Heaven and hell (no, not that one), John Varvatos, Radio Luxembourg, Laney amplifiers and a vintage Strat — all that and more in the continental addendum to the Glenn Hughes 2010 UK tour diary:

In anticipation of the October 25th release date, DP(O) has posted on Youtube electronic press kits for the 35th anniversary Come Taste The Band and 30th anniversary Deepest Purple:

Preorder it from a store near you:
Double CD

Vinyl

Preorder CD+DVD from a store near you:

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

In his last week Rock Planet interview Jon Lord mentioned that he is getting an itch of playing more Hammond and is putting a new prog band together with acclaimed violinist Anna Phoebe. It looks like that the things are moving, as Anna posted yesterday in her Classic Rock blog:

I […] spent the weekend getting excited for a very special meeting I had yesterday with Jon Lord (as in the Jon Lord from Deep Purple). We spent yesterday in a North London studio with Hammond organ and violins at the ready, but actually spent most of the day talking and getting to know each other.

What an exceptional man – deeply humble, intelligent, witty, gracious and all round lovely! We talked about all aspects of music including our inspirations and influences, but also touring experiences and the routines we have when on the road. Despite his legendary status and a few decades head start, we actually have a lot in common with one another – not least with playing instruments which straddle the classical and rock world, but also in our attitude and approach to music.

The result of all this is that we have decided to embark on a musical project together! It will combine aspects of my solo music, as well as his orchestral compositions and also some Deep Purple songs…and some entirely new material which we will write together. The project will combine all of our musical influences and experiences into an exciting new sound…will keep you posted! Oh – and any ideas for a band name will be much appreciated!

If you never heard of Anna Phoebe, check out her guest performance with Jethro Tull:

99 lives from her performance with Angus Clark (that’s basically the Transsiberian Orchestra minus a big arena and huge pyrotechnics) in New York City:

Now, here’s a project I’m actually getting excited about 😉

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

A pink trailer, a historical venue, an in-ear monitor that goes to eleven, a guitar tech of 30 years — all that, plus a lot more in the last installment of the Glenn Hughes 2010 UK tour diary:

As we reported earlier, the all-star version of Smoke on the Water recorded back in the day for the benefit of 1988 earthquake in Armenia is being re-released in newly remixed form. All the proceeds from this release will go towards rebuilding a musical school in the town of Gyumri, which still operates out of temporary housing.

I must say that despite the obvious scepticism, the new mix sounds to these ears very refreshing and energetic. See for yourselves:

The single can be purchased through iTunes or ordered from a store near you:

And if you are still hesitating, remember that it’s all for a good cause.

Thanks to Jon Dee and Ara Tadevosyan for the info.

On Wednesday, October 13, Jon Lord dropped by the Planet Rock studio to talk to Nicky Horne about the brand new Come Taste The Band remaster and the 30th Anniversary reissue of Deepest Purple. Both releases are due on October 25th.

You can listen to his interview through the Planet Rock Soundcloud using their player or directly here (mp3, 24 MB).

Thanks to Yvonne Osthausen for the info.

Living on the road when everything is being recorded, off to the races with the little help from above, how it used to be when he was a nipper, and a new number one fan — all of this, plus more in the fifth part of the Glenn Hughes’ UK tour diary 2010:

Thanks to Yvonne Osthausen and Daniel Bengtsson for the info.

Last weekend Steve Morse did a 3-night stint in New York City with his own band, plus sitting in with the Les Paul Trio on the fourth night. Guitar Player magazine has met him which resulted in a brief interview:

What is the difference between the way you play with Deep Purple and with your own band?
With my trio there is a lot more pressure because I am playing melodies and lots of difficult parts and changes. If it is a simple melody I try to enhance it by rolling in the right amount of synth or delay, or changing the pickup or tone setting. During difficult melodies, like “On the Pipe,” I have to adjust the balance between the wet amp and dry amp, then there is not even an eighth-note between the melody and playing this rising chord part, and I have to turn the synth on, go to a different pickup, etc. With my band the solos are really a chance to relax. With Purple we have a keyboard and melodies coming from the vocals. The only time I am in there crucially is during the solos.

Read more at GuitarPlayer.com.

Thanks to Yvonne Osthausen for the info.

Despite the rain, fourth part of the Glenn Hughes’ UK tour diary have appeared like a clockwork. In this installment we get to meet a bunch of good people, including Sheriff of Nottingham (or is it Ham In Nott?)

There are two new developments in Gillan’s Armenian projects.

First, the Who Cares did get into the studio and recorded a song. There is a brief report on Tony Iommi’s website. Caramba! also reports that bass duties will be handled by Jason Newsted, who could not make it to the studio in London and will record his part separately.

Second, the remix of Smoke on the Water done back in 1989 by the all-star lineup is due to be released on October 26.

I still remember it clearly. I was woken by a phone call from Washington asking me to get footage out of the Armenian earthquake zone. It was December 7, 1988, and at 11:41 A.M. local time a magnitude 6.9 earthquake had shaken northwestern Armenia. Tens of thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands were made homeless.

The footage I got out of Armenia was truly awful. Whole communities had been wiped off the map. The streets were lined with people wailing over dead family members. Schools had collapsed and many children had died. The saddest images were of people carrying tiny coffins filled with babies. The disaster zone was a cold and totally desperate place.

Having seen the footage, I felt I had to do something. After deciding to remake ‘Smoke on the Water’, the first person I called was David Gilmour from Pink Floyd. He agreed to participate and said I could use his name. That made it a lot easier to recruit the others. I would like to acknowledge the help of Ian Gillan and his manager Phil Banfield in this recruitment process. They were unbelievably helpful.

By the time the recording was complete, artists from Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Yes, Iron Maiden and others had all joined forces to create the track. The heavy metal bible Kerrang called it “the greatest array of hard rock talent ever assembled”. We ended up with a top 40 UK hit.

Two years ago, Ara Tadevosyan gave me a briefing about the earthquake zone. Life is still very tough for people over there and we found a children’s music school in Gyumri that still hadn’t been rebuilt. That’s why we decided to re-release the project. Every cent of the money that we raise will go towards rebuilding that school.

Updates on the school and photos from the original recordings are available at RockAidArmenia.com . Please check it out. On behalf of the school and the Do Something team, I’d like to thank you buying this CD and DVD. We really appreciate your help.

JON DEE
Founder of Rock Aid Armenia
Founder & Chairman of Do Something!
DoSomething.net.au

The release will be a double digipack containing a CD single and a bonus DVD. The single will include:

1. Smoke On The Water (2010 Wermut & Dee Remix)
2. Smoke On The Water (1989 Original Mix)
3. Smoke On The Water (1990 Radio Mix)
4. Smoke On The Water (1989 Ian Gillan Vocal Session)

The bonus DVD will include a 40 minute documentary featuring studio footage of the Rock Aid Armenia sessions and a promo video clip of Smoke on the Water.

This release will be distributed by Edel, so it should be widely available.