In anticipation of the kickoff of the world tour (as festival appearance in India has been cancelled) TimeOut Dubai publishes an interview with Roger Glover, where he displays quite a bit of humility:

I don’t believe we sold 100 million records. People make things up because it goes down well with the press. I’m a musician, not an accountant. But I can’t imagine we’ve sold anywhere near 100 million.

I was talking to a taxi driver and he said “Deep Purple? Are they still around?” We get a lot of that. People think we’re dead and buried. I don’t care. It’s not their fault.

Yet this bit of journalism raised some eyebrows in our headquarters as there was a strong feeling that Roger was the one pressing for making another album:

The public’s lack of awareness isn’t helped by the fact Deep Purple have all but given up as recording artists. Their last album, Rapture of the Deep, was released in 2005; instead the band have morphed into a touring tribute to their glory days. ‘There was a discussion about whether we should release more albums – something I opposed,’ says Glover. The band are currently putting the finishing touches on a new LP, and the bassist admits it’s likely to be the last. ‘We’re all in our mid-60s,’ he adds. ‘You never know which will be a last album.’

We took the liberty of getting in touch with our favourite bass player and he sets the record straight:

The journalist has the wrong end of the stick. There was a discussion some years ago as to when, where, with whom, or even whether to record the next album but I never said that I was against recording an album – quite the opposite. We’re an ‘album band’, whether it’s out of favour or a losing proposition or whatever – I believe we should be who we are. An album is a state-of-the-union statement and for a band like us, that’s important, if only to me. :-]

I’m annoyed, though not entirely surprised, that the journalist got it wrong. I also never said that this will be our last album.

Thanks to Rich Shailor for the info and to Roger for clarification.

Whitesnake will be releasing a new live album on April 3 titled — wait for it — Made in Japan. It is a recording of Coverdale & Co. at the Loud Park Festival in Tokyo on October 15, 2011. The usual these days selection of formats (2CD, DVD, Blu-ray, 2CD+DVD, and 2CD+Blu-ray) will be available.

2CD Track list:

Disc 1

1. Best Years
2. Give Me All Your Love Tonight
3. Love Ain’t No Stranger
4. Is This Love
5. Steal Your Heart Away
6. Forevermore
7. Six Strings Showdown
8. Love Will Set You Free
9. Drum Solo
10. Fool For Your Loving
11. Here I Go Again
12. Still Of The Night

Disc 2 (soundcheck and demos)

1. Love Will Set Your Free
2. Steal Your Heart Away
3. Lay Down Your Love
4. Fare Thee Well (Acoustic Version)
5. One Of These Days (Acoustic Version)
6. Good To Be Bad (Acoustic Version)
7. Tell Me How (Acoustic Version)
8. Evil Ways
9. Best Years *
10. The Badger (Demo Session) *

* Bonus Track for Japan only

Tracklist of the DVD and Blu-ray will be identical to the contents of the first CD, plus photo slide show and fan filmed videos.

According to Ticketline tickets go on sale for a Blackmore’s Night tour of the UK on Friday, with a presale starting tomorrow.

More information here : www.ticketline.co.uk.

Update (Feb 12): the tourdates have been confirmed by BN management. The tour will kick off in Dumfermline, Scotland, on June 26th, and proceed South to Guildford (July 5th) via Newcastle (June 28th), Wolverhampton (July 1st), and Salisbury (July 3rd).

After the fantastic success with the Lego Blackmore, other toy companies want a piece of the pie. Above is Playmobil’s version.

It’s all change on the web front again in time for the launch of the new Deep Purple album in April 2013.

As well as a new album launch site, http://www.deeppurple2013.com there are also new Facebook pages, and a new Twitter feed which promises the funniest and silliest tweets from the band along with exclusive competitions and possibly advance info about the new album.

Say Fender :
For more than 40 years now, Blackmore’s famously forceful G minor blues riff in the 1972 Deep Purple classic “Smoke on the Water” has served as the quintessential heavy rock guitar riff and a metal-melody primer for burgeoning rock guitarists everywhere. Its place in rock history is as solid as the stature of the guitarist who played it.

The Ritchie Blackmore Tribute Stratocaster takes you back in time and back to the shores of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva, where the smoke from the burning Montreux Casino drifted over the waters on Dec. 4, 1971, as the building was destroyed. That night, the members of Deep Purple watched the “fire in the sky” from their hotel and drew inspiration for a timeless rock classic. Blackmore played the song’s powerful double-stop riff on a black 1968 Stratocaster, not knowing at the time that he was creating an archetypal guitar figure that would be eagerly imitated by legions of guitarists.

More details here

“it never started with a successful television appearance or a front page on a newspaper. It started in the clubs in the back streets of a local town somewhere, whether that was Liverpool or Manchester or Seattle or Sydney.”

Australian site the Brag conducted an interview with Ian Gillan last November which has now been published here

Also appearing recently was this audio interview with Roger Glover for the 4BC Drive show.

thanks to Yvonne Osthausen and the Official Ian Gillan Facebook page….

In December 2012 Ian Gillan provided a keynote speech at the ICD Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy. Titled “The Parallax Effect of Long Hair” it covered some of Ian’s experiences and how his haircut was at the time.

The full video can be viewed below:

We’ve mentioned this band before, when Ian Paice played with them, Purpendicular, one of the greatest Deep Purple tribute bands around (and competition is fierce).

Purpendicular consist of UK and European musicians with the ability and determination to perform Deep Purple’s music.

In 2012, Purpendicular criss-crossed the European continent with their 40th anniversary Machine Head show. For 2013 they’ve prepared something slightly more exotic – a 20th anniversary The Battle Rages On tour.

Since 1993, this tour has remained a favourite of mine, so naturally I have high hopes for Purpendicular’s version. They usually come well prepared and always try to add something different to their set.

Celebrating Deep Purple’s 1993 set – Come Hell Or High Water if you like – they promise to include The Battle Rages On tracks such as Anya, the title track, A Twist in the Tale and Talk About Love. But also older and newer tracks like Highway Star, Walk On, Mistreated, Child in Time, Fools, When a Blind Man Cries and a bit of Jon Lord’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra to honour the late great Maestro.

I saw two of Purpendicular’s shows in 2012, and even with a last-minute stand-in guitarist, they were spot on and showed both an excellent time for the audience and great respect for the music in a two-set evening of Purple tinted fun.

Further down this page, you’ll see Purpendicular’s elaborate tour schedule for 2013, but do check out also this clip from their tour last year. Beyond the shameless endorsement in the beginning, you’ll see examples of both Purpendicular’s music and and their tour antics… 🙂

Highly recommended.

Purpendicular live in 2013

04.01.2013 Germany Straubing Raven
11.01.2013 Germany Berlin JWD
12.01.2013 Germany Dresden Tante Ju
28.01.2013 Russian Federation Moscow Svetlanov Hall
30.01.2013 Russian Federation Samara Maximilians
31.01.2013 Russian Federation Kazan Maximilians
08.02.2013 Germany Bremen Meisenfrei
09.02.2013 Germany Hamburg Downtown Blues Club
14.02.2013 Poland Wroclaw Firlej
15.02.2013 Poland Krakow Rotunda
16.02.2013 Poland Katowice Katofonia
22.02.2013 Germany Fulda Alte Piesel
23.02.2013 Germany Düsseldorf (Neuss) Hamtorkrug
01.03.2013 Switzerland Montreux NED Music Club
02.03.2013 France Samoens Le Bois aux Dames France
22.03.2013 Germany Maulbronn Live Music Park
30.03.2013 Netherlands Kerkrade Rock Temple
04.04.2013 Germany Hamburg Marias Ballroom
05.04.2013 Denmark Randers Tante Olga
26.04.2013 Germany Freiberg Tivoli
27.04.2013 Germany Plauen The Ranch
03.05.2013 Germany Köln Kantine
04.05.2013 Netherlands Sint-Michielsgestel Cafe Zaal Overberg
19.05.2013 UAE Dubai City Hall
06.07.2013 Germany Affalterbach 7 Eichen Open Air
06.09.2013 Netherlands Weert De Bosuil
05.10.2013 Germany Schortens Fair Cafe
06.10.2013 Germany Rheda Blues Club
18.10.2013 Germany Ebesbach OKV
19.10.2013 Germany Torgau Kulturbastion
27.11.2013 Belarus Minsk TBC

More info at www.purpendicular.eu

Also, drummer Bernhard Welz previously did a couple of Concerto concerts with Jon Lord, and also released a solo CD with several Purple members guesting.

A message has appeared on the Montreux Jazz Festival site confirming that Claude Nobs has succumbed to his injuries sustained in a skiing accident recently.

“On January 10th you left us!
Only a few days after your accident in Caux-sur-Montreux, in your beloved mountains, overlooking the lake that you were so fond of.”

Read the full message.

TheHighwayStar offers its condolences to Claude’s family and friends.