Tag Archives: Deep Purple

2013 could be the first year that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn’t suck!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

First of all, I hafta say that I’ve actually been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and it’s a pretty impressive place.  I literally spent an entire day there a couple years back, without even stopping to eat, and still kinda rushed through the last couple floors.  (No biggie, though—the top floor at the time was dedicated to Bruce Springsteen.)  That said, while they’ve expanded their definition of “rock and roll” to include everything from funk to punk to hip hop, the nominating committee continually leaves some of the greatest rock bands of all time off the ballot.  Case in point: Rush and Deep Purple.

The two rock giants have endured decades-long careers, sold millions of records—particularly in the 70’s—and unleashed a slew of virtuosic musicians; names like Lord, Blackmore, Paice, Lee, Lifeson and Peart have influenced multiple generations to pick up an instrument.  But neither had been so much as nominated for the Hall until this year.  

Of course, this happens to be the first time that Rolling Stone, which has constantly reigned over the nomination process, is opening the vote to the public, albeit the fan vote only counts for one out of some 600 ballots cast.  Still, as the CBC suggests, “if the fan vote goes unrecognized, the Hall’s attempt to integrate fans in the voting process is all for naught. After all, what’s the point of having a fan vote if it is going to be ignored?”  A very valid assertion, if you ask me.  Now who’s gonna go print up some Rush/Purple 2013 bumper stickers?

Alas, while I seem to head down to Cleveland about once a year, I can say I won’t be visiting the Hall until they dedicate a top-floor exhibit to Deep Purple.  Now that would be worth the 22-dollar price of admission!

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RIP Jon Lord

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Jon Lord, the preeminent hard rock organist and a founding member of the legendary Deep Purple, passed away today at age 71 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  Though he retired from Purple in ’02, his bandmates have kept going on without him, touring Canada back in February and making a stop at Massey Hall.  For the occasion, I revisited some of the band’s classic works, including the Lord-composed Concerto for Group and Orchestra.  My retrospectives have been linked below for your perusal:

Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969)

In Rock (1970)

Fireball (1971)

Machine Head (1972)

Made in Japan (1972/73)

…

For some strange reason, I’m reminded of the Iommi tune “Just Say No To Love” on which the late Peter Steele contributed his vocal talents, including this strangely endearing verse–which I think was intended for someone else, mind you.

“Jon Lord said that you were killed
Not possibly be more thrilled
A party thrown, I’m so excited
Since you’re dead, you’re not invited
On your grave I made a wish
You beneath me is such bliss
A fitting end for a phony
You dumped me for Tony Iommi”

(On that note, let’s hope the Iron Man wins his battle with cancer…)

R.I.P.

Well, I guess those old guys still got it (sort of, anyways) — DEEP PURPLE @ Massey Hall, February 12th

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Though I tend to stay away from the classic rock touring circuit, I thought it was kinda cool that Deep Purple was touring across Canada in the middle of February.  (I mean, who does that, eh?)  I had actually never been to Massey Hall before in my six and a half years in this city, but I thought was a pretty classy place, if a little outdated.  Speaking of past-their-prime, they were plenty of grey-hairs in attendance, some of whom still sported long, glorious manes, mind you.  Who knew that Rogaine had a product for mullets!?

Anyways, I had initially balked at coughing up 100 bucks for a ticket, but after listening to some classic Deep Purple records, I eventually came around.  The show was almost sold out, but there were a few single seats available when I went online a few weeks ago.  That said, my options were either up in the third-tier gallery, or two rows from the stage, albeit with the caveat that I was close to the speakers with a restricted view.  Oddly enough, both tickets were the exact same price, making this a no-brainer.  And while I did indeed have my right ear to the speakers the entire evening, my view wasn’t restricted in the slightest, save for the people standing in front of the stage, a privilege only accorded to front-row ticket holders.  But hey, us young whipper-snappers don’t mind standing up for a concert–in fact, I’m not used to sitting down!

This is the “obstructed” view of the stage from Aisle 4, Row B.  Not too shabby, eh?

 

First of all, props to Hamiltonian heavy rockers Monster Truck for landing the opening slot on the Southwestern Ontario gigs (London, Toronto, Hamilton).  I cannot think of a band in this area better suited for this gig, and I believe they won themselves a few new fans–though I doubt those folks will be catching them at the Bovine anytime soon.  I also dug their keyboardist’s Ritchie Blackmore outfit.  Too bad he was on the other side of the stage, so I couldn’t get a good picture!  In fact, I only took a few photos all evening, since I didn’t really have the greatest angle…

This is the view of the stage from Aisle 4, Row B with a band on it:

 

As for the headliners, Deep Purple came out to a rousing “Highway Star,” during which I couldn’t help noticing how old Ian Gillan looked on stage.  He was wearing a boot on his right foot, but seemed to be able to move freely.  On the other hand, his age has definitely added a few wrinkles to his voice, as he failed to hit the shrieking high notes on the opening number.  His performance improved somewhat during the set, and he even traded notes with guitarist Steve Morse on “Strange Kind of Woman,” a la Made in Japan, only this time he didn’t last quite as long.  There were also times when his voice reminded me of Axl Rose–proof that even at 66, he still sounds as good as the next generation. ;)

 

The first thing I noticed about Steve Morse was that the man has a million-dollar smile.  He belongs in a toothpaste commercial, seriously.  And while he played Blackmore’s riffs faithfully, I found that he came up a bit lacking in the guitar-solo department.  No doubt about it, the man can play, but he sounded more mechanical, like a “How to Shred” 80′s guitar video, as opposed to his legendary predecessor’s organic blues chops.  I actually got kinda bored during his spotlight solo section, and even sat down (to the delight of the people behind me).

 

Now, this definitely had the feel of a real 70′s rock show, despite the fact that some of these guys are pushing 70.  Not only did they play extended, jammed-out versions of every song, but each musician got his own spotlight solo–even bassist Roger Glover, who, I gotta say, looks awfully fit for 66!  I hafta question sticking his solo smack-dab in the middle of the encore, though.  More on that later.  Ian Paice, who’s three years younger than his Mk II bandmates, still keeps a steady beat at 63, and I preferred his moment in the spotlight to Morse’s.  Don Airey was pretty rockin’ on keys too (hey man, Jon Lord’s 70 now!), although his solo was more classical-piano oriented, with a hint of “O Canada” thrown in for good measure.

This was my best look at the Purple backline:

 

The set was built around the songs that people wanted to hear, with all the Machine Head classics (“Highway Star,” “Maybe I’m a Leo,” “Lazy,” “Space Truckin’”) alongside other early 70′s numbers like “Strange Kind of Woman,” “The Mule” and “My Woman From Tokyo.”  Naturally, they left “Smoke on the Water” to the end of the set, before coming back with a throwback encore of “Hush” and “Black Knight.”  Betcha when Gillan replaced Rod Evans in ’69, he didn’t expect to be still singing “Hush” 43 years later!

The best part of this gig was that even after a nearly two-hour set, it was all over by 10:30.  Most folks didn’t hafta stay up past their bedtime, while me, I got home in time to catch the last episode from Season 2 of Eastbound and Down on The Score.  Man, I can’t wait for Season 3!

As for Deep Purple, well, I’m glad I got to see ‘em before they died.  Don’t think I’d pay 100 bucks to catch ‘em again though, not unless Blackmore comes back and/or they play In Rock in its entirety.  They might need a backup singer to hit the high notes on that record, though, I suppose…

(And for the record, buddy, the song’s not “Sweet Child in Time,” it’s just “Child in Time.”  They probably thought you were heckling them by repeatedly yelling out a Guns ‘n Roses tune, though I don’t think that’s the only reason why they didn’t play it.  And while we’re at it, peace, love and understanding to the big, bearded hippy who danced wildly during a few numbers.  Sucks that security harshed your buzz.  Bummer, man…)

PURPLE SABBATH REVISITED: Born Again (1983)

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As Deep Purple smokes Toronto tonite, the Black Sabbath reunion seems to have hit a snag, what with Iommi’s health issues and Bill Ward’s contract dispute.  Perhaps they could draft some Purple people as replacements?  After all, it wouldn’t be the first time…

After firing their second singer, Ronnie James Dio (RIP), Black Sabbath was on the lookout for a new mouthpiece in 1983.  Though he first turned them down, Ian Gillan, who had left Deep Purple to pursue a solo career, eventually accepted over a couple pints at The Bear pub in Oxford.  Incidentally, the band also welcomed back a newly-sober Bill Ward for this record.  Go figure!

The album opens with aggressive synth rocker “Trashed,” on which Gillan unleashes a trademark scream a few seconds in.  This is Black Sabbath gone new wave right here, a static chug with unnecessary keyboard flourishes adding another layer of cheese.  Make no mistake; they’re a decade removed from Vol 4 at this point.

Instrumental interlude “Stonehenge” is notable only in that it inspired the legendary scene from Spinal Tap.  Apparently, the Sabs actually used a Stonehenge monument on this tour.  Man, I would’ve loved to see that!

“Disturbing the Priest,” much like the Purple classic “Smoke on the Water,” is a tune inspired by the recording process—apparently there was a nearby church that wanted them to turn down their amps or something.  Mind you, this isn’t really reflected in the lyrics, which still sound pretty evil despite the canned 80’s backbeat.  Iommi also contributes a pretty sinister chorus riff, considering the circumstances…

“Zero the Hero” is this album’s saving grace, the closest thing to a classic on here.  Cannibal Corpse actually covered this tune 10 years later on the Hammer Smashed Face single (apparently Chris Barnes swears by Born Again), as did a Calgarian band called Kybosh in the new millennium.  I actually own all three versions, heh.  Some people say that Slash stole the chugga-chugga heard in “Paradise City” from Iommi’s fretwork on this tune.  Not sure I believe that, but there’s no question that this is a pretty badass track, regardless.

“Digital Bitch” opens Side B with its catchy, infectious chorus that’ll now be stuck in my head for the next few days.  Rumour has it that the subject of this song is none other than Sharon Osbourne.  On his website, Gillan says “I remember exactly who inspired this story, but the only thing I can reveal about her identity is that neither she, nor her father, had anything to do with computers.”

The title track can also be found buried on the B side.  A slower, mellower number after the fast-paced fury of “Digital Bitch,” this one’s a power ballad in true 80’s fashion—and not a bad one, at that!  “Hot Line” (say what?), on the other hand, slithers along like a second-rate Motorhead slow one.  Speaking of thievery, this almost sounds like it was yanked from “Cat Scratch Fever.”  Just sayin’.  Album closer “Keep it Warm” opens with a decent doomy riff, though it turns into another ballad, this one not as good as its predecessor.

Although most critics found the music on Born Again to be about as appealing as its album cover, it shot straight up to Number 4 in the UK, while also charting in the States.  Mind you, it’s probably the lone Sabbath record that’s never been issued on CD over here, making it a decent find for vinyl hunters.  (I got mine for 10 bucks!)  Unfortunately, for all its historical significance, it’s simply not that great an album, no matter what Chris Barnes thinks.

PURPLE REVISITED: Made in Japan (1972/73)

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Deep Purple’s month-long “Smoke on the Nation” tour kicked off this weekend in Newfoundland and makes its way into Ontario this week, culminating in a sold-out performance at Massey Hall on Sunday.  After some initial trepidation over ticket prices, I ended up forking out a hundred bucks for a fourth-row seat.  What can I say, I wanna see these guys before they die!  Alas, Jon Lord has retired, and the chances of Ritchie Blackmore rejoining the band are about equal to those of the Leafs winning the Cup this year–but the other three-fifths of the Mk II lineup remains intact.  Thus, I figured I’d spend this week revisiting the recorded output they produced over that glorious five-year timeframe…

Made in Japan (1972/1973)

One of the earliest live rock albums, and to this day one of the very best, recorded over three nights in Japan on the Machine Head tour.  For some strange reason, Warner delayed the US release of this record till after Who Do We Think We Are had come out, which hardly makes sense when most of its material was culled from its predecessor.  Every song here is extended from its album length, necessitating a double-vinyl release back in the day, and lemme just say that if they still jam like this nowadays, I am gonna be a happy camper come Sunday!

This record, much like their ’72 studio album, opens with “Highway Star,” drawn out to seven minutes by a slightly longer intro jam to the polite clapping of the Japanese audience and a sweet-ass solo section made sweeter by a slight return.  Gillian’s voice actually seems to have a bit more fire than on the studio version—or maybe that’s just wear and tear from the road.  We’re then treated to the lone inclusion from In Rock, a 12-minute “Child in Time” that tacks a little bit extra on to the original.  If anything, Gillian’s wails are a tad more restrained here, but there’s no doubt that he can still hit the high notes at this point.

Much like Machine Head, Side Two opens with, you guessed it, “Smoke on the Water.”  The fans clap along as Blackmore throws a loop into the classic riff off the top—or maybe that’s just a false start that made its way onto tape.  We also get some additional keyboard/guitar noodling at the end.  You’d think with three shows to choose from, they could find a better take…  On that note, next tune, “The Mule,” offa Fireball, was taken from the Tokyo gig two days later.  This is also where Gillan utters the classic line “Can we have everything louder than everything else?”  That’s right Motorheadbangers—he said it first!  Oh, and cue drum solo…

Side three offers us another Fireball tune (at least on the US version) in “Strange Kind of Woman,” which meshes well with the bluesy groove of “Lazy” from its successor, though these two were recorded on different nights.  The former does get a little silly though when Gillan starts to mimic Blackmore’s guitar bends with his voice—it probably didn’t need to be nine and a half minutes long.  The latter also takes a little longer to get going than usual, and as a result, it almost hits the 11-minute mark, adding a little more life to an above-average blues jam.

But la pièce de résistance, taking up all of Side 4, is a 20-minute version of “Space Truckin’” that starts off with an organ flourish, Gillan encouraging the crowd to clap their hands as the opening riff is played a couple extra times.  To say they throw in a few more solos would be an understatement—this tune in quite the undertaking!  Though to be honest, I think they only play one proper verse…

I just hope that listening to Made in Japan doesn’t raise the bar too high for the gig on Sunday.  I mean, surely they can’t still pull this off 40 years later—can they?

PURPLE REVISITED: Machine Head (1972)

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Deep Purple’s month-long “Smoke on the Nation” tour kicked off this weekend in Newfoundland and makes its way into Ontario this week, culminating in a sold-out performance at Massey Hall on Sunday.  After some initial trepidation over ticket prices, I ended up forking out a hundred bucks for a fourth-row seat.  What can I say, I wanna see these guys before they die!  Alas, Jon Lord has retired, and the chances of Ritchie Blackmore rejoining the band are about equal to those of the Leafs winning the Cup this year–but the other three-fifths of the Mk II lineup remains intact.  Thus, I figured I’d spend this week revisiting the recorded output they produced over that glorious five-year timeframe…

Machine Head (1972)

What more can be said about Machine Head?  I mean, everybody knows “Smoke on the Water,” and most of you know “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin’” too.  This one topped the British charts within a week of its release, peaked at Number 7 in the States, and spawned one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time.  There’s nothing else to say, really.  But I guess I’ll bite…

The albums gets off to a frantic pace with the aforementioned “Highway Star,” a chugging, in-your-face road anthem that really gets the blood pumping.  For what it’s worth, I’ve always preferred this one to the song that opens Side Two.  “Smoke” might have that legendary riff, but this “Star” has got the more badass solo!

“Maybe I’m a Leo” is decidedly more laid-back, a groovy, mid-paced rocker with some solid fuzz riffage.  I’ve heard a few decent stoner rock covers of this one, and it’s certainly suited to that type of treatment; mellow, yet rifftastic.  The last two songs on the A Side, “Pictures of Home” and “Never Before,” are oft-overlooked, the former being a solid spacey psych tune with an unexpected bass solo, while the latter is more of a funky blues rock number containing a soaring classic rock chorus.

Chances are, you not only have “Smoke on the Water” committed to memory, but you know the story behind the song as well.  The band was set to cut the record at a casino in Montreux, Switzerland after its concert season ended, but someone shot a flare into the ceiling at the last gig of the year, and burned the place down; hence “Smoke on the Water.”  Dun-Dun-Dun, Dun-Dun-Da-Dun…

Y’know, I’ve always preferred the B Side of Machine Head.  Not only does it open with the band’s biggest hit, but it ends in style with a coupla solid tunes in “Lazy” and “Space Truckin’.”  “Lazy opens with an extended jazzy keyboard intro, leading into a shuffling drum beat which provokes some solid instrumental interplay, a driving bluesy beat that begets an early guitar solo and subsequent reply on keys and rides the wave of a solid jam session for a couple more minutes before Gillian finally comes in at the 4:20 mark. (I shit you not!)  This one rolls on for a few minutes more, adding harmonica into the mix, before the Truckers take over, armed with wah-pedals and warm Hammond organ over a punchy backbeat.  Let’s go “Space Truckin’”!

Alas, while I still think In Rock should be the Purple opus that appears on the “Best Heavy Metal Albums” lists, not this one, there’s no denying that Machine Head is still a solid heavy blues rock record.

PURPLE REVISITED: Fireball (1971)

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Deep Purple’s month-long “Smoke on the Nation” tour kicked off this weekend in Newfoundland and makes its way into Ontario this week, culminating in a sold-out performance at Massey Hall on Sunday.  After some initial trepidation over ticket prices, I ended up forking out a hundred bucks for a fourth-row seat.  What can I say, I wanna see these guys before they die!  Alas, Jon Lord has retired, and the chances of Ritchie Blackmore rejoining the band are about equal to those of the Leafs winning the Cup this year–but the other three-fifths of the Mk II lineup remains intact.  Thus, I figured I’d spend this week revisiting the recorded output they produced over that glorious five-year timeframe…

Fireball (1971)

Caught in between the ground-breaking In Rock and the massive success of Machine Head, one might forget that Fireball was the band’s first chart-topping album, although its successor would duplicate this feat—while also cracking the Top 10 stateside.  It’s worth noting that the track listing on this one varied by region, the North American version omitting “Demon’s Eye” for “Strange Kind of Woman,” which was released separately as a single in the UK, much like “Black Knight” was to In Rock.  Since I actually own this one on vinyl, I therefore can’t comment on “Demon’s Eye,” but the latter was a top 10 hit in the old country and a live staple for the band (appearing on Made in Japan, along with “The Mule” from Side B), so I think we got the best of that exchange.

This one opens with the fiery title track, an occasional encore number in their live set, which features a RatSaladian effort on drums by Ian Paice, some soulful Jon Lord organ and a far-out, distorted Blackmore solo all crammed into a tight three-minute, 25-second package.  “No No No” follows, the longest song on Side A, over twice the duration of its predecessor.  This one kicks off with a laid-back bluesy vibe, though there’s still perhaps a hint of Sabbath in the instrumental break, leading to a chorus that leans more towards Grand Funk Railroad.  Pretty decent overall, but somewhat short of spectacular.

“Strange Kind of Woman” is a pretty solid boogie-rock number, a shuffling back-beat and groovy organ, with a lustful chorus by Gillan, who is noticeably more reigned-in on this record than he appeared on his DP debut, though he does let loose a coupla “Ooh-oohs” leading into a tasty Blackmore solo.  Side A ends ignominiously with pedestrian folksy pop/blues number “Anyone’s Daughter,” some old-school electric piano playing from Lord being its only real redeemable quality.

The B Side opens with “The Mule,” which begins with a spacey instro jam before some airy Gillian vocals come to the forefront.  Some really strange sounds from Jon Lord on here, the organ kinda sounding like a sitar or some bizarre Middle-Eastern instrument.  One of the trippier tracks in their back catalogue, to be sure.

“Fools” is the lengthiest number on this one by a long shot, coming in at 8:21.  It’s here that the needle of my record player hits a groove in the vinyl during the keyboard intro, but in pushing it forward, I’m hit with some heavy, crunchy riffage and a harsh Gillan scream.  This one’s a pretty heavy vegetable, and also a personal favourite, featuring what may be the slowest drum solo of all time, along with some sorta string instrument.  Man, this interlude is like modern-day Earth (Angels of Darkness…)—40 years earlier, haha!  I kid you not!

The album ends with “No One Came,” a funky little number with a vicious backbeat, Gillan shouting himself hoarse about his shortcomings.  Not exactly a memorable way to go out.

Alas, Fireball features a couple trippy tunes that are out there and different, a few straight-up songs that sound pretty decent, and the head-scratcher that ends Side A.  This is hardly the pre-metal revelation of In Rock nor the catchy chart-topper that followed.  A decent record, nothing more.  Fairly solid, but certainly not spectacular.

PURPLE REVISITED: In Rock (1970)

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Deep Purple’s month-long “Smoke on the Nation” tour kicked off this weekend in Newfoundland and makes its way into Ontario this week, culminating in a sold-out performance at Massey Hall on Sunday.  After some initial trepidation over ticket prices, I ended up forking out a hundred bucks for a fourth-row seat.  What can I say, I wanna see these guys before they die!  Alas, Jon Lord has retired, and the chances of Ritchie Blackmore rejoining the band are about equal to those of the Leafs winning the Cup this year–but the other three-fifths of the Mk II lineup remains intact.  Thus, I figured I’d spend this week revisiting the recorded output they produced over that glorious five-year timeframe…

In Rock (1970)

Although most people consider Black Sabbath to be the first metal band, and their eponymous album to be the genre’s first release, a lot of the NWOBHM-era metalers would include Deep Purple In Rock in that conversation.  Just ask Bruce Dickinson.  The first studio release with the Mk II lineup would reach as high as Number 4 in the UK, while “Black Knight,” a non-album single they put out around the same time, peaked at Number 2 on the British pop charts—and has subsequently been included on most CD reissues of said album.  Though the original record had but seven songs, it still reached nearly 45 minutes in length, thanks to such epic numbers as the 10-minute “Child in Time,” which closes out Side A.

Opening the first side is “Speed King,” a nearly six-minute stomper that starts off with a distorted crash, followed by an eerie keyboard solo that makes Ray Manzarek sound like the Boston Garden organist.  From there you can practically taste the fuzz on this far-out number, the first—and hardly last—road-rarin’ tune in the Purple catalogue, as it gradually picks up the pace, befitting of its moniker.  I can certainly see how many a Limey metalhead cut his teeth on this!

“Bloodsucker” seems slow by comparison, but is still chockfull of heavy grooves and some wild banshee wails courtesy of Mr. Gillan.  Man, this kinda riff has been co-opted by more than a few stoner rockers who were busy being born around the time Purple dropped this record—and many who weren’t even the apple in daddy’s nutsack.  This is some good shit!

And then there’s the aforementioned “Child,” opening with some more stellar Lord keywork, a mellow vibe with plenty of cymbal accents, Gillan cooing a lullabye which eventually gives way to more vocal histrionics as the tempo increases.  Check out that badass military march around the 3:20 mark—leading into a passionate Blackmore solo, which gives way to a galloping Glover bassline that could show Steve Harris a thing or two, before Blackmore and Lord do battle on their respective instruments, rising into a crescendo that falls back into the same organ pattern heard at the beginning—and we’re only a little more than halfway through at this point!  EPIC.

Side B opens on an upbeat note with “Flight of the Rat,” a straight-ahead 70’s rocker that seems pretty standard—until you consider that this came out in June ’70, and rather than being standard, it’s a standard-bearer.  Again, you can never have enough organ solos.  It’s a real shame that Jon Lord retired (though I hear Don Airey’s no slouch, either).  Man, this one even has a conga solo!  Okay, maybe it’s not so standard, after all…

“Into the Fire” is officially the shortest song on here, at 3:28, and it gets right down to business with some solid guitar/keyboard interplay.  A bluesy rocker with a stop-start verse and instrumental breakdown chorus, it packs plenty of punch into those three and a half minutes.  “Living Wreck” is also short by In Rock standards, though it’s about a minute longer than its predecessor.  Honestly, this track sounds sort of like a precursor to “Smoke on the Water,” minus that memorable guitar riff, mind you…

“Hard Lovin’ Man” opens with a galloping guitar riff, leading into a driving drum beat and soaring organ, along with some equally high-altitude Gillan vocals.  (Something tells me he can’t hit those notes anymore…)  This is another faster number that could make the case for Purple, not Sabbath, being the first metal band.  After all, no one else really played slow like the latter till a few years into the 80’s.  Just sayin’. ;)

As for “Black Knight,” the three-minute throwaway with lyrics cobbled together on the spot, well it isn’t a bad little tune.  A catchy backbeat drives this funky rocker, Blackmore and Lord marching in lockstep while Gillian garbles out his admittedly-terrible lyrics.  Still a lot better than most of what was polluting the pop charts in 1970, I’m sure.

But going back to In Rock, man, if they play anything offa this album on Sunday, I’m gonna lose my shit.  (With all the seniors in attendance, I might not be the only one who’ll have this problem, heh heh.)  Great, great record that often doesn’t get its due on this side of the pond.  Essential proto-metal in my books.

PURPLE REVISITED: Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969)

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Deep Purple’s month-long “Smoke on the Nation” tour kicked off this weekend in Newfoundland and makes its way into Ontario this week, culminating in a sold-out performance at Massey Hall on Sunday.  After some initial trepidation over ticket prices, I ended up forking out a hundred bucks for a fourth-row seat.  What can I say, I wanna see these guys before they die!  Alas, Jon Lord has retired, and the chances of Ritchie Blackmore rejoining the band are about equal to those of the Leafs winning the Cup this year–but the other three-fifths of the Mk II lineup remains intact.  Thus, I figured I’d spend this week revisiting the recorded output they produced over that glorious five-year timeframe…

Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969)

Long before the orchestral album became a medium for rich rock stars to milk more money from their devoted followers (I’m looking at you, Gene Simmons.  You too, Lars Ulrich…), Deep Purple elevated it to an art form with this, their fourth full-length release—and first to feature the Mk II lineup, with Roger Glover on bass and Ian Gillan on vocals.  I mean, is there a bolder way to usher in a new frontman than to record a live album with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra?  I think not!

Fittingly enough, the music isn’t broken down into songs here, but rather movements, like a true orchestral performance.  For this is not a rehash of the band’s greatest hits (at which point were very few), but rather a piece of original music.  I actually own a German pressing of this, in which composer (and organ meister) Jon Lord describes his movements on the back sleeve.  I’m not sure whether this appeared on domestic versions, though I’d imagine it did, as it’s written in English, after all…

Anyways, the first movement is primarily orchestral, until the band comes in after a dramatic buildup.  As Lord puts it: “Here I have tried to present the Orchestra and Group as you would expect to hear them – as antagonists … This merges into a slightly grotesque little tune which starts to get hold of the Orchestra until violently thrown aside by the Group…  A change of tempo and a sparring match between Group and Orchestra leads to the final chords.”  Lord’s organ and the groovy, retrofied drumming of Ian Paice set the tone for the Group portion, with some tasty Blackmore licks thrown in for good measure.

Gillan makes his Deep Purple debut in the second movement, which also features a whole lotta cor anglais.  (It’s basically a bass oboe; I had to look that one up…)  In Lord’s words, “The flute tune is finally transmogrified to a “pop/blues” explosion, followed by the organ cadenza.”  And what a cadenza it is!

The third movement is played primarily in 6/8 time, though it briefly drops down to 2/4.  As per Lord, “Two ‘false’ climaxes work up to a crescendo in the full Orchestra followed by a string tremolando, over which the Group builds up to the final two-octave “whoop” by the eight horns and the last crashing chord.”  Did I mention it also includes an extended Ian Paice drum solo that’s downright bitchin’!?

Though the album was a minor success, peaking at number 26 in the UK, it seems that the concert didn’t go over too well with orchestral critics at the time, as Lord has dedicated an entire paragraph on the back sleeve to them.  “I am sure that critics are a necessary, if slightly archaic, appendage to the music business.  What puzzles me is that an evening which was intended to be, and in fact (as witnessed by a very large and glorious audience) turned out to be FUN, should be treated by some of the critics with such long-faced seriousness.”  I guess they didn’t eat the purple acid… ;)

I just got back from CKLN’s vintage vinyl sale, and boy, are my arms tired!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

As you may know, I was a CKLN volunteer from 2005 till they went off the air in April.  Without a radio frequency to broadcast on, the station is being evicted from its space on the Ryerson University campus, forcing it to sell off the large collection of vinyl from deep in its vaults.  Truth be told, I didn’t go back there that often, as the space was pretty disorganized, not to mention that the turntables at the station were rarely in working order.  I know that CKLN was predominantly an alternative/hip hop station, but it has a long history of metal programming with shows like Aggressive Rock, ReggaeCore and Satan Takes A Holiday.  (I consider myself to be more a blip on the radar screen.  My show only lasted three years…)  I figured I might find some good stuff if I got there early.  Turns out, I did okay.  Here’s what I picked up:

70′s prog/classic rock

  • Deep Purple – Fireball
  • Deep Purple – Stormbringer
  • Dr. Feelgood – Mad Man Blues
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd – Gold & Platnium
  • Van Der Graaf Generator – Pawn Hearts
  • Beau Dommage – s/t (Apparently, they’re the greatest Quebec band ever.  I had to see what the fuss is about…)

Out of print 80′s stuff

  • The Southern Death Cult – s/t
  • Toronto – Head On
  • Toronto – Get It On Credit

Oh yeah, I also bought some METAL.

  • Gang Green – You Got It (Roadracer, 1987)
  • Grave Digger – Heavy Metal Breakdown (Banzai, 1984)
  • Jaguar – This Time (Attic, 1984)
  • Tyran Pace – Long Live Metal (Banzai, 1985)
  • Thor – Only the Strong (Viper, 1985)
  • Exodus – The Lunatic Parade b/w Good Morning 12″ single (Capitol, 1990)
  • 1000 Homo DJs – Supernaut b/w Hey Asshole 12″ single (Cargo, 1990)
  • Roadrunner Records 100% Pure Metal Sampler – feat. Mercyful Fate, Battleaxe, Mad Max, Dark Heart, Blackout, Spartan Warrior, Samain & Jaguar

Not too shabby, eh?  Well, just when I was about to go, I heard some guy exclaim “Man, I oughtta buy this one and frame it.”  I turned my head to see what he was holding up.

“Dude, you taking that?”

“Nope, you can have it.  Here’s another one, too.”

And that’s the story of how I acquired this holy grail of Canadian heavy metal:

The sale continues today until 4 pm, and they were still bringing in trashbins fulla records when I left.  See the poster above for more details.  All items are priced in bulk for about a dollar apiece.  Lemme know if you find anything good.

Peace,

Greg