Deep Purple =1
Deep Purple have more than earned their status as one of the greatest ever hard rock bands and now Legacy Act that can still fill arenas.
Those arena filling successes however are less to do with recent studio output and more to do with the band’s previous and what, for the last couple of decades, was a talented band of none too shabby, old rockers – Ian Gillan (vocals), Ian Paice (drums), Roger Glover (bass), Don Airey (keys), Steve Morse (guitars) – enjoying each other’s touring company.
Indeed while the slightly proggy pairing of 2013’s Now What?! and 2017’s Infinite had their fair share of Purple patches, 2020’s Whoosh! was more Meh! and the following year’s covers album, Turning To Crime, was lacklustre and, ultimately, throwaway (similarly the yawnathon cover of 'Roadhouse Blues' on Infinite).
In short, a bit studio hit and miss.
However it’s clear the addition of noted 45 year old Northern Irish guitarist Simon McBride (replacing the departing Steve Morse in 2022), who has been active in music since he was 15 and brings a more blues-rock orientated influence to the fore, has, for the most part, given the quartet of older Purple people a bit of a bluesier, almost youthfully energised recharge.
That recharge is evident from the get-go on opener 'Show Me,' a bristling slice of mid-tempo Purple rock that features guitar and organ doubling on the riff (and a great tandem solo section), a crisp rhythm (with some bubbly bass lines) and trademark Ian Gillan vocality and phrasing.
(Gillan’s range has narrowed with age but he knows what to do with what he has, albeit he is left vocally exposed on a few numbers).
The contemporary rock leanings of 'A Bit On The Side' also impresses with its grungy underbelly, some cool tempo changes and Gillan employing his more chilling vocality to reinforce the glint in the, ahem, eye, lyric (kudos too for Don Airey’s cool little synth part and a wicked solo from Simon McBride).
'Sharp Shooter,' akin to a modern version of 80s Gillan band/ NWOBHM doesn’t, title ironically, quite hit its mark but the brooding and bouncy rhythm of 'Portable Door' makes for a melodically shaped highlight (with, again, Messrs McBride & Airey shining in the solo light).
The rock and groovy roll of 'Old-Fangled Thing' is the sort of song (and lyric) that’s perhaps too often heard by an Ian Gillan led band/ project (of any era) while blues-shaded rock ballads 'If I Were You' and 'I’ll Catch You,' along with the quirky, staccato rhythm of rock-blues number 'I’m Saying Nothin’' only help highlight the diminished range of the singer (vocal strain over vocal strength, to the degree that including the ballads was decidedly ill-advised).
But, when Gillan uses that range to best effect, such as on solid, mid-tempo rocker 'Pictures Of You' and the groovin' rhythm and pacey blues of 'Lazy Sod,' you hear a singer vocally belying his seventy-eight years whilst delivering that trademark, percussive styled lyricism.
Other songs of note include hard rock and roller 'Now You’re Talkin’' (which by accident, design or cheeky intent has Simon McBride running lines not too far removed from that Blackmore fella), and the slightly sinister and progressive vibe of near six-minute album closer, 'Bleeding Obvious.'
The latter, courtesy of a clever use of dynamics, contrasing melodic chorus parts and some nifty instrumental sections, is the best song on the album and the most Purple of the thirteen tracks on offer.
=1 has its stumbles and missteps, but with a full bodied sound courtesy of Bob Ezrin (producer of the band’s last five albums) and Simon McBride on board, Deep Purple have delivered an album that proves they still have something to say.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Those arena filling successes however are less to do with recent studio output and more to do with the band’s previous and what, for the last couple of decades, was a talented band of none too shabby, old rockers – Ian Gillan (vocals), Ian Paice (drums), Roger Glover (bass), Don Airey (keys), Steve Morse (guitars) – enjoying each other’s touring company.
Indeed while the slightly proggy pairing of 2013’s Now What?! and 2017’s Infinite had their fair share of Purple patches, 2020’s Whoosh! was more Meh! and the following year’s covers album, Turning To Crime, was lacklustre and, ultimately, throwaway (similarly the yawnathon cover of 'Roadhouse Blues' on Infinite).
In short, a bit studio hit and miss.
However it’s clear the addition of noted 45 year old Northern Irish guitarist Simon McBride (replacing the departing Steve Morse in 2022), who has been active in music since he was 15 and brings a more blues-rock orientated influence to the fore, has, for the most part, given the quartet of older Purple people a bit of a bluesier, almost youthfully energised recharge.
That recharge is evident from the get-go on opener 'Show Me,' a bristling slice of mid-tempo Purple rock that features guitar and organ doubling on the riff (and a great tandem solo section), a crisp rhythm (with some bubbly bass lines) and trademark Ian Gillan vocality and phrasing.
(Gillan’s range has narrowed with age but he knows what to do with what he has, albeit he is left vocally exposed on a few numbers).
The contemporary rock leanings of 'A Bit On The Side' also impresses with its grungy underbelly, some cool tempo changes and Gillan employing his more chilling vocality to reinforce the glint in the, ahem, eye, lyric (kudos too for Don Airey’s cool little synth part and a wicked solo from Simon McBride).
'Sharp Shooter,' akin to a modern version of 80s Gillan band/ NWOBHM doesn’t, title ironically, quite hit its mark but the brooding and bouncy rhythm of 'Portable Door' makes for a melodically shaped highlight (with, again, Messrs McBride & Airey shining in the solo light).
The rock and groovy roll of 'Old-Fangled Thing' is the sort of song (and lyric) that’s perhaps too often heard by an Ian Gillan led band/ project (of any era) while blues-shaded rock ballads 'If I Were You' and 'I’ll Catch You,' along with the quirky, staccato rhythm of rock-blues number 'I’m Saying Nothin’' only help highlight the diminished range of the singer (vocal strain over vocal strength, to the degree that including the ballads was decidedly ill-advised).
But, when Gillan uses that range to best effect, such as on solid, mid-tempo rocker 'Pictures Of You' and the groovin' rhythm and pacey blues of 'Lazy Sod,' you hear a singer vocally belying his seventy-eight years whilst delivering that trademark, percussive styled lyricism.
Other songs of note include hard rock and roller 'Now You’re Talkin’' (which by accident, design or cheeky intent has Simon McBride running lines not too far removed from that Blackmore fella), and the slightly sinister and progressive vibe of near six-minute album closer, 'Bleeding Obvious.'
The latter, courtesy of a clever use of dynamics, contrasing melodic chorus parts and some nifty instrumental sections, is the best song on the album and the most Purple of the thirteen tracks on offer.
=1 has its stumbles and missteps, but with a full bodied sound courtesy of Bob Ezrin (producer of the band’s last five albums) and Simon McBride on board, Deep Purple have delivered an album that proves they still have something to say.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ