![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/mcbride3.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/airey3.jpg)
That all-so-important heart and soul
Blues Rock Review (somewhat belatedly) reviews Simon McBride’s Recordings 2020 – 2025 that came out a few months ago.
While hype around this collection of personal tracks (a original material and covers) has been very much hush hush (Deep Purple pun intended), it’s an exciting and intriguing glimpse into McBride’s accomplished, passionate, and versatile guitar playing,
The reincarnations on this LP are certainly a tick for the latter, with the Belfash native taking a straight ahead rock approach to songs by the likes of Free, Duran Duran, and…..Bill Withers. Funnily enough, it’s the Withers cover “Grandma’s Hands” (originally recorded by Bill Withers) that’s the biggest triumph. McBride’s hands and creativity bring funk, groove, and bluesy lines, without pumping out that all-so-important heart and soul.
Read more in Blues Rock Review.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
I had the CD in my car for a while and its the kind of music pleasant to drive to. Not earth-shattering, not a reinvention of rock’n’roll and blues, just pleasant and well-recorded and produced, both the covers and the own stuff. I like his voice and I wish they’d do more with it within DP. Simon is no Glenn Hughes (Don’t worry, I hear the catcalls: “So much the better, Uwe!” 😁), but he could take a little burden of Big Ian’s shoulders (and vocal cords) and bring in some harmony singing in DP – it’s not like there is a law stipulating that DP can’t have harmony vocals live! Roger and Steve never could do them proper, but Simon just might.
June 17th, 2025 at 03:47Yes.. Simon is so much better than GH Uwe!! LOL!!!
June 17th, 2025 at 14:15@1
Oh noooo no no no Uwe:
“but he could take a little burden of Big Ian’s shoulders (and vocal cords) and bring in some harmony singing in DP “
I am so sorry, I really am sorry, your ears must be in severe danger!
Has the ladylove of your life yelled too much in your ears?
“UWE, GET UP AND GET MOVING….”etc!
You cannot be serious!
Simon McB is an alright guitarist (oui, Francis, ce n’est pas Ritchie Blackmore, mais il va bien, non ?😉) but a singer he is not…
June 17th, 2025 at 16:00His voice sure is a lot better than Gary Moore’s (luckily, he only took the latter’s guitar playing as an inspiration) though that is not saying much.
He also sings better than Don, Little Ian and Roger which makes him the second-best singer in the current line-up – duh!
Simon has a perfectly serviceable blues rock voice, he doesn’t have to be in Ian’s league to enhance the music with some backing vocals. Keith Richards can’t sing like Mick Jagger either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieVcQTiUMFI
He also plays lustige, faintly familiar introductions …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGMTdDYwKho
June 17th, 2025 at 23:37@4
Duh!
Well I am poor so I only know DU!
If you have som Hs left I could join ya 😂
Uwe, because he sings better than the 3 other guys doesn’t automatically means he is a good enough singer to come up against Ian!
Ohhh man…..😆
June 18th, 2025 at 07:01Where did you get the idea from that someone delivering good backing vocals needs to have a voice as good as the lead singer? I just think that IG could use some support then and now and that DP’s total lack of backing vocals outside of Mk III + IV was never a particular strength of theirs. I’m not saying they should turn into Uriah Heep or Queen and have stacked vocal arrangements. But I did witness once that Simon sang harmony (not unison) on the SOTW chorus with IG – I think it was a spur of the moment thing – and it sounded great.
June 18th, 2025 at 12:15@6
– which reminds me that you once promised me that I could hear YOU sing!
When?
June 18th, 2025 at 15:28@6
Well Uwe, if it was me who was singing as beautifully as Ian, I would really like another singer to be almost as good as me, not several levels under me!
But maybe it’s just me who can’t accept the fact that my favourite singer may stop within a few years 🥺
June 18th, 2025 at 16:09