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John Scher, who was a rock promoter from West Orange, New Jersey, took advantage of the closure of the Fillmore East by transforming the Capitol Theatre into a rock venue.
Prior to the Fillmore closing on June 27, 1971, the rock promoter Bill Graham had a stipulation in his contract that acts that played at the Fillmore could not play at any theater within a 75 mile radius.
The first show at the Capitol Theatre was The J. Geils Band and Humble Pie on December 16, 1971.
Many notable acts performed at the theater including The Three Stooges, Frank Zappa, The Beach Boys, The Grateful Dead, Peter Frampton, The Rolling Stones, and many more.
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Ron writes in to discuss Blues and Podcasting apps.
This was never designed to be an old school blues record, this is white boys blues boogie hard rock. Think old school Aerosmith, big 10 inch, reefer headed woman , back back train!
Stitcher fan who went to pocket cast.
Excellent place to listen to you guys.
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This podcast is a must for all fans of classic rock. Using Deep Purple, and it’s members, as the starting point, the podcast covers some of the best music since the late 60s as it branches out to cover the works of Deep Purple and it’s ex-members. Hosted by Nathan and John, in a relaxed, humorous manner – you’ll come across some classics as well as music you’ve never heard before (or forgotten), Plus, you’ll have a laugh on the way.
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At college in 1962 Jon Lord formed a band called The Don Wilson Quartet. They played mostly covers all over including clubs, pubs, and weddings.
After College Jon got a job but wanted to keep the musical end of things.
The name of the group changed to Redd Bludd’s Bluesicians. The musicians were Don Wilson on vocals and bass, Derek Griffiths on guitar, Jon Lord on piano, and Reg Dunnage on drums.
At this same time Art Wood was working with his own group called The Art Wood Combo. The band eventually boke up. Wilson knew the group and suggested they form a new group using Wilson’s quartet. This would have been in early 1964.
They continued on as the Art Wood Combo for a time before changing the name to The Artwoods.
Don Wilson bought a Lowry organ for Jon. The band advertised as “a great organ-ised” combo.
Early on Don Wilson crashed the group’s van and broke both his legs. He was replaced on bass by Malcolm Pool from the group The Roadrunners.
Shortly after they were offered a recording deal for a single.
Reg worked at Heathrow and didn’t want to quit his day job so they looked for a new drummer and found Keef Hartley. He was reportedly found in the park clutching his drums. They auditioned him at The Tiles Club and he got the job.
In October of 1964 they recorded their first single “Sweet Mary.” It was moderately advertised and didn’t sell particularly well.
The band did a residence at the 100 Club in Oxford Street and Kooks Kleek in West Hampstead.
It was just before this that Jon Lord was rumored to have done the piano track for The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” though there is a lot of evidence that this is not correct.
During this time Jon Lord sat in with Bo Diddley at the 100 Club. Bo Diddley was interesting in recording with the band and was very complimentary of them. The artist Little Walter said of the group “I thought white boys couldn’t play the blues, but they were playing the hell out of the music.”
The group’s second single, “Oh My Love” did about as well as their first.
In early 1965 they toured with P.J. Proby on two tours.
When Mike Vernon at Decca heard their early studio recordings he proposed taht they use Decca’s studio and record with them.
They recorded another single “I Take What I Want” which came out in May of 1966 and it made it into the Top 30.
They toured Poland and Paris and Jon used his earnings to purchase his Hammond on hire purchase. He ended up cutting the organ into two pieces to make it e3asier to get in and out of the clubs they were playing.
Jon paid £60 to have the organ cut in half. The manufacturers actually offered this as a service to make the instrument easier to transport. Jon said, “They cut it across just under the keyboard so that the generators are in one half and the amp and speakers are in the other. They modify it so that when you clip the two halves together the whole thing automatically connects. It means that it can be carried quite easily by two people, each one carrying a 1 ½-hundredweight section. It’s easier to pack in a can, too, and there is far less problem carrying it up and down stairs.” They even made padded carrying cases for the sections.
During this time Jon lord became more analytical of his own playing. Of this ye said, “I realised I was just playing Jimmy smith cliches most of the time like a thousand others. It occurred to me that I could use some of my classical knowledge. I tired to fit Bach fugues into what we were playing, not note for note, but just getting the feel of it. I think we were one of the first groups to use little chunks of classical music as an introduction for songs. We used Tchaikovsky as an intro to Sam Cooke’s Shake.”
Jon Lord: “This turned me on to the organ. I first heard it when I was a drama student and I didn’t even know what the instrument was making the sound.”
He also said: “It was Keef who wanted to do it; funnily enough it was one of our most popular numbers.”
Originally for the soundtrack of the movie of the same name.
The song Be My Lady was written by Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn and Al Jackson Jr. and was first released by Booker T. & The MG’s in 1965.
The Artwoods were a popular live act on par with bands like The Animals. Their record sales, however, were never strong.
In early 1967 Hans Bregel and a Germany Symphony Orchestra from Frankfurt approached them about the idea of writing a special piece of music together. This didn’t happen and the band wouldn’t last through 1967.
The R ‘n’ B scene was starting to fade at this time giving rise to many more rock acts. Keef Hartley left the band and of it he says, “It was a nightmare, I was always unhappy and got the sack in April. I was given two weeks notice.” He was replaced by drummer Colin Martin. The group set out to tour Denmark only to get there and find out it had been canceled. The promoter got them some gigs at the last minute and the following year the new group Roundabout would connect with him to do the same.
At the end the Artwoods recorded their last single “What Shall I Do” and even started writing their own material.
A promoter named Jack Baverstock was looking for a band where he could capitalize on the gangster craze that had sparked up around the movie Bonnie & Clyde. The Artwoods accepted this and changed their name to The St. Valentines Day Massacre. They recorded a cover of “Brother Can You Spare A Dime” which was their only release they’d have before disbanding.
On the single they were dressed up like gangsters and holding tommy guns in pin-striped suits. They had to wear these costumes on stage. Of this Lord said, “I felt bloody ridiculous, wawe all did.
After this they disbanded and Jon returned to session work and a few other projects but there will be more on that in future episodes.
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GLENN HUGHES – BLUES – LA BLUES AUTHORITY Volume 2 : Roadrunner RR 9088 2: Germany : March 1993 CD From what I can gather, advance orders for this CD were so good that Roadrunner had to delay the release here to avoid running out of stock almost immediately. It hasn’t set the charts alight true, but there are people out there who have been itching to go out and buy a Glenn Hughes album for years. Have they been rewarded? The general opinion is this will do very nicely to be going on with. If we accept it for what it is, a glorified session, then it works well. Glenn is in fine form. Beyond that, the disc lacks any real musical soul. No matter how hard Glenn works, the backings sound very pedestrian really, and lack the excitement that a proper group might have brought to the proceedings. So far it is the opening couple of cuts which impressed me the most, but we’ll see how it developes with a little more air-time.
“The title of this album is rather misleading. The style is actually more LA hard rock/ blues, due no doubt to the numerous hot-shot guitar proteges on show. To be fair some of the playing isn’t bad (Erikson for example), it’s just that a lot of the material cries out for a guitarist who understands the dynamics and subtleties of blues influenced music-someone like Jeff Healey, Jimmie Vaughan etc. Glenn’s vocal performance is naturally the highlight. Let’s hope it bodes well for the future, and next time puts together a band that can mesh into a more individual sound to match his undoubed talents”. Roy Davies
VARIOUS ARTISTS / L.A. BLUES AUTHORITY : Roadrunner RR 2398 3: Holland : 1992 5″ CD. Spotted by Pierre Caeiro, this three track single kicks off with the only track on the ORIGINAL album to feature Glenn Hughes (a version of “Messin’ With The Kid”), so as Pierre rightly points out, it saves us forking out for the full price CD! However I don’t think it’s been issued properly in the UK, so it might take some finding.
Scream Magazine, Issue 14, 1993
Article not discussed on show as we got it after recording.
Translated by Øyvind Fjeldbu
Album received a 3 out of 6 score.
The journalist’s remarks are in bold, and Glenn’s answers are introduced by (Hughes) and put in brackets:
That Glenn Hughes would do a comeback as a blues singer was probably not what most people would have expected. Even if the man has had a versatile career, he has – as far as I know – never been close to this kind of music. “Blues” contains – not surprisingly – clean and sharp blues! Very similar to what Gary Moore is doing, but maybe not so accomplished! Hughes’ vocal performance is impressive. The songs come and go, and it is difficult to highlight any one of them, even if the ballad probably is the best one. Essentially an album for die-hard fans and extreme blues freaks!
After some minor problems (the line was broken, my notes forgotten somewhere, bla, bla, bla…) I got to talk to a very stressed Glenn Hughes. I guess the man had had quite a few interviews earlier that day, as he seemed rather tense and tired. A completely awful phone line did not improve things at all! But I managed in the end to squeeze out of him the most important stuff, and I hope I can do a more relaxed interview with him when the “real” comeback record is released! Because “Blues”, as the current record is entitled, is just a foretaste of what is to come…
(Hughes) – “Yes, I made this record just for the fun of it, after Mike Varney asked me to sing lead on a song with L.A. Blues Authority. I did so, and had the idea to make a whole album with blues songs to have a break from the writing and recording of the other album. The fact is that it took me two weeks to write the songs, and two weeks to record them – so in a month the job was done. Very fun, indeed! The comeback album, as I have said I am currently working on, will be released at the end of the year.”
In other words, no reason to assume that Glenn will continue as a blues performer. This album is quite similar to what Gary Moore is doing, isn’t it?
(Hughes) – “Yes, correct. It probably is.”
The only difference is just that you sing better than him, right?
(Hughes) – “Of course”, he answers arrogantly.
The album is written with someone named Craig Erickson, a completely unknown in this game, and according to Glenn a fantastic guy. Other players on “Blues” is more or less every celebrity there is, for instance Mick Mars, John Norum, Richie Kotzen, Warren De Martini and many more! How did he get in touch with these people?
(Hughes) – “Well, they are all my friends, so as I kept writing songs I thought about who would fit the different songs in the best way, and then I simply asked them.”
Okay to have such friends, or what? Glenn Hughes performed a lot of the vocals on John Norum’s “Face The Truth” from last year. Is this something he can see himself continuing with?
(Hughes) – “No, I don’t think so. The thing is that at the moment I feel I’m finished singing on other people’s records. Now I want to do my own thing.”
So you don’t miss being a member in a band?
(Hughes) – “No! I want to be a solo artist.”
Glenn Hughes’ career has been long and characterized by good times and hard times. There is no hiding the fact that he has had huge drug and alcohol problems in his life, but these problems are now reportedly over. If we look at the bands and the projects he has been involved with, the list is infinitely long! Trapeze, Purple, Sabbath, Hughes/Thrall, Gary Moore, Phenomena, John Norum and KLF. When I ask him which one of these projects he values the most, he answers, surprisingly:
(Hughes) – “The Hughes/Thrall period was probably the one I personally think was the best.”
He says why, too, but the noise in the telephone is now so intense that his voice simply disappears. Damn, that’s so irritating! The last thing I managed to catch from him was that he plans to do some shows in Sweden, but only the gods know who he is to play with!
According to himself, Glenn has no contact with his former bandmates in Purple etc. today. The man sure has some talent, so I guess it is just a matter of time before he gets a well-deserved comeback. We will find that out at the end of the year. In the meantime it is possible to hear him sing clean blues on this new album, which – as noted earlier – carries the very telling title “Blues”!
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Did photography for Tony McAlpine’s “Freedom to Fly” album.
From Japanese Book on Glenn Hughes.Very rough translation with Google Lens.
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“My first album since finding my Higher Power. I choose to call him God. I used to call him Glenn, but that pissed him off. When Mike Varney asked me to put together a blues project, I thought it would be a challenge, something that I love. This CD deals with my personal demons. It is a healing album, written and recorded in three weeks. It’s raw, and it’s real.”
Favorite song – Life Of Misery
Favorite ballad – So Much Love To Give
Album Tracks:
The Boy Can Sing the Blues (Hughes, Erickson, Varney)
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PARIS, FRANCE – 17th MARCH: Singer Ian Gillan from rock band Deep Purple performs live on stage at the Palais Des Sports in St Ouen, Paris on 17th March 1973. (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)
Ian Gillan 1975 (Deep Purple) at Butterfly Ball (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
English jazz-rock fusion group, the Ian Gillan Band, 9th April 1976. Left to right: bassist John Gustafson (1942 – 2014), singer Ian Gillan, drummer Mark Nauseef, keyboard player Micky Lee Soule and guitarist Ray Fenwick. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
English jazz-rock fusion group, the Ian Gillan Band, 9th April 1976. Left to right: bassist John Gustafson (1942 – 2014), singer Ian Gillan, drummer Mark Nauseef, keyboard player Micky Lee Soule and guitarist Ray Fenwick. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Ex-Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, of English jazz-rock fusion group, the Ian Gillan Band, 9th April 1976. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Ex-Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, of English jazz-rock fusion group, the Ian Gillan Band, 27th April 1976. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
English singer and songwriter Ian Gillan performs live at The Rainbow in London, 1977. (Photo by Estate Of Keith Morris/Redferns/Getty Images)
UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 01: Photo of Ian GILLAN; Ian Gillan (second from left) in the Ian Gillan Band (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)
Ian Gillan Band (singer Ian Gillan, keyboard player Colin Towns, guitarist Ray Fenwick, bassist John Gustafson and drummer Mark Nauseef), British rock band, pose for a group studio portrait, 1978. (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images)
Ian Gillan, British rock singer, posing bare-chested, with smoke behind him, for a studio portrait, at Kingsway Studios, London, England, Great Britain, 1978. (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty Images)
Ian Gillan, of his band Gillan, performs on stage at the Reading Festival, Reading, England, on August 25th, 1979. (Photo by Gus Stewart/Redferns)
English musician Ian Gillan, of the group Black Sabbath, performs in concert, New York, New York, October 29, 1983. (Photo by Larry Busacca/WireImage)
Ian Gillan, formerly singer with the rock band Deep Purple, in London today when it was announced that he is to join Black Sabbath. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs on stage on the Perfect Strangers World Tour at the Entertainment Centre, Sydney, 12th December 1984. (Photo by Bob King/Redferns)
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN – FEBRUARY 28: Ian Gillan of hard rock group Deep Purple performs during a concert at Scandinavium Arena on February 28, 1987 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Deep Purple was formed in London in 1968 and is one of the pioneers of heavy metal and hard rock music. They still exist today, and tour around the world, but without all the original band members. (Photo: Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)
GERMANY – MAY 01: Photo of Ian GILLAN and Roger GLOVER; Posed portrait of Roger Glover (L) and Ian Gillan at at tv show (Photo by Bernd Muller/Redferns)
Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) on 17.02.1987 in München / Munich. (Photo by Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Singer Ian Gillan is shown performing on stage during a “live” concert appearance with Deep Purple on April 17, 1987. (Photo by John Atashian/Getty Images)
English singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple recording for the Armenian earthquake appeal ‘Rock Aid Armenia’ at the Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, London, 1989. Numerous vocalists collaborated on a recording of the Deep Purple hit ‘Smoke on the Water’, in aid of the 1988 Spitak earthquake victims. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Ian Gillan in recording studio during making of Armenia earthquake appeal record, London, 1989. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – NOVEMBER 8: Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs on stage at Brixton Academy, on November 8th, 1993 in London, England. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)
UNITED KINGDOM – SEPTEMBER 25: ROYAL ALBERT HALL Photo of Ian GILLAN and Roger GLOVER and Ian PAICE and DEEP PURPLE, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Ian Gillan performing live onstage, with orchestra (Photo by Diana Scrimgeour/Redferns)
Pavarotti And Friends 2001 In Modena, Italy,, Deep Purple – Ian Gillan (Photo by Brian Rasic/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 6: Lead singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs at the Hammersmith Apollo September 6, 2002 in London, England. (Photo by John Li/Getty Images)
Ian Gillan and Steve Morse of Deep Purple (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/FilmMagic)
UNITED KINGDOM – NOVEMBER 13: WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of DEEP PURPLE, Ian Gillan performing live onstage (Photo by Brigitte Engl/Redferns)
The original line-up of Deep Purple; (L-R) Ian Paice, Ian Gillan and Jon Lord arrive for the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, at the Cafe de Paris, central London, Tuesday 4 October 2005. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA (Photo by Yui Mok – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
SWITZERLAND – JULY 15: Left to right, second row : John Lord, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice – Left to right, first row: Steve Morse, Roger Glover of Deep Purple in Montreux, Switzerland on July 15th, 2006. (Photo by Lionel FLUSIN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 30: Roger Glover, Ian Gillan and Steve Morse of Deep Purple perform on stage at the Monsters Of Rock concert at Milton Keynes Bowl on June 30th, 2006 in Milton Keynes, England. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)
Monsters Of Rock Festival, Milton Keynes, Britain – 03 Jun 2006, Deep Purple – Ian Gillan And Steve Morse (Photo by Brian Rasic/Getty Images)
The Prince of Wales (centre) meeting (left to right) Bill Bailey, Jacky Paice and members of Deep Purple Don Airey, Roger Glover, Steve Morse and Ian Gillan during a pre-concert reception prior to the Sunflower Jam Concert – a musical event developed in 2006 by Jacky Paice (wife of Deep Purple member Ian Paice) to raise money for people who will benefit from what complementary therapies have to offer – at the Royal Albert Hall in west London. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – NOVEMBER 14: Roger Glover, Ian Gillan, Don Airey and Steve Morse of Deep Purple perform on stage at Hammersmith Apollo on November 14, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Broussely/Redferns)
BOLOGNA, ITALY – DECEMBER 16: Ian Gillan lead the Deep Purple in their concert at PalaDozza on December 16, 2009 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Roberto Serra – Iguana Press/Getty Images)
HONG KONG – MAY 10: (CHINA OUT) Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs on stage at Asia World-Expo on May 10, 2010 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – MAY 6: Don Airey, Steve Morse, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice of Deep Purple pose for portraits on May 6th 2010 in Perth Australia. (Photo by Martin Philbey/Redferns)
(L-R) Musicians Donald Smith, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover of Deep Purple attend a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel on February 21, 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Victor Chavez/WireImage)
LAS VEGAS, NV – AUGUST 15: Singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs at the Fremont Street Experience on August 15, 2014 in Las Vegas Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – APRIL 04: Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs on stage during ‘Celebrating Jon Lord’ at Royal Albert Hall on April 4, 2014 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Neil Lupin/Redferns via Getty Images)
Ian Gillan of Deep Purple arriving at the Kerrang Awards, at the Troxy, in east London. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 23: Today Show Host Matt Lauer interviews Vocalist Ian Gillan when Deep Purple peforms on NBC’s “Today Show” at Rockefeller Plaza on July 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Al Pereira/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 23: Today Show Host Matt Lauer interviews Vocalist Ian Gillan when Deep Purple peforms on NBC’s “Today Show” at Rockefeller Plaza on July 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Al Pereira/WireImage)
Singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs on NBC’s ‘Today’ at Rockefeller Plaza on July 23, 2015 in New York City.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 08: Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs onstage at the 31st Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on April 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan in performance on stage in the Olympia Hall in Munich, Germany, 19 May 2017. The British rock legends have kicked off their ‘Long Goodbye Tour’ in Germany. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan in performance on stage in the Olympia Hall in Munich, Germany, 19 May 2017. The British rock legends have kicked off their ‘Long Goodbye Tour’ in Germany. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa (Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images)
STERLING HEIGHTS, MI – AUGUST 24: Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre on August 24, 2018 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 25: Ian Gillan of Deep Purple performs at Utilita Arena Birmingham on October 25, 2022 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Steve Thorne/Redferns)
Deep Purple 1970 Jon Lord Ian Paice Ian Gillan Ritchie Blackmore Roger Glover (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
Ian Gillan, lead singer of the Deep Purple rock group, pictured in the Royal Pavillion gardens in Brighton, East Sussex after it was announced he would be playing the part of Jesus Christ in a ‘pop Opera’, 26th June 1970. (Photo by Geoffrey Day/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
CIRCA 1970: (Top L-R) Murray Head as Judas. Ian Gillan as Jesus (Bottom L-R) Barry Dennen as the Pilate. Michael d’Abo as King Herod for the Andrew Lloyd Webber recording of “Jesus Christ Superstar” circa 1970. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
DENMARK – MARCH 01: Photo of DEEP PURPLE; Ian Gillan, Deep Purple, Copenhagen, Denmark – March 1972 (Photo by Jorgen Angel/Redferns)
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – MARCH 1: Roger Glover, Ian Gillan and Ian Paice of Deep Purple perform on stage at KB Hallen on March 1st 1972 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by Jorgen Angel/Redferns)
English singer-songwriter Ian Gillian of Deep Purple performing at KB-Hallen Copenhagen, Denmark, March 1972. (Photo by Jan Persson/Getty Images)
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Ian Gillan’s Styles Over The Years (CONTINUED)
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Private Eyes
Ashen Lionel
Blackmore’s Tights
Steve “Down to Earth” Koeller
Listener Mail/Comments
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THE SECOND STUDIO REPORT 1997 (actually the third)
Studio work is in pause mode.
Twelve songs are on the wing.
The backing tracks are shut up in coardboard boxers and stacked on a shelf somewhere, patiently awaiting completion.
There are several album titles.
More than that I cannot add other than stating that the gigs we just played in Atlanta, Orlando, Pompano Beach, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, and Chicago (where Steve Married JAcqui on stage congratulations!) were more fun than should be allowed.
Two new songs were debate; Any Fule Kno That and Seventh Heaven.
The former needs more work, and was dropped, but is promising.
The latter has turned into a live song that is just a treat to play.
My family let me back in the house, accidentally I think.
Thank you for all your support, it would all be for nothing if you weren’t there.
HArk, I hear the sound of bells.
That time of the year again.
Good luck and merry be.
RG
Jack Ruby
Originally titled “Poughkeepsie Jam” and was something they’d worked on during the House of Blue Light sessions.
She Was
Originally titled “Dirty Water.”
Glover also mentions that he can’t remember if they changed the title to “She Was” or “Untouchable.”
Glover toyed around with playing slap bass on this track.
Glover says after recording bass for this song on November 14, 1997 he starts to ge the first idea of what the finished album might be like.
Watsername
Working title of “F# Trudge.”
Glover recorded the bass tracks for this on November 5, 1997. Glover works with Darren for the computer edit at the beginning of Almost Human. He also receives “the Episode Six CD” and says it sounds brilliant considering it was recorded straight off the radio and it brings back a lot of memories.
According to Glover Morse put extra effects on Whatsername by hitting his guitar with bass drum beaters, strange bits of metal, and other objects.
69
Originally titled “Freight Train.”
Steve Morse brought this in as one of the first songs they worked on in September of 1997.
While working on the song in the form of Freight Train the band goes to check out Joe Satriani who is playing nearby. Steve Morse gets up on stage and jams with him. This is during the G3 tour.
After that it was time to move on to Florida for three nights – St. Petersberg, Orlando at the new House of Blues and Ft. Lauderdale. At the House of Blues, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice and Steve Morse joined the party and Steve Morse jammed with Joe, Steve, Kenny and Robert for a superb night of guitars.
During tracking for the organ Lord’s Leslie breaks down. They get replacement parts delivered. The new parts emit an RF signal which makes it impossible to place a microphone anywhere near them. By the time they get the organ working again it’s too late to get a good track. Glover and Darren work on computer work.
Evil Louie
Had a tough time with this one. At one point Glover considered using the demo for the album.
February 16, Roger works on bass.Keith starts engineering for vocals. Gillan has a cold but Glover says he does a nice job on Evil Louie.
January 17, Evil Louie starts to come together. Glover goes to see Titanic. “Over three hours, the production is huge. Not surprising of $200,000,000.”
Some of the ideas that come out in the first group of sessions include: Wah Wah, Seventh Heaven, Oh Darlin’ Blues, Evil Louie, Talk Radio, Last Jam, and a few others.
Talk Radio – Glover and Gillan both didn’t like it. Lord played clav on it!
The Stallion
THE THIRD STUDIO REPORT (Actually the fourth)
The album is done. Sort of. It’s not really done until it’s in your sweaty hands of course, when there’s not a chance in Hell we can fiddle with it some more, at least not with current technology.
I suspect that at least some of it is palatable if not downright edible.
Once again, partially single-handedly, Darren Schneider did an heroic job., As did our families for putting up with us. A big thank you to them.
There are several titles for the album, all of which turn out to be ABANDON.
As of this writing I cannot confirm how many tracks there are except to say it’s more or less than one and two together. A Month the song titles are Seventh Heaven, Any Fule Kno That, Almost Human, Watching thew Sky, JAck Ruby, Fingers To The Bone an dDoes Your Chewing Cum Lose Its Flavour On The Bed Post Overnight? (One of those is a red herring, put in for no other reason than to confuse me).
As with most albums around which I’ve been revolved this one has had its share of snakes and ladders in between the pinnacles.
There have been inversions, diversions, new versions, delays, rallies, volleys, objections, inspections, rejections, thin skins, thick skins, drum skins, milliseconds, second hands, second thoughts, picnics, nit-picks, worn picks, rages, cages, mazes, tears or joy, tears of defeat, tears of trousers, successes, excesses, big messes, lost keys, Hammond keys, wrong keys, first takes, mistakes, high stakes, battles, kettles, bottles, delusions, exclusions, tea infusions, spare parts, private parts, extra parts, sore fingers, sore throats, seesaws, headaches, headphones, head games, and all the usual fun of the fair.
I loved “Purpendicular”. Not all the tracks worked, but overall there was such a spirit of unleashed creativity and freedom that you couldn’t help but be swept along by it all. Deep down I wasn’t hugely convinced by “Abandon” to begin with. It seemed powerful, well performed and hugely energetic, but lacked some of the sense of fun and freedom which had been a hallmark of “Purpendicular”. What I’d missed on those early listens was just how well the loose, almost free-form structures on which tracks like “Rosa’s” and “Ted” had been built have now been tightened and developed into a whole new charging rock and roll beast upon which much of “Abandon” tries to ride. In some ways perhaps I’m not even sure the band themselves have worked out how to harness what they’ve let loose, and there are times when a few awkward or just plain cliched bars creep in to spoilt the effect – and it was these which stuck out like a sore thumb on the first few plays.
It finally dawned on me that Deep Purple were at times he pushing rock to boundaries which hitherto I felt were only being challenged by some of the best of the industrial tracks I’ve been into for a few years now by outfits like Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and Skinny Puppy. That same loud finely distilled adrenaline rush is also present in several places on “Abandon”. “Any Fule No That” sets the tone, with a grungey keyboard and guitar which provides a dense layer of power augmented by the swing of drummer Ian Paice. Over all this Gillan’s vocals cut through like a knife: stick your finger in your ear – indeed. But take it out at only 4 minutes 20 seconds? Chicken. Too short. They try a similar approach on “Almost Human” but the mix lets it down a little, particularly on the drums which don’t come through clearly enough. The track came totally into focus at the live shows, and as a result the studio cut now seems little more than a blueprint.
It’s on “Seventh Heaven” that they really begin to piss on just about every other band in town. The first thirty seconds or so form a Concerto all of their own (hint), then they turn on the heat and roast your eardrums as the track explodes out of the speakers. Ian Paice goes totally absolutely bonkers beserk, clobbering everything within reach, though almost never in the order you expect or could predict. They cool it a touch to mellow into some bass’n drums, and Steve Morse is brought fully into the frame, meshing immaculately with the underlying work, and going with the flow as they build the energy level back up to an awesome peak, leaving you gasping as they crash back into the verse. I’ve been gently kissing the ground they walk on (off and on) for thirty years now, and see no reason to stop while they can deliver tracks like this.
“Watching The Sky” delivers some spine tingling treated vocals over an off the wall riff, then they push everything up to ten for one of the best blasts Purple have ever committed to record. Breathtaking stuff, and I’ll even forgive them the cliched “luggage at the station” break, although frankly they ought to know better. At around 4.10 the band suddenly peak in a moment of sublime energy which defies description. “She Was” is my Deep Purple. On the face of it simple beyond belief, don’t you try even explaining it. You can’t. No other band on the planet can do this. Gillan is one hell of a lucky guy, and revels in the situation. There’s a totally unexpected middle eight and once more Lord and Morse gel, bending notes together and letting the atmosphere build majestically before the hypnotic beat returns, and disappears as suddenly as it arrived. I definitely concur with many people’s opinions that it isn’t an easy album to get into, nor it is so instantly memorable as the previous offering – relying more on sheer energy than hook lines to win you over. It takes patience, and a lot of volume. That alone will limit it somewhat. It’s by no means perfect, but I’m glad I gave it more time before trying to gather my thoughts as I’m sure the review wouldn’t have been so positive if I hadn’t.
Deep Purple continued cranking out new albums into the late ’90s, despite diminished audiences and little attention from the media. But as long as they continued to satisfy their hardcore fans, those factors didn’t matter; Abandon should satisfy those fans. Granted, the band isn’t as young and energetic as they once were, but they are willing to try new material, which can’t be said about other aging hard rockers from the ’70s. The addition of guitarist Steve Morse has revitalized the band and he sounds more a part of the band here than he did on his debut, Purpendicular. Abandon is a harder-rocking album than its predecessor, but there’s a number of layers to their rock, as they occasionally stretch into challenging neo-prog territory. But the main thing about the album is that it hits hard and heavy — harder than any Deep Purple album in recent memory and that makes a welcome revelation for hardcore followers.
Øyvind Fjeldbu for kindly sending over scans of his Abandon tour booklet!
Thanks to Jeff Breis for sending over items from his collection.
Thank you to Steve Clowes for sharing bootleg recordings of early versions of “Any Fule Kno That” and “Seventh Heaven.”
Rich Shailor for sending over some Abandon swag!
Listener Mail/Comments
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.
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Hi everyone. Glad to have joined the DPP community. Been listening for about a year and have been a huge Rainbow fan since 1979. This show has introduced me to so much music and taught me so much about Deep Purple and all the offshoots.
Charles Meadows writes in:
Nate and John
Sorry for late response I hardly ever check gmail. I don’t really have anything to add other than I’ve loved Deep Purple and all their incarnations and family tree pretty much forever. I discovered the podcast about 6 months ago and I’m looking forward to future shows as well as catching up with ones I’ve missed
Charles
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Øyvind Fjeldbu turned us on to the tour book and sent us a scan. I immediately purchased my own copy.
First Studio report from Roger Glover
We have completed a brief stay in Orlando, at the same location where _|_ was recorded. No title has yet been decided, although there are several on the table, one or two under the table, a few beneath the cushion of a cheap chair, one caught on the horn of a suspicious looking ram on a remote ranch in New Zealand (no idea how it got there!), four were inadvertently washed in some jeans, and US Customs seized seven. That leaves several.
We have some brilliant ideas for songs, I can’t tell you how many but let’s just say it is between 7 and 9, roughly. They are all really bad. However, with a little improvement they could be worse. (Excuse my difficulty with this sarcasm thing).
JL has been tied up making an [sic] solo album and although he was planning on herring, decided that it would be in everyone’s best interest to finnish [sic – humor] his danish first. When asked if he was going to, he mysteriously replied, Norway, man!” and left it at that.
I must apologize for that last paragraph, JL had nothing whatsoever to do with it, and as far as anyone can tell has not been seen anywhere near Scandinavia recently. Actually, JL is finishing work already in progress and so therefore we are all meeting up again alarmingly soonish after the Summer gig things to complete the writing and recording, not to mention the strudel.
SM ve continues es to play ay with th his is echo ho unit.
IanPaiceisveryverytogether.
Aye yam learning knew thyngs very day.
Ian Gillan likes to dance all over the place.
Confused? Quite rightly.
Good luck and look good, RG
The band plays a few shows in the summer including as the tour book states:”Layr, Beirut, Zurich” and “Calgury, Canada.” Not sure about the seemingly intentionally misspelling here.
In September they return to work on the album, arriving back in Orlando on September 9.
On September 15th Dawk (John Stillwell) and his son, John, are in the studio where they have to work repairing Jon’s organ that had been damaged when too much power was sent through them at their show in Calgary.
On september 16, the band get together for some UK radio interviews, talking about the 25th anniversary of Machine Head. Dawk continues some work on Roger’s basses.
September 18, Ian Paice and Steve Morse jam on an idea for a song with an acoustic and they put down a rough guide on tape.
September 19th was the first day they were all in the studio together.
They play in Atlanta, Orlando, Pompano Beach, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, and Chicago to round out the year.
Band plays shows in LA, Phoenix, Mexico City, Monterrey, Costa Rica.
Recorded at Greg Rike Studios, Altamonte Springs, Florida, 1997/98.
Mixed at Platinum Post Studios, Orlando.
Mastered at Masterdisk, New York.
Made in Holland
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Album Tracks:
All songs written by Gillan, Glover, Lord, Morse, Paice except where listed below.
Any Fule Kno That
Through Glover’s Journal this is probably the song that gets talked about the most. It seems to have given them the most trouble through re-writing and re-recording but also seems to be one of the songs they seemed to like the most.
After deciding he didn’t like a song they were working on called “Talk Radio,” Glover returns to his apartment and starts work on a song called “Any Fule Kno That.”
They seem to have done this twice live before the album came out. One of two tracks done prior to the album release.
Thom E. Yorke (as he was billed early on) was born October 7, 1968. By the time he arrived at Abingdon public school he was already the veteran of a pre-pubescent art-pop duo (Thom on guitar, friend demolishing televisions). At a sagely 14, Yorke, who says he spent most of his free time secreted in the school’s soundproofed music rooms, began singing (“because no-one else would”) in the school punk band TNT, where his contemporary Colin Greenwood also threw a few shapes.
When TNT imploded, Thom offered Colin the chance to play bass in a band he was forming with the tall, handsome chap in the year above who looked a bit like Morrissey: Ed O’Brien. A sixth-former, who looked nothing like Morrissey but had a drum kit, was also asked to join. Thom’s first words to Phil Selway were momentous: “Can’t you play a bit faster?”
Colin’s brother Jonny wanted in too. The kind of musical genius who can get a tune out of a cheese roll, he was still only a third year. And an oik from the third can crimp a fourth-former’s cool, as any fule kno. So it was a four and a half man line-up of On A Friday which debuted at Oxford’s Jericho Tavern as early as 1987. (Jonny hanging about with his harmonica just in case.) But any serious tilt at stardom was to be forestalled by largely unenthusiastic parents and the call of further education.
The band acknowledges that the song does not quite work live so they do some more work on the song before completing it for the album.
Glover shows Talk Radio and Any Fule Kno That to Gillan. Gillan also does not like “Talk Radio” but does like “Any Fule Kno That.”
Almost Human
Working title of “Last Jam.”
January 26, Jon Lord does the solo for the end of Almost Human. Glover says, “Typical of him it is a first take.” Glover feels the session is over and relaxes with some TV following the news story about the Presidential crisis being reported that Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton allegedly had an affair in the White House.
Don’t Make Me Happy
Originally titled “Oh Darlin’ Blues.”
“Don’t make me happy,” was a quote from one of their crew members, Ton.
November 13, Glover says that Gillan does a great job on Don’t Make Me Happy and writes: “He is like a dog with two dicks.”
Seventh Heaven
Glover writed that Lord did the solo for this song on Glover’s birthday, November 30, 1997, Glover is exhausted. He is thankful many don’t know it’s his birthday. “So I don’t enlighten them.” Lord works on Seventh Heaven but can’t complete because Morse had made some subtle changes to his part. Glover says he gets a much better idea of what they album is going to look and feel like and says that’s the best birthday present.
The other track they attempted live in advance of the album being finished.
Watching the Sky
Working title of “Wah Wah.”
Retitled to “Moth to the Flame.”
While finalizing the arrangement for this song they went out
September 25 they finalize an arrangement for “Wah Wah.” Ian Paice and Roger Glover drive to see a shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral. “… but it is still impressive, lighting up the night sky. Amazing to think of those courageous souls sitting on top of that tower of flame, being blasted off the planet. A bit like one of our gigs.”
When recording this song they had to build a booth around Gillan’s microphone to shield it from picking up ambient noises echoing through the studio due to the power of his singing.
Piano solo by Lord was done on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1997.
THE OCTOBER STUDIO REPORT
IG arrived in Orlando first, on 7th September 1997, and the rest of us arrived in dribs and drabs. I dribbed in a few days later on the 9th Sept to write with IG, IP drabbed in a few days after that, and JL dribbed and SM drabbed in about a week later. Anyway, the upshot of all this dribbing and drabbing is that the actual recording session started on the 19th September 1997 (at noon, for all you punctualists).
Our loyal and hard working recording engineer, computer operator, counselor, and fashion consultant is Darrewn Schneider, who has had the good fortune, or otherwise, to still be there since the last album.
We have taken a break in the proceedings for a week. Therefore we have been ‘hard at it’, as they say in musical scircles, for the best part of five weeks. HEads down again next week.
During that time there have been successes, failures (hardly any), jokes, laughter, practice, a lot of fiddling with wires, tuning up, listening, writing, driving, gossiping, tripping up, brain surgery, focusing, making tea, brewing coffee, thinking, looking, recording, rewinding, fast forwarding, unpacking, learning, arguing (nicely, thank you), darts, sleeping, smoking, flying, drinking, saying ‘oops’, cooking, concentrating, dialing, reading, an enormous amount of pushing buttons, filing, searching, eating, correcting, uncorking, mending, programming, looking at the sky and muttering about the price of potatoes, planning,pluggin in, complaining, sorting out, complimenting, watching, and playing tennis (IG and Clarlie narrowly beat RG and Collin 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 yesterday).
There are twelve items (so far…) on the agendum, not all of which will make the album methinks, but who knows? The general tone of the album is tough, being the result of a direct manipulation of the outermost sensory organs by means of careful voltage control, high decibel regeneration, and the redistribution of particles of human madness and logic interwoven into the subdivisions of connected sections of powerful riffage placed cunningly between the start and finish of each piece.
Of those twelve songs, five have so far been adorned with lyrics (the rest play themselves in mute abandon on the DAT player while IG and I wrestle – I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no, not yet).
Solos have been attacked on about half the tunes but are fighting back.
There is a strange dichotomy at work here: we know what we’re about but we don’t know what we’re doing. Or the other way around.
At least one live performance has been salvaged from the May writing session.
An idea born in 1987 at a rehearsal has found a new life.
One song, The STallion, didn’t make it to the last album but has made it to this, and has been, thankfully, butchered in the process. It will be called something else. No not Something Else, that was by Eddie Cochran in 19 fifty something, and in my humble onion was a very, very early example of hard rock, long before hard rock was an item, and I love it ……… but I digress.
The atmosphere in the studio is very happy, confident, and relaxed – must be the cleaning alcohol, toothpaste, and palm trees.
Working titles will not be divulged at the present time due to mostly governmental pressure. All in good time, as some unforgettable character in a famous book probably once said. Probably.
Good luck.
RG 😉
Some of the ideas that come out in the first group of sessions include: Wah Wah, Seventh Heaven, Oh Darlin’ Blues, Evil Louie, Talk Radio, Last Jam, and a few others.
Øyvind Fjeldbu for kindly sending over scans of his Abandon tour booklet!
Thanks to Jeff Breis for sending over items from his collection.
Thank you to Steve Clowes for sharing bootleg recordings of early versions of “Any Fule Kno That” and “Seventh Heaven.”
Rich Shailor for sending over some Abandon swag!
Listener Mail/Comments
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DEEP PURPLE Live At The Olympia ’96. EMI : June 1997: 2xCD
Purple’s new double live CD – sorry “official bootleg” (Roger says the oxymoronic sticker was not their idea) but there were real problems over the UK release thanks to a cock-up on the price front. The official retail price was only a few pence short of £25 which seemed very off-putting to us. Apparently soon after the CD was issued, EMI sent all shops a letter telling them the price had been wrong, and it should actually sell for around £16. For anyone looking for a serious Purple collectors’ item, the artwork for the CD cover exists on a wall somewhere in New York – and was done by a schoolmate of Roger’s stepson. So, a cheap return air flight with hammer and bolster chisel in your hand luggage!
It doesn’t seem that long since we were bending our ears to the last (official and current) Deep Purple live offering – namely COME HELL OR HIGH WATER. Yet almost three years mark the gap between that set (issued in November ’94) and this latest title. As for the recording itself, well all I can say is I hope they didn’t pay a lot for it! The overall effect is a little messy, poorly balanced and lacking in clout. COME HELL grabbed you by the parts as it powered out of the speakers; this one kind of begs you to crawl inside the cabinets and have a peek around to see where the sound has gone to. In the past, Purple live sets have always set out their stall right from the opening couple of bars. Here, instruments seem to be unsure of just where they ought to be. I guess some of this could be down to recreating the unusual on-stage set-up, but if so it doesn’t really work. The drum sound is at times weedy, with lots of irritating cymbal noise being little compensation; the guitar is not too easy to hear, and the keyboards (as on the nights we saw them) are buried except during solos. Ian Gillan is simply pitched somewhere in the middle of all this, and sounds like he’s been dubbed on afterwards, while the bass is lacks definition. Perhaps the recordings were poor, maybe it was mixed hastily – oh well; as with many bootlegs, ears adjust to the ambient sound pretty quickly and to be fair, it does get better as the set progresses. I suppose were we reviewing an actual bootleg, everyone would be raving about it, shoving one another aside to be first at the dealer’s table.
The final section in PICTURES OF HOME is particularly exciting, with Morse fixed in a wall of Purple sound, before they descend into BLACK NIGHT, and parody comes dangerously close. CASCADES is more like it, a strong chugging sound, and then the much vaunted brass section blasting away in the background. I’m sure like many I’d wondered just what this would sound like, but it’s far from intrusive, being more of a bright seventies brass effect than any attempt at following the tune. Lordy is playing incredibly quickly here and the whole show has just gone up a notch or two. NO ONE CAME is similarly imbued with a real syncopated spark, and what with the jazzy touches of brass, it’s just a brilliant rendition – and in retrospect one of the highlights of the CD for me. The sax players last for a curiously unsatisfying PURPENDICULAR WALTZ and then troop off (“where did they comes from” questions Ian to nobody in particular). If this CD does one thing, it disproves the theory that one Purple gig is going to be just like another Purple gig without the man in black. This show has different peaks from many of those I saw, and a different feel as well. I’m sure overall it’s not as good as a couple of gigs we witnessed, but this is the problem if you go for a one-concert recording – and only tape one flipping show.
As a present to their fans, particularly the ones on the Internet, the band decided to put out another live album — such live releases now tallying in double figures, unprecedented for any rock band. Unedited, undubbed and with a three-piece horn section blowing in on four tunes at the Olympia in Paris, Deep Purple are in their best habitat — exhibiting raw power, free-for-all jamming and charging into the new numbers culled from Purpendicular. Reinvigorating the classics, namely “Smoke On the Water,” “Speed King” and “Highway Star,” the veterans still prove they can mess with the best on stage.
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.
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According to Deep Purple Tour Page there have been 112 shows performed in Italy. There are three more coming in June of 2023 and one in 1974 was canceled. After 2023 they will have performed 115 times in Italy.
Note: Nate miscalculated on the show by saying there have been 105 shows. Simple math was never his strong suit.
Live Performances in Italy
First show: 25 May 1971 – Roma (Rom), Palasport (2 shows)
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