difficult: Ritchie Blackmore and Michael Schenker, and he didn’t have a single bad word to say about either of them. He also spoke about Tank, La Paz, Demon’s Eye, and some other projects. Busy fella! And very down to earth.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Thanks to Mark Taylor for the info.

More details about the Ronnie James Dio tribute album were released to the press today and one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb as far as we are concerned is conspicuous absence of Gillan’s contribution to the track list, along with some other big names announced earlier.

Track listing

1. Neon Knights – Anthrax*
2. The Last In Line – Tenacious D*
3. The Mob Rules – Adrenaline Mob
4. Rainbow In The Dark – Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher*
5. Straight Through The Heart – Halestorm*
6. Starstruck – Motörhead with Biff Byford*
7. The Temple Of The King – Scorpions*
8. Egypt (The Chains Are On) – Doro
9. Holy Diver – Killswitch Engage
10. Catch The Rainbow – Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren*
11. I – Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, Brian Tichy*
12. Man On The Silver Mountain – Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, Scott Warren*
13. Ronnie Rising Medley (Featuring A Light In The Black, Tarot Woman, Stargazer, Kill The King) – Metallica*
14. This Is Your Life – Dio**

* Previously unreleased
** Originally released on Angry Machines (1996)

The album will be called This Is Your Life and is due out on April 1st via Rhino.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

After a period of rumours and speculations, today Classic Rock has revealed details about Glenn Hughes’ new band California Breed. Said to be born “out of the ashes of BCC”, the trio includes Jason Bonham and a young guitarist Andrew Watt, whom Glenn describes as “is influenced by Mick Ronson as he is Jimmy Page”. Julian Lennon introduced him to Hughes some time last year. 12 tracks have been recorded for a yet untitled album, which is due in May on Frontiers Records.

Thanks to Classic Rock, Yvonne Osthausen, and Daniel Bengtsson for the info.

Rainbow’s live album Black Masquerade, recorded in 1995 and released on CD and DVD last year will get the vinyl treatment. Independent label Back on Black has announced that it will release the 3LP album on April 19, 2014 on red vinyl (catalogue number RCV142LP).

SIDE A
1. Introduction
2. Spotlight Kid
3. Too Late For Tears
SIDE B
4. Long Live Rock’n’Roll/Black Night
5. Hunting Humans
SIDE C
6. Wolf To The Moon/Difficult To Cure
7. Keyboard solo
8. Still I’m Sad
SIDE D
9. Man On The Silver Mountain
10. Temple Of The King
11. Black Masquerade
SIDE E
12. Ariel 8:23
13. Since You’ve Been Gone
14. Perfect Strangers
15. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves
SIDE F
16. Hall Of The Mountain King
17. Burn
18. Smoke On The Water

The label’s releases can be ordered through Plastic Head online store.

Thanks to Alex Chornyy for the info.

Wendy Dio is putting together a tribute album to Ronnie James Dio. It will tentatively include contributions from Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Scorpions (Temple Of The King), Rob Halford (Long Live Rock’n’Roll), Metallica, Anthrax (Neon Knights), Lemmy Kilminster, Alice Cooper, Halestorm, Sebastian Bach, Chris Jericho and Dave Grohl.

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov and Blabbermouth for the info.

A lengthy and rather entertaining interview with Don Airey appears in Metal Shrine:

I just realized that you´ve spent a great deal of time in Deep Purple by now. How would you describe these years?

Don Airey: Yes, I´m amazed myself. Well, very fruitful and I couldn´t have wished for anything nicer to happen to me actually. It´s a great band, great music and it´s well run. We have a great crew. It´s not an easy gig, I have to tell you, following Jon Lord, but it´s been a great experience.

You have a new album out, “Keyed up” and I have to say that the opening song, “3 in the morning” is stunning.

Don Airey: Great! It was one of those songs that came about pretty quickly. It got knocked into shape in a day or two and it was just a couple of takes. It´s one take with a bit of a jam at the end. It´s called a “bread and butter track” really. It´s really stock.

Read what Don has to say about old friends, “organic” recording, posthumous Gary Moore’s contribution, playing for the BBC at the age of 13, who of the great guitar players (Blackmore, Schenker and Moore) is the most difficult, Bob the genius, and many more things in Metal Shrine.

Thanks to Daniel Bengtsson for the info.