DEEP PURPLE DIGEST #60
233 subscribers and counting...
In this issue:
A word from the Editor...
Bolin & Friends at Ebbets Field
Slaves and Masters
Captain Beyond
Fireball Intro
Aussie Live
Can we get Blackmore and Dio back together?
Can we get Blackmore and Dio back together? #2
Box set review
Fermented Yak's Milk
Boot Answers
Can we get Blackmore and Dio back together? #3
CD for trade
Pictured Within
___________________________________________
>From the Editor, Dean Webb: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Well, I did a TON of work at the website. It's not all done yet, but
getting there! The interviews are looking good now, and I have that
Rondinelli interview posted. I also got rid of all the pop-up ads, and all
the mandatory geocities stuff is now in a banner at the bottom of the
webpage. I even fixed up some other graphics because I'm a perfectionist at
times.
One subscriber, Rob Richardson, seems to have fallen off the face of the
earth without leaving a forwarding address. If anyone knows how to reach
the guy, let me know!
Well, I'm tired (wife made turkey for supper, and I got a low tolerance for
whatever is in it that makes me fall asleep) and the list needs to get
written, so onward!
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Bolinhed(at-a-domain-named)aol.com [mailto:Bolinhed(at-a-domain-named)aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 22, 1999 10:35 PM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: Re: Deep Purple Digest #59
First of all, I was supposed to send some Purp boot CD-Rs to a guy named
Anders in Stockholm but lost his e-mail with his address. Anybody got it?!
Secondly, the new remastered TOMMY BOLIN & FRIENDS LIVE AT EBBETS FIELD
1974
is out and it is EXCELLENT. It is on Zebra/WEA in conjunction with the
Bolin
Archives; it is the same show that the Bolin people released a few years
back, but decidedly remastered, cleaner and louder and deeper, with the
addition of "Whiskey Headed Woman" also. Worth buying a second time? YES
YES
YES. It is a free-wheeling gig with Bolin and most of Energy and some extra
percussion, ripping through some blues standards with a freny that recalls
Ten years After, also playing some Cobham stuff, Mahavishnu, Tommy's own
"Homeward Strut" - as compared to Bolin's later live stuff, where he is a
bandleader, here he is just a freewheeling guitar hero. I rank this up
there
with TEASER, ZEPHYR: LIVE, Cobham's SPECTRUM, and Mouzon's MIND TRANSPLANT
as
the Bolin career Top 5 releases. Jim Sheridan
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Bryan Lewis [mailto:lewbaa(at-a-domain-named)webtv.net]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 12:26 AM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: RE: slaves and masters
{Editor's note: This is an extension of an offline discussion about SM I
had...}
you must like "fortuneteller" off this, that has to be a nod to the
stormbringer album it would seem....i like blues type DP myself, i have
played that "gypsy" song over and over again.
which i think is from stormbringer, it has coverdale singing and its not
on Burn. maybe this is why i like dont make me happy off the new album
when others dont. but evil louie is my fav song on abandon. i miss
blackmore but
a band on is incredible, better than HOBL which had been tops in my
book. bryan lewis
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Ryan Patrick Meehan [mailto:rpmeehan(at-a-domain-named)students.wisc.edu]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 12:39 AM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: Captain Beyond
Hi,
I read your review of Purple Passages in a guestbook somewhere, and I
can't tell if you're criticizing Rod Evans or praising him. At any rate,
Captain Beyond has reformed (without Evans), and they will begin touring
this summer. To find out more, just go to my website at:
http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~rpmeehan/myopicvoid.html
Thanks,
Ryan Meehan
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: dull(at-a-domain-named)indigo.ie [mailto:dull(at-a-domain-named)indigo.ie]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 6:09 AM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: Re: Fireball intro +
Hello All:)
I've been using drum machines and sequencers for 25 years now, but I
always use Fireball as a reminder of their limitations and the benefits
of human synergy. Everytime I hear this 'air conditioner' start up it
gives me goosebumps!
Gearoid
BTW, does anyone know whether Glover and Paice used a compressor keyed
from the drums to sync the bass run (slide?) after the first chorus (very
clever) or did they actually play this tightly (amazing)?
dull(at-a-domain-named)indigo.ie
{Dean "Those Boys Are Rhythm Devils!" Webb: I bet they played that tightly.
Those boys can play some good rock and roll!}
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: l.zelfde [mailto:l.zelfde(at-a-domain-named)netcom.ca]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 7:48 AM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: Aussie Live
Dean:
Your absolutely right as usual! If the upcoming live Australian album and
video (finally some visuals with Stevie on guitar) is anywhere near
L.A.T.O. then it will be album of the year. Is it not interesting as the
tour reviews from Australia come in (see the HS tour reviews as well) that
we are seeing a lot more of the "Ritchie Who?" comments as Steve works his
magic down under? I think as DP gets around on this tour and when people
see the upcoming video, they will realise that Steve Morse is one of the
great virtuosos in rock , and that the current DP has never been
technically better or high spirited since he joined!
I join the many others on the list with the sentiments that Dio could
really use RB to write and play. By listening to Dio's last double live CD,
Ronnie can still sing but he has never been able to duplicate the magic of
the first 3 Rainbow albums or the early solo stuff with Viv Campbell, he
has lacked a real guitar player since then. My respect to Iommi but he
can't play either!
Any release dates set for WDWTWA 25 or the new live stuff?
Laurens van't Zelfde
{Dean "Oh, THAT Ritchie" Webb: I remember when I first heard Purpendicular
that I had a "Ritchie who?" reaction about half-way through it. Morse is
great, and Gillan's singing is comforting enough so as not to make the
album sound as different as CTTB did, relative to the rest of the DP
corpus. I must say the man is catching on quite well, and it's great to see
the vitality the band has together.
It's also interesting to see how much we all want to get Dio and Ritchie
back together. What do we gotta do about this? Think think think think
think...
As far as any Iommi-related mail, please send flames OFF-LINE!!! Reasoned
discussions comparing Iommi to DP banjo players, though, are welcome. For
my part, I'm going to weigh in on Iommi's side of things: his solo on
"Heaven and Hell" from Live eviL was as powerful to me as "Space Truckin'"
from MIJ. Iommi ain't no Satriani, but he's got a monster style, both
distinctive and influential. He's one of the Great Old Men of Rock, up
there with Blackmore, Page, and Trower.
Now if we could just get Blackmore, Morse, Dio, Gillan, Ozzy, Iommi,
Geezer, Bill Ward, Glover, Paice, Lord all on stage together (with Geoff
Nichols hiding in the back)...}
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Henry [mailto:melancon(at-a-domain-named)cajun.net]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 12:25 PM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: Re: Deep Purple Digest #59
> In other news, anybody know how we can lock Ritchie Blackmore and RJ Dio
in
> a studio and not let them come out until they record an album in the
style
> of Rainbow's Rising or Long Live Rock'n'Roll? Anyone else?
>
I would love a Blackmore/Dio reunion!!!!! Great music!!
Henry
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Carl and Sheri Tripodi [mailto:cnstripodi(at-a-domain-named)annapolis.net]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 7:47 PM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: Blackmore/ Dio
If Blackmore and R.J. Dio were to get together, I would be one happy
camper. The best guitarist in the world along with metal's best vocalist.
I'm just licking my chops to get a hold of the their release if they do
decide to get together and record another cd. The good ole days of the mid
70's Rainbow, awesome, just awesome.
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: I S W [mailto:isentertainment(at-a-domain-named)juno.com]
Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 9:07 PM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: Box set review
Hello all,
Please find below my review of the Deep Purple Box Set, SHADES 1968-1998.
It is a bit lengthy but then again so is the collection. I hope you
enjoy it!
Take care,
David
DEEP PURPLE is one of a very few groups who have managed to justify their
own hype. I can't think of a word that has been used to describe the
band in their thirty years that doesn't, at some point, hit the mark dead
on. Loud, brash, arrogant, bluesy, funky, classical, and volatile all
come immediately to mind. The list could and, in fact, must go on for if
you stop here with only this handful of descriptors you will never get
the full story. That is where Rhino Records has commendably come to the
rescue of both the long time fan and the average Joe alike. Enter any
guitar shop in the world and begin to question the first person that you
see. They may only be able to tell you the names of a handful of numbers
from the Purple catalogue but I bet you a year's supply of guitar strings
that this same guy could play you the opening chords to "Smoke on the
Water" without the slightest difficulty. That is the kind of
indescribable magic that has been captured here on four bursting at the
edge's laser etched discs.
Rhino has wisely chosen to attack the mountain of music that is DEEP
PURPLE in chronological fashion. You get a sense of growth, a sense of
things tried and failed, a sense of things too monumental to be easily
forgotten. This is DEEP PURPLE at its undisputable best with an
occasional wart in the dermis just to let you know that, after all, it
still is only rock and roll.
Disc 1
The first nine songs are from the original lineup of Jon Lord, Ritchie
Blackmore, Nick Simper, Rod Evens and Ian Paice. This period comes
before the guitar heroism of Ritchie Blackmore though his work here could
easily justify his current status as a guitar God. Comprised almost
equally of originals and cover versions of popular songs of the day, this
portion of the story is ostensibly of a pop music group with more than a
touch of classical flare. This is the period where the war between
guitars and keyboards begins and though the listener knows that it is
Blackmore's guitar that will eventually carry the day this first battle
goes to Jon Lord and his Hammond organ.
"Hush" is an obligatory inclusion here. Rarely does a cover version of
a song completely obliterate any memory of the original but that is
exactly what has happened. Even when current bands record the number
they tend to do it straight from the DEEP PURPLE version.(See KULA SHAKER
for the only proof needed for the previous statement.)
Several alternate versions of songs that originally appeared on the
first three records with the original lineup are included here, most
notably, an instrumental version of "Love Help Me." This version, with
it's driving bass line is so raw that had it come out a decade later it
would have been considered a punk masterpiece.
The last eight songs of this disc introduce us to the most popular
version of the group, the so called, Mark II lineup. Out go Simper and
Evans to be replaced by Roger Glover and Ian Gillan respectively. Now it
was time for Blackmore to push his way to the fore and to orchestrate the
mayhem. And so he does, from the first metallic splash of "Speed King"
until he left the group for nearly a decade in 1974, this is Ritchie
Blackmore's group. It should be mentioned that this version of "Speed
King" is the original version that appeared in the UK. Why the rest of
the world wasn't deemed worthy to hear it until now I haven't a clue but
I do know that this version has certainly improved on the one I have been
listening to all these years. "Cry Free" and "Jam Stew" will also be new
to all but the most diehard of collectors.
"Black Night" comes off a bit more lively than on previous versions.
They have managed to keep the original hand clapping sound that was often
left out on other compilations.
Disc One is enough to sell this to the collectors if for nothing else,
the sheer bulk of rare selections that are included.
Disc 2
Disc Two could carry the alternate title, The Best of Mark II. All the
"hits" are here. "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star," "Space Truckin,'"
"Strange Kind of Woman," ect, ect. This is the average Joe stuff I
mentioned before yet the collectors will again find it worth many a
listening hour with the inclusion of three rare out takes and the
criminally neglected "b-side," "I'm Alone." Why that one and "Black
Night" were never regular album cuts I can't quite understand. In any
case any injustice has been rectified here.
Disc 3
Just in case you didn't get enough of "Smoke on the Water" from Disc
Two, here it is again for you only this time it is the live version from
"MADE IN JAPAN." At this point I have to say that if you do not have a
copy of "MADE IN JAPAN" already then you are no kind of rock fan and
probably are not worthy of even being allowed to purchase this box set in
the first place. The inclusion of another version of "SOTW" is
completely justified in Blackmore's solo over the top of Jon Lord's
chording. And Ian Gillan's vocals? You just can't find any better,
anywhere, anytime. Period.
The disc also chronicles the last gasp of Mark II (as well as Mark III
and IV!)and one hell of a breath that was. "Woman From Tokyo" remains an
all time crowd favorite to this day and the reason why is captured here
in its original studio version.
Just as the door was swinging behind Gillan and Glover in comes David
Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. Easily the most drastic stylistic change, it
somehow remained distinctly DEEP PURPLE. This period of the band reaped
a large share of the benefits from the previous lineup's work in
consistently sold out performances and gold albums despite being a very
different band in sound and vision.
"Burn" is typical of the Coverdale/Hughes vocal tradeoff. Either one
could have fronted the group alone but with both of them ready and rested
for a scream at any given moment it was not only rock and roll, it was a
dangerously intense experience.
"Might Just Take Your Life" would have been a great title for that first
album with Coverdale/Hughes had "BURN" not fit it so well. Still, the
funkiness of the tune is infectious. Blackmore hated the funky aspect
and the next album, which would be his last until the 1984 reformation,
was about as funky as the fans would have ever allowed had they a voice
in the group.
"Stormbringer" is Blackmore's last attempt to keep the band from
becoming more like a George Clinton P-Funk unit than the classically
inspired rock band that it once was. A teeth clencher if ever there was
one.
"Hold On" is the most atypical of all DEEP PURPLE tracks. It sounds
nothing like anything that they have ever done before or since. Ritchie
didn't like this one at all and it shows in the absolute minimal
involvement he had on the track. You can't even hear him on it other
than a great middle solo spot. The first of the warts.
After Blackmore called it a day and rounded up his first version of
RAINBOW the remaining members of PURPLE recruited former JAMES GANG
guitarist, Tommy Bolin for a single album and the tours that followed to
support it. The two songs chosen from this era for this box set couldn't
be further from what most people's idea of what DEEP PURPLE should be,
is. Even the absent "Love Child" is a passable Purple number. Great
music just not the best that this band had to offer from the Tommy Bolin
era or any other for that matter.
Disc 4
With a decade to pursue other projects and to forget why it was that
they couldn't stand each other Gillan and Blackmore consented to a
reunion of the gloried Mark II lineup. It was another time in terms of
maturity and technology not to mention the financial potential of such an
outing so, it was done. The resulting album, "PERFECT STRANGERS" was a
hit and in the age of MTV no less. The band who had blasted out of so
many radios could now be seen several times a day on television and that
was definitely a first for these "Godfathers of Metal," as the New Wave
of British Heavy Metal members had come to refer to them. The fact that
these innovators had moved on to mentoring status is reflected in the
music from this point forward. Where you never knew quite what to expect
on the early albums this reformed version played it by the numbers for
the most part. I would agree with the contingent that likens this period
to RAINBOW with the addition of Gillan.
The reformation lasted exactly two studio and one live record the later
being the worst one the group has ever allowed out. Still, it is better
than anything that was being released at the time. From this reformation
era the single, "Son of Alerik" finally makes it's appearance in the
States. It is one of the groups finest instrumentals and one of the
highest of highlights from this disc.
I could have done without a Gillan fronted version of "Hush" and would
have much rather have been listening to a live version of another of the
reunion tracks say "Mitzi Dupree" but who am I to complain, really?
O.K. so the few warts are behind us and that leaves the entire second
half of this final disc to bring it all back around which was not the
slightest of chores for this band.
During Gillan's second departure from the band the remaining foursome
was determined to carry on with one of Blackmore and Glover's former
collaborators in RAINBOW, Joe Lynn Turner. He certainly was an obvious
choice even if the bulk of the DEEP PURPLE fan base shook their
collective heads in disbelief. To this day the who's who of Purple
fandom slag this lineup of the band and it is so unfair. I would go as
far as to say that the one album from this version of the group, "SLAVES
AND MASTERS" is superior to anything they did between "BURN" and
"PURPENDICULAR." Of course it is all a matter of taste and mine has been
satisfied here by the inclusion of three numbers with Joe Lynn Turner at
the microphone. "King of Dreams" is every bit the masterpiece that
"Hush" was in the earliest of days. It was hummible, the guitar/keyboard
interplay is genius and most important, it rocked! And it still does
here in its single version despite the fact that it is nearly a full
minute shorter than the album version. Another collectable but I still
would have chosen the complete version.
"Slow Down Sister" is another lost gem that only ever saw the light of
day in Europe as a "b-side." It has an unrepentant likeness to
"Stormbringer" and showcases a much more aggressive side of Joe Lynn
Turner.
When compiling retrospectives such as this box set the compiler is
usually careful not to pick a song from an album that would have the
effect of killing that albums back catalog sales. This is most likely
why "A Castle Full of Rascals" was chosen over "Ted the Mechanic" to
represent the beginning of the Steve Morse era. "Seventh Heaven" from
the latest, "ABANDON" CD brings us right up to date.
Unless you have an extreme amount of free time, it will take you many
days to listen to all that is contained on these four discs, to say
nothing of the time investment needed to complete the reading of the
band's lengthy story and notes on each and every song. It would be a
project unto itself to view and identify all of the photos, fat is the
word that I should use here. To those who compiled this wondrous
package, my heartfelt thanks. It is amazingly well done.
So, when it is all listened to, read and viewed was it worth the cost?
Why, yes and then some. I almost feel like I should drop an extra $20.
in the mail to Rhino just because I feel guilty about getting so much, so
cheap. I think that I will settle some of this angst by heading out to
the record store and investing in some trinket. Isn't there a new BAD
COMPANY box out there?
IAN SCOTT ENTERTAINMENT
9773 SANDYPOINTE
FAIR HAVEN, MI 48023 USA
810-725-6471
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Swoboda [mailto:Tom_Swoboda(at-a-domain-named)compuserve.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 1999 12:08 AM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: Fermented Yak's Milk
Dean, you need help. :) But that's okay, so do I. I'll have to write
a similar story one of these days, about the misadventure where Deep Purple
and I accidentally blew up a racist militia's compound, and find a way to
involve a Satanic cult, the Illumiatti, members of Black Sabbath, and
French spies with horrible accents. And maybe fermented yak's milk. Oh
alright, it sounds dumb already, the lesson being: Dean Webb. Accept no
substitute.
--T.J.
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Mikael Ahlberg [mailto:Mikael.Ahlberg(at-a-domain-named)rings.se]
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 1999 4:10 AM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: Boot answers
Hi everybody!
I wanna thank you all for all the answers regarding bootlegs with
Joe.S,although it wasn't me who asked the question.
I just replied to another subscriber,in fact I was on one of the shows
myself...and wrote a little about it.It was GREAT!
Do Paice need a drummachine???Don't think so! Is he known to skip beats?
Well I've never heard it,anyway.
Band recommendation:
Take a listen to King's X (not much to do with Purple but a very great
band)
If someone's got the power to connect Dio/Blackmore ......DO IT!!! NOW!
The albums they did are all great,but I must say my fav. is the first
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow.
Rainbow with Dio was before they turned commercial and started to "soft
up".I liked them better that way.
I like some of the other albums as well but Dio is the best
Rainbow-singer(at least I think so).
Just got the Naked Thunder cd(had it on Lp before)and it's a very good one
I think,it's my fav. Gillan solo album.
And with one of my fav. drummers next to Paice.. Simon Phillips.
Does anyone know excactly which DP songs that has been made as video as
well,and where to get them?I know some of them,but not all I think.
Have a good time!
Micke!
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Sommer [mailto:sharkie59(at-a-domain-named)hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, April 26, 1999 12:59 AM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: Dio and that other guy.... Oh yeah Blackmore
Dean, i agree with you 100%. I love Dio's voice and technique and The two
of them are perfect for each other. It seems that everybody in the world is
aware that the only logical thing to do would to record another album
together, except them.
Maybe we should start a petition or something and send it to Ritchies
management to show our support . What are they waiting for???
( At the Newcastle concert, Ian introduced the noise from fireball as being
the sound of the wind as an old lady walked by, FFFFSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH. )
One other interesting part of the show was when Jon was tryingh to do the
intro 2 Perfect Strangers but the spotlight was on IG. Jon called Ian over
to the Keyboard, whispered in his ear and then Ian returned out the front
to say,
" Could Jon have a little more light on his keyboard...... So he can see
what the #$%^ he's doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Sorry bout the swear word, you can edit it out if ya want {and I did}, but
that's what Ian said. Jon then got the tiniest amount of red light and gave
2 thumbs up. Jon also had his hair out for the whole concert.
Paul Sommer
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: AlexandroTalamini [mailto:Alexandro(at-a-domain-named)Boticario.com.br]
Sent: Monday, April 26, 1999 2:44 PM
To: 'Deep Purple Digest'
Subject: CD for trade
Hi all,
I have a sealed japanese Impellitteri cd "STAND IN LINE" for trade. It
features Graham Bonnet on vocals - Great performance. Contains a heavy
version of "Since you been gone" and a great version of "Somewhere over the
Rainbow". Interested, please, e-mail me privately.
Thanks,
Alex
Curitiba, Brazil
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Heikki Heino [mailto:heikki.heino(at-a-domain-named)mailis.rkol.fi]
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 1999 4:10 AM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: Pictured Within
Hi all!
When I visited our local record shop on monday I was positively surprised
by
the shop owner. I had spoken him about Jon Lord's new album a couple of
months ago, and now he asked me if I still wanted it and then sold it to
me.
He had ordered it from Germany (I think it's still not released in
Finland),
but still I had to pay just the normal price of a CD.
About the music... it was really relaxing. There are 12 tracks, vocals on
four of them. I don't know why, but this time I didn't like Sam Brown's
voice as much as I have before. Because I knew the music is composed by Jon
Lord I was kind of expecting DP to crash in somewhere like in "Concerto for
Group and Orchestra". Every now and then it sounded IMO a bit like Ennio
Morricone's scores for spaghetti westerns - which I do like a lot.
In all, very different music from what DP is playing now, with echoes from
Lord's earlier classical-influenced works. For me this album was easier
than
"Concerto" or "Gemini Suite". Hopefully this won't be Jon Lord's last solo
album.
Heikki
___________________________________________
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dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com and I'll get around to it...
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