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Since the possibility of the current lineup doing Soldier of Fortune for all practical purposes is nil, here’s a take on the track from the good ol’ Cov. It’s a string ensemble version that was a bonus track on various editions of his Purple Album. Continue Reading »
Metallica’s guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke to Metal Mayhem ROC podcast and professed his love for Deep Purple:
Lars and I love Deep Purple. I’ve always loved it; Ritchie Blackmore is one of my favorite guitar players. Ritchie Blackmore is also Lars’ favorite guitar player of all time. When I was 15 years old, and I heard ‘Highway Star’, I thought [it was] mindblowing. It spoke to me — obviously [laughs]. Between Lars and I, we know a lot of Purple material, and yes, we jam occasionally on that stuff.
Deep Purple is really hard to cover. It’s actually easier to cover [Ritchie Blackmore’s] Rainbow than it is to cover Deep Purple. The guitar parts are always kind of difficult, but Ian Paice’s drum parts? Crazy. And then you have the whole contents of John Lord’s keyboards… Keyboards were such a heavy part of Deep Purple; if you cover Purple, you’ve got to have the keys!
Hammett quoted several bars of Speed King on Metallica’s latest album 72 Seasons.
The complete conversation, well over an hour long is available on YouTube.
Thanks to Ultimate Guitar for the info and transcription.
Don Airey was interviewed for Times of India:
Back in the 60s, the music industry was all about the singers and the songwriters. That has come back now with Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Madonna. You don’t really hear about a keyboard player doing anything great or a guitar player. It’s come back to the singers and the songs. Which, I think, is why Deep Purple survived. We are different, and people want to see different. Kids want to see a band. They don’t want to see people miming to a tape.
Read more in Times of India
Apparently, Deep Purple’s visit to India is making a splash in the local press. This time, Don Airey was interviewed by the Hindustan Times:
Speaking to us about the current popular music, keyboardist Don Airey shares, “It’s slightly annoying. You listen to an artiste like Taylor Swift and it’s all about spamming; it never stops! There’s no ups or downs, there’s no contrasts. It’s all just compressed and full-on.” Ask if he has a favourite artist from the current crop of musicians and he says, “I really like Billie Eilish, she writes some wonderful songs.”
Read more of Don’s thoughts in the Hindustan Times.
Deep Purple have a couple of dates booked in India in December (with one of them having been already cancelled). Ian Paice was interviewed by Times Now via Zoom, and this resulted in a long form conversation. Paicey is a fabulous storyteller and makes even the story of the gambling house burning down sound fascinating.
Head over to Times Now to watch it.
Ahead of the gig on the island on December 3, Ian Paice was interviewed by the Times of Malta.
For legendary drummer Ian Paice, performing now is just as enjoyable as it has always been.
“Oh, it’s always fun,” he said, speaking from his hotel room in Poland while on the road with Purpendicular, the Deep Purple tribute band which enjoys regular collaboration with Paice.
“Performing is important to me for two reasons: I always enjoy playing and [Deep] Purple won’t be doing any serious touring till late spring next year. So, I go out and I keep playing. It doesn’t matter whether it’s to 20 or 20,000 people, you have to have the same discipline,” Paice said.
“When I play with [Perpendicular founder] Robby and the boys, they’re doing me a great favour letting me keep my chops up,” he said, revealing a humility which belies the magnitude of his world-striding career.
Read more in the Times of Malta.
Ian Paice revives his dormant YouTube channel to talk about his upcoming appearance with the Buddy Rich Big Band. He also shows the kit he will be playing on that occasion. Continue Reading »
We don’t know what exactly happened to Coverdale’s grandiose plans for the 30th anniversary of Coverdale/Page album, but it has been re-released in Japan as a limited edition 2LP on transparent blue vinyl. There does not appear to be any bonus material included.
This reissue can be ordered from the Tower Records in Japan. Continue Reading »
It was 30 years ago, on November 17, 1993, that Mark 2 played their final concert at the Jäähalli in Helsinki, Finland. Ritchie Blackmore went his own way, and the rest of the band decided to carry with a different guitar player. Both sides arguably turned out to be better off. Continue Reading »
In an interview for ClassicRockHistory.com, Steve Morse lists 10 albums that changed his life. And some of those might surprise you.
# 10 – Meet the Beatles – The Beatles (1964)
I first heard The Beatles on [the] Ed Sullivan [Show], which was a family show. I had gotten a small tape recorder and recorded it straight from our TV set speaker. I simply loved the energy, the flawless vocals, the interaction of the guitars, and, of course, the songwriting! Sometime later, after school, my friend invited us to come over to hear The Beatles album. We just sat there and listened, up until the love ballad, which we all agreed to skip, then every song afterward. It was the first time I had listened to an album I instantly loved!
Continue reading in ClassicRockHistory.com.
Thanks to SteveMorse.com for the info.
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