Music Radar has an interview with Glenn Hughes, from which we learn what he thinks of his days in Deep Purple, as well as the nerdy stuff like the fact that Geezer Butler has Glenn’s old Rickenbacker. And he won’t sell it back to Hughes!

What was it about your playing that made you a good fit for Deep Purple in the early 70s?

It’s a fine line to walk here, because Deep Purple were more traditional, in-the-box, white rock ‘n’ roll. Trapeze were really heavy funk/groove/American, but ‘Purple was distinctly British. They had really, really iconic players, like Lord, Paice and Blackmore, who were virtuosos on their instruments, both as soloists and as components for writing those songs in MK II.

Here come MK III with me and David [Coverdale, vocals] and everyone knows I’m not Roger Glover – A) I can sing and he doesn’t sing and B) Roger is a completely different bass player to me. He basically follows the riffs, pretty much, whereas I found those ‘holes’ on the first album [Burn], like Sail Away and Mistreated. It wasn’t funky in Deep Purple, it was more groove-orientated. The word ‘funk’ has been thrown around, so much but that’s a word that really belongs in American music.

Read more in Music Radar.

German promoter KBK has announced the first tour dates of what is billed as Deep ?urp!e Now What?! tour. The German leg will start in Dresden on October 22 and finish in Mannheim on November 2, covering 8 major cities (announced so far). Peter Frampton will be opening on all nights.

Full details in our calendar.

EarMUSIC has circulated a press release confirming the title of the new Deep ?urp!e (sic!) album:

Deep Purple announce the first studio album since 2005 and reveal details for the first double A-Side single to be released on March 29th.

NOW What ?! has been produced by Bob Ezrin, one of the most important rock producers of all time (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Kiss and many others)

NOW What ?! features 11 new songs.

NOW What ?! was recorded with no musical rules… and it shows a modern and fresh production… to the point that Deep ?urp!e have never sounded so close to the spirit of the 70s in the last 20 years as they do NOW.

NOW What ?! has the excellence and elegance of „Perfect Strangers“ and the wild freedom of Made in Japan.

NOW What ?! will also be released as a limited edition with a bonus DVD featuring Deep Purple discussing the new album and one bonus studio cover version.

NOW What ?! will be released as double vinyl LP.

NOW What ?! is also the name of the World Tour to be announced shortly.

NOW What ?! will be released in Germany on April 26th. Worldwide release dates can be found at www.deeppurple-nowwhat.com which will be updated daily with news, lyrics, photos & more.

The first taste of NOW What ?! will be the release of a double A-side single on March 29th (as a limited and numbered vinyl 7“, CD single and digital download).

7“ VINYL (limited to 1000 numbered copies)
Side A: “Hell To Pay“ (radio edit)
Side B: “All The Time in The World“ (radio mix – edit)

CD SINGLE
1) “All The Time in The World“ (radio mix – edit)
2) “Hell To Pay“ (radio edit)
3) Perfect Strangers (bonus track live)
4) Rapture Of The Deep (bonus track live)

The official Deep Purple Facebook page has got a new logo reading Now What?! In what we’re sure, is a total coincidence, the mysterious site deeppurple2013.com is also accessible as deeppurple-nowwhat.com. Both domains were registered on the same day late last year by a German-based media company.

Just sayin’…

Roger Glover gave an interview to MyDubai MyCity. He spoke about Swiss women, honesty in music, the value of those rare private moments on tour, crazy as they come fans, and why he doesn’t use social networks. Oh, yeah, and the seemingly inevitable question of that song also came up.

And a bonus snippet from the press conference with Paicey talking about playing a jazz festival:

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

Deep Purple gave a press conference in Dubai ahead of the first show of the tour. Looks like everybody had a lot of fun, however only Ian Gillan’s answers were published.

On the favourite song to perform:

No. The show is an entity and it goes from one thing to another. They all have dynamics, and if you had a favourite, song, the rest would become less important. They are all important and they all present different challenges. It’s quite important to realise the joy of performing embraces in part the joy of listening, so an awful lot of my enjoyment comes from what the other guys in the band do. I like that awesome identity that Purple has. You’re a very small part of that. I get off on what the other guys do. Sometimes on certain evenings, a slow song, like Maybe I’m A Leo, because the groove is perfect and it’s the most understated song of the whole evening, will be my favourite. It changes.

I think the songs that we do present different personal feelings. So ok if you want me to choose one, Maybe I’m A Leo is my favourite. Mind you if you ask me tomorrow I’ll give you a different answer.

Read more in Gulf News. Watch the slightly expanded version. And check out the photo coverage.

Thanks to Yvonne Osthausen for the info.

EarMusic has posted another teaser for the upcoming new Deep Purple album:

The Emirates’ Khaleej Times has a brief interview with Don Airey. Reflecting on the differences in the music scene between now and ‘back then’, he says:

I hear some good things, but I don’t hear anything like I used to in the ‘70s. I don’t hear the guitar players anymore. You don’t have the raw sound or primeval feeling which used to tumble out of the Marshall amps.

From around 1963 to 1975, there was just a succession of amazing guitar players: Hendrix, Clapton, Ritchie. I don’t think we’ll ever experience it again. I often think it’s like the Elizabethan age of literature when you had Marlowe and Shakespeare and Ben Jonson – the most wonderful plays that have ever been written – and it really has never happened again.

Regarding the mystery of the new album title:

Well…I don’t know. I really don’t. It’s under wraps. Apparently there is a title and I’ve been told that I know what it is – I don’t know if it’s something I suggested.

Read more in Khaleej Times.

Roger Glover has posted a new batch of historical photographs and memorabilia from his collection ranging from his childhood to circa mid-late 90s. They feature Episode Six, Down to Earth Rainbow lineup, Gillan/Glover, Purpendicular sessions, and other assorted bits and pieces. Check it out.

It looks like “smoke and mirrors” is the theme of the record company promotion campaign for the new Deep Purple album. After unveiling the new mysterious web site about a month ago, we were left with (literally) a big question mark for the album title. In what might possibly be the biggest prank in Purple history, one online retailer now lists the album titled simply as ?. Or it could quite possibly be the actual title of the album. Smoke and mirrors, man. Smoke and mirrors…

The only thing known more or less for sure right now are the release dates as confirmed by the label:

• Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Spain: April 26
• UK, France, Benelux, Poland, Czech, Norway, Denmark: April 29
• USA, Italy: April 30
• Sweden: May 1

According to the very preliminary information from Soyuz Music, which will be releasing the album in Russia, 3 release formats are being planned:

• Standard Edition: 11 Songs on 1 CD
• Deluxe Edition: 13 songs + c.a. 30 min. EPK on 1 CD + 1 DVD (digipak)
• Vinyl: 1LP

Thanks to Andrey Gusenkov for the format info.