Pole dancing nuns.

In answer to a few emails, the bonus Now What track It’ll Be Me is a track IG has covered before, back in 1994 on the Javelins CD. Interesting to do a then and now comparison. Less interesting to realise we did that project twenty years ago now…

For those wanting a look at the Deep Purple Vincent Price video, it’s on the Classic Rock magazine website. Pole-dancing lingerie clad nun (all done in the best possible taste) and more.

It’s pure MTV hokum of course, but they’ve had a bit of fun putting it together, filming in the Berlin Dungeon with a David Thewlis lookalike as Price (and even a vaguely Madeline Smith lookalike for the nun).  Interesting to see someone has (rather badly) replicated Ian Paice’s 1969 bass drum head.  The audio seems tweaked a bit for play-back on PCs and the like compared to the CD too.

On the Rainbow scene, Jeff Cramer has done a pretty no-holds barred interview with the elusive former keyboard player David Stone which you can read at Jeff’s website. One or two suggestions need taking with a pinch of salt; and having double checked with others we find it hard to work out how he could possibly have played on Rainbow’s On-Stage album despite the claims!

Whitesnake? “Thunder great. Journey predictable. Whitesnake awesome, great mix of old and newer tracks and Mr C was in fine voice (Japanese tour voice worries seem to have been overcome). A few surprises but he asked us not to give away the set list. So I won’t!” Keith Livingstone.

And if the recession is getting to you as well, then according to Steve Allum there’s a copy of the first DPAS newsletter up for auction online right now with a ‘buy it now price’ of just $399.  Blimey.

Thanks to Michael Saloharis, Jamie Woodward, John McEvoy.

Deep Purple on cover of Metal Hammer magazine Poland

Gillan and Paice looked relaxed on the Later with… TV show on Tuesday evening. Jools Holland banged on about the album sleeve for a bit and then (for some reason) asked IG how dressing room riders had changed over the years? This prompted a nice (but barely audible) IG riff about asking for a rhino full of tartan ice cream and milk from two dogs! Holland then wheeled out the old Top Of The Pops clip – again – and asked them to come back and play on the show sometime. Paice said they would make that happen. IG mentioned that Roger couldn’t come as he was in hospital but didn’t say what was wrong. They may have a longer chat on the show’s repeat.
The DTB Mail Order Store have been told the Now What vinyl edition has sold out. The distributors are checking to see if any extra stock about, or if the label might be repressing given the demand.
Rolling Stone magazine have run a story asking readers for their list of bands which should be ion the rock and roll hall of fame but are still missing. Deep Purple tops the list. They were nominated for this year, and the next list will be announced in 2014. The place is fast becoming something of a laughing stock. Here’s the story. And even I know how to spell Nirvana correctly.
Also worth reading, a really well put together review of the new album and where it sits in the band’s career, in the Albany Democratic Herald. Nice to see such good journalism surviving in odd corners, it sure beats some of the shallow stuff which passes itself off in the UK qualities these days.  And when you’re finished reading it you can even get a Beaver Sports Update… A fairly positive review in the Independent newspaper in the UK too although the writer seemed to think that Don was a replacement following Jon’s death.
The Wednesday after Jools, Coverdale popped up on the BBC Breakfast TV sofa looking chipper and plugging the tour which starts Saturday. Dates are on the Coverdale news page. There are strong rumours to the effects that Bernie will pop up again at some shows, and even that Micky Moody might join him, but we’ll have to wait and see.
The next installment of the Whitesnake live album releases has been announced, a double from the UK and ROW, the details again on the Coverdale page shortly. It looks like they decided to combine two releases into one. Apparently they decided to record every show, and the CD production team then had to sift through over eighty concerts to make the selection…
It looks as if Coverdale guests on a track on Bernie Marsden’s upcoming solo album, as well as Joe Bonamasa (it is coming out on Joe’s label).
Finally who is the scallywag who posted this comment on a YouTube clip of Ritchie and The Outlaws some years ago (hoping it might become part of Blackmore myth)? It has finally been refuted! “Not many people realise that Ritchie Blackmore wrote and played most of the music for children’s television through the 1960′s – this was just before purple made the big time: Magic Roundabout, Chigley and Camberwick Green to name a few.” Mind you two more mid-sixties sessions have been mooted by one of the old engineers, so we’re trying to confirm.
Oh, and still wondering why Amazon are so cheap? Staff at their German offices have had to stage a strike just to try and get their wages up to the German state minimum.

Thanks to Mark Maddock. John McEvoy. Jamie Woodward. Stephen Clare. Tim Summers. Timothy Campbell.

Top of the Pops

“Now What?!” has been charting all over Europe, with the album sending Deep Purple straight to no.1 in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. After entering the Norwegian album charts at no.4 the album has climbed to no.1 in its second week of release.

Elsewhere “Now What?!” entered the UK album charts at no.19 on 5th May, breaking into the top twenty for the first time since “House Of Blue Light” back in 1987. It dropped to no.69 on 12th May.

 

The album was also straight in at no.1 in the UK rock album charts.

Other first week European chart placings include no.2 in Switzerland, no.3 in Russia, no.5 in Poland, no.7 in Sweden, no.7 in Hungary, no.8 in Finland, no.12 in Holland, no.12 in Italy, no.13 in Scotland,  no.18 in Denmark,  no.19 in France and no.19 in Spain.

Elsewhere, the regular edition of “Now What?!” entered the Billboard US charts at no.115, after having sold only 4,000 copies in its frst week.  That situation may improve when the limited edition is released. (As of 19 May  the limited edition was at no.49 in the Am*z^n.com top 100 chart)

with thanks to Hans Peter Jenssen

Bonus tracks.

It seems as if there is a bonus track from the album sessions which is only available if you purchase the album from one particular German CD supplier, and then only as a download (by entering a code off the CD). Perhaps appropriately this track is called First Sign Of Madness…!
Some have asked about the Japanese CD bonus tracks, but for once you don’t need to worry. They’ve just added the two live tracks off the CD single (which were on the special edition of the last album anyway) and the radio edit. It doesn’t come out there until May 22. 2013.
Ian Gillan is still insisting they are in London in July for a concert according to the Mark Radcliffe show, still no idea what this is about.

Thanks to Richard Taylor, Martin Ashberry.

More magazine covers now added to the DPAS Cover Gallery

More promo…

* New, 7th May

On 2nd May Ian Paice was interviewed on  ”MetalXS”,  L’Enorme TV, France.  He talked about NOW What?! (of course), his past, present and future with Deep Purple, his life, Ritchie, Steve…

You can see it here :
- English version : http://vimeo.com/65450700
-  French version : http://vimeo.com/65144787

Thanks to Patrice Monin

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Another wedge of promotional activity for people wanting to report quickly. Rockpages.gr have posted an interview they did with Roger Glover here: http://rockpages.gr/detailspage.aspx?id=9049&type=1&lang=EN. Our thanks to site editior Yiannis Dolas (who says don’t worry, it’s not in Greek!).

Steve Morse does a detailed track by track look at the album at Music Radar, which you can read here:
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/steve-morse-talks-deep-purples-new-album-now-what-track-by-track-574298#!2

The Daily Express tackled the Deep Purple story (and got quite a few facts muddled up) this week in print. Not sure how this affects UK house prices but we’ll see. http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/394212/The-return-of-Deep-Purple

The Simon Mayo Radio 2 chat  – http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01s1cy5 - was broadcast earlier than advertised (the 23rd) and the two Ians also featured on Mark Radcliffe‘s Radio 6 prog last Friday – http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p017yhwl . ”More interesting than Front Row and longer too, with not a mention of Smoke! MR was very enthusiastic and reckoned the album was more prog rock than recent offerings,” says James Bateman.

More German TV promotion too, which you can check out from the 24th here.
http://www.daserste.de/information/politik-weltgeschehen/morgenmagazin/stars-im-moma/musik-live-Deep-purple-100.html

And in other news: The NME are running a poll for best live album ever online. Currently they rate MIJ at no.13 (quite something from NME…!). If you want to have fun voting, follow this link (the public vote still has it at number 2). Personally, I feel MIJ is above voting, and should be ring-fenced at number one in such polls automatically, you just vote for the rest!

http://www.nme.com/ratemy/208067/greatest-live-albums-ever/item/208476
Oh and there’s a Tommy Bolin spread from a recent edition of a Brazilian guitar magazine up on the site with one of Simon’s old 76 shots.
http://wp.me/P5b2S-L3
Thanks to Dave Browne. Stephen Clare, Tim Summers

Things Fall Together

Deep Purple Now What album stock arrives…

Well here I go again (as someone once sang). 40 years ago I was sprawled on the carpet in our Victorian ‘best’ room with the gas fire on low, pouring over the sleeve to Who Do We Think We Are having been through the new album and wondering if this was the end of the band. 20 years later, The Battle Rages On cut a similar vibe of a band at war with itself and ready to call it a day.
So, another twenty years on, is Now What really a last gasp offering from Deep Purple as so many on the web have speculated? Is it bunnies. And if it was their last album, it certainly gives us enough to feel they went out guns blazing. Let’s deal with that ridiculous marketing tosh on the cover first, ‘Perfect Strangers meets Made In Japan’? Nothing ‘meets’ Made In Japan. It sits there as a statement for all time; the best rock band on the planet.
Instead Now What is more Perfect Strangers meets Purpendicular, via H-Bomb, Tarkus and LA Woman really. I even got Talking Heads and Jethro Tull at a couple of points. And Roxy Music (but that was only because the girls from Country Life fell off the shelf at one point and almost hit me on the head when I pushed the volume up at one spot).
It’s a good strong offering from most angles, and one which I know I’ll want to listen to again. Good grief, even Hell To Pay fits right in to the album once you cop an earful of the Mandrake Root-esque Rondo which spills out between verses. The only cut I really had to skip on was Uncommon Man, where Don’s seeming infatuation with all thing ELP gets a little too uncomfortable, but overall this certainly doesn’t sound like a band about to call it a day. Indeed right now it sounds like the best since Abandon to me (an album I still feel got a raw deal).
Rapture was such a dreadful disappointment I was so nervous putting this on, but I don’t think I’m just on the rebound here in getting so much out of this. The vinyl even has shiny inner bags and everything, just like a real LP. And we’re not even having to mention the mix, because we don’t have to. Bob Ezrin has done what was required by and large, and brought out just about the best in it (give or take one or two places where the solos leap out a little too prominently).
What I suspect are fairly, um, suspect lyrics on Apres Vous (wisely buried in the mix!) even herald a full on guitar keyboard trade off clearly inspired by days of yore. Paicey keeps it all on track (some have bemoaned his lack of flash but to me he drives it well) while Glover really appears to be enjoying it. And Vincent Price certainly brought a smile to my face. What other band would throw this at us to end an album? That’s what still makes Deep Purple special at times, because you really cannot measure them up against any other outfit. They’re out there, they do what they do, and at times like this we love them for trying. Sure a few bridges are a little simplistic, and once again they steam into some stunning little instro passages then refuse to stretch them out, but enough survives to bring a some enjoyment into our triple dip recession ridden times, which is fine by me. If they can be bothered to risk all and build a set around this one then it stands a chance of being as good as the Abandon tour. Here’s hoping. Now Ian, about those “seven screaming virgins on a sacrificial alter”, what exactly is it we have to sign up for to be in with a shot?

DTB orders are starting to go out now; if you want to buy from people who care you can do so at the DTB Online Store

Busy bees.

Have they really put a sticker on Now What saying “Perfect Strangers meets Made in Japan”? They apparently have! There does seem to be quite a buzz about the new album despite this rather unlikely claim (which seems to have come from inside the organisation anyway). We’ve had our first review in, so opened a new page for people’s thoughts once they’ve heard it: Album Reviews.

The two Ians made it to Radio 4 on the 19th April, the station’s sadly dumbed down arts show Front Row, and surfced again on Simon Mayo‘s BBC show on the 24th. You can catch these on BBC iPlayer (which even works in our neck of the woods now thanks to a nice man from BT Openreach finding us a better phone route down to the exchange).

Deep Purple also appeared on German comedy show TV Total on 24th April  playing  the truncated single cut of “Hell To Pay”.  They played the same show back in 2005 (performing Clearly Quite Absurd). People should be able to use the site’s watch again facilities to see the performance, which was at the end of the show.  Thanks to Milan Fahrnholz.

The new issue of Classic Rock magazine big-ups the new album with a decent feature plus interviews (though uses a vintage 1980 Gillan cover pic for some reason), and a cover-mounted rock compilation with a sleeve ripping off 24 Carat Purple (DP’s contribution is just the new single).

DTB Online are still taking advance orders for the Limited Edition of the album (CD plus exclusive Making Of disc).

Hipgnosis

Even if you don’t know the name Storm Thorgerson, you know his work. From 1968 onwards Storm, who has just died aged 69, and his Hipgnosis design partner Aubrey Powell put together many of the classic album covers of that era. Their work certainly had a big impact on me as a teenager, with cover images the like of which you didn’t really see anywhere else. Hipgnosis did get involved in a few Deep Purple-related covers. Nobody’s Perfect, the muddled live reunion album, was done by Aubrey Powell from the partnership, but he and Storm also did the Rainbow Difficult To Cure cover, which was an obscure take on a medical problem not unknown to rock musicians! Hipgnosis set up a number of studio photos for the cover, and I seem to recall there was some unresolved debate about whether one of the masked up doctors on the front was actually Blackmore himself. There were certainly two slightly different versions of the cover, depending on whether you got the American or British pressing.

For me one of their greatest covers was the sci-fi montage for the one and only Quatermass album, which fascinated me back in 1970, though it was ages before I discovered that album’s connections with the Purple family through drummer Mick Underwood, Episode Six and Black Sheep Of The Family (and even longer before I managed to secure a nice original gatefold copy).

Hipgnosis were also involved in Buddy Bohn’s Drop In The Ocean sleeve on the original Purple label.

For anyone interested in seeing more, I’ve put together a collection of some of my favourite sleeves by the designers on my album art site ST33.

News bits

Roger Glover has completed the tale of recording the new album on his site, you can read the last of the three extracts here.
Points of interest include the use of a couple of session guys in places, which has to be a first for the band (unless the odd backing warble by crew members counts!) to do some acoustic and lap steel guitar parts, either as Steve was on tour at the time or perhaps in the case of the latter as it’s a fairly specialised piece of gear.
Roger reckons Bob made them work hard and they responded. At least one DTB reader (name withheld to protect his sources!) has heard a low-fi version of the final album and reports “a kind of pleasing amalgam of the Morse era elements in evidence - the free-thinking of Purpendicular, the heaviness of Abandon, the progressiveness of Rapture – are all represented, plus something else…”
As he rightly says, this is the sort of information which will mean things to fans, rather than banging on about Made in Japan and Perfect Strangers…
One journalist we know had his request for a promo turned down (which seems a bit over-cautious, it’ll be out anyway in less than a fortnight) and a booked interview pulled due to ‘lack of time’. It seems to be the two Ian’s doing the rounds this album, and they’ll be on BBC Radio Tue 2 on 23 Apr 2013 if you want to check it out.
If you’re too stingy or broke to get the single, the tracks are all now up on Spotify if you’re a subscriber (and don’t mind the musicians getting paid peanuts in royalties!).
It looks like the Rock & Roll Hall Of Infamy has passed on Deep Purple again, as Rush – who are being inducted this week – have complained. “The sound of bands like ourselves would not be the same without Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar playing and the writing that Deep Purple did as a band. So I feel pretty strongly that they should be in there.”
Lastly the Whitesnake-heavy trailer for Discoverdale is online at the pro’s video site of choice, gives you an idea of the storyline. vimeo.com/m/58669836
Thanks also to Peter Judd, Bjørn Sund, Stephen Clare, Matthew Burbridge.

Breeze blocks and other news

Updates on the new Deep Purple album, Glover’s comments, and press interviews on the site here.
Deep Purple’s Speed King is being used (in a curiously edited version) as backing music for a new TV commercial in Norway, here’s the link if you want to take a peek. The company is LECA (Leca Lock). I don’t know which is the more bizarre, hearing the track used in such an incongruous way, or seeing an advert for breeze blocks on prime-time TV! Thanks to Bjørn Sund (and others) for the heads up. Meanwhile the DPO official approved series no. 2 reissues Denmark 72 in April.
Lots of people wishing RB happy 68th the other day, in the meantime there is news of a new album from Blackmore’s Night, Dancer And The Moon, including a track dedicated to Jon and a Uriah Heep cover, on the site here.
The two Bernie Marsden 80s solo albums have been reissued for the first time in ages. There are details on the site in the review section listing all the guests. They lack the bonus tracks from the Purple Records releases but as those have been out of print for several years these will fill a gap.
The film Discoverdale has been shown at the  Bootleg Film Festival in Edinburgh last weekend and picked up Best Director and Audience Choice Awards. Really looking forward to seeing this!
Thanks also to Trace Keane for the magazine cover, David Browne, Peter Judd, Tim Summers.