1990 guest spot with Swedish band Pretty Maids off their EP “In Santa’s Claws.”
Over the years Graham Bonnet, Ian Paice, and Roger Glover have guested on their recordings.
Are those sleigh bells?
Melody Maker Ad for Purple Records from December 18, 1971 – two months after Purple Records launched:
Page 1 features the first four albums being released by Purple records (Drop in the Ocean, Curtiss Maldoon, Gemini Suite, and Pick Up a Bone. Also Merry Christmas from Yvonne Elliman, Al Shaw, Rupert Hine, Jon Lord, Clive Maldoon, Johnny Gustafson, Roger Glover, John Cann, Buddy Bohn, Tony Ashton, Paul Hammon, David MacIver, Dave Curtiss, Ian Paice, and Purple Records.
Second page features the band with a mountain range in the background (possibly taken in Geneva while the band was recording “Machine Head.”)
December 23, 1948 – The song “Deep Purple” is recorded Larry Clinton featuring vocalist Bea Wain. Previously it had only been an instrumental but Mitchell Parish added lyrics to the popular song in 1938. The instrumentation was written in 1933.
December 23, 1947 – Graham Bonnet is born!
December 27, 1948 – Martin “The Wasp” Birch is born!
David Coverdale Reads ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
gardowp, 11/17/2019 – 5 stars – It is like talking to old friends – Nate and John’s conversations about Deep Purple and the extended family of Deep Purple are well researched and provide laugh out loud moments with their off the cuff banter. It is like I am with my life-long friends talking about our favorite records and concerts that we enjoyed 30 years ago. Never being much of a Deep Purple fan, these fellas provided me with insights to appreciate the work of the band and the associated acts to become a fan. If I could give this podcast 6 Pilgrim Hats, I would. Butters!
Coverdale had been in the same music scene with Mick Moody coming up together in the late 60s. After Purple imploded Coverdale reached out to his old friend to enlist his help in writing and recording his first solo album.
Roger Glover played a huge amount of the music and instrumentation on the album.
Coverdale was understandably upset about Purple coming to a premature close.
Glover acted as an adviser for Coverdale. He had similarly been thrown from Deep Purple and could lend advice to Coverdale.
Glover: “Coverdale seemed happy enough making this album. A producer is all of those things (above) and more besides . . . therapist, sounding board, salvage expert, tyrant, peacemaker, oh, and a good ear for music.”
Coverdale went into this process with the idea of being a band, not simply David Coverdale.
Features a hand drawn album title, listing White Snake as two separate words.
Where did the name “White Snake” come from?
From The Record Mirror in 1977:
Coverdales says: “Because snakes are phallic symbols, and I like writing about phallic things. I’m also a romantic person. I don’t just like writing about raw sex. The songs I write are like a diary of my life. I write mostly from experience. If I look back at a year’s songs it’s like turning back the pages of a book.”
From ContactMusic.com in 2006:
British rocker DAVID COVERDALE has confirmed the urban myth that his band Whitesnake was named after his penis.
Many fans of the 1980s group presumed the story was nothing more than rumour – but Coverdale is happy to clear up any confusion.
He says, “Totally. Probably if I was from Asia it would be a different colour. But being a Yorkshire lad and all…”
From BraveWords.com in 2009 (republished from Metro.co.uk):
Metro.co.uk: Where did that name come from?
Coverdale: “From my penis. If I had been from Africa it would have been Blacksnake. But, no, it was actually a song I wrote in the dying embers of Deep Purple.”
Played on Glenn Hughes’s “Play Me Out,” Roger Glover’s “Elements,” and many many more.
Was in the jazz-rock trio with bassist Colin Hodgkinson until the group broke up win 1977. Hodgkinson joined Whitesnake in 1982 replacing Neil Murray on bass.
Martyn Ford calls him “the best drummer on the planet.”
Started in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar, went on to play with Jeff Beck, Stanley Clarke, Peter Gabriel, Mike Oldfield, Joe Satriani, Derek Shernihan, Toto, Jack Bruce, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker.
Credits among his main influences: Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, Ian Paice, Tommy Aldridge and Bernard Purdie.
Magnet – For rather suspect but necessary accommodation
and Charles for odd welcome appearance
The music on this Album was conceived and given the ol’ once over in Deutchland (Somewhere in Europe). The happy songs were written in my new home and also the Famille Ritzers fine residence – the moody ones were more or less the result of a three month sojourn in a hotel in Munich. Anyway without Micky Moody an’ Roger I would have had to do it on me own GOD BLESS EM! Thanks to everyone, particularly Jools Dembreigh und John and me mother – who forgave me the day I was born.
This Album is dedicated to alf in NEVER-NEVERLAND;’ for whom one day it will all surely happen . . .
Credits:
Recorded in Kingsway Recorders, London, Aug 3-17, and the evening of the 25th.
Vocals recorded at Musicland Studios, Munchen, Aug 26-30 after midnight.
Mixed in Kingsway Recorders, London, Sept 1-7, 1976.
Produced by Roger Glover
Album Tracks:
Lady (Coverdale, Moody)
Blindman (Coverdale)
Would be re-recorded in 1980 for Whitesnake’s album “Ready an’ Willing.”
Goldies Place (Coverdale)
Whitesnake (Coverdale, Moody)
Time on My Side (Coverdale, Moody)
Peace Lovin’ Man (Coverdale)
Sunny Days (Coverdale)
Hole in the Sky (Coverdale)
Single
Record Mirror: Former Deep Purple man tries his hand at an epic single which builds to a straining climax and could provide him with a hit.
Celebration (Coverdale, Moody)
Reception and Review
There were two tracks that weren’t completed, Peace Lovin’ Man and Sunny Days. They were both included on the reissue in 2000.
The album did not chart and was not very successful.
Coverdale: “It’s very difficult to think back and talk sensible about the first album. White Snake had been a very inward looking, reflective and low-key affair in many ways, written and recorded in the aftermath of the collapse of Deep Purple.”
Very shortly after the album’s release (16 August, 1977) Elvis Presley died. Coverdale was with his friend Alan Rainer when he got the news.
In an interview with Neil Priddey, Rainer said he had sung as an Elvis impersonator and when they two of them got the news they spent the whole day drinking and consoling each other as they sang Elvis songs.
This Week in Purple History . . .
December 16 through December 22
December 19, 1947 – Jimmy Bain is born
December 21, 1971 – Deep Purple concludes recording of Machine Head
December 17, 1989 – David Coverdale marries Tawny Kitaen – they divorce in 1991
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
The Deep Purple Podcast
Show Notes
Bonus Episode #1
“Interview with Martyn Ford”
December 12, 2019
Visit DeepPurplePodcast.com for more information.
In this special bonus epiosde Nate interviews Martyn Ford. Martyn is a conductor, arranger, and musician who has worked with The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, The Grateful Dead, Toto, Nazareth, Phil Collins, Bad Company, Elf, Elton John, and many more.
In this discussion we talk about:
The Butterfly Ball
Martyn’s beginnings in the industry
Eddie Hardin
Playing at The Royal Albert Hall
His album Smoovin’
His professional relationship and friendship with John Gustafson
Jesus Christ Superstar
Working with Yvonne Elliman
Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die”
Vision 2020
Fifi Rong
Mo Foster
and a lot more!
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Explorationsofa, 4 stars, 11/14/2019 writes: “Tommy Bolin! So happy that you guys do intelligent discussion on Deep Purple but you actually discussed Tommy Bolton’s solo and sideman output in the 70’s! That was just awesome to hear discussion about Cobham, Mouzon, Energy, Zephyr, etc. They do a great job of discussion as well and you can tell they have good musical ears.”
Michael Eriksson (Trinkelbonker) has been
Hazemaze released their new album the week of November 18.
Ashton: “Ian and Jon approached me with the idea of forming a band. In fact Jon had approached me before and I hadn’t liked the idea much because I couldn’t see myself as a front man. I also thought that with Jon and me both being keyboard players, we’d get in each other’s way.”
“I was never really comfortable with the idea of being a lead singer.
Ian Paice says that he got a call from Jon about doing this project with Tony Ashton and he thought about it for about a week thinking it sounded like a fun idea.
Ian said he was excited because he didn’t know what to expect having spent the past 8-9 years with the same band, Deep Purple.
150 applicants for auditioning bassists and guitarists.
Ian said things were very incestuous in the scene, they wanted to not necessarily go with unestablished musicians.
Held auditions at an old cinema in Fulham. Selected Bernie Marsden and Paul Martinez.
They loved Bernie for his confidence. He was in a band called Babe Ruth. He was recommended by Cozy Powell having worked with him in Cozy Powell’s Hammer. He’d also previously been in UFO.
Paul Martinez had been in a band called Stretch.
Ian talks about how easy it was in DP knowing everyone so well and having that connection with Jon. He’d only worked with Tony a few times before and Bernie and Paul he’d never played with.
Jon Lord?: One track took 30 minutes, another song took them 5 days to get right.
Jon Lord: talks about keeping humor in the music and how working with Tony Ashton that is very easy to do.
They decided early on to add a brass section to add some color to the songs.
They knew Howie Casey for a long time and describe it as “stealing him” from “Mr. McCartney.” They used him to put together a horn section and help them with horn arrangements.
Jeanette and Sheila McKinley recruited on backing vocals.
The album title was from a conversation they overheard in abar in Munich. “We couljn’t think of a title, then we heard this German guy come out with this remark about ‘Malice in Wonderland’, and we thought: ‘Ah, that’s a good title!’
Was recommended to join Paul McCartney’s Wings but it never came to pass
Was founding member of Whitesnake and played in their first five albums, co-writing the band’s biggest hit “Here I Go Again.”
Additional Credits:
Martin Birch – engineer
Recorded between 20th September & 30th September 1976
Album Tracks:
Ghost Story (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord)
Remember the Good Times (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord, Bernie Marsden, Paul Martinez) *
Arabella (Oh Tell Me) (Tony Ashton)
Tony Ashton wrote it about the hotel where they recorded in Munich. MusicLand Studio was in the basement.
Silas & Jerome (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord)
Dance With Me Baby (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord)
On the Road Again, Again (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord, Bernie Marsden) *
Sneaky Private Lee (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord, Bernie Marsden) *
I’m Gonna Stop Drinking (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord)
Malice in Wonderland (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord)
Jon Lord says they had such a hard time figuring out the right arrangement/chords for this song but eventually it all just clicked into place.
Reception and Review
Ashton: “What we managed to achieve was a tighter version of The First Of The Big Bands.”
After just five gigs PAL split while working on a second album in Munich. This is important because it was in Munich that Bernie Marsden would meet David Coverdale who he would go on with to form Whitesnake.
Ashton: “It didn’t really work on stage. We were very happy with the album, but I couldn’t cut the mustard up front. I actually fell off the stage at the Rainbow theatre concert in London. It went down well! But after that the band more or less fizlzled out.”
Ashton’s fall was twelve foot drop. They dragged him back on stage while Ian Paice did a half hour dum solo and Ashton managed to finish the show.
They went to Munich to work on a second album and got most of the tracks down but the project was abandoned.
Paice: “. . . it . . . was a great idea. It was built around Tony Ashton and his ability to make an audience love him. Tony still has that ability, but the audience had better not be bigger than three hundred! He loves his club atmosphere.”
Paice: “It was an experiment that cost Jon and I a fortune! But I’m glad we did it.”
Paice says that the tracks are all there for the second album except the vocals. They tried to locate the masters to give to Tony Ashton to give to him as a wedding present but no one could find the masters.”
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcst.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Jeff Cook says that by the time it went into the studio he was removed from the project. Some of the songs were written over the phone with Jeff in Denver and Tommy in California
Jeff Cook said he got a call from someone asking how high they were making “Teaser” because he wasn’t listed on the track sheets.
Everyone was partying their brains out according ot Jeff Cook.
Stanley Sheldon says Tommy went to New York while they were mixing Frampton Comes Alive. They booked Electric Lady Studios and did half the Teaser album there and the other half in LA.
Sheldon was bouncing back and forth between studio A and B.
Glenn Hughes said Tommy wanted him to sing three or four songs but he felt that Tommy had his own style and he wanted Tommy to do it. He said it would be like Hendrix having someone else sing.
Very prolific, played with Billy Cobham and Bolin on Spectrum album, he wrote the theme song to Miami Vice as well as doing the soundtrack for the show.
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Listener Jeff Taylor writes: “Just listened to the first episode on the Butterfly Ball today. I liked the piece you played from Curved Air with Eddie Jobson so much that I went to Spotify and followed Curved Air so I can check out their music further when I have time.”
Glover: “In September 1975 I staged a concert of The Butterfly Ball at the Albert Hall, London, and as far as possible gathered together as many of the performers as I could from the recording of the original album, which was released the previous year. The event was recorded and filmed by Tony Klinger and British Lion Films and the resulting movie is what is now being re-released in DVD format by a company called MusicVideoDistributors.”
Glover had the idea to do a live concert of “The Butterfly Ball” as a one-off performance. The show was scheduled at The Royal Albert Hall on October 16, 1975 and filmed. It was directed by Tony Klinger who had produced “Deep Purple Rises Over Japan” a few months after this.
Concert was
Glover: “. . . when it was released in 1974 it was, to my relief, very well received in various countries around Europe. However, it failed to ignite a broad interest in the UK and so the idea for staging a concert at the Albert Hall came about as a means of getting some attention for it in my home country.”
Almost everyone from the original album was in attendance. Dio was unable to attend due to touring with Rainbow so Glover contacted Ian Gillan who agreed to fill his place on “Sitting in a Dream.”
Later it would be rumored that Dio wanted to attend but was forbidden by Blackmore.
Gillan says in his autobiography: “. . . although I don’t feature on the album, I was glad to help him with the live production of The Butterfly Ball at the Royal Albert Hall (16 October 1974), after Ronnie Dio had to pull out at the last minute.”
Twiggy was also recruited and Vincent Price agreed to narrate it. They rehearsed for a week before the concert.
Glover had to organize everything himself and quickly became overwhelmed. Bruce Payne eventually helped out by getting him Bob Adcock, Rainbow’s road manager, to help out at the last minute. This seems at odds with the rumor that Dio was prevented by Blackmore.
This would be Gillan’s first public performance since leaving Deep Purple over two years earlier.
Glover: “The actual night of the concert was lovely, all the artists on the stage gave superlative performances and I felt, and still feel, indebted to every single one of them.”
The performance raised money for The Bud Flanagan Leukaemia Fund and Action Research for the Crippled Child
Album Art & Booklet Review
DVD Cover featuring Glenn Hughes.
Glover: “My first impression was not good; as I opened the box, I found the DVD plastered with a huge photograph of Glenn Hughes (who also features on the box’s spine). Huh? Ah, now I get it; some dolt in the art department (if there is such a department) was informed that this was the work of Deep Purple’s bass player. Now I have nothing against Glenn, he’s a fine bloke, but… this was not a good omen.”
Talks about the joy of seeing all these wonderful talents on the same stage.
Mentions that Neil Lancaster’s performance of Harlequin HAre was not included in the movie for some reason.
Gives benefit of the doubt to the filmmaker and actors in the movie.
On the release of the DVD there was a big picture of Glenn Hughes on the cover. Gover was confused until he realised that whoever they hired to do it heard it was by the bassist for Deep Purple and found this pic to use for the cover.
Jon Lord’s name is spelled incorrectly on the cover.
Glover: “A limousine picked me up at Wessex Studios and I was delivered to the Odeon, met on a red carpet by the manager of the cinema and ushered in with a suitable degree of pomp. Most of the performers were there, along with most of their relatives (and mine) and after a glass of wine or two we all settled down to watch the movie, my wife Judi and I being shown to especially plush and centrally located seats so that all would know we were the guests of honor.”
Glover: “The film of it I don’t like at all. I‘ve never liked that. I had nothing to do with it. But to me it was shoddily done, it was tastelessly done, it was cheaply done. Probably the most embarrassing moment of my life was being invited to the premier of the only film that i’ve ever starred in and hating it. I sat there in the special seat surrounded by all the people that worked on the concert and on the album and the lights went down and this thing came on and I just hated it. I just wanted to run away. I thought about leaving the theater half way through but I thought no I’m too nice a guy for that, I’ll stick it out, I’ll say thank you when people say it was interesting. Oh that was really . . . interesting. So I’ve got a bad memory of that.”
Glover: “… [I] cried angry tears on the long, silent journey back home.”
Glover: “The Butterfly Ball album is something that I am very proud of, and the concert was undoubtedly one of the best nights of my life, but the movie does it no justice.”
Glover was not happy, very difficult time dealing with being forced out of DP, going through a depression, an unhappy period.
Gillan from his autobiography: “I suppose it was Roger’s project that reminded me of what I’d walked away from . . .”
Gillan: “For me, horribly unfulfilled in my various ventures, the show was one of great emotion, surprise and joy, because I’d thought that, with the passing of time and the ongoing Deep Purple, I’d be a forgotten star. However, that was not the case, not the case at all, because, at the announcement of my name for ‘my song’, the audience rose and gave me a standing ovation! ‘Welcome home, Ian!’ they seemed to say while Vinent Price needed to pause in his narration from a peacock chair in the organ loft, so the applause and cheering could run its very long course! As I sang from a crib sheet, the experience at The Butterfly Ball was totally overhwhelming, and I left the venue feeling good, and with warming thoughts!”
Hardin: We got very close, me and Roger, and we started to go through funny phases. I just wanted to get away from everything, I was unhappy and boozing.
Glenn Hughes is in the studio right now recording with The Dead Daisies. You can see what they’re up to by reading their recording diary on their website here: Recording Chapter One
This Week in Purple History . . .
November 25 through December 1
November 30, 1945 – Roger Glover is born
November 27, 1984 – Deep Purple plays their first reunion show in Perth, Australia
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
The album was recorded at Kingsway Recorders, the sae studio that Ian Gillan had purchased after leaving Deep Purple. Previously it had been De Lane Lea.
Harry Wilcock’s credits include Elton John’s Captain Fantastic as well as the Judi Dench version of The Butterfly Ball and Gordon Giltrap’s The Peacock Party album which, interestingly, features John Gustafson on bass. It also features Rod Edwards and Roger Hand who worked on the music and instrumentation on the Judi Dench version.
Mastered By – Pecko*, Porky (5), both nicknames for George Peckham
Notes
Adapted by Roger Glover for a full colour animated television series produced by British Lion Films Limited in association with Aurelia Enterprises Limited from the design and illustrations of the book “The Butterfly Ball” by Alan Aldridge first published 1973 by Jonathan Cape Limited and Times Newspapers Limited in association with Aurelia Enterprises Limited.
Recorded at Kingsway Recorders, London, during the summer of 1974.
Roger Glover describes the feeling from hearing Dio sing it as an “all out feeling of joy.”
Dio: “People thought it was Roger singing the song so . . . boy that Roger Glover can really sing, can’t he?”
Hardin did chord projections, Glover came up with melody.
Hardin says they’d spend all night doing one mix. Glover was very particular and would scrap the whole mix and it would drive him mad.
Hardin: “Most of my songs are very melodic, Roger is very riffy.” Says that he and Roger worked very well together for this reason.
Ray Fenwick added the little line at the beginning, the descending line that leads into the first verse.
Hardin says that after they recorded it he said it was “Sunny Afternoon” by the Kinks. Described it as “not a conscious theft.”
Hardin: “To me, Ronnie made the song special.” Eddie tried singing it and it was okay, Roger tried singing it and it was okay. Describes Ronnie as transforming the song.
Dio describes it as being very Beatle-like. Very upbeat song.
Glover deliberately took a Beatles-type approach in writing the song.
Glover wanted it to be an “All You Need is Love” type song after reading the poetry in the book. He calls it a “parody of ‘All You Need is Love.’” or “All you need is Love part 2.”
Single was released in England and heavily played and promoted on the radio but didn’t catch on. The publisher called Eddie Hardin and said it’s gone to #3 in Holland then an hour later said it went to #2 and by lunchtime it had hit #1. Was at #1 by lunch.
Very successful in the rest of Europe.
Glover describes it as “very hard to write a happy song without being trite. But with a message like “love is all” it’s very close to being trite.”
Hardin always felt like the whole Butterfly Ball was a joint effort and when it came out it had “Roger Glover and Guests” and he felt a little instulted that he was just a guest.
Ronnie got his first gold record and it said “Roger Glover” on it. “That annoyed me.” He insisted it was changed and they changed it for him which is why it says “Featuring Ronnie Dio” on it.
Homeward
Ronnie Dio (Froggy) sings on the way home
Sung by Ronnie James Dio
Based on the poem “Homeward.”
Reception and Review
Chas Watkins (engineer):
“Kingsway had always had the problem with sound filtering upstairs into the offices of the Civil Aviation Authority.”
They recorded quiet music “lift music” in the day time. After 6pm they would record rock.
Chas learned a lot from Martin Birch.
“One particular memory of Ronnie Dio: the control room looked width-ways across one end of the studio, so a camera looked down the length of the studio, with a monitor in the control room. Ronnie was doing a vocal (can’t remember which track) sitting on a stool, and the camera was positioned on him. He said, ‘just getting a glass of water”, and went off-camera. When he returned onto camera and sat on the stool, he was completely naked! He just didn’t say anything, just carried on singing as though nothing was unusual! Everyone in the control room was in tears! Very funny.
The air conditioning was very loud so they’d have to turn off the AC when they recorded quiet vocals or instruments and it would get very hot in the studio. The switch for the AC was behind a burlap flap on the back wall. When you lifted the flap there was a picture of a naked lady so many people were eager to turn off the AC.
“Recording the Butterfly Ball was a wonderful experience. All these top-notch musicians coming into the studio, and Roger producing, writing and having responsibility for the whole project.”
Single success. Love Is All was Ronnie James Dio’s first gold record.
Glover: “The whole thing was a challenge and a joy. It took around six months to complete and I worked with some lovely people.”
Glover: “I can see a couple of things that might hold it back, primarily my name. The album can’t exactly be described as a family album but then again it’s not anything in te mould of Deep Purple.”
The album was not received well by rock audiences who felt it was music for kids.
It didn’t get a lot of exposure to a wider audience.
Love Is All, as stated before, did very well in the charts throughout Europe.
Sacha Distel played it live when Roger Glover went to see it. He used the backing track to perform it live. Eddie Hardin described his version as “Karaoke.” Sacha had the hit in France as #1 then a month later their original hit #1.
Given the lack of sales the idea of doing the live concert to give the album a boost was floated. Glover was able to get almost everyone from the original recording with a few special guests.
This 128 page limited edition hardback book is a wonderful collector’s item for any self-confessed Gillan fan. Housed in a custom-made presentation box with a set of prints, it is strictly limited to 1000 copies.
Order your copy now and get YOUR NAME on a dedicated fan page within the book!
Without doubt Ian Gillan has proven to be one of the greatest and most enduring rock singers of all time. From his early career in sixties pop band Episode Six, through to Deep Purple, as well as a brief period with Black Sabbath, he has continued to surprise and delight millions of fans around the world.
Forays into unchartered territory, such as his role in the original Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as a variety of solo projects, including the jazz inspired Ian Gillan Band have proven that time and again, Ian Gillan is more than just the lead singer with Deep Purple.
This publication plots his career from the early sixties through to the present day in a visual timeline that charts his extraordinary and colourful career. Digging deep into the archives we have managed to pull together a vast array of photos and imagery, much of which has never been seen before. This includes many previously unpublished photos from his days with Episode Six and beyond. Off stage and backstage photos from his early career, through to Deep Purple and his solo projects are all included, alongside on stage photos capturing Ian doing what he does best.
A Visual Biography also includes many rare items of memorabilia, including a full itinerary from the Ian Gillan Band’s 1977 Japanese tour, plus posters and cuttings that help to document over fifty years as one of rock’s most iconic frontmen.
EDITORIAL CONTROL:
This book requires total independent editorial control. It has not been authorised or approved by Ian Gillan or his management.
This Week in Purple History . . .
November 18 through November 24
November 18, 1974 – The Butterfly Ball is released in the UK
November 18, 1989 – Slip of the Tongue is released
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Glover: “It was totally my idea to use David, Glenn, and Ronnie. I bore no grudges against David or Glenn for joining Purple; they had nothing whatsoever to do with me leaving the band. And Ronnie I’d already produced with Elf.”
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the moon one of four singers with Doris Troy, Leslie Dunca, and Barry St. John. Did vocals on a few tracks, most notably “The Great Gig in the Sky.”
Clare Torry does the incredible lead vocal. In a lawsuit she was eventually, and rightly, given writing credits on the song and receives those credits on all copies released after 2005 as well as an out of court settlement.
Did backing vocals for Elton John (including the Madman Across the Water album), Yvonne Elliman, Hardin & York, Elf, Manfred Man, Murray Head, Carly Simon, and hundreds more.
She was also backing vocals on Glenn Hughes’s “Play Me Out” and David Coverdale’s “White Snake” albums.
Was the second singer of Uriah Heep who they hired after auditioning several other singers including David Coverdale.
In The News . . .
Martin Popoff is on the latest episode (Episode #37) of the Shockwaves Skullsessions podcast. There he reviews the entire Rainbow catalog. Came out the same exact day as our Rainbow episode and he seems to share a similar perspective on the album.
Ian Desrosiers posted on Twitter about a new Tommy Bolin Book out in February!
Tommy Bolin In And Out Of Deep Purple by Laura Shenton published by Sonic Bond Publishing
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Listener Steve emails with some recollections after attending both shows of the Concerto ‘99 performance at the Royal Albert Hall:
I heard you guys talking about the Concerto ’99 shows at the Royal Albert Hall in ’99. I was there, both nights, so I reckon you might be interested in some of the things I remember.
First of all there were two nights, on the Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend. The DVD seems to all have come from the second night, as far as I can recall after 20 years.
The Albert Hall has boxes high up all around, I suspect as they were recording it that they didn’t sell the boxes until the lower seats so the place would seem full even if there were unsold tickets. On the first night I was on the floor, on the second in one of the boxes, on the right side looking towards the stage.
On night one, there was a disturbance in one of the boxes on the left side early on during the first movement. It seems like some idiots who didn’t know what they were buying tickets from were pissed off at hearing classical when they thought they were going to be getting Highway Star. The manager (at least I think that was who it was) turfed them out and gave them their money back, with a bonus earful of abuse for fucking up the recording.
Also on night one it seems they didn’t anticipate an encore. iirc they closed on Smoke, but the crowd stayed chanting for more. Eventually Ian Gillan came out to talk to us, he said Jon Lord was absolutely exhausted out back and they weren’t going to do an encore, but was very gracious and I think the crowd was more or less ok with it. Gillan could have had an alternative career as a hostage negotiator. It may also just have been that Lord was really pissed off with the recording being ruined, I dunno. On the second night they obviously adjusted things, and left the stage a bit earlier so they could come back on and do at least Smoke as an encore.
I think I remember Gillan introducing Steve Morris (from his solo albums) as Steve Morse, and then half-singing something like “I never get it right” as he corrected.
I always loved the concerto, I used to listen to it quite a lot to unwind after night shifts in my first job as a 17 year old, to get the chance to see it live (twice!) was wonderful for me, and the concert was just designed to perfection as it was just awesome to see all these obscure (to most people) numbers off records I love like Butterfly Ball, Pictured Within and Accidentally on Purpose. The Purple mini set was too short, but the set list was excellent, I was more interested in hearing stuff that Gillan can still sing than Highway Star or Child In Time that his voice is no longer right for.
One last memory: as I was walking out on the Sunday (you can exit straight from the boxes out on to the driveway that surrounds the Hall, rather than going through the main entrance) I came across the sight of one James Patrick Page being guided to his limo humming the riff to Smoke on the Water. (at least I think it was a limo, some black luxury car in any case.) So if anyone tries to tell you that Page hates Purple, as I have had people try to do from time to time, they are full of shit.
Good luck to you guys for your podcast!
Mark 1 listener poll – songs moving to the next round:
April
Chasing Shadows
Hush
Mandrake Root
Shield
Wring That Neck
Nate guests on the Paul or Nothing podcast to review The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” 50th Anniversary Edition.
Notes From The Field:
Nate reviews Deep Purple show on October 18, 2019 at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont, IL.
Unfortunate issue with meet and greet
Got to meet our patron Steve!
Steve gave me this incredible custom made journal using the vinyl of Made in Europe!
This greatly expanded and altered the original work.
More of a focus on the animals’ preparations for the Ball.
Aldridge went on to create two more books based on the sequels; “The Peacock Party” and “The Lion’s Cavalcade.”
An animated short was made in 1974 based on the book with Roger Glover’s “Love is All” accompanying it. This was supposed to lead up to a full length animated film.
This did not matter so it was released as an album.
William Plomer worked as an editor for Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels.
Plomer died just a few months after completing “The Butterfly Ball.”
Alan Aldridge:
Alan Aldridge in the British museum one day, found a poem called “Butterfly Ball” about the creatures in the woods — all put down their anger for the day and have a good time. Spent about a year doing all the pictures.
Alan Aldridge because it was such a success he became known as a children’s illustrator after mostly being a “Druggy” or psychadelic illustrator.
At one point it was the best selling children’s book in the world.
Alan Aldridge thought about doing it as a movie. He mentioned it to Pink Floyd. Roger was mentioned and Aldridge brought it to their management.
There’s also mention that it was originally intended to be a solo project for Jon Lord with Roger Glover as the producer.
Roger Glover:
Glover: “The Sunday times had a color supplement about the new book with illustrations. Caught his eye. A year later he went in the management office and the book was in the office. They asked him how he would like to put it to music.
“There’s a thought. Why me?”
Glover was shocked as his track record was being a bass player in a hard rock band. Glover called it “blind faith.”
Glover was given a list of albums to listen to by Aldridge but exactly which albums were on this list is unclear.
Glover specifically recruited the musicians and singers for the album.
Recorded 2 albums with Priest, Stained Class and Killing Machine
Left the band amicably. They were looking for a more of a rock drummer and Binks had too much of a jazz influence and was unwilling to change his style.
Plays around London and currently has “Les Binks’ Priesthood” which plays Judas Priest songs
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Songs left over from Come Taste the Band that DP didn’t use.
Very messed up on cocaine at the time of writing album.
Tells a story of having cocaine paranoia, running around with a knife into a field because he thought there was someone in the tall grass.
He talks about this being the point where drugs stopped being fun. He just couldn’t stop doing them.
He became violent and exhausted at home.
His only comfort was sitting in front of his Fender Rhodes, playing, and writing music.
He says he was in a lot of pain when he wrote the album.
His intention was to push his musical abilities. He wanted to show everyone what he was capable of with this album.
He was upset that Lord and Paice formed PAL.
He was upset that Lord had ended up with his girlfriend.
He wanted to show everyone that he was musically superior.
Mick Jagger offered Hughes use of his studio to record the album.
Hughes says he was out of his mind on speed when he recorded Play Me Out.
Album was written and recorded in ten days. Glenn Hughes claims that he never slept once during that time. He recorded all the basic tracks, vocals, and backing vocals.
Hughes says he saw a nurse walking through the studio with a poodle and had a conversation with her.
The strings were recorded later on in L.A.
The album was mixed at Island.
Hughes admits to being totally out of it but is proud of the vocals he did.
Hughes describes the album as being very painful for him. She said it was all about him breaking up with Vicky Gibbs and her leaving him for Jon Lord. It was about losing his girlfriend to his mentor.
From CD liner notes:
Original plan was to release the single “Smile” then finish it up with the album.
Found a studio called LEe Sound Studio, a 16 track studio to work in.
Glenn would clock in hearly to do the writing so by the ntime the musicians got there they’d be ready to work.
The bulk of the album was recorded in 1976. After the basic tracks were laid down he re-joined Trapeze.
It was almost a year later when ti was released.
Safari was the sister label to Oyster (which did Rainbow) and that was who released Play Me Out.
Released in Germany first as that was the biggest market for ex-Purple.
The album cost $16,000 to make. This was considered pocket change even in 1977.
Recorded his parts with a drum machine then added other instruments after.
Production with The Rolling Stones, Brian Eno, and Bad Brains amongst other
Album Art & Booklet Review
Original cover had two Glenn Hughes heads, like a 70s portrait.
1995 Re-release went to one Glenn Hughes head.
40th anniversary moved back to original cover.
Photography [Cover] – Gered Mankowitz
Album Details and Analysis:
Recorded at Lee Sound Basing Street (Island) and Air Studios.
This Album is dedicated to my best friend Tommy Bolin.
(P)&(C)1977 Deep Purple (Overseas) Limited.
Made in England
I Got It Covered
Space High
It’s About Time
Tommy Bolin liked this song and suggested it should be recorded for Come Taste The Band.
Deep Purple rehearsed it but at the last minute Hughes decided to hold it back.
L.A. Cut Off
Well
Soulution
Your Love Is Like a Fire
Destiny (Galley, Holland, Hughes)
I Found a Woman
Last song recorded for the album.
The “woman” he’s speaking of is “my music.”
Album Review & Reception
After they had finished recording Hughes was flying with Terry Rowley from HEathrow to Chicago. He was coming down off the speed and he got off the plane to get a sandwich during a connection. The plane left without him. The masters of Play Me Out were on the plane. Luckily Terry was on the pane and kept them safe.
Geoff Barton did a positive review.
Pete Makowski did a positive review.
Rave reviews in the music weekly Sounds by Geoff Barton.
Record was solid with die-hard fans but didn’t get any live promotion, despite a Glenn Hughes Band tour being planned.
It was re-released in 1983 as interest in the band and its former members was growing.
Most DP fans were confused by the album.
After the release Ozzy told Hughes he wanted to form a band called Blizzard of Ozz with Hughes on bass. Hughes didn’t want to be in a band where he didn’t sing.
Everyone thought this was going to be a big thing and lead to great solo success for Hughes but the drugs held him back.
Editor commented: Oy vey! Poetic headlines already. – Ed.
ALTHOUGH THE Ian Gillan-Roger Glover incarnation of Deep Purple is the one most fondly remembered by fans, in many ways the superceding David Coverdale-Glenn Hguhes line up had as much, if not more, going for it.
OK, so Coverdale, Hughes, et al never succeeded in recording an album of the overall calibre of ‘Machine Head’ (due to the steadily growing disillusionment of one Ritchie Blackmore more than anything else one would suspect, however) but in terms of sheer vocal variety and heavy rock funkability the two were, I think, unbeatable.
While Ian Gillan is still regarded as the Purple vocalist, in my opinion the combined talents of Coverdale and Hughes succeeded in raising the standards set by the silver-throated screamer sky high: Voverdale’s deep, full-throated macho calls to battle were perfectly offset/supplemented by Hughess’ supremely soulful vocal excursions: the rest was shattering. The full extend of their titanic twin vocal abilities can be best witnessed on the ‘Made In Europe’ DP LP — on ‘Burn’ and ‘You Fool No One’ in particular, methinks. Then again, if you can bear to recall PUrple’s last tour with Tommy Bolin on guitar you’ll remember Hughes’ magnificent version of ‘Georgia On My Mind’ and know that he is one of our great singers . . . a fact that hits home immediately, listening to his solo album ‘Play Me Out’.
Now, this record has been out for an age I know, but it’s only recently that I’ve been able to get my hands on a copy. On the highly unlikely label of Safari records, as far as I know and for reasons I don’t understand it’s only been released in Germany and a few other weird places like Greenland and suchlike . . . what the hell, whatever the policy/marketing restrictions, this album must be granted a full release in Britain some time in the near future, simply must. For Glenn Hughes, it really is something of a triumph.
“White soul — pshaw” scored Al Lewis upon hearing this album in the office. Now, I’ve never found the idea of non-black funksters so objectionable as our esteemed Ed. — and it seems to me that when an artist, like Hughes has done here, puts such feeling, such effort into the making of an album, all barriers are transcended.
For soul album this definitely is. Hughes has given full rein to his ‘This Time Around’-type singing/songwriting leanings and the end result is guaranteed to bowl you over. Recorded with his one-time Trapeze sidemates Mel Galey and Dave Holland (and with whom Hughes was suppose dto be getting a band together shortly after PUrple’s demise — something that, mysteriously, never came about) plus guests Pat Travers, Mark Nauseef and others. ‘Play Me Out’ runs the gamut of soulful expression — from the proud, lip-pouting struf of ‘I Got It Covered’, through the warm, heart-felt ballad ‘Your Love Is Like a Fire’ up to joyous celebratory ‘I Found a Woman’.
Hughes is up front all the way, his infections bass lines rippling along, weaving though every song; his voice, whether backed up/counterpointed by raunchy chick singers or soft, solemn and solitary, is totally immaculate, possessing a seemingly endless range. Hughes knows that he’s got a great parr of ‘chords of course and occasionally this cockiness proves to be a disadvantage as he crams too many different vocal variations into a sings song; alo, he sometimes sounds too much like Stevie Wonder for comfort — unnecessary, unfortunate, but true.
But even so this is a truly magnificent album 00 and in ‘Space High’ Hughes has a potential big hit on his hands, if anyone has the influence/foresight to get it released as a 45. With the (albeit somewhat overrated) film ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’ currently hot news and ‘Space High’s’ subject matter (‘Thirty-two saucers over the land,’ run the lyrics, ‘should we catch them or should we let them land?’) together with its fidgety funkiness should guarantee its resounding success.
So all Purple fantastic out there: stop writing letters to SOUNDS praising garbage like ‘Powerhouse’ and instead muster your considerable collective might and see if you can do anything about getting this terrific ‘Play Me Out’ album released over here. I’ll back you every inch of the way.
GEOFF BARTON
Two German-language review provided less positive reviews. These are rough translations by the wonderful Jörg Planer.
The first translates basically as saying that it’s basically a “boring flop.”
The second is more harsh saying: “Glenn is trying to play guitar and sing solo and hearing the album he isn’t and won’t be good in both. His singing in ‘Soulution’ sounds like he’s imitating a love hungry cat.”
– First off, this book is 50% longer, a whopping 120,000 words and 318 pages
– No pictures in the old one – two swell colour sections of photos in this one.
– New interview footage with Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Roger Glover, Jimmy Bain, Tony Carey, Graham Bonnet, Craig Gruber, Cozy Powell and more.
– major overhaul in the writing and analysis by me
– loads more research of the press, breakdown of the songs, production, album covers etc.
– old one was smaller format; this one is my usual 6” x 9”
– old one… hey, it was one of my very first band biographies; it was long overdue for a re-engineering and this is probably my best yet. So, as the back cover sez…
– reissues and live output covered in more detail
– brought up to date with the Ronnie Romero era live shows and new songs
On a recent episode of the Ernie Ball: Striking A Chord podcast, Morse recalled one incident where a fan whipped a bottle at him — he ducked and the projectile hit co-founding keyboardist Jon Lord in the head. It was awful but even that wasn’t the worst incident.
“South America. In Chile, [a man] was spitting at me,” Morse said. “Every time I would come up front to do a solo, and my eyes were closed involuntarily…because I’m into the music. I don’t have any poses or any kind of idea what I look like…I was just playing and during the last song, he spit into my mouth.”
Morse still isn’t sure whether the way he looks onstage played into the fans’ vitriol or if it was solely the fact that he wasn’t Blackmore (Joe Satriani filled in for Blackmore a year earlier, so Morse didn’t understand what all the hate was about).
“Anyway, this [spit] lands in my mouth suddenly,” Morse continued. “If there was a movie soundtrack, you’d hear the needle being scratched across the record. …I finally made eye contact with the guy; he was pointing to himself all proudly, ‘Yeah, it was me!'”
Violated and enraged, when the song was over, Morse launched himself into the audience in an attempt to fight the spitter. He didn’t make it to the man’s neck like he wanted, but it created a pretty memorable scene for anyone who was watching.
This Week in Purple History . . .
October 28 through November 3
November 3, 1945 – Nick Simper is born
October 29, 1984 – Deep Purple releases “Perfect Strangers”
October 30, 1993 – Ritchie announced his resignation from Deep Purple
Comments about the show? Things you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at info@deeppurplepodcast.com or @ us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
