Tag: deep purple (Page 1 of 2)

After having broken up in ’75 and all members going their separate ways with varying degrees of success, it was a huge surprise when it was announced that Purple were reconvening, and with Ritchie Blackmore on guitar. After all the animosity between members, especially Gillan and Blackmore, I was stunned to say the least. One things for sure, it would have to be a killer record.

While it’s not the band’s best, it certainly is a strong record and the lead off track Knocking At Your Back Door is a great way to open with. A very melodic tune with a great hook and chorus, and Ritchie is on fire playing some great licks. Mean Streak is a throw back to old Purple with that heavy shuffle very similar to Strange Kind Of Woman, and yet the main melody is very US radio-friendly. Listening to the intro of the title track with the unmistakable sound of Jon Lords Hammond brings a tear to the eye, knowing he is no longer with us. My favourite track would have to be Gypsy’s Kiss. An old school uptempo Purple romp with Ritchie and Jon trading licks is pure joy.

I know Purple are still a going concern, but we won’t ever hear this sound again.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

When a band gets huge success with an album, and I’m talking Made In Japan here, some hack at the record company will have the bright idea of trying to replicate it. Made In Japan is probably the greatest live album of all time, and to try and equal that is not realistic. Now of course we have a different front man in David Coverdale which, if we’re honest, was not even the best vocalist in the band as we all know Glenn Hughes’ voice is just phenomenal.

The opening track is Burn and in my opinion it is the best track from this live set, and Blackmore is at his supreme best, in this recording anyway. Mistreated was always a bit of a showstopper with the emphasis being on both guitar and vocals. I’m not sure we’ll ever hear Ritchie play like this again. Lady Double Dealer is a standard Purple rocker, and both Blackmore and Jon Lord have their little showpiece. You’ll Fool No One is all about Jon Lord and boy do we miss that sound. Of course Blackmore gets to riff it up and take over the song completely. The set closes out with Stormbringer and it’s a fairly straight forward take on the best song on that album. So it is a short live album from a once great band, and no it’s not as good as Made In Japan.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

This is the second album after the band’s return after their disbandment in ’75. Also, this lineup is what most regard as the classic Purple Mk2 version. Blackmore seemed to be loving this at the time (we all know what transpired later), but he brought with him a more commercial edge to the band after his stint with taking Rainbow in that direction. In fact, the opening track Bad Attitude is a very commercial sounding track and was released as a single – as well as Call Of The Wild.

It’s a good album and it definitely has its moments, but there does seem to be that spark missing from proceedings. Even when we get to speedier songs like Mad Dog, it all seems a bit to polished and the edge has been removed. It’s not until we get to The Spanish Archer when the vibe has that old Purple feel to it, and that’s in the intro. It’s ironic that the best track on the album is the last one, Dead Or Alive, as it does rock quite well and has a light shining to the past.

It’s nowhere near their best effort, but there is still enough here to keep the most discerning rock fan happy.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

After Gillan’s departure from the band, everyone was all a buzz as to who would replace him. After all, how do you replace a voice as distinctive and powerful as that? Well, you can either get a well known replacement in (I remember Paul Rodgers’ name being mentioned at the time), or you can get a complete unknown. They hired one David Coverdale who, at the time, was working in a boutique and he sent a tape in to audition for the gig. The amazing thing here is, he is not the best singer in the band, as that would be Glenn Hughes who joined at the same time on bass and BV’s.

This is my favourite album with Coverdale singing as it still sounds like Deep Purple before they went all funky and RnB. Don’t get me wrong, I really like those formats, it’s just Purple are a hard rockin’ band, and a hard rockin’ band they should be.

The album opens up with the title track, Burn, and is a trademark Purple rocker but with a more bluesy soulful voice. It was released as a single at the time, and rightly so, as this is the most commercial track on the album. Funnily enough the next track, Might Just Take Your Life, was also released as a single, and is also a starting point for the groovier side of the band that would totally takeover when Blackmore would leave. Lay Down Stay Down follows and is a perfect mix between rock and RnB. It has some great trade off vocals between Coverdale and Hughes, plus a killer solo from the man in black. Sail Away closes out Side 1 and has a slow funky blues vibe that Coverdale would use to great effect in early Whitesnake.

You Fool No One announces the arrival of Side 2 with a great drum groove and awesome riff. It’s one of my favourite MK3 tunes, plus there is lots of Ritchie at the end of the song. What’s Goin On Here is next up and is almost an old blues shuffle but with a dirtier groove – I love the sparring vocals between Coverdale and Hughes. Next up is the big number of the album and big Live track for Purple, as well as for Hughes and Coverdale when they both went solo. I think I’m right in saying that Blackmore wrote the music to this after being inspired by Free’s Heartbreaker almost 2 years earlier, and Coverdale would finish the lyrics after he joined. Another iconic Blackmore riff starts the show rolling, before it becomes a showcase for DC’s vocals and Blackmore’s guitar. The album closes with A’ 200, a somewhat weird instrumental where Jon Lord uses synths for maybe the first time, and Ritchie gets to cut loose also. So that’s my favourite Purple album with DC on vocals and it gets 9.5/10 from The Grooveman.