Gibson.com has an interview they recently did with Claude Nobs. The inevitable question, of course, came up:

Tell me what you remember about the “Smoke on the Water” incident on December 4, 1971.

This was one of the concerts I was doing besides the festival in the summer. I had Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, and one time I had Frank Zappa. And at the end of the concert someone threw a flare gun at the ceiling and everything started to be on fire.

You helped get people out of the burning building. There’s even a lyric about it in “Smoke On The Water.”

It was actually not that difficult because we had big bow windows in the concert hall overlooking the swimming pool. Frank Zappa took his guitar – a Gibson, a very strong one – and he smashed the big window down with his guitar. Then a lot of people could go out through there. The people went out through that exit, and within about five minutes, the 2,000 kids were out. And the people were watching the fire thinking, “Oh, you know, Frank Zappa is just doing an incredible ending to his show.”

How did the Deep Purple song evolve out of the ashes?

Deep Purple were watching the whole fire from their hotel window, and they said, “Oh my God, look what happened. Poor Claude and there’s no casino anymore!” They were supposed to do a live gig [at the casino] and record the new album there. Finally I found a place in a little abandoned hotel next to my house and we made a temporary studio for them. One day they were coming up for dinner at my house and they said, “Claude we did a little surprise for you, but it’s not going to be on the album. It’s a tune called ‘Smoke On The Water.’” So I listened to it. I said, “You’re crazy. It’s going to be a huge thing.” Now there’s no guitar player in the world who doesn’t know [he hums the riff]. They said, “Oh if you believe so we’ll put it on the album.” It’s actually the very precise description of the fire in the casino, of Frank Zappa getting the kids out of the casino, and every detail in the song is true. It’s what really happened. In the middle of the song, it says “Funky Claude was getting people out of the building,” and actually when I meet a lot of rock musicians, they still say, “Oh here comes Funky Claude.”

Read the interview at Gibson.com. Bear in mind that the article managed to get a couple of things wrong. It makes you believe that the band was at the Hotel Eden au Lac when the fire started, while they were actually in the Casino itself and retreated to the hotel across the bay later; and Eden au lac is not the Grand Hotel which was empty, cold and bare. That building is further down the road and has been converted into a condominium since then.

Thanks to Bryan Wawzenek for the info.

Steve Morse recently has done a quite entertaining interview for GuitarPlanet.com.au. Ever wanted to know why is that SOTW is banned from the music stores or why the Y2D guitar comes only in 3 colours, watch it. And if you didn’t, watch it as well.

If you are more technically inclined into guitar gear, check out his second interview about the Music Man signature guitar and the photo gallery documenting Steve’s implements of trade on the recent Australian tour.

Thanks to Nigel Young for the info.

Swedish channel SVT is broadcasting a new 10-part series called The Seventies. Deep Purple are prominently features in the first episode — 1970 — which was shown on July 17 and now you can watch it online at svtplay.se. Unless you think you’ll enjoy Joe Tempest talking in Swedish, you can skip straight to around 6:15 into the episode. A contemporary interview with Ian Gillan starts at around 7:45 and continues through 17:40, after which point the show moves on to other subjects. Of Purple-related interest is also the appearance of The Flowerpot Men (just the singers) on Beat Club around the 23:55 mark.

Thanks to Nigel Young for the info.

There is a new previously unreleased video of Deep Purple performing Black Night in Hamburg circa December 1970. The footage have been partially available on YouTube for some time now, but the release features complete song and in much better quality video (perhaps as good as could be expected from that period), albeit the sound is still fairly distant.

You can purchase the video at iTunes (might need to switch to your country store).

Other videos available:

• Smoke on the Water
• Highway Star
• Child In Time
• Burn
• Strange kind Of Woman
• Perfect Strangers
• Hush
• Lazy

Due in October: a brand new video for Child in Time combining studio soundtrack with historical footage.

Caveat: iTunes requires their proprietary software to interact with the store.

Swedish prog-metal band Opeth is releasing live footage and audio from the band’s recent performance at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall. The front cover artwork concept pays tribute to the original Concerto for Group and Orchestra album, underlining the band’s longstanding love for their roots. As recently as this May Opeth’s rhythm section of Martin Axenrot on drums and Martin Mendez on bass performed with Jon Lord at the Nidaros cathedral in Trondheim, Norway. You can see video of the rehearsals on JonLord.org.

Opeth In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall is due out on September 21 on Roadrunner Records.

Thanks to Daniel Bengtsson for the info.

As the Black Country Communion goes into the full promo mode, Glenn has just finished a European tour doing public appearances and interviews.

Interview to the French channel France 24 (in English) can be viewed at France24.com.

Acoustic performance (including Medusa and Catch The Rainbow) on Radio 3 RNE in Madrid (July 14):

Interview on Radio Lombardia in Milan (July 15):

Black Country Communion will also appear live on Rockline radio show in North America on Wednesday, September 8 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to call 1-800-344-ROCK (7625) during the show with their questions. Rockline is syndicated on many stations across US and Canada, some of which also broadcast online.

Thanks to Blabbermouth.net for the info.

You had a terrible day which seems to be going from bad to worse. You finally get to the gig, look on stage and see a bass player happily bouncing around. And you think to yourself “oh, these guys have it so easy…”

Rrright.

These days are a breeze by comparison; we have it easy, not that we don’t sometimes have to endure all sorts of trivial irritations. As Alice Cooper says in his song, it’s the little things that really get your goat. Take the other day…

We had a couple of days off so after a quick trip back home I fly to rejoin the band. Either a virus or a bout of food poisoning has my bowels in turmoil so after an anxious flight and then a taxi ride, I arrive at the hotel late at night, pay the driver and run for my room and the toilet. Waking up exhausted the following morning I discover that I have lost my wallet, probably dropped as I paid the taxi driver. After all the usual phone calls and searches I have to kiss goodbye to what was in it – not a lot, just everything of importance…

Read the story of a day in the life of a bass player in Roger’s second installment of Road Life.

As we reported earlier, release of the Nick Simper’s Mk1 Songbook will be accompanied by single of The Doors’ Roadhouse Blues backed by Hush (unreleased version) and The Painter. The single will be available on a CD and not as digital download.

This will Simper’s first single release since 1982’s Russ Ballard penned Just Another Day with his then current band Fandango. So what on earth possessed them to release the single in this day and age?

During the recent live performances of The Deep Purple MKI Songbook with Austrian band Nasty Habits, Simper has had a long-held desire fulfiled. As an admirer of The Doors, he had always wanted to play Roadhouse Blues, the opening cut from the band’s fifth album, Morrison Hotel.

Although it’s the only non-Deep Purple song he performs in the shows with Nasty Habits, it always goes down a storm with the audience and Nick Simper was keen for the world to hear their version. As it was illogical to include it on The Deep Purple MKI Songbook album release they initially considered releasing it as a download single. But then they had second thoughts. They figured that most of Simper’s fans are like them — traditional in their thinking and prefer a “proper” record as opposed to a mere “digital file.”

The single will be released on August 16th by Wymer Records.

In his 1997 interview for the Japanese TV RB explains origins of riffs for several Purple classics. Some are very well publicized, some are not. Some connections are pretty obvious, while others not so much.
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This press release just hit The Highway Star:

Acclaimed guitarist/composer Steve Morse has teamed up with breakout singer/songwriter Sarah Spencer to release Angelfire, an album of haunting, harmony-laden acoustic songs.



Sarah Spencer, 22, grew up in a musical family. She began piano lessons at age six, and was recording original material at ten. At 14, she was cast in a VH1 reality show (ultimately cancelled) that followed the lives of teenage prodigies. She wrote in the operatic pop genre, inspired by orchestral movie soundtracks. Spencer began working with established producers during her teens, recording live-orchestral songs with producers Paul Weston and Al Steele.



Sarah met Steve when she was 16, and they began collaborating on what was to become Angelfire.

“When I first heard Sarah sing, I was amazed…I’d never heard a voice so pure,” says Morse. “My first thought was to write an album with her so I could hear and share it with other people.”

Sarah responds, “Steve has been so generous throughout our collaboration. Everyone knows about his incredible talent, but only a lucky few know about his big heart. I feel so blessed to be able to work with this renaissance man!”



Their collaboration represents several firsts for them both. Even after 44 albums, Steve has never written a vocal album. Sarah is stepping out front as a performer and songwriter. And despite their cumulative experience spanning multiple genres of music, neither has written anything that sounds like Angelfire.


Steve Morse is often described as a “musician’s musician,” acclaimed amongst artists but eschewing the public limelight. The six-time Grammy nominee is renowned as much for his writing as his guitar playing, garnering such accolades from peers as being voted “Best Overall Guitarist” for five consecutive years (Guitar Player magazine).

Morse adeptly fuses a wide range of musical styles, including jazz fusion, bluegrass, southern rock, baroque classical and metal. Whether playing with the Dixie Dregs, the Steve Morse Band, previously with Kansas or with Deep Purple (going on 15 years), Steve continues to leave his mark as a distinctive songwriter and guitarist.

Album credits:

Steve Morse: Acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards

Sarah Spencer: Lead and background vocals

Bass guitar: Dave LaRue

Drums: Van Romaine

Produced by Steve Morse



Track Listing

1. Far Gone Now (3:50)

2. Everything to Live For (4:30)

3. Feelings Are Overrated (3:39)

4. What Made You Think? (2:57)

5. Here Today (3:55)

6. Get Away (4:25)

7. Pleasant Surprise (3:48)

8. Terrible Thing to Lose (4:18)

9. Omnis Morse Aequat (3:36)

10. Take It or Leave It (3:57)

11. Urban Decay (4:18)



Released on Radiant Records. 
Retail distribution by MVD and others



More info:

angelfiremusic.com

myspace.com/angelfiremusic

facebook.com/angelfiremusic
stevemorse.com

sarahspencer.com