German site Musicreviews.de reviews =1 in positively glowing terms, and gives it a score of 13 out of 15 (same as Whoosh and inFinite, while Now What?! got 12/15 from them). Usual reverse translations caveats… (you know the drill).

When listening to “=1” you quickly come to the conclusion that DEEP PURPLE really did everything right with their choice of McBride. While the record title refers to the idea that in an increasingly complex world everything will ultimately lead to a unified core, you can also apply it to the group and say that they have grown together with their new guitarist so quickly that you would think he had been on board for a long time.

This does not mean, of course, that he does not set any clearly audible accents, on the contrary: the record seems as fresh as Steve Morse’s 1996 debut “Purpendicular” and is not stingy with welcome surprises. Let’s take the full-bodied opener ‘Show Me’ with its many fresh subtleties, starting with Ian Gillan’s spoken vocals, a chorus with a chromatically descending melody at the end, and Don Airey’s synthesizer (instead of the programmatic organ) in a solo exchange with the guitar. These duels are a recurring element on “=1”, whereas the track, with its short and dramatic finale, forms a bracket together with the closing ‘Bleeding Obvious’ in that both numbers are bursting with clever ideas on both the harmonic and melodic level and build up in an exciting way towards the end.

Read more in musikreviews.de in German or via Google Translate in other languages.

Thanks to Tobias Janaschke for the heads-up.

Louder Sound has a preview of Glenn Hughes’ interview slated to appear in the next issue of the Classic Rock magazine. Her Glenn talks about Black Country Communion and possibility of doing another album with them.

I want people to know that this will possibly be the last band that I’m in. I’m so deep into my solo career with this new album I’m about to make. And Black Country Communion to me is, seriously, a band of brothers. I can’t imagine being in another band after this.

I don’t know if there’s even going to be one. It’s a matter of ‘is there going to be enough time?’ You know how old I am, and the fact is that I want to do this for as long as I possibly can. So many of my friends have disappeared or died or retired or whatever. I am one of the last of the early-70s gang that are still doing it. I’m not saying there won’t be [another BCC album]. But if there’s going to be one, it needs to be in the next couple of years.

I don’t want to be doing this when I’m eighty. I know there are a couple of my mates who are eighty still doing it, but I don’t think I’ll be doing this when I’m eighty. I don’t think so.

Thanks to Louder Sound for the quotes.

In a new interview with German publication Welt, Ian Gillan discusses Russian politics, title of the new album =1, Brexit, making friends in Germany in 1965, and almost setting his house on fire. All the usual caveats about reverse translations fully apply.

[…] Everything has become infinitely complicated these days. We have to give up our private data for the smallest of tasks. If you don’t do that, you can no longer take part in social life, in everyday life. That is the background to the title of our new album “= 1”. It used to be that three minus two was one. Today the processes that lead to this result are much more complicated. I know a scientist in Tasmania who gave me a very long calculation using square roots and other symbols to illustrate this. We have printed it in full length on the inside sleeve of the vinyl record (he opens the cover, points to a very long formula).

Read the interview in German on Welt.de or via Google Translate in other languages.

Thanks to Tobias Janaschke for the heads-up.

The famed Los Angeles recording studio The Record Plant is closing down after 55 years in business. It has a Purple connection — Stormbringer was mixed there, together with some last minute recording additions. But that’s beside the point. The reasons for closure reflect the overall state of the music business today.

Longtime studio engineer Gary Myerberg said: “There is no money in the recording music business. That’s basically like a flyer for your show. I don’t think there’s much hope for the recording industry in L.A. … If you want to go to the studio and spend $2,000 a day, just take that and buy a laptop and a sample library or tell AI what song you want to make, and it’ll make it.”

Local guitar tech Jesse McInturff added: “The need for a big room is pretty minor at this point. There are less and less rock bands and you could record Taylor Swift in a vocal booth the size of a closet.”

Thanks to the Ultimate Classic Rock for the info and quotes.

Riff magazine reviews the new album =1, not without some criticism. We (well, most of us) will have to wait another week to see for ourselves how valid those concerns are.

New guitarist Simon McBride meshes with the band well, as expected for someone who’s been touring with them for a few years, and the songwriting remains solid. The band simply set the bar too high with Whoosh! In 2020 Deep Purple didn’t sound like a legacy act. Those songs were fresh and fit seamlessly with the output from the band’s prime. But =1 most definitely feels like it was made by a half-century-old band.

A big part of the change is Ian Gillan’s voice. On single “Portable Door,” for example, the guitar and keyboard solos remain very good and the drumming feels roughly the same as it always has, but the vocals suffer. That’s not a knock on Gillan, who turns 80 next year. The aged delivery is not a bad thing, either. Johnny Cash’s American Recordings series is some of his best work not despite but because of the changes in his voice. But the songs need to be written with that in mind, which doesn’t seem like something the band is used to yet.

Read more in Riff.

Deep Purple has performed at the Montreux Jazz festival on July 8, 2024. This year, the festival added a new venue — an open air stage on the town’s central square, with Lake Geneva right behind the stage. This is where the band has played their set. Smoke on the Water was accompanied by the fireworks, driving home the message. The stunt received a significant coverage in mainstream press.

A pretty well put together documentary about Ian Gillan’s stint in Black Sabbath with all the Spinal Tap-ish stories you wanted to hear, and then some more. Continue Reading »

Bass Player magazine has a short article about Roger Glover’s playing style, with a couple of quotes from the man himself.

I believe in playing simply, because of the virtuosity that surrounds me in the rest of the band. I have to be the bedrock for them to lie on and do what they do – I never think too much about what I play – I just like to go for what feels and sounds right at the time.

In terms of the high-speed accuracy, feel and attack needed to play Deep Purple’s music, I get more volume and power when I play with a pick. When I pick up a bass guitar and just mess around, I usually play with my fingers, but I’ve always played better with a pick. I’d never properly be able to play Highway Star with my fingers.

Read more in Bass Player.

Thanks to earMUSIC, The Highway Star is reviewing Deep Purple’s new album =1 to be released on July 19. This is the penultimate segment.

Having lived with =1 for just over a month now, the initial trepidation has evaporated. All doubts have been replaced by a feeling of energetic elation and warm reassurance that all’s truly good and well in the McBride’d Purple camp.

There’s a lot going on on this album. You’re constantly turning your head to little musical detours on the instruments and ingenious details in the compositions, which make for very entertaining listening.

Even allowing for a natural curve of ups and downs along the album, the general standard is incredibly high, and several personal favourites already threaten to turn into future classics.

But let’s move on to the individual songs.

9 – Lazy Sod – kicks off in an upbeat manner, Gillan proclaims he can’t get his ass out of bed while the world’s on fire, and there’s a groovy shuffle underneath it all cooked up by a band that genuinely gels and feeds off one other.

Throughout the song – which appeared suddenly as a surprise third preview single – everything is coming together in that wonderful fashion displayed only by bands who actually play together in the same room – as the photos from the Toronto recording sessions last Spring confirm. The vibe was real and it permeates the album.

“The oceans are rising, I can’t do a thing about it.”

10 – Now You’re Talkin’ – McBride leads us into an uptempo rocker with healthy amounts of lyrical innuendo over an intense riff. The feel and atmosphere reminds me of other busy-busy Purple tunes without becoming predictable, and it’s all good.

“Whatever does you good, lifts your skirt, gets you done, unbuttons your shirt, get the fuck out …”

Gillan spits out a bossy delivery on the verses, and the orchestration changes on the chorus, lifting, adding new colours along a busy winding road of elegantly played intricacies.

As we head into an exciting solo section, McBride turns in a fantastic sweaty old school rock’n’roll guitar solo – before Airey takes over with an Eastern tinged synth solo and – again – a lot going on!

The guitar theme takes us into an exciting ascending and loosely “jammed” end section. Listen to the simple genius of Glover’s bass intensify from quarter to eights notes. Everything threatens to lift off into the skies – but is suddenly inexplicably overtaken by the album’s first (and frustrating) fade out. Great track!

11 – No Money to Burn – is another swaggering riff based rocker with surprising accents and punctuations and a tasty groove. There’s no shortage of ideas here, and it’s yet another highly entertaining listen.

“I hear a blackbird sing, I feel a scorpion sting.”

Middle section goes off into new directions – again – before a guitar solo of long notes, taking their time beautifully followed by a gorgeous, swirling Moog solo to brighten your day.

A minor gripe throughout (which might be rectified in the final product – been listening to a thin streaming signal here), is Ian Paice’s tom-tom sound. It’s boomy and unrefined and not exactly a tight fit with the rest of the otherwise very well balanced sound of a band striding along.

With its increased intensity, this one could also become huge favourite.

Next segment we’ll be looking at the last two songs on =1, and it’s safe to say, they’ve not kept the boring songs for last. Listen up!

Read also: Part Three, Part Two, Part One.

A “25th anniversary” (23rd in actual years) edition of the third Blackmore’s Night album Fires At Midnight will be released on September 27, 2024, via Edel/earMusic. The album will be fully remixed from the original multitrack masters, and will include all bonus tracks from previous editions, plus new versions of Written In The Stars and the title track, with new vocals recorded by Candice Night in 2024.

The first single is available now — the new vocals version of Written In The Stars:

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.