Norway Rock Magazine reviews Deep Purple’s performance at the Notodden Blues Festival this past Friday, August 2:

Deep Purple received the kind of reception you would expect – Hovigs Hangar, the giant popup inflatable tent in the corner of Torvet, was full. They are touring their new record “=1”, from which we would hear four tracks. However, it was the classic material that people had mostly come to hear – it was the old stuff which got the best reception. The fact that they have a new album after such a long career is tribute, for the undersigned, to two things, both of which were obvious during the show. First, the band are still enjoying what they do – they are not eking out their long careers. Second, and perhaps making a contribution to that enjoyment, is their lineup. Keyboardist Don Airey joined in 2002, replacing Jon Lord, and in 2022 Simon McBride replaced Steve Morse as a full member of the band after 28 years. The energy of these two musicians made the show and they have undoubtedly kept the band fresh and sharp.

Read more in norwayrock.net.

The two Tony Iommi/Glenn Hughes albums — The Dep Sessions and Fused, will be reissued October 4, 2024, via BMG. The Dep Sessions will be issued as-is, while Fused will add 3 bonus tracks not on the original album: Slip Away, Let It Down Easy, and The Innocence. Both will be available on CD and, for the first time, on vinyl. Pre-orders available here.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Someone calling themself The Elitist Metalhead reviews =1 for Metal-Rules.com:

Obviously I knew Don Airey’s capabilities but I am extremely unfamiliar with Simon McBride but when the teaser single, “Portable Door” came out I was floored! Not only is he skilled soloist but he knows how to write riffs that sound like classic Purple. This track gave me a Perfect Strangers vibe which made me instantly need to hear the full release. Once I got my hands on that bad boy, “Show Me” jumped out at me and I knew that the teaser was a rather accurate reflection of what will be going on here. Ian Gillan sounds pretty much the same but stays in his lower register mostly, no epic screams here. You may hear his age in certain spots on certain tracks but for the most part, his skills are still intact. There’s some keyboard/guitar battles going on here showing both Don Airey’s skills as well as McBride’s. “A Bit on the Side” follows and has some more cool riffs and a lot of great melodies. Some cool keyboard and guitar solos on this track as with most of the tracks on here. McBride brings a little old school style but mostly he’s a seriously skilled shredder.

Read more on Metal-Rules.com. And once you’re at it, might want to check out their review of McCoy The Sound Of Thunder box set, recently released by Cherry Red Records.

Straight for our trainspotting department, Louder Sound has a nostalgic piece dealing with the bad old times:

Back when the UK still had weekly music magazines – iconic titles such as Kerrang!, NME, Melody Maker and Sounds – having rock stars visit the editorial offices to review singles by their peers was always an entertaining highlight of the working week.

It goes on to describe one such appearance in 1985 of a punk icon Shane MacGowan, and his pick of the week — reissue of Black Night as a single:

Definitely single of the week. They’re back! The cover’s even got a colour picture of Jon Lord making love to his organ. It’s a no-bullshit song that’s got guts and a Ritchie Blackmore guitar solo. It’s loud, it’s obnoxious, it’s brainless, and it’s got everything that’s missing from most of the other crap that’s out this week. It’s definitely not music for wimps. Here’s evidence that they should have given them £2 million to reform, not just one. I don’t think I’ll ever be going to see them live, but the classic records are still classics.

A prominent member of the Purple family, Mick Underwood has died on July 28, 2024, at the age of 78. In the early 1960s he played drums in The Outlaws with Ritchie Blackmore, then went on to join Episode Six along Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. It was him who recommended Gillan to Blackmore in 1969 as a new singer for Deep Purple. Later in the seventies he joined Gillan the band, recording 5 albums with them. Mick was quite ill for some time, with his wife posting on Facebook in August 2023 that he is battling dementia and “unable to do many of the things he had previously enjoyed”.

[Update July 31] Ian Gillan posted this eulogy:

Sunday 28 July, 2024 marked the passing of a great drummer, Mick Underwood.

Mick and I were in two groups together, Episode Six and later Gillan, and it was he who recommended me as a singer to Deep Purple, a generous act for which I am eternally grateful.

Mick was highly admired by all of us, in particular, his contemporaries and peers in the world of drums.

R.I.P.

Huge Respect, ig

Tommy Bolin & Friends album Great Gypsy Soul is going to be reissued in August on Cleopatra Records. The album, originally released in 2012, was a project that brought together major players who recorded alongside Tommy Bolin’s tracks from the outtakes of Teaser. The new edition expands it with 6 bonus tracks, features new artwork, and also adds a vinyl release.

CD only bonus tracks not on the 2012 release:

• Crazed Fandango
• Teaser
• Homeward Strut
• People, People
• Marching Powder
• Can’t You See feat. Carmine Appice

It is due on August 23, 2024, and can be pre-ordered via the label.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Australian outfit Noise11 has interviewed Simon McBride. Simon talks about his early influences, working with Bob Ezrin, making up for the Australian dates that fell through, possibility of another Purple album, and many other things. Continue Reading »

Steve Morse was featured on the latest (July 25, 2024) instalment of the Ernie Ball String Theory web series. Here it is — the story of Steve’s life as told by the man himself in 20 minutes. Continue Reading »

The Highway Star reader Albania reviews =1

My first listen to the material from =1 was somewhat unusual/disjointed as it occurred incoherently in bits and pieces (at airports, in the car driving my kids to soccer matches, in the office, etc.). Thus, this review might seem a bit disorderly given the various mental notes at the various times (i.e. first when each single came out, then the album), but hang in there …

Overall, =1 is an excellent effort by the mighty Purple that will have its unique, respected place in the band’s significant catalogue. One of the most distinguished Deep Purple features – partly because of the various marks, but not only – has been the diversity of offerings where no two albums are alike. If one were to experiment by creating a playlist of all the band’s songs and then played said songs in random order, those unfamiliar with the band would have a hard time realizing that the material belongs to the same group, and, sometimes, even the same mark.

There is variety throughout each mark’s albums, but, obviously, that variety becomes even more significant across the various marks. And =1 surely does not disappoint. With the song compositions, structure and arrangements, not to mention the unique sound of Mark IX, the band has succeeded in striking the delicate balance between producing something that sounds fresh, yet recognizable as Deep Purple. Such a feat, more than 56 years after its original incarnation, is simply remarkable.

With four out five existing members together since 2002, one might not necessarily expect much variation from the band’s prior records, especially the prior three (sans Turning to Crime) with Bob Ezrin as producer. But there is plenty of variety in =1. And this is not only a testament to the new banjo player’s ability to take over for the amazing Steve Morse while putting his own stamp on the music, but also speaks volumes to the band’s willingness and ability to push themselves artistically rather than stick with tried-and-true formulas.

I moved to the States for school in the mid-90s and, between then grunge’s meteoric rise and the somewhat lack of Deep Purple awareness (especially compared to Led Zeppelin) amongst my school mates, I found myself listening less and less to the band that I had grown up with and had come to worship. In fact, perhaps in an unconscious effort to clean the slate, I had probably gone close to a year without regularly listening to Purple. Then, one day in 1997, as fate would have it, I stumbled upon an unfamiliar album at a record store in Tucson, AZ. That album was Purpendicular. I bought it on instinct. I remember getting home that day and playing it reluctantly, pretty much expecting to find myself back in familiar territory. Boy, was I wrong?!?

Purpendicular was fresh and fun. It showcased a band on fire that can only be compared to a wild animal that had just been uncaged. It simply kicked my butt; start to finish. Ritchie will always be my guitar hero, but the shot in the arm that Steve gave to my favorite band some thirty years ago can never be overstated. I have tremendously enjoyed all of the albums that the band has put out with Steve (including Turning to Crime), not to mention the numerous live shows and the backstage moments.

Thus, it is with mixed emotions that I share my thoughts on a Deep Purple album without the individual that was instrumental (pun intended 😉) in keeping the band alive, helping them lick their wounds, and rebuild their brand. However, the band needed to carry on after Steve’s understandable departure. Had they taken a temporary hiatus, the likelihood of an immediate and permanent dissolution would have been extremely high. And =1 is proof that carrying on without Steve was the right decision for the band.

A friend that moved from London to my town around 2020 started telling me a few years ago about some shows he had attended in small London venues/pubs featuring a guitar player from Belfast. He would play music by said guitarist, and then would often wonder why many people had not heard of him. Fast forward to February 2023, at the State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ, and I am watching my favorite group live again, but for the first time without Steve (I never got to see them with Ritchie ☹). And, who is on guitar? None other than the Belfast kid! Simon was excellent. He was confident, but not arrogant. It was clear that he had the chops to handle a bigger stage than what he was used to prior to joining the Purps. But what about writing new material with the band? Did he have creative capabilities? Well, =1 has now settled that for me.

There is no urge for me to compare =1 with any prior albums by the band. Simply the fact that Deep Purple, formed in the late sixties, has put out an album with 13 new songs in the year 2024 is truly beyond belief and, in itself, worth celebrating. And the fact that the album is full of excellent material is a bonus on top; it stands out on its own as a fine effort by a band that, despite all odds, is, decades later, still here, very much alive and well. Like the other four members, Simon surely deserves credit for this.

Numerous gun slingers are available for hire, but with the new album Simon has shown that he was certainly the right fit for the band. He has brought his own style, sound, and attitude. There are instances where he sounds loyal to Ritchie (the outro to Lazy Sod, which to me has elements from the outro to Strange Kind of Woman), and instances where he sounds loyal to Steve (the interplay between Don and Simon in Now You’re Talkin’, which to me has elements from the interplay between Don and Steve in Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover). And I can also hear some Gary Moore, especially in some of the long notes, tone, and sound (If I Were You and I’ll Catch You). This is all normal; his predecessors also had their influences and points of reference. What =1 makes clear, however, is that while Simon is willing and able to acknowledge his predecessor, he is not afraid to carve his own path and, in doing so, help the band continue to evolve. A win-win in my book.

=1 is full of great material. The song quality is strong throughout and there are no obvious fillers. There are a couple of minor questionable moments, but mainly from a technical/production perspective. For instance, after the superb interplay between Don and Simon in Now You’re Talkin’, the band eventually returns with what one hopes would be a climax/explosive ending, but, instead, because of the fadeout, it feels a bit like a gradual, safe landing. Also, the transition between Pictures of You and I’m Saying Nothing seems a bit odd. But if you play Pictures of You followed immediately by Portable Door, then the transition seems more natural. Anyone else notice the same? For me these are just minor issues that do not take anything away from the album’s great overall quality.

The record company and band were smart to release the singles that they did, and in the order that they did. With elements of Pictures of Home and Black Night, it feels like Portable Door was meant to first satisfy the cravings of diehard fans. Pictures of You, in addition, was likely aimed at those that were somewhat familiar with Purple, but were not necessarily up to date on the present state of affairs. Finally, Lazy Sod, on the other hand, seems like the song that could potentially pique the interest of not only those that are current on Deep Purple, but also those that might know the name but aren’t aware that the band is still actively touring and recording. The three singles are excellent and are a good representation of the album.

The album highlight, however, is Bleeding Obvious. The opening theme, which returns throughout the song, seems to contain motifs of folk music from the part of Europe that I grew up in, which would not surprise me given references to said music in songs like Pictures of Home, Rapture of the Deep, etc. With Bleeding Obvious the band delivers a Master Class on how to write a rather complex piece of music that contains numerous and various musical elements, themes, and styles that only Deep Purple can package together in a way that sounds fresh, interesting, and unforced. The music prowess of each band member comes through clearly, and perhaps better than in any other song on the album. Bleeding Obvious would be epic live, especially as a closing number.

Had the album been released back in the 70s when listening to music was a much more immersive experience, =1 would have been even more successful than it will ultimately be. Unfortunately, however, we live in the age of ultra-short attention span and instant gratification. Not to mention that the so called “rock” radio stations have their playlists compiled by advertising executives, rather than by proper DJs. Thus, the likelihood of =1 getting any airplay, at least in the States, is slim. But my heroes have been here (underground) before, and their wonderful music will prevail, sooner or later.

=1 is a strong album that will only grow stronger over time. With more listens, it will surely carve its respected place in the band’s significant catalogue. Overall, it is a great effort by a band that, despite being around since the late sixties, still sounds fresh, current, and relevant. It is a blessing that the guys are still here and cranking. I can hardly wait to see them live with a bunch of friends (including some first timers) in late August and early September in NY and CT.

You are a wonder, Deep Purple. Keep soaring.

Albania

Deep Purple’s drum tech Cimi Mezzano posts a vlog summarizing his day on tour with the band. Continue Reading »