![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan8.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/glover2.jpg)
Turning to Crime 2.0
Tired of consuming whatever unhealthy foods you consume this time of the year and mindless small talk? Here’s another form of mindless entertainment for you — two dudes (one of whom you might have heard of) discuss Purple’s latest album (spoiler: both are not satisfied with track selection) and imagine how they’d like this to be done.
Thanks to Mike Whiteley for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
I recall what Ian Gillan and Ian Price used to say about live set list “If we tried to make everyone happy we would be on stage for 3 hours” so this is no different and it’s hard to please everyone.
December 25th, 2021 at 17:39This is all harmless fun and I like the album very much as I listen to it from start to end without skipping any songs.
The album is very good put together and every song has a different fabric.
I also think it’s a very good platform for the next DP album as we will not be comparing it to Whoosh.
Merry Xmas everyone and keep safe.
Peace and love to you all.
Deep Purple did a version of Bird Has Flown with Gillan and Glover. I am not sure what if any cd it is on but I have it on a vinyl single with Grabsplatter as a second track. Also, when Gillan and Glover first joined the band they played Mandrake Root live until they had enough new material. They have some interesting ideas but I’m not sold on all of them. If you want to cover a track from the Shades album, the obvious choice is Love Help Me. That song really rocks and I would love to hear it played live. I don’t know how many more live shows there are left but I hope they record and release as many as possible. Happy Holidays To All!
December 25th, 2021 at 20:41Interesting observations from these two chaps. I don’t mind these two, have seen them before. Cover albums or songs for that matter, an individuals take on what is a decent cover? It is never ending, each to their own as we say. Don’t agree with the other Purple lineups covers concept though, I know where he is coming from with his suggestions but why would they (Purple) bother, especially Gillan. The other guy & his choices, well I could not see Purple covering Kansas & their almighty Carry on Wayward Son. Vocally I mean, too different for Gillan that one. Horses for courses. I agree with the two chaps on Rush & their ordinary covers album years ago, very bland indeed. Cheers.
December 26th, 2021 at 05:34I kind of like the idea of Purple covering old non Mk:II songs. Gillan singing old Rod Evans and Coverdale stuff and end it with a blast by doing a new great version of the old Mk:II song “Cry free” that never made it to the “In Rock” album.
December 26th, 2021 at 12:25Maybe Gillan would even do a better version of the Coverdale stuff than Coverdale himself… But if not..it would still be fun listening to instead of a bunch of old songs from the 60:s thats already been covered a hundred times.
They are obviously dreaming🙄 ahhhh to be smarter than Gillan, Glover and even Ezrin must be a burden…..
December 26th, 2021 at 12:46Gillan would wince if he had to sing Coverdale’s lyrics. DC’s vocabulary is so limited compared to his (plus mono-themed and without wit), it’s really like asking Benedict Cumberbatch to play Steven Seagal parts. When Ian writes about an alluring woman he met, he turns it into a short story like Mitzi Dupree, when David does the same, the outcome is, uhum, Kitten’s Got Claws, you decide what’s better, I actually have. “G string tuned to A” alright.
But I like Pete Pardo (Sea of Tranquility) for the simple fact that he’s extremely well-versed in DP for a Yank. You don’t find that often. Heck, he even knows his Status Quo. And even if he doesn’t like something, he doesn’t pan it in a mean way. I like Turning to Crime, but I can understand someone who says: “This is not really how I want to hear DP.” An acceptable opinion.
Re DP covering DP: I’m wary of band’s re-recordings of their older material, I’ve never heard the old stuff bettered. You can’t mimic youth or a sense of urgency and excitement, which is very often what makes the older recordings stand out. Plus, in general I think that no particular DP line-up was hugely adept at playing the material from other line-ups. Neither by staying faithful to the original or adding something new. Mk II couldn’t really capture Mk I’s sound, Mk III played Mk II material – with the exception of SOTW – with a careful sloppiness bordering on disdain. Bolin (a very original artist in his own right) couldn’t emulate anyone to save his life. DP Mk V dabbled with Mk II material and Burn, but frankly were best at their own S&M stuff. And let’s not even talk about Rod Evan’s attempts at Mk II and III material with his Deep Bogus outfit!
Mk VII and VIII have by necessity the longest experience playing Mk II material and do it best (having 4/5 or 3/5 of Mk II with you helps of course!), they do that well if you are willing to accept that Steve sounds nothing like Ritchie nor tries (nor should try).
But, frankly, just like DC couldn’t pull off IG convincingly, IG doing Burn, Mistreated or Stormbringer would have me cracking up with laughter. I still remember Paul Rodgers doing Queen songs (an ill-advised move if there ever was one); I for one didn’t buy it and not because he missed any notes either. But he couldn’t transport the essence of Queen’s lyrics at all.
December 27th, 2021 at 00:20Guys had a good time and did a good job at Covid era. And fans got a nice Christmas present. TTC is easy to listen to and good concept. 1-4 Introductory rockers, central as a surprise musical breadth, and last two songs titles “rock finale”.
December 27th, 2021 at 07:20I think songs “7 And 7 Is” and “Jenny Take a Ride!” would fit in well on the concert setlist .
What? Whaaaaat?!! Young Blood? Razzamanazz? Rock ‘n’ Roll Doctor? Sorry, that’s NOT gonna blow me away. Think I prefer the chaps’ choices, even the rather silly Battle of New Orleans. Really don’t get these suggestions or why we would want these songs to be covered. Slow Dancer? Really?
December 27th, 2021 at 17:41@2. Here’s a live “Bird Has Flown”, obviously with Gillan and presumably therefore with Glover too: https://youtu.be/6lbCDXjEJJM. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gillan does a much better job than Rod Evans.
December 28th, 2021 at 01:37I really like The Battle of New Orleans, puts a smile on my face when I hear Roger sing the first verse by himself. It might not be DP as we know it, but, heck, it’s fun.
If you lived in Germany in 1972/73, you were bound to be VERY familiar with that song, it was – slightly rewritten – a huge hit for these guys and I wouldn’t be surprised if Purple themselves heard it on one of their many German tours on the radio around that time – it was everywhere (spot the man who came near to replacing IG and later on guested on Roger Glover solo outings in the melee on stage!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKrCmj22XUo
December 28th, 2021 at 04:10Uwe, I agree with your comments. Regarding a band covering themselves so to speak, I did buy Tull’s Christmas album when it was released back in the early 2000’s. Mainly for the new songs on it, but it also contained various re recordings of their 70’s & 80’s Christmas themed songs, I was suspect as to why Ian Anderson would want to do that. And I was right, you cannot get near the original ‘younger’ versions of past classics. it sounds a little tame, for want of a better description. Too lame especially with Anderson’s vocal issues, but also the energy & drama of classic Tull is just not there.
December 28th, 2021 at 04:43Regarding Paul Rodgers, a fine rock ‘n blues singer, thankfully I have managed to not hear any of his ‘Queen’ interpretations as yet & never intend to. I cannot imagine his vocal take on trying to sing Mercury etc. If I can just get through this life without having to sully my ears with that, I will feel fine. Cheers.
@9.
Yes, that’s the same version I have. Thanks for making that available. They did a great job with that one.
December 28th, 2021 at 13:09Andrew @9: There is no doubt that in 1969 a young IG could sing circles around Rod Evans, that is why the former got the latter’s job. Ian had unmatched elasticity in his amazing range. Mk II’s versions of Bird Has Flown, Hush, Mandrake Root and Kentucky Woman (which they did too for a little while) were therefore anything but bad …
…yet they lacked Mk I’s charm! That first DP line-up was a strange animal, quaintly anachronistic even in 1968. Not really prog, not really rock, not really pop, quite a bit psychedelic really. Rod (though never a rock singer, but a late 50ies/ early 60ies style crooner) wasn’t solely to blame for fledgling DP being sonically behind the times: Derek Lawrence’s armchair production style, their outfits, the focus on covers and the “Vanilla Fudge minus the groove”-approach to slightly lumbering and somewhat stiff arrangements all contributed to that.
Mk I to me is time capsule music – anything the late Beatles did sounds vastly more modern/timeless/current, but the music of a Joe Meek session man plus various Artwoods-, Maze- and Johnny Kidd ex-members (all of them firmly entrenched in early 60ies style music) had a naive charm to it not easily replicated.
December 28th, 2021 at 13:12There is one thing Rod Evans did not do & that was over sing or to put it mildly, scream & shout all over those MK1 songs. Gillan is rather annoying covering those back in the day, embarrassing also. Evans was suited to MK 1 for what they were doing at the time, however as we know it was never going to last. It is a very good band though & a decent start to their careers. Lord & Blackmore & Paice were already sowing the seeds, Jon Lord was particularly creative throughout the MK 1 period. Cheers
December 28th, 2021 at 20:14Turning to crime: love it!!! Best thing since perpendicular!!!!!
January 8th, 2022 at 17:45je viens d’écouter l’album en entier et le moins que l’on puisse dire c’est que cela ressemble à de la musique de variété…. vous enlevez le nom du groupe et vous êtes incapable de deviner! bref j’ai fait un achat pour rien car j’ai déjà eu du mal à l’écouter en entier mais je ne l’écouterai surement plus jamais!!!
January 11th, 2022 at 11:10