DEEP PURPLE DIGEST #62
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In this issue:
A word from the Editor...
DP Vocalists
PS vs. HOBL
Titles for new album
Birthday
HOBL and live album title
Iommi's playing
Stuff
Moptops
Pictured Within
Son of Sabbath
Ritchie Blackmore's Psyche
Roger Glover's Elements
___________________________________________
>From the Editor, Dean Webb: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Sorry this was so long in coming, but stuff happened. Lots of it. Nothing
fatal, dangerous, sick, insane, illegal, or obscene. Just what goes along
with having 3 kids, allergies, and I don't know what else. Anyway, I'm back
at the DPD helm and should have smoother sailing.
Since I'm still a little foggy with allergies, I'll just get on with the
Digest.
Oh, one more thing: if you haven't checked the DPD site lately, please stop
by there. I've done some major working-over there and would like to know
what you think of it. Anybody that wants to submit pics and info for the
Celebrity Deathmatch stuff, by the way, is more than welcome to chip in and
make my job as easy as copy & paste! (You'll get credit for your
contributions, of course!) Anyway, onward with the Digest.
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Bryan Lewis [mailto:lewbaa(at-a-domain-named)webtv.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 1999 10:55 PM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: DP vocalists
i dont think DIO would have been right for purple. he would have turned
them into sabbath. listen to "long live rock n roll" by rainbow and see
if doesnt sound a lot like
early "heaven and hell" type stuff. which is fine for sabbath but
purple has their own road, i like
to think of them as the thinking man's whitesnake. they touch on
traditional rock and roll topics, women, booze, the blues but they also
take a stab at the larger society and how people interact within it,
this is where we see ian gillan's contribution to the band which was
missing on "slaves and masters." "strangeways" "the battle rages on"
"evil louie"
all seek the higher ground regarding whats goes on around us.
when "perfect strangers" was released i wasnt happy that gillan
was on it rather than coverdale. but now i have to say that gillan has
considerably more songwriting ability at least in terms of the variety
of the material. coverdale can write ballads and or love songs with
anybody (judgement day, now you're gone) but......lew
my angels wings are burning
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Brooks [mailto:rbrooks(at-a-domain-named)wxs.nl]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 3:09 AM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: PS vs HOBL
This was an interesting point, HOBL gets a lot of bad press some of it
deserved but I have allways liked this one quite a bit. When PS came out
I loved KAYBD, WS, PS & NR they were great songs, the rest were not exactly
fillers but not quite of the same standard. It had a sameness about it in
places and was a bit predictable with songs like Mean Streak, Nobody's Home
Hungry DAze etc. It took me a year or two to get to this point though when
it first cam out i was ecstatic. When I bought HOBL I was really hoping
that it would move in different directions etc, and as I recall it got a
lot of good publicity at the time. For about six months I thought HOBL was
the greatest thing around, it had moved on from PS and Gillans voice
sounded better. It also felt quite modern at the time. Now though it has
not aged terribly well, I think it is maybe associated with the breakup and
that terrible live album. Also this was the point that convinced me that
DP were on a nostalgia trip.
I saw them live for the first time on this tour, and while they delivered
on stage, the old set list repetition had really set in. I think they
could have really pushed somemore newer songs live. Stuff like
Strangeways, Spanish Archer, Mitzee Dupree etc.
Overall HOBL delivered at the time, a tribute to them I think, because now
you can almost hear the problems involved, ideas seem strangled etc. But
the potential was there. I like it
Richard
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Sommer [mailto:sharkie59(at-a-domain-named)hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 4:26 AM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: Titles 4 Newie
I just thought of a pretty good title for the new release :
Deep Purple live in Australia in the later half of April 1999.
or
ABANDOWNUNDER
or
Deep Purple : Out with the old, In with the New
Do ya reckon they'll go for the first one???
Paul Sommer
{Dean "I'll never take a 24-hour time release antihistamine AGAIN!" Webb:
ABANDOWNUNDER has my vote. Anybody got phone numbers for DP so we can call
them up and bug them about it? }
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel Reichberg [mailto:reichberg(at-a-domain-named)hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 4:27 AM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: My birthday!
Hello Purple People!
A year ago today I sent a post to the message boards telling everybody the
fantastically interesting news that it was my birthday. As you may have
guessed it's my birthday today again. I'm looking forward to a wonderful
party where lots of purple music will be digested, as well as some white
(snake) music and a few songs covered with all the colours of the
rainbow...
And it's not just any birthday. Today I turn 30. I look back upon 30 years
which gave me Jesus Christ Superstar when I was 1...Long Live Rock N Roll
when I was 9...the real awakening when I was 13, listening to "Lazy" on the
radio...the fantastic news about the reunion when I was 14 and the
fantastic
Perfect Strangers shows at Isstadion, Stockholm and Knebworth when I was
16...the not as good HOBL shows at the same place when I was 18...the
devastating news of Ian Gillan being sacked when I was 20...the
disappointment of S&M when I was 21...the surprise of Ian's return and TBRO
when I was 24...the even better Purpendicular when I was 26...the pleasure
of seeing the boys live in my home city of Uppsala when I was 27...and now
I'm totally excited about seeing them again at the Sweden Rock Festival in
June!
Thank You, Ian, Jon, Roger, Ian, Ritchie, Nick, Rod, David, Glenn, Tommy,
Steve, and... OK, Joe, for making such a big part of my life such a
worthwile musical experience!
Daniel Reichberg, 30 today!
{Dean "I'm 31" Webb: It was the fall of 1982 when I started collecting DP
records. Started with Deepest Purple and then got Machine Head. I kept
buying them and never looked back. Almost 17 years I been listening to DP,
more than half my life. Why? They rule, that's why.}
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel Reichberg [mailto:reichberg(at-a-domain-named)hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 4:34 AM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: HOBL and live album title.
I think HOBL is heavily underrated. It's not the best DP album by far, but
not bad at all. The Spanish Archer is one of the best post reunion songs.
And Strangeways is absolutely brilliant. Come to think of it - I have to
put
it on!
But before I do, I'll vote for the live album title "Made In Australia". I
think it would be cool to take up the "made in" tradition after some 25
years. I also like Thunder From Down Under, but take away the "from". It
disturbs the rhythm. The "humoristic" title is the worst.
Daniel
{Dean "Editor" Webb: Love most of side 2 of HOBL, but I have to say that
the album that has been growing on me more and more since I started this
digest has been Come Taste the Band. Go figure, huh? I thought it was one
of the ones I liked least, and it's becoming a fave of sorts. Maybe it's
because I've discovered funk in my advanced years or something like that.}
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Wilmoth, Jim [mailto:jwilmoth(at-a-domain-named)staronline.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 1999 11:04 AM
To: 'Deep Purple Digest'
Subject: RE: Iommi's playing
Quick summation of Mr. Iommi's and Mr. Blackmore's guitar playing:
Rhythm Guitar - Mr. Iommi is at the top of his class. Mr. Blackmore's
weakest aspect.
Riffs and Motivs - Mr. Blackmore can make it simple and memorable.
Mr.
Iommi has also had his momments.
Lead - Mr. Blackmore understands beginning, middle and end of solo.
Mr. B. also understands how to play in the Dorian,
Natural Minor, Pentatonic and even some exotic scales. Mr. Iommi does
not know how to END a solo very well. Mr Iommi
also seems to heavily rely upon Pentatonic. (IMHO)
Final Summation: As a guitar player myself, Mr. Blackmore is a more
interesting player, although there are rhythm things to be
learned from Mr. Iommi.
{Dean "Editor" Webb: You know, now that you mention it, I don't think Iommi
EVER ended a solo. He just got cut off by the end of the song or the next
verse Ozzy/Dio/Ian/Glenn/Tony/Whoever else, but not Fenholt was going to
sing. Iommi is definitely the riffier of the two, with Blackmore going more
towards the melodic end. I would compare Black Sabbath's "Megalomania" to
Rainbow's "A Light in the Black" for two of their better examples. Iommi
has a very crunchy, hard solo that goes all over the place, but comes back
to the gutsy rhythm every time. Blackmore's solo, though, plays more like a
super-amplified chamber music piece, with carefully constructed melodies
coursing all across the boards. Iommi's solo blends back into the rhythms;
Blackmore's ties down all the loose ends before getting underway with the
rest of the song.
If I had to pick one to be the guitarist for my band, I'd take the guy
behind door #3, though. I don't think I could handle either guy's ego,
given that I'm pretty much an unknown... :-) }
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Heikki Heino [mailto:heikki.heino(at-a-domain-named)mailis.rkol.fi]
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 1999 2:32 AM
To: Deep Purple Digest
Subject: Re: Deep Purple Digest #61
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Anders Sporrong [mailto:anders.sporrong(at-a-domain-named)sundsvall.nu]
>Just a complaint...
>I dunno what's wrong with people nowdays.. Here in Sweden,
>you see Spice Girls, Puff Daddy and even The Smurfs (doing techno
>versions of famous popsongs) topping the charts!! One may wonder..
>why?? I really can't see why anyone can say that Puffy Daddy is
>great for example.. All he do is destroying good songs with his
>ridicolous - yeah, uhhh, come on shit!
Pretty much the same here in Finland. You're asking why... c'mon, haven't
you seen any music videos lately? As long as there are goodlooking girls on
them they are certain to attract the recordbuying (male) audiences. Maybe
DP
should make a remixed version of say, Woman From Tokyo, have girls dancing
on the video, some black rap artist rapping during the quiet middle part,
and then maybe we could see DP back in the top of the charts ;-)
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Bryan Lewis [mailto:lewbaa(at-a-domain-named)webtv.net]
> also i have to take exception to the statement that iommi cant play,
>hes my favorite player even above the great mr blackmore. blackmore has
>more blues feel than iommi and his solos are more interesting on that
>level than iommi.
I remember seeing someone crediting Iommi "the greatest (rhythm) guitarist
in the world". When it comes to riffs Mr. Iommi is untopable.
>From Dean Webb, the editor: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
>
>Name That CD!
My suggestion: PURPETUAL MOTION. It would take one's mind to Purpendicular,
which was a new beginning to Purple, even though they've been in motion for
oh so long!
Heikki
{Dean "Editor" Webb: Re. the chicks and rap stuff: I hope Puff Daddy never
tries to goober up a DP song. If Stevie Wonder wanted to do covers of stuff
from CTTB, though, I would hope he plows into it full steam! As far as
women in music goes, we all know DP would never stoop as low as to be that
blatant with a video, unless Coverdale got back in the band... (BTW, is he
still married to that redhead, Tawny Kitaen?)}
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: NigelYoung(at-a-domain-named)aol.com [mailto:NigelYoung(at-a-domain-named)aol.com]
Sent: Friday, May 07, 1999 8:05 AM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: Re: Deep Purple Digest #61 - Moptops?!
Tom wrote:
> From: Tom Swoboda [mailto:Tom_Swoboda(at-a-domain-named)compuserve.com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 1999 8:46 PM
> To: DPD
> Subject: Moptops?!
>
> I recently acquired some footage of DP Mk. I on Night Flight.
> Ritchie's sporting a moptop! So are Rod, Nick, and Paicey. Jon seems
to
> have a more 70s kind of look going for himself before it was popular.
> They're playing in a small room full of jazz-club-looking people
More details please, what do they play? .... Could this possibly be
Heffner's
Playboy After Dark?
Nigel
___________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Jory [mailto:tjory(at-a-domain-named)julian.uwo.ca]
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 1999 10:02 PM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: Pictured Within
I finally got a chance to fully listen to Jon Lord's new cd. I've had it
for about 3 weeks, but until this weekend had only listened to parts of it.
It's still not available in Canada, but I had a friend send it from the
U.K.
It's fantastic, and I'd highly recommend it! It consists of varied musical
styles, mostly classical, and some tracks make me think of April from MK1
and Jon's other solo stuff like Sarabande. Being a big Focus fan it was
great to hear Thijs van Leer again. Sam Brown often leaves me with mixed
feelings, but I like her on this cd. I'd like to know what makes some of
the unusual sounds on track 3, From The Windmill.
Very addictive, but don't buy it if you expect Purple!
Tom
___________________________________________
{Dean "Editor" Webb: This next one is long. It's an interview with the son
of the bass player of a band Ian Gillan once sung with. If not interested,
scroll to the bottom and read up from there. If interested, carry on
reading.}
-----Original Message-----
From: Julie Wilson [mailto:the-odd-couple(at-a-domain-named)juno.com]
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 1999 10:11 PM
To: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Subject: Son of Sabbath
Hey Howdy,
I just thought you might be interested in this. Unfortunately I can't
figure out any plausible Deep Purple connection to make it relevant to
the site but hey, can't have 'em all up there! Hope you like it.
Take care,
David
I once had a conversation with Jason Bonham in which he told me that
being the son of LED ZEPPELIN's John "Bonzo" Bonham was equal part's
curse and blessing. ". . .of course the association will open up some
doors for you but there is another door right inside of that one that
doesn't exist for other people . . . " is how he related it to me. Biff
Butler, son of one of the founding fathers of heavy metal and bassist for
the legendary BLACK SABBATH, Geezer Butler, is in a similar situation.
The difference here being that in Biff's case not only is he daring to
enter the same profession as his famous father but is set to do so on the
very same stage! It is still far too early to predict the outcome but if
APARTMENT 26's five song Demo is any indication, all doors that are now
closed to Biff and his band, will be blown clean off the hinge.
APARTMENT 26, (the name is taken from a recurring visual in several of
David Lynch's films), is likely to be lumped in with bands like MACHINE
HEAD, FEAR FACTORY and NINE INCH NAILS, and for appearance's sake ORGY,
but just as Biff is his own man, this group is it's own distinguishable
entity. Where MACHINE HEAD and FEAR FACTORY pummel the listener, each in
their own way, APARTMENT 26 is content to just smack you around for a bit
if for no other reason than to wake you up enough to think for yourself.
Similarly, where Trent Reznor's NINE INCH NAILS has an almost inhuman
feel to it, APARTMENT 26 is as organic as the technology involved will
allow. The music is delivered with all the latest bells and whistles yet
it still has a human heart. The balance between the creator and the
instrument is what sets this band apart from all others.
Despite Biff's heavy connections, (besides his dad having practically
invented heavy metal, his mom is one of the more powerful women working
in the industry guiding the careers of her husband, her son and GRAVITY
KILLS among others), he and his band are the lowest on this year's
OZZ-FEST totem pole. This is a band that will have to earn their keep
every night in front of an audience that knows absolutely nothing about
them. I, for one, have every confidence that at the end of the day,
this band will be making a good many fans on this trek across the
Atlantic. The music is strong, the attitude is right and the heritage is
undeniable. This is the dawning of a new day for heavy metal and you are
among the first to watch the son rise.
Biff phoned in from England where he and the rest of APARTMENT 26 are in
rehearsals for their appearances on this year's installment of the
OZZ-FEST.
DAVID LEE Strange as it may sound, your mom sent me your CD, that has to
be a bit of a novelty in the business?
BIFF Yeah.(laughs)
DL Actually, that has to have been the greatest help to you in starting
your career with APARTMENT 26?
BIFF It is. Obviously, I see quite a lot of her so I can just kind of
have my finger right there on the button without having to catch my
manager only occasionally.
DL I have read that the CD came from sessions that were only intended to
produce a couple of songs but kind of metamorphosised into this EP.
BIFF Yeah, it was to be sort of a quick demo really and we seemed to gel
with the guy that we where working with, the guy from GRAVITY KILLS. It
turned out that he had all of the ideas that we already had, it wasn't
anything too new and everything worked so well that we just did one song
right after the other. We actually recorded another song that didn't
make it onto the CD and we could have just carried on for ages but due to
time restrictions we had to come back to England. It all went very well.
DL How long ago were these songs recorded?
BIFF I don't know, about three months ago, I guess.
DL So, since then have you compiled any new songs or ideas for songs?
BIFF Yeah. Actually, we already have quite a few songs together and
since recording the CD we haven't really been writing too much. I mean,
the guys have written their own stuff and we have all been writing little
things, I suppose, ideas for new songs. After our experience in America,
we just got so much inspiration from working in the studio there that we
really didn't bother making anything of it because we had to concentrate
on the live element because of the OZZ-FEST thing coming up.
DL I don't know if I should envy you or be afraid for you having chosen
the OZZ-FEST to make your American public debut. I mean, these will be
your first live performances, right?
BIFF Yeah, pretty much. We have done quite a few shows as we are now but
when we go to America we are going to get a drummer as well. We have
never played with a drummer before so, in a way it is almost like having
a new band. For our first show to be this big OZZ-FEST tour is quite
overwhelming.
DL Are they going to rotate the acts on the two stages as they did last
year?
BIFF Yeah. We will begin by opening up the second stage but then,
eventually, we will be opening the main stage and sometimes being
penultimate on the second stage so we will sometimes be playing ahead of
these bands that are so far superior (to us). For instance, we all
worship HED PE and to be playing after them is just ridiculous!(laughs)
It is quite weird really.
DL I don't want to scare you any more but I have seen HED PE recently and
going on after them is not something to be taken lightly.
BIFF Yeah, it is somewhat scary.
DL Still, when it comes down to that night and you don't want to do it
you still will have to g. Just like THE WHO had to follow JIMI HENDRIX
at Monterey.
BIFF Yeah, obviously the crowd will be a lot more familiar with all the
other bands so there is a lot less pressure on them. They can just go
out there and do their thing for their fans where as we have to earn our
fans. Also, because we are doing a slightly different variation of metal
music we have to make people appreciate the music as a genre as well as
getting people to stop standing there and saying "Come on and prove it"
because we are an unsigned band and because we are young and all of these
other things. The pressure is really on us and to have to go on after
such energetic live bands as HED PE is going to be quite daunting, I
guess. It is also going to be quite fun because we get to watch our
favorite bands like FEAR FACTORY, THE DEFTONES and HED PE for two months
straight!
DL That seems to be the order of the day at OZZ-FEST for the artist to
actually join the crowd for each others sets.
BIFF Yeah!
DL You mentioned that you are putting a new twist on heavy music and it
reminds me of when I really got into bands like IRON MAIDEN and others
from that era and how there was this absolutely anti-synthesizer
aesthetic to heavy metal. That is no longer the case, in fact, it would
seem to be exactly where modern metal is heading. I also think that
what you are doing is a great example of that phenomena.
BIFF After listening to bands like PEARL JAM or SOUND GARDEN who always
went for the sort of more striped down sound I just find that there is so
much more that is dynamic with programmed drums and synthesizer and
samples. For those elements to be in there, they are just ear candy,
just more things to listen to. To have an amazing song and to have all
these textures over it just means that you can go back to the song and
listen to it over and over again and notice different things about it
every time. To have all those different layers, I just find it more
interesting. There are so many bands out there and so much music that
there is really no reason to keep going back to the same song. If there
is a reason, such as all of these elements to go back and discover over
and over again, then people will come back and listen to this music
again.
DL The thing that works for me with your music is that the songs are well
written and a well written song will shine out no matter what is put on
top of it. The problem I have with a good number of bands is that they
use technology in lieu of talent and that is, thankfully, not the case
with APARTMENT 26.
BIFF Thank you very much. I know what you mean though. We notice that a
lot of bands, not naming names, but there are bands that would basically
be a straight forward metal band and then because it is a trendy thing or
they happen to have the equipment lying around in the studio will add a
drum and bass loop for no reason, just to make it sound more modern. Or
to warp their guitar through some funky processor just to make it sound
slightly different but then you can spot those a mile away. Because we
are not fundamentally a metal band, I mean, half of us aren't really into
that scene, we do really write it as it sounds. It is not as if we write
these metal songs and just add all these other layers over it.
DL I was buzzing through your web site and I notice that you have this
recurring theme of pushing the idea that people should start thinking for
themselves. . .
BIFF "Stop being spoon fed."
DL Yeah, and metal music has been very limited historically as to what
people will accept as being "Hard" or "Heavy" or "Metal." It was very
refreshing to see somebody make a point to say that.
BIFF I think that for us, just as music fans, it is good to see,
especially when this tour is being billed as SABBATH's last tour and that
it is really the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. So, for
the biggest metal tour in the world to be including electronic acts, I
think, is showing how much it has crossed over. Last year with LIMP
BIZKIT being on the tour I think that the young people don't see metal as
a traditional sort of thing but looking more into the future of the whole
thing. The whole barrier of genre restriction should be broken down
completely because I don't think it is the case any more. This one
person is a metalhead and this one person is a technohead or whatever.
People are just into whatever they are into, one day they will listen to
KORN and the next they will want to listen to GOLDY or RONNIESIZE. Of
course there is nothing wrong with straight forward metal or straight
forward rap or whatever but I think that people are getting into a much
more diverse kind of thing because there are so many genres out there.
DL When you get together to write from what aspect is it? From a jam or
does something start from a lyric or how does it work for you?
BIFF Because of being so young and so new, there really isn't a formula
yet. We are trying to find a formula but there really are no set rules
where we say "This is an APARTMENT 26 song." or "This song is not." We
just use whatever we write, basically. We can't jam a lot because we
don't have a drummer so the programmer, A.C., he will come in with a song
basically written as a bunch of beats and keyboard programing and stuff
and then the bass player and the guitar player will just write some riffs
over it which will add texture, maybe the guitar player will add some
noises over it which the keyboard player will make keyboard sounds as
opposed to guitar noises. I will be sitting there during the whole
process just commenting on which bits I like and don't like and then I
add lyrics after that.
DL When you wrote the lyrics to these particular songs, what state of
mind where you in for each one? Did they come from a single stream of
thought or where they collected from over a period of time?
BIFF It is never really a situation of just sitting down and writing an
entire song. I have this notebook that I will have to turn to at three
in the morning when I just can't get to sleep and I'll turn on the lights
and write something down. Or I will be in some bizarre situation and I
will write down all of these thoughts and then when it comes to putting
lyrics to a song I will grab each of these thoughts that might be
slightly relevant to each other and they will appear as lyrics. Usually,
they will come as an entire verse and another verse could be about
something completely different but I will have to rewrite it slightly
just to make it fit. Most music is written in a more down or angry state
but at the same time I will be slightly pissed off about something but I
will write optimistically about something. For example, if you are
talking to a girl and you are breaking up or ending the relationship, I
will be smiling because I know that something good is going to come out
of it, like a song lyric or something. I can be there, on the phone,
breaking up with someone and then writing all this cool stuff down
because it makes for good lyrics. I guess I am always trying to turn a
negative situation into a positive.
DL Well, that is certainly much more of a mature attitude about breaking
up with a girl than I have ever had!(laughs)
BIFF (Laughing)I guess it is easy to say that in hindsight, I guess.
DL Something that I have just noticed from looking at the bands bio is
that everyone else has a first and a last name, how come you want to be
known as "Biff?"
BIFF Well, there are two reasons, first, to not make the whole
connection with my dad a huge focus and also I don't like alliterated
names. "Biff Butler" just sounds to me like a professional wrestler or a
cartoon character or something. It sounds a bit goofy to me so, if I was
known as anything else which didn't begin with a "B" then it would have
been fine, I suppose. I am not trying to create some sort of a "Madonna"
or anything like that, it was just that the name sounded a bit goofy to
me.
DL Well, I wasn't going to let you get off the phone without asking you
about your dad and since you have brought him up, not being the son of
some incredibly popular and famous person, I have to think that having
chosen to enter the very field that your father helped to define has to
be a pretty heavy weight to bear? No pun intended!(laughs)
BIFF (Laughing)Yeah! Well, it has obviously got its amazing pros because
of the opportunities that it has shown us IE: the OZZ-FEST and because of
the connection of him and then my mom being our manager it just means
that we get our music played to the proper people, a lot quicker. In
that way, I suppose, as a band we are quite spoiled but at the same time
it is not as if he writes our stuff or anything. Obviously, the
opportunities wouldn't be able to be fulfilled unless we were doing the
stuff for ourselves anyway. At the same time it can be a bit restricting
because people are going to be standing there at the OZZ-FEST sort of
being overly judgmental about us, maybe sort of comparing us. In a way,
I think, that it is sort of relevant as well because of how we will be
opening the entire OZZ-FEST and they will obviously be closing it so it
is like the whole thing has come full circle. That is how metal started,
with BLACK SABBATH, and us being where metal is at today.
DL Your dad has had a very long career and that is rare in the business.
Is longevity something that you are striving to achieve for both your
music and your career?
BIFF Yeah. We obviously don't try and sit down and write another "Iron
Man" or "Paranoid" or something but at the same time, I prefer to have a
song that will last. The real catchy songs and the real radio friendly
songs are essentially "one hit wonders" and they are obviously shipping
lots of units so more power to them but they won't be on the air next
year. There is not much there and once you have heard the song it might
stick in your head for a while but there is nothing else to really listen
to whereas when we try to make music, like when we are in the studio, we
will come up with all of these little elements that when we listen to it
with headphone, we didn't even know they were there so it is stuff that
we can come back to.
DL While I was looking at the website I also noticed your list of band
that you claim as an influence, DEPECHE MODE, NINE INCH NAILS, BJORK I
mean, I don't think that anybody in these bands would have had much of an
influence from SABBATH so I am wondering if maybe you intentionally moved
away from some of the stuff your dad was doing? How did having Geezer
Butler as a dad affect your taste or did it?
BIFF Well, actually all of the bands that I really listen to now, that is
really just within the past two or three years whereas before I was
really heavily into all of the sort of like, PEARL JAM and SOUNDGARDEN
and then PANTERA and even heavier stuff like BRUJERIA or DEICIDE. I was,
for a while, very much into heavy metal but I did obviously realize that
at one point that all these bands that I was listening too where all
influenced by BLACK SABBATH and yes that is my dad so it got a bit weird.
No, I don't think that it really made me shy away, it was just that I
had been into metal for so long that I just, sort of, listen to other
things and it brings other elements into this bands music so that we are
not just coming up with regurgitations of other bands music. The bass
player and the guitar player are very much up on today's metal scene
whereas myself and the programmer are more into stuff away from that
which are the elements that we try to bring into the band.
DL Do you listen to Dad's music?
BIFF No, I don't sit down and listen to it much because I have heard it
so much so I don't think that it is even necessary anymore.
DL Kind of like a song from a church hymnal, too familiar to appreciate
fully?
BIFF Yeah, I mean, I look back at some songs like "War Pigs," I mean, I
love that song to bits but whenever I hear it, it is almost like how some
people would hear a nursery rhyme because it reminds me of my childhood
and just being in a massive arena and hearing this song. Or like, I
suppose when my dad was with OZZY hearing "Crazy Train" it is like people
are yelling "Yeah man! It is Crazy Train!" and to me it is like "Oh
yeah, it is that song." and it is just a bit different I suppose.
DL After having listened to your record and the two solo records that
your dad has done I think it is fair to say that there are certain
similarities there. Do you think that you may have actually had an
effect on your fathers music?
BIFF Not to sound too pick about it but there was this one song on the
first album, the one that Burt (Burton C. Bell) was on, there was a song
called "Area Code 51." There was a band that I was in previous to this
one, which was basically APARTMENT 26 without the programer, and we had
written a song that had the mid-section that went exactly the same as the
mid section to "Area Code 51" so, that might have been somewhat ripped
off from us, I guess.
DL So Pop ripped off his own blood for a song eh?(laughs)
BIFF Sort of, yeah!(laughs) I think that everyone is messing around
with keyboards and samplers and stuff like that just as we are. As far
as that whole solo band goes, I personally think that the singer on the
second album, Clark Brown, is the most amazing vocalist that I have ever
met or heard ever. Just seeing him live, he carries it off so well. He
has just got the most powerful voice. The guitarist is also my cousin as
well he is very much involved with our band and he even wrote some of the
words on a song that is on the EP.
DL Which song was that?
BIFF On "Sliced Beats."
DL Are there any more budding Butler musicians?
BIFF My little brother just had his first band practice, it wasn't really
his band it was just a little mess around thing, but when I told my dad
that my little brother was having a band practice he almost fainted. He
was just like, "No way!" So, I don't think so.
DL Now there is a piece of trivia that I didn't know before! O.K. so,
you have the five songs on the CD which is going to be your
representation to the business community but how are you going to get the
word out to the kids other than playing on these OZZ-FEST shows?
BIFF We are currently in negotiations with a few labels and I think that
we are looking to get signed by the one who would have chosen if we could
have just chosen which label we wanted to be signed to. That is sorta
looking concrete.
DL Can I guess?
BIFF Yeah, but I won't say out of superstition. I would be interested to
see who you guessed though?
DL TVT or NOTHING/INTERSCOPE?
BIFF It isn't either of them actually but the guys at TVT, we know them
pretty well and they have been mainly, sort of, advisors as for what we
should do. But yeah, we are looking to do this OZZ-FEST and then maybe
release something afterwards. Hopefully we will be signed by the end of
the OZZ-FEST and go in to record and album but there are no official
plans. We are going to try and post more stuff on the web site so that
more kids can download stuff and hear it and we will have the CD
available through the web site and available at the merchandise stands at
the OZZ-FEST. Besides that, I don't know how people would hear about us.
The surprising thing is how many people have e-mailed us from the web
site and want to be on the mailing list. There are people in America who
I have no idea how they would have heard of us other than in magazine
mentions of us being on the OZZ-FEST or from the OZZ-FEST web site. Word
gets around, I guess.
DL Did you notice a measurable increase to the amount of hits on the web
site after it was announced that you would be on the OZZ-FEST?
BIFF We can't tell because the hits thing on our web site will not work
for some reason. Actually, the web site has only been up since quite
recently, it was actually announced that we would be on the OZZ-FEST
before the web site went up.
DL So the answer would be yes!(laughs)
BIFF (laughing)Yeah!
DL Well, since most people are going to have to wait to hear the band is
there anything else that you feel is important to know about the band
before they come and see you?
BIFF I suppose that what every person would want their listeners to go
away with is having a thing that they can go back to again and again and
find new meaning to it. More positive meanings as opposed to any
negative meanings, I guess. I find it really hard to go out and shout
about ourselves because there are obviously plenty of bands, pretty much
everybody, doesn't have the fortunate position that we are in, to get out
there and to be exposed like we are. I think that we just try to remain
as modest as we can and try to not get too excited about it because we
know that every thing is going our way so far that at any moment. . .
IAN SCOTT ENTERTAINMENT
MUSIC AMERICA MAGAZINE
9773 SANDYPOINTE
FAIR HAVEN, MI 48023
810-725-6471
___________________________________________
>From Dean Webb: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Regarding Ritchie Blackmore
I was wondering over the past few days how deeply Blackmore wanted to be
successful over the previous 30 years. Many of the changes he went through
seemed to be calculated to put his popularity and success ahead of his own
musical leanings. While he could make money as a heavy metal axeman, so he
did. But when musical tastes changed over the years, he went more pop-ish
with them. I would say, though, that lately he's playing what he (or he and
his significant other) want to play, damn the popularity.
Does The Man in Black have an inferiority complex relevant to other
top-rated guitarists? The guy could always shred, but never really got his
due from the rock press. I really don't think Blackmore ever went totally
commercial, but just enough to get into the radio airplay door (up to TBRO,
that is). No matter what anyone can say about the DP reunion and the Joe
Lynn Turner time, they got airplay more than the current lineup did.
So why did he not press on with striving for popularity? Did it have any
connection with his decision to leave DP?
Let me know if you have any other probings into the guy's mind. He's
definitely an interesting character to study.
___________________________________________
>From Dean Webb: dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com
Roger Glover's Elements
This is NOT a hard rock album. It's not pop or funk. It isn't free-form
jazz, either, or at least not totally. I guess the closest comparison I
could think of would be Pink Floyd or Mike Oldfield as far as musical style
went. Elements was done in the mid-70's and is reflective of the later
moods of the progressive rock period. Mostly instrumental, with several
memorable passages in the first movement (the heaviest and my favorite),
with echoes and recurring motifs through the rest of the piece.
Anyway, if you like introspective vanity pieces (vanity not being a
negative term in this sense), especially ones like Jon Lord's Gemini Suite,
this one might be for you. It was fun to listen to, but not really a
repeat-listening platter. By that, I mean that it's not music you just
leave to run in the background to ignore while you vaccuum or do dishes. It
requires you pay attention to its subtleties for best appreciation. Should
you come across it and you need it to complete your collection, approach it
as a bit of self-indulgence on Mr. Glover's part, and you shouldn't be
disappointed. If you're expecting hard rock or even pop hooks, best to
change your expectations before giving it a whirl.
If you don't like moody introspections, though, I would steer you toward
Glover's The Mask from the early 80's. I plan to review that one next
issue. Till then, see ya!
___________________________________________
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dplist(at-a-domain-named)geocities.com and I'll get around to it...
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