Thirtynine Years of Deep Purple

by Hugh Gilmour
from the booklet of:
deep purple 30:
very best of

and a few word fills
of Karlheinz Damerow

There were three bands, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and of course, Deep Purple. Those three bands were the coolest (or uncoolest, depending on the decade you were listening to them) for you, your older brother, or maybe even your father to name drop.

All three have a suitably colourful history worthy of investigaiting, but where Zeppelin and Sabbath managed to maintain a relatively stable line-up throughout their seventies hey day, Deep Purple's chequered career, and many line-up changes is worthy of it's very own lengthy soap opera, let alone a feature length movie.

All three were British, had paid their dues by constant and relentless gigging and became the biggest concert draws on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Birth Of Deep Purple

Where Zeppelin and Sabbath seemingly appeared fully formed with their own identifiable sound intact at birth with their debut albums (hey, both bands had accusations of dabbling with the occult, resulting in some sort of Faustian found success) Deep Purple's origins are somewhat less tidy.

Originally the band was intended to be a project formed around Chris Curtis, managed and financed by Tony Edwards. Chris Curtis had been the singing drummer with The Searchers, a band that had been part of the mid 60s Merseybeat boom, and at one time, the only serious rival to the Beatles.

But as their contemporaries found fame and fortune in the States, The Searchers maintained a very low profile outside of Europe.

The first musician to join Curtis was a keyboard player by the name of Jon Lord. Lord was living in a flat in Fulham's Gunter Grove in 1967, where Curtis had found some temporary lodgings.

The flat had become home to several musicians, including Denny Laine, then of the Moody Blues and later Paul McCartney's Wings. Lord's musical career had seen him record with the Artwoods, a band fronted by Arthur Wood, Ronnie Wood's older brother.

After the Artwoods split up, he joined The Flowerpot Men, sharing a line-up with bass guitarist Nick Simper. Lord found the offer to join Chris Curtis' new band very attractive, financially backed by Tony Edwards, who had recently been joined by business partner John Coletta.

They needed a guitarist, and an offer was made to Ritchie Blackmore. Blackmore, then a resident of Hamburg's notorious Reeperbahn district, with his buxom blonde, future german wife, Babs, hardly jumped at the offer.

After seven years playing professionally at Clubs between London and Germany, with Screaming Lord Sutch's Savages, The Outlaws and Neil Christian's Crusaders, Blackmore had consolidated a reputation as not just one of the best session guitarists, like his contemporary Jimmy Page, but as solid live peformer.

Blackmore had also found that playing guitar was not the short cut to wealth and fame that may have made a career in music initially more attractive.

Edwards and Coletta were convinced to pay for Blackmore's fare from Germany. Eventually he accepted the offer, and installed in their Gunter Grove flat began rehearsing a selection of numbers such as the Beatles "Strawberry Fields...", The Supremes "You Keep Me Hanging On", a song which had recently been a hit for the American band Vanilla Fudge, a group that were an undeniable influence on the early Purple, and an original song from Blackmore, "And The Address", which eventually appeared on the first album.

But this was a short lived combo, as Blackmore returned to Hamburg, and Lord saw a little more short term security with The Flowerpot Men, following them to Munich.

Chris Curtis disappeared from the story, taking his unconventional ideas about forming a band with him (he didn't think a band needed a bass player, and was keen for the group to perform on a revolving stage).

1968-1969

Ritchie Blackmore, who was impressed by the keyboard player's virtuosity as a Flower Pot Man, was still keen to form a group with Jon Lord, the pair regrouping in February 1968, at Deeves Hall, near St. Albans, at Edwards and Coletta's expense, and began auditions for a band whose working name was Roundabout.

At Ritchie Blackmore's suggestion the pair were joined by drummer Bobby Woodman-Clarke, and placed adverts in Melody Maker, promising a weekly wage of £25. They even considered a young Rod Stewart, but didn't feel he would make the grade.

Of the many applicants, the most hopeful was a singer called Mick Angus. This embryonic incarnation of Roundabout/Deep Purple was completed by Nick Simper, bass guitarist with Jon Lord's The Artwoods. Simper had suggested Javelins singer Ian Gillan as contender for the microphone, but Gillan was reluctant to leave his band Episode Six.

After returning to Slough and confident that his status in the band was assured, Mick Angus excitedly told his best friends Ian Paice and Rod Evans, drummer and singer respectively in local group The Maze, about the group he had just joined.

In turn, Rod Evans answered the Melody Maker advert, gained an audition for the group, and secured the job of lead singer instead.

Blackmore had seen The Maze perform in Germany, and had been very impressed with their young drummer. During one of Bobby Woodman-Clarke's many trips to London to stock up on Gitane cigarettes, an audition was arranged for Ian Paice. It became very quickly apparent that Paice was the man for the job, and Bobby was informed his services were no longer required.

Deep Purple's first line-up, mark 1, was complete:

Ritchie Blackmore on Guitar,
vocalist Rod Evans,
Nick Simper on bass,
Jon Lord on keyboards and
Ian Paice on drums
.

The latter pair would remain the only stable core of the group throughout their history.

On a wage of £25 a week, the new band started to rehearse a set that would make up the bulk of their first album, convinced that Deeves Hall was haunted, although most of the supernatural activity can be attributed to Ritchie Blackmore's pranks.

Their repertoire featured covers such as The Beatles 'Help', Skip James 'I'm So Glad', that had also been covered by Cream, Joe South's 'Hush', and 'Hey Joe', which had provided Jimi Hendrix with his first hit a year earlier.

The selection was hardly ground breaking or original in choice or direction, but the inclusion of 'Mandrake Root' a Blackmore original that was to become the guitarist's live centrepiece on tours to come, gave a hint to Purple's future' direction.

One important ally in the bands earliest days, was gaining the support of freelance record producer Derek Lawrence, a contact made by Blackmore who had known Lawrence from his days as a member of The Outlaws.

Lawrence was instrumental in the bands early development, introducing them to Ben Nisbet, the head of Feldman's music publishers, who in turn introduced the fledgling band to American multimedia label Tetragrammaton, signing the band for North America and Japan.

Derek Lawrence, who produced their first three albums, was also responsible for helping to secure the band's contact with EMI for the UK, Europe, and the rest of the world, excluding the territories covered by Tetragrammaton. Edwards and Coletta were glad, just to have a record deal.

The band, still billed as Roundabout, made their live debut in Tastrup, Denmark on 20th April 1968, the first date on an eleven date, seventeen-day tour of Scandinavia.

The tour was a moderate success, and the band returned to the UK resolved to come up with a new name. Orpheus was considered for a while, as well as Fire and Concrete God, but it was Ritchie's suggestion of Deep Purple that stuck, a song that was his grandmothers favourite, and had originally been recorded by Bing Crosby.

Aided by Derek Lawrence, the band recorded their debut album, 'Shades 0f Deep Purple' in two days, entering Pye Studios near Marble Arch on Saturday 11th May. The album was mixed the following Monday. 'Shades 0f Deep Purple' was released in July 1968 Stateside, but not until September in the UK.

It is very much of its time, not least for the sleeve photo of the band, resplendent in their back-combed bouffant hair and Edwardian dandy finery, recently purchased from Mr Fish. However the album has a certain charm and is an accurate snap shot of Deep Purple in 1968. The band were keen to make 'Help' their debut single, but Tetragrammaton were keen to release their cover of 'Hush'.

It was a wise choice, as the song saw the band rise to the number four spot of the American chart, with the album making a very respectable twenty four in the Billboard Hot 100. Both single and album flopped in their home country, and when the band made a public appearance in the UK in the wake of their US success, it was assumed they were a lightweight American pop act, often boo-ed off stages.

'Hush' had a Hammond organ driven groove that wouldn't sound out of place on a Charlatans record, and Kula Shaker's take on the song has rekindled interest in this over looked version by Deep Purple.

Capitalising on the success of the first record, a second album, 'Book Of Taliesyn', was recorded before their first visit to the United States, where they played support on Cream's farewell tour, performing their debut at the Los Angeles Forum on 16th October, followed swiftly by their second album (which wasn't released for another eight months in their home territory).

After living in bedsits in England, the relative opulence they enjoyed in America, courtesy of their rather extravagant record label, came as a welcome relief, and their hard work seemed to be paying off.

The band seemed to move without any real direction or focus, releasing another cover for the next single, this time a version of Neil Diamond's 'Kentucky Woman', providing their second US hit. The then little known Diamond was grateful for the exposure.

It was the album track 'Wring That Neck' (which also surfaced as the B side of the single 'Emmaretta') that showed where Ritchie Blackmore's true direction led, and a track that was incorporated into the band's set well after Evans and Simper's departure from the ranks. An ill advised cover of 'River Deep Mountain High' failed to become a hit.

They returned to the UK and in order to generate some much needed income began a steady regime of heavy touring, particularly in Germany where greater fees could be commanded, Tetragrammaton delayed paying the group desperately needed royalties, as they were in severe financial trouble, with debts of more than $2,000,000.

The company, and rights to it's catalogue of artists, were eventually bought out by Warner Brothers before the company could file for bankruptcy, Deep Purple had more urgent concerns within the ranks.

Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore were more than happy with each others playing, and rated the young Ian Paice very highly as a drummer, but felt that Nick Simper's traditional, rock 'n' roll style of bass playing didn't fit the more heavy direct approach they wanted to take.

Likewise, Rod Evans' Elvis like croon suited ballads and standards perfectly, but made the band appear a little like a cabaret act, and not the progressive rock band Lord and Blackmore wanted to project. Mick Underwood, Ritchie's drumming pal from The Outlaws, and much later drummer for Gillan in the early eighties, recommended he check out the relatively unknown Ian Gillan, then fronting Episode Six.

1969 was the year that Led Zeppelin's second album went ballistic, and heralded the era of the hard rock supergroup. Zeppelin's Jimmy Page had followed a very similar path to that of Blackmore's, making himself one of London's most sought after session guitarists, before joining a disintegrating Yardbirds, The same year the Yardbirds collapsed Jimmy had plucked Robert Plant from obscurity, and seemingly overnight gone from playing pubs like the Toby Jug in Tolworth, to stadium tours of America.

Wailing, harmonically distorted guitars driven by thumping drums were the order of the day, and what the youth on both sides of the Atlantic were taking to their hearts, all of which was topped off by a good looking, screaming singer.

Ian Gillan seemed like the ideal candidate for the job, Gillan was initially reluctant to let down his band mates in Episode Six, as he had invested a lot in that band, but with very little to show for it. When Ian Gillan went along to see Jon Lord, he convinced his friend and Episode Six bassist Roger Glover to join him, and show Lord some of his ideas.

To Glover's surprise, Lord was very receptive to what he had to offer musically, and made the young Glover an offer to join Deep Purple on a session basis. Glover was reluctant, knowing that the departure of two crucial members would undoubtedly signal the end of Episode Six.

Purple's management agreed to settle out of court for £3000 with Episode Six manager Gloria Bristow, money which was used to fund a new band, Quatermass, featuring Mick Underwood on drums, in the wake of Episode Six's demise. The fresh line-up commenced rehearsing at Central London's Hanwell Community Centre. All of this was of course done in secret, as NickSimper and Rod Evans had no knowledge of what was going on. The fear was that if they knew of the plans that were taking place behind their backs they would not unreasonably just walk away from the touring and recording commitments already scheduled.

A third and last album from this incarnation, the eponymous 'Deep Purple' was recorded and released, seemingly unnoticed. It was the poorest chart placing in America so far, and it certainly didn't bother any UK chart compilers, and now featured a virtually defunct version of the group. The most Interesting aspect of the album was the Hieronymous Bosch painting that graced its sleeve.

Deep Purple played their last gig with Rod Evans and Nick Simper on 4th July 1969 at the Top Rank in Cardiff, the band's fee being £150for the night. Three weeks earlier, the new Deep Purple featuring Gillan and Glover had made their first recording together, 'Hallelujah', which was released as a single In July. Deep Purple mark 2 made their live debut at the Speakeasy Club in London on 10th July that year.

In the meantime, Gillan and Glover were rehearsing with Purple by day, and fulfilling their gigging commitments with Episode Six by night, whilst Purple played their last dates with Simper and Evans. Fresh and revitalised, a lot of the material that would eventually make up the bulk of 'Deep Purple in Rock' was conceived in Hanwell Community Centre, such as 'Speed King', a riff that Roger Glover brought to the band who, with Blackmore, became a driving force in Purple's heavier direction.

For the next four years, Deep Purple mark 2 featuring

Ian Gillan's voice,
Roger Glover's bass guitar with
Blackmore,
Lord and
Paice
,

would provide Purple with the most stable line-up of its (in 2003) thirtyfive year career, and lay the foundation for Deep Purple's future wealth, legend and legacy. Deep Purple were still a virtually unknown quantity in their home country, which gave them the luxury of a fresh start with an audience who had little preconceived ideas about what Deep Purple were about, unlike America, where their profile had sunk considerably.

It was agreed that Purple should concentrate on Europe, especially Britain, beginning a pattern for a punishing touring schedule that took them to every ballroom, club or college that would take them.

In September Jon Lord was granted the opportunity to realise a dream when Deep Purple staged a 'Concerto for Group and Orchestra' at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Blackmore, who has never denied his love of fusing classical with rock music, was initially sceptical of the whole event, understandably keen to record and release the hard rock album the quintet had been brewing in rehearsals and on the road in the latter half of 1969, but the much needed exposure was welcome, and would dispel any notion that Deep Purple were a pop cover version band.

This was the era of the prog rock band, and the hippest artists of the day, be it Keith Emerson of The Nice, then ELP, King Crimson or Yes, happily blended a traditional rock format with classical themes. Without doubt this was the audience Purple wanted a piece of, a more mature audience whose chosen medium to listen to music was the live concert or the long playing record.

The televised event, featuring a 110 piece orchestra and conducted by Malcolm Arnold, was successful in raising Purple's UK profile, even if the audience seemed unsure how to react to the music in the salubrious confines of The Royal Albert Hall. It did lead to some confusion in future bookings, when agents and promoters asked when their orchestra would arrive!

The band returned to a heavy schedule of gigging and recording what would become the first of many hard rock classics.

1970 -1973

June 1970 proved to be a watershed in Deep Purple's history. Produced partly by the band themselves, they were aided by a young engineer called Martin Birch, who had worked as an assistant tape operator on their earliest recordings.

'Deep Purple In Rock' was the true turning point in their careerr entering the charts at twenty-seven and peaking at number four in the UK hit parade, their first domestic chart placing, remaining on the charts for a year. They had built a solid grass-roots following from their constant touring, ensuring a solid fan base before they released their first mark 2 record.

Every track is a classic, from the storming intro to 'Speed King' (edited out of the US version!), through 'Bloodsucker' (resurrected on Purple's 1998 'Abandon' album), Ian Gillan's centrepiece 'Child In Time' and finishing with 'Hard Lovin Woman'.

The Lyrics to 'Speed King' were misinterpreted, paricularly in the States, as singing the praises of amphetamines, when the song is much more innocently trying to capture the vital essence and power of the music, and the enthusiasm the group felt for their new found sound. It is a testament to the strength of the album that so much of the album still features in Purple's set.

With this new found popularity came the ability to command higher concert fees. Despite the success of the album, the record company complained that "they couldn't hear a single". Like their progressive contemporaries, Purple didn't have a lot of interest in singles, and garnering an audience of screaming teeny boppers.

The band produced what they initially considered to be a bit of a throwaway composition, maybe worthy of inclusion as a B side, with a riff borrowed from Ricky Nelson's 'Summertime' and slightly silly lyrics, but 'Black Night' saw the band on Top Of The Pops rewarding them with their first UK top ten hit. lt was at this time that Deep Purple developed their quite literally fiery live reputation.

Up until this period, Ritchie Blackmore had used his cherry red Gibson 335 on both stage and in the studio, which was semi-retired in favour of his now trademark Fender Stratocaster, which he smashed to great effect at the climax of their show at the National Jazz and Blues Festival, Plumpton in August. Blackmore instructed his roadie to set light a gallon of petrol that had been poured on top of his amplifiers. An incendiary performance indeed.

'Strange Kind Of Woman' gave them their second UK hit, which coincided with their first official UK tour in February and March 1971. The song was not included on their next album, which for tax purposes was to be their last recorded in Britain.

'Fireball', the follow up to '..In Rock' remains a slightly forgotten masterpiece, sandwiched between what is unarguably Purple's two most popular releases. 'Fireball' released in September 1971, gave the band their first number one record, and helped resurrect the group's American image.

They virtually invented 'speed metal' with the title track which was released as a single shortly after the album, coupled with another album track 'Demon's Eye'. Tracks like 'Anyone's Daughter' and 'No One Came' displayed Ian Gillan's satirical lyric writing.

Ian Gillan seemed to be the only band member to show any pride in what is an otherwise very good hard rock album. A package tour with American label-mates The Faces (featuring Rod Stewart) helped no end in raising the group's US profile, not least for the fact that The Faces often appeared too wasted to put on a truly great performance.

When the band performed a triumphant concert at The Royal Albert Hall, there was no doubt as to what the band were about. The tour had to be cut short when Gillan succumbed to hepatitis, and after attempting one date as a four piece fronted by bassist Roger Glover as vocalist, the band went home.

In December the band regrouped to record what would become their most famous album, 'Machine Head', in Montreux, Switzerland, using the Rolling Stones' mobile studio, and once again with Martin Birch at the helm. The band had intended to record at The Casino, but another venue had to be found when it was burnt down by a fan with a flare gun at a Frank Zappa gig performed there.

The event inspired Purple's most famous anthem, 'Smoke On The Water' built on a riff Blackmore already had kicking around, coupled with Gillan's self-explanatory lyrics and a title supplied by Roger Glover. The album was completed at the nearby Grand Hotel.

The way the band wrote at the time was usually from a riff or jam session supplied by Ritchie or Roger, which in turn would be polished by Jon Lord and Ian Paice, and finally Ian Gillan supplied a set of lyrics, sometimes aided by Roger Glover. It was agreed that the publishing royalties would be split five ways, so no one member benefited more financially or otherwise from sales etc.

As well as 'Smoke On The Water', 'Machine Head' provided the band with future stage favourites and staples such as 'Highway Star', which became their show opener, 'Space Truckin' and 'Lazy'. 'Never Before' was made available as a single, adding a nonalbum cut 'When A Blind Man Cries' to the B side.

With scarcely a break they returned to the road in January 1972. Their tour was cut short in March when Blackmore was also taken ill with hepatitis, the second member to suffer from the ailment in six months. Blackmore was later to complain that the only time the band had a break either to rest, write or produce any new ideas was when one of the band were sick.

At a crucial point for Purple, they decided to carry on, at first as a four-piece, then with Spirit's Randy California on guitar, but this proved to be a short lived line-up and the remaining bookings were cancelled. 'Machine Head' was released in the summer of 1972, topping the UK charts once again, and reaching number six in America.

Up until this point their albums had been released in Europe by EMI, initially on Parlophone, then via EMIs new progressive label, Harvest, and by Warner Brothers in The States, after Warners bought Tetragrammaton and renegotiated Purple's deal. 'Machine Head' became the first release on their own Purple Records label, distributed by EMI in the UK, with Warners adopting the Purple Records logo for their American releases.

A June performance at London's Rainbow Theatre, to coincide with the release of the new record, made it into the Guinness Book Of Records for the world's loudest concert. Three dates in Japan were recorded, initially for a Japanese only release, but the huge commercial potential of such an album lead to a worldwide release.

'Made In Japan' was made available in December 1972, the first of many official live releases, convincingly archiving the band at a commercial and creative peak and giving them another worldwide hit. The new double live LP became a blueprint for other artists about how a live rock record should be produced, capturing Deep Purple's live dexterity and dynamic performance.

What the fans were not aware of was the unhappy scenes brewing behind the mammoth record sales, as Ian Gillan had already tendered his resignation to Tony Edwards in December 1972, but was persuaded to stay in the group for the next six months in order to fulfil the still heavy touring schedule, and promote the already recorded, next studio album, 'Who Do We Think We Are'.

Abortive recording sessions had originally been made in Rome, in July 1972, but had only produced one song 'Woman From Tokyo' and some healthy tans. The album was completed in October in Frankfurt, using the Rolling Stones' mobile once again. The commercial potential of 'Woman From Tokyo' was undeniable, although the track was not made available as a single in the UK.

The endless grind of touring-recording-touring-recording without a break was taking its toll, leading to internal friction, particulariy between Blackmore and Gillan. Blackmore, who had already made tentative steps towards recording outside Purple, possibly in a new band featuring Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott, and taking Paice with him, had grown unhappy with Roger Glover, who had gradually been ostracised by the rest of the band.

Glover, who had contributed his fair share to the success of the band was understandably unhappy when he found out that Blackmore was threatening to quit the band if he wasn't fired. He couldn't understand what the guitarist had against him. Gillan had invested in Holborn's De Lane Lea Studios, and was looking forward to a break from the monster that Purple had become.

An initially shattered Glover became one of rock's most sought after producers, producing hit albums for Nazareth, Rory Gallagher and Judas Priest, and much later for Rainbow.

Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice and Blackmore gave their last performance together on 29th August 1973 in Osaka, Japan, and even posed outside their hotel for one final shot. All was silent on the Purple front until September, and a new era on their history.

1973 -1975

The remaining trio of Blackmore, Lord and Paice already had a replacement in mind for Roger Glover before they even considered finding a new singer. They had been impressed by bassist and singer Glenn Hughes as he fronted a great little three piece called 'Trapeze' playing the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles the previous December.

The British band Trapeze had enjoyed a moderate amount of Stateside success with albums such as 'Medusa' and 'You Are The Music...We're Just The Band', and subsequent gigs at London's Marquee Club convinced them that Hughes was the man for the job.

Although saddened to leave a band he had invested so much in, it was an offer he couldn't refuse. A fine singer and writer himself, Hughes insisted he should be more than just a hired hand, and wished to contribute creatively to the band's music and vocals.

Deep Purple still needed a vocalist and front man. Free's Paul Rodgers, a favourite of Ritchie's, was approached but declined the offer, and once again, ads were placed in Melody Maker.

Unsurprisingly they were deluged by Gillan clones, but one tape, apparently made at a very drunken session by a band called The Fabulosa Brothers caught Ian Paice's attention, and the tape's vocalist was invited for an audition. An extremely nervous David Coverdale, then working at a boutique in Redcar, made a trip down to London to audition for the band and their management in August.

A week later Tony Edwards informed the then unknown Coverdale that he had the job. There were serious misgivings, especially from Ritchie, as to Coverdale's suitability for the post, as he didn't feel his image was anywhere near up to scratch. Hard as it is to imagine now, this future sex symbol and MTV superstar was almost passed over as Deep Purple's new singer because he was considered too ugly!

The band returned to Montreux in November to record 'Burn', released the following February, their strongest album since 'Machine Head'.

The enthusiasm from the group's two new recruits had obviously rubbed off on the older members of the band (Lord was ten years older than his two new recruits), and a strong writing partnership developed between Blackmore and Coverdale, particularly on the show stopping blues of 'Mistreated', a song that was to feature in many post-Purple projects, and the album's only track to feature Coverdale's vocals alone.

Blackmore produced an amazing riff (borrowed from Glenn Miller!) and some of his most startling fretwork on the title track, where the concept of two lead vocalists seemed to work the best, the song becoming the band's new show opener.

'Might Just Take Your Life' was lifted as the next single in March, and a lengthy UK tour, the only one this line-up would undertake, stretched into May to support their latest hit album.

The highlight of their US tour was their notorious headline performance at the first California Jam festival on 6th Apr1974, in front of an estimated audience of 300,000 on a bill that also featured ELP, Black Sabbath and the Eagles.

The whole event was televised by ABC, performing only three numbers from the old band, 'Highway Star', 'Space Truckin' and of course 'Smoke On The Water'.

The temperamental Blackmore had to be whisked away by a helicopter at the end of the show to avoid arrest after smashing his guitar into a camera after a cameraman came a little too close to him, and then setting fire to his amps (again).

Deep Purple could now truly enjoy the fruits of their labours, enabling them the luxury to travel by private jet between shows. Maybe if they had been granted a little time to reflect on their glories, and have a break from each others space and egos, things may have been very different.

Before the end of the year, Deep Purple mark three had recorded and released a second album. Opinions remain divided on 'Stormbringer', the album Purple recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich, in August 1974 and released in December.

The title track is a Purple classic, and as strong as anything on the previous album, but it became clear how little involvement Blackmore had in the making of the record. In addition, some friction had developed between Coverdale, who was soon gaining enough confidence to lead the band and who not unreasonably claimed that he had been hired to front the band, and Glenn Hughes, who wanted more of the limelight and an equal share of the vocals.

Glenn Hughes was placated by singing 'Holy Man' alone on the new album. Time has been kinder to this latter day version of the group than it has to the first, Evans and Simper fronted incarnation of the band (Kula Shaker not withstanding), as today crosspollination in music is taken for granted, where fans happily accept their favourite bands mixing hard rock and heavy metal with dance, techno or funk. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have become a household name and chart success by blending hard rock and funk.

In 1974, when Glenn Hughes love of funk and Coverdale's favoured blues were found creeping into Deep Purple's sound, many frowned upon this new direction, not least Ritchie Blackmore. At Blackmore's suggestion, the writing credits were no longer divided equally between the five band members. One song, 'Hold On', was the first Purple original for which Blackmore didn't receive a writing credit.

'Hold On' was and is a great song, but seemed at odds alongside hard driving material like 'Speed King' or 'Highway Star'. The album finished with one of the band's most emotive ballads, 'Soldier Of Fortune', one of Blackmore and Coverdale's most enduring compositions.

Apart from 'Stormbringer's funky edge, Blackmore became disenchanted with Purple when a proposed cover of Quatermass's 'Black Sheep Of The Family' was vetoed by the rest of the band. Ritchie Blackmore decided to record the song without Purple using the remaining members of ELF, a band featuring the vocals of Ronnie James (Padavona) Dio, that had supported Purple on the last UK tour. The sessions, produced by Martin Birch, were eventually made available in 1975 as the 'Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow' album.

Deep Purple made their last live appearance with Blackmore on 7th April 1975 at the Paris Olympia. The management had the forward thinking to hire a mobile in order to record the last few shows, which were released posthumously in 1976 as 'Made In Europe' in the wake of the bands demise. In reality Jon Lord and Ian Paice would have been happy to call it a day there and then, but were convinced to find a new guitarist by the hungry Hughes and Coverdale, who had only enjoyed a brief taste of fame and fortune.

1975 - 1976

It was David Coverdale that suggested a young American, Tommy Bolin, to replace Ritchie Blackmore, after hearing his guitar work on Billy Cobham's 'Spectrum' album. He enthusiastically played the album to Jon Lord. In a 1974 guitar interview, Ritchie Blackmore had actually mentioned that Bolin was a musician worth checking out. Bolin, the first American to enter the ranks of Purple, had made his name on two albums by the James Gang, when he replaced Joe Walsh.

His work on the 'Spectrum' album brought him more kudos and the attention of his musical peers, and he had just scored a solo deal for his album 'Teaser' when he was approached to join Deep Purple: in truth, although Bolin was aware of their international success, he had very little knowledge of Purple's repertoire. Like 'Stormbringer', 'Come Taste The Band', released in December 1975, is rarely hailed as a Deep Purple classic, which is a shame as I personally think it contains some of the band's strongest material.

With the addition of Bolin, the band not only had a third great vocalist, who also made a huge contribution to the writing process, but a guitarist with a completely different and fresh approach to his predecessor. 'Comin' Home' and 'Gettin' Tighter' were uptempo rockers that fitted perfectly into their new live set, which even included 'Wild Dogs' as well as other selections from Bolin's solo album.

Problems only arose when Deep Purple mark four took to the road, as it became apparent that Tommy Bolin was a drug addict. Drugs had never played a part in Deep Purple's colourful history, as one cannot imagine Ritchie Blackmore or Jon Lord putting up with a belligerent drummer or surly singer too stoned or wired to perform.

Deep Purple concerts became largely inconsistent affairs, depending on the state of the health of their new guitarist. Hughes was also beginning a similar battle with drugs, particularly cocaine. A recording of the group made in Tokyo on 15th December 1975, that was eventually released as 'Last Concert In Japan' in 1977, remains a sad but realistic epitaph of how poor some of the shows by the last line-up could be.

In contrast, some of the American shows were capable of producing some of the old Purple magic, as some of the unofficial live releases of the period will testify, demonstrating what all the fuss was about. Deep Purple made their last live appearance at the Liverpool Empire theatre on 15th March 1976, at the end of a short UK tour.

The personal habits of both Glenn and Tommy had encroached upon the band's performances throughout the last tour, which not unreasonably annoyed the other three. They decided it was time to call it a day. Purple Records released 'You Keep On Moving', the track that moodily closes the album, on 12thMarch 1976. It seemed like a fitting coda to the bands tumultuous career.

1976 - 1984

No official statement was made immediately, but Bolin made it clear he was available if there was to be a new Deep Purple album. He put together a touring band and released a second solo album, 'Private Eyes'. Very sadly Tommy died of a heroin overdose in a Miami hotel room on 4th December 1976, after supporting Jeff Beck.

David Coverdale made two solo albums before forming Whitesnake, named after his first solo album, and eventually enlisted the talents of both Jon Lord and Ian Paice, becoming a hugely successful international act. After a short solo career, Glenn Hughes teamed up with Pat Thrall, before a short-lived and ill fated collaboration with Tony lommi's Black Sabbath, before resuming his solo career.

In August 1980 Rod Evans fronted the very sad "New Deep Purple featuring Rod Evans" at the Long Beach Arena, backed up by a host of sessionmen. Apart from two obscure albums by Captain Beyond, little more has been heard from the singer. Nick Simper recorded two Warhorse albums for Vertigo. Before leaving Purple, Gillan had already recorded the part of Jesus on Jesus Christ Superstar, after Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber had been impressed with his vocal performance on 'Child In Time'.

After Purple, Gillan flirted with jazz rock with the Ian Gillan Band, but found greater popularity fronting Gillan, producing a handful of good heavy rock singles and albums, before disbanding his group in favour of fronting Black Sabbath in 1983.

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow went from strength to strength, at first with Ronnie James Dio, finally making a commercial break through initially with Graham Bonnet, then with Fandango's Joe Lynn Turner.

Roger Glover became a very successful and sought after producer, which led him back into contact with Blackmore, eventually becoming Rainbow's bassist as well as producer, giving them a run of hit albums.

All of Purple's off-shoot groups attained a degree of success in the wake of the bands split, but all traded in some way or other on Deep Purple's legacy and legend, incorporating different tracks into their own repertoire.

Ian Gillan even made Black Sabbath perform 'Smoke On The Water'. Interest was maintained as EMI continued to release tracks from the vaults as singles, and re-issues of the bands catalogue continued to sell. A compilation, 'Deepest Purple' became a chart album in 1980.

1984 - 1988

Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice had all enjoyed a level of success in their respective bands, but none had truly achieved alone what the five had produced together as Deep Purple.

In 1984 it was announced that the classic mark two version of Deep Purple were reuniting to record a new album for Polydor (Rainbow's label) and intended to carry on where 'Machine Head' left off. The album 'Perfect Strangers' was released in November, and no one could deny the sheer strength and quality of songs like 'Knocking At Your Back Door' or the title track, all driven with a new sense of enthusiasm and commitment by its members.

The album was inevitably followed by a hefty tour, but UK fans had to wait until 22nd June 1985 before they could see their heroes in the flesh, and then only one date, at the resurrected Knebworth Festival. As the rain turned the chosen venue into a quagmire, the gig can hardly be described as a highlight of their live career.

Their next album, 'House Of Blue light', its title taken from a line in the song 'Speed King', was released in January 1987. A short UK tour did a little to placate Purple hungry fans, who felt a little short changed when Ritchie Blackmore refused to join his four bandmates for an encore of 'Smoke On The Water' at Wembley Arena that year. Obviously internal band rivalries were surfacing once again. Another live album 'Nobody's Perfect' was released, strangely including a new version of their first hit 'Hush', which was made available as a single.

The 90's

The 1990's proved that the tension and strife that Deep Purple had apparently thrived upon throughout their career was no less apparent as Purple entered their fourth decade. Gillan announced he was leaving to pick up his solo career, and was to be replaced by Rainbow's Joe Lynn Turner.

Turner is without doubt a fine, soulful rock singer, and was perfect for fronting the US-radio-friendly latter-day Rainbow, but never truly fitted into THE ENGLISH GENTLEMEN'S CLUB THAT IS DEEP PURPLE, even if it meant, the band was free, to include Coverdale era material and even snatches of Rainbow that Gillan would've objected to singing.

'Slaves And Masters', Purple's 1991 album for RCA/BMG featuring Turner, had a luke warm reception, even if the band were proud of what they had produced from which 'King Of Dreams' is taken. None the less they recorded two tracks with Turner, whose vocal tracks were eventually erased in favour of a re-instated Ian Gillan for 1993's 'The Battle Rages On', in time for their 25th anniversary tour.

Despite a triumphant gig at Brixton Academy, once again Blackmore incredulously announced his departure from the band, giving his (very?) last performance with Purple in Helsinki on 17th November 1993. Blackmore claimed he had had enough and could no longer work with Ian Gillan, no longer wishing to go on stage under that sort of atmosphere any longer. He eventually put together a new band under the name of Rainbow, even though on his departure from Purple a couple of years earlier he said he had no intention of using the name. This last Blackmore tour is commemorated by a live video, filmed in Birmingham, and another live album, 'Come Hell Or High Water'.

Initially Joe Satriani was drafted in to fulfil their tour schedule, before finding a more permanent replacement in the highly respected us-american maestro Steve Morse.

Purple featuring the talents of Steve Morse, released 'Purpendicular', including the track 'Ted The Mechanic' in 1996, finding time to release another live album to celebrate their new line-up with 'Live At The Olympia' in 1997, followed by 'Abandon' in 1998, their 17th studio album from which 'Any Fule Kno That' is taken.

Although no one would rule out a reunion with temperamental guitar genius Ritchie Blackmore, the band as a whole are happier recording and performing together more than ever, proving to be a more cohesive unit.

2000-2001

John Lord ist am Knie verletzt: Don Airey springt für ihn ein (er arbeitete zusammen mit Cozy Powell's band Hammer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gary Moore, Phil Lynott, Colosseum II, Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Oz, Whitesnake, Jethro Tull, Brian May, Tony Iommi, Katrina & the Waves, Joe Satriani ... und viele eigene Projekte...).

Don auf seiner Internet-Seite: "Don came to Purple’s rescue mid 2001 to help out for an injured Jon Lord, who has since retired, with Don recording the new album with Deep Purple as the band’s permanent keyboard player."

"The thought crossed my mind a few years ago 'If Jon retired...?.... Naaaah ....... They'd never ask me'. So when he did and they did, I jumped at the chance and it exceeded my expectations from the first number I played with them, Woman from Tokyo, at the Skanderborg Festival in 2001.

Touring Russia and the US last year was a highlight and recording a new album with the band in Royaltone Studios LA, January 2003, the sort of experience I thought I'd said goobye to years ago - Long may it continue!"

Don has joined the legendary band on a full time basis since January 2003. Don lives in British South-West Cambridgeshire, with his wife Doris, and their three children, where he runs his own pre-production and project studio...

Seit Januar 2003 ist er offizieller keyboardist bei Deep Purple. Mit ihm entsteht die neue CD 'bananas', kein Kracher, aber: eine erneute Steigerung der Musikalität (hi: Steve Morse!) und: Deep Purple haben neben dem Mann an den schmalen Frets auch an den Tasten einen, der Deep Purple spielen kann und, der Band ebenso dienlich wie sie bereichernd, offenhörlich und offensichtlich, begeistert will!


Roger
Don
Ian
Steve
Ian
Glover
Airey
Gillan
Morse
Paice

http://www.rocklineradio.com/

Wednesday - November 16, 2005

The well of creativity is Deep and the water is shaded a Purple hue. A scant two years after releasing their highly regarded and positively received "Bananas", Deep Purple is back with another collection of songs at once new and inventive, yet classic in texture and tone.

The eleven songs on "Rapture of the Deep" display the bands vision for this millennium while simultaneously paying homage to their storied thirty-seven year history.

Solid songwriting and performances from top to bottom on this newest effort highlight the fact that the current line up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Steve Morse and Don Airey have fulfilled their potential and rank right at the top of all Purple incarnations.

"Rapture of the Deep" finds the venerable band working with a new label (Eagle Rock) surrounded by those who understand their past and, more importantly, their present. Genuine excitement is difficult to manufacture. Fraud and fakery are transparent upon review, and this is an album that commands respect.

Deep Purple deserves fresh energy and integrity to support them and, rightfully so, they're getting it because they deliver the goods yet again. From the opening growl of the first song "Money Talks" through the exquisite beauty of "Clearly Quite Absurd", into the acerbic "MTV", capped off by the politically insightful and theologically provocative "Before Time Began", including all stops in between, this is not only vintage Deep Purple, this is modern day instantly classic Rock. What an album!

For those who say, great Rock music has seen its day, listen carefully to these eleven by these five.

For those who say great new music can't be heard in today's media, listen to this upcoming ROCKLINE as we present an evening with Deep Purple!

Congratulation (US-!) Rocklineradio!

Once again this classic band are taking to the road to generate the sort of dynamic power that sets us and all coming generations of fans of Fine Rock Music on fire:

Because "wailing, harmonically distorted guitars driven by thumping drums is what we are still taking to our hearts!" And, "For those who say, great Rock music has seen its day, listen carefully to these ... five."

DEEP PURPLE

rock on......

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