Bernie Marsden’s posthumous album Working Man will be released on November 24, 2023, on independent label Conquest Music. Recording of the album was finished in June. Throughout the summer, Bernie was involved in mixing, artwork, and planning for the release of the album. He approved the final audio masters and artwork before his death in August.

His widow Fran Marsden says:

Bernie was really excited about his new album, Working Man, and proud of the tracks featured on it. After the last three albums of covers he was keen for his fans to hear some new, original songs. He loved working on them in the studio during lockdown and he couldn’t wait to get the album out into the world.

Alan Bambrough speaks on behalf of the label:

Bernie Marsden was far more than an artist to Conquest Music. He has been a great friend and mentor for many years and was a huge part of our decision to form the label. His Kings album was our first release and we are proud to work with his company, Little House Music in releasing some of his finest ever work. We are heartbroken at Bernie’s passing and thought the right and respectful thing to do would be to postpone the release until next year. Fran Marsden convinced us that Bernie would want the Working Man album to come out as planned.

The album contains 12 brand new tracks written by Bernie, produced by him, and mixed by Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers, The Who). There’s no word at this point on what other musicians took part in the recordings. The limited first pressing in 3LP and 2CD formats will come with 10 bonus tracks, including new interpretations of Whitesnake classics.

Track listing:

CD1

1. Being Famous
2. Midtown
3. Longtime
4. Invisible
5. Son I’ve Never Known
6. Steelhouse Mountain
7. Working Man
8. Valentine’s Day
9. Savannah
10. Bad Reputation
11. You Know
12. The Pearl

CD2 (bonus)

1. Look At Me Now
2. Midnight Believer
3. Who’s Fooling Who
4. Just Don’t Have The Time
5. Foolish Day
6. Here I Go Again
7. Ain’t No Love In The Heart of The City
8. Til The Day I Die
9. Time Is Right For Love
10. Come On In My Kitchen

Opening track Being Famous is available for streaming now:

The album can be pre-ordered from the Bernie Marsden webstore, where there’s a chance to win one of five special lithographic prints hand signed by Bernie.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Joe Lynn Turner has announced the arrival of his newborn son:

On this very special day, of our 12th wedding anniversary, there is nothing more sacred and bonding between my Wife and I, as this beautiful Angel that we named Matteo (which means gift from God)… Our sacred union is complete and our hearts are filled with joy… Love and blessings!

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Thanks to BraveWords for the heads-up.

Geir Myklebust reprints in his blog a heartfelt eulogy to Tommy Bolin penned by Geoff Barton for the December 11, 1976, issue of Sounds.

HEARD ABOUT Tommy’s death last Sunday morning. The news hit hard and low.
I hadn’t known him particularly well, but there was always — shall always be — a place for his music in my heart. In fact, I had received a copy of his latest album, his finest work to date, ‘Private Eyes’, in mid-week and had been playing it more or less continually for several days.
First met Tommy in the Swiss Cottage Holiday Inn in September 1975. He’d just joined Deep Purple and at the time his enthusiasm for his new-found gig was running hand-in-hand with his keenness to complete a solo project, eventually to emerge as the LP ‘Teaser’ on Nemperor records.
Endearingly laid back, intelligent and softly spoken, my interview with him went well and I count it amongst my most enjoyable.

Read more in My Things — Music history for those who are able to read.

Some time in August, Glenn Hughes spoke to the 107.1 The Boss radio station, broadcasting out from New Jersey. Nothing groundbreaking was revealed, but he touched upon the making rounds story of him allegedly nearly joining Van Halen, and upon prospects of collaborating with David Coverdale. Continue Reading »

A short interview with Jon Lord, focussing on his gear. It was originally published in Sounds issue from December 4, 1976:

Synthesizers

JON LORD has been playing electronic keyboards professionally for 12 years, starting with the Hammond C3, which is still a favourite instrument. But like most keyboard players, he has explored synthesisers as a means of expanding the range of sounds he can create.
“Synthesisers themselves have limitations,” he says, “and that’s why, when I use them, I use ARP models. They’re more stable than others I’ve had. I’ve got two ARP Odysseys, one Pro Soloist and one String Ensemble. I particularly like the combination of String Ensemble and Hammond because you can get a really good theatre organ sound that way.
“But the secret is to use them sparingly otherwise it gets very boring. I think for that reason that there isn’t really any need for a polyphonic synthesiser.”

Continue reading in My Things – Music history for those who are able to read.

Simon McBride appeared on That Pedal Show, speaking about his gear and his job in Purple. It’s a long conversation, and it gets quite a bit technical at times, but generally well worth setting aside time and listening for the whole thing. Even if you’re less than interested in “plumbing” per se. Continue Reading »

Glenn Hughes appeared on the latest episode of the Iron City Rocks podcast, dated September 15, 2023.

In particular, Glenn mentioned that the new BCC album should come out in the first quarter of 2024, and a proper solo album is in his plans for some time that year as well.

I am an artist that must make new music. I mean, I insist — I hate that word ‘insist’, but every year I find myself with a new paint board of new songs. I’m getting ready next year, by the way — I am gonna do another Glenn album next year, the first one in nine years, ’cause it’s time to do it.

I don’t write about politics. I write about the human condition. I write about how are we feeling, what are we going through, are we going to get through this — you know, acceptance, staying in the present moment. This is the big thing for me. People call it woke, awakening, if you will… For me, it’s all about staying present in this moment right now, and I’m writing about that.

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info and quotes.

Glenn Hughes performed his Purple set on Friday, September 8, 2023, at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California. He was joined on stage by local talent Joe Bonamassa and Chad Smith. Continue Reading »

Cherry Red Records is releasing on November 24, 2023, a Glenn Hughes and Robin George collaboration album Overcome, originally recorded back in 1989.

A chance meeting between Glenn Hughes and Robin George eventually resulted in an invitation for Glenn to sing backing vocals for Robin and Sean Harris’ Notorious album, which lead to a full collaboration between Robin and Glenn. The album started life as a solo Robin George record and developed into ‘Overcome’, complete with four songs co-written by the pair; ‘Number One’, ‘Sweet Revenge’, ‘Don’t Come Crying’, and the title track.

Such was the faith and strength in the new recordings, that a major label deal was struck but fell through, leaving these recordings to languish in the vaults. Glenn is on fine form on the album, and among the 13 tracks of melodic, and occasionally funky, hard rock, one special treat is the track ‘Haunted’, essentially recorded by a reformed Trapeze, featuring Dave Holland, Mel Galley and Terry Rowley.

Over the years, Robin George has collaborated with many musical legends, from Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, Thin Lizzy’s Philip Lynott, Uriah Heep’s David Byron, UFO’s Pete Way, John Wetton & Asia, Daniel Boone, Raymond Froggatt and the Quireboys’ Spike. As a native of Wolverhampton, it’s no surprise that a musician of Robin George’s caliber would cross paths with local heroes Trapeze.

Track listing:

1. Flying
2. Overcome
3. I Want
4. Haunted (featuring Trapeze’s Dave Holland, Mel Galley & Terry Rowley)
5. Number One
6. Sweet Revenge
7. The American Way
8. Machine
9. Steal My Heart
10. Things Have Gotta Change
11. Don’t Come Crying
12. Loving You
13. War Dance

The album can be pre-ordered via the label.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Over the course of the pandemic, Robert Fripp and his wife Toyah Willcox were entertaining themselves and their Youtube audience by recording covers of everything from Swan Lake to Smoke on the Water in their backyard.

Guitar World has recently caught up with Fripp and interviewed him about this project (which is still going strong, with 145 entries posted).

You also covered arguably the most iconic guitar riff of them all when you and Toyah tackled Smoke on the Water…

That was another fun one. I saw Ritchie Blackmore live when he was 18 at a dance hall in Poole, Dorset. I was around 17 myself, so this must have been around 1963 or 1964. Ritchie was playing with The Outlaws. There might be some footage of him with them on YouTube.

My feeling is when he got to 18, he realized that he’d gone as far as he was going to in that band. He was superb. It would be unfair to say Ritchie didn’t get better, because he continued to grow. But what I will say is that at 18, he absolutely nailed it.

He worked with [Screaming Lord] Sutch along with another mythical guitarist called Strawberry, who was somebody everyone had heard of in the reports but no-one at the time seemed to actually know his identity. He would play with his back to the audience and was a legendary player to those of us watching in the early ’60s.

I never got to see Strawberry, but I did see Ritchie. He had all the moves, all the swinging and all the chops. We met very briefly in passing and we nodded. My nod to him was one of great respect.

Read the rest of Fripp’s interview in Guitar World (albeit there’s nothing else Purple related there).