Record Reviews

DEEP PURPLE ~ =1 (LIMITED EDITION) EAR MUSIC 4029759191346 (Barcode: 4029759191346) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2024 Released: 2024 This is the 23rd studio album by the iconic British Rock group Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist and the first album recorded by the Mk IX lineup, which includes vocalist Ian GillanFind albums by this artist, new guitarist Simon McBrideFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don AireyFind albums by this artist, bassist Roger GloverFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen tracks, all co-composed by all members of the group and their regular producer Bob EzrinFind albums by this artist, for whom this is the 5th DP album he produced. The bonus CD presents a video offers a new “behind the scenes” documentary. Deep Purple seem to be completely and utterly time resistant, and sound every bit as vital and creative as ever. The new guitar player fits the bill perfectly and his riffs are as recognizable as those of his predecessors. The songwriting is also completely consistent with their past ways, and the album might have been recorded fifty years ago and nobody would be able to tell the difference. Of course some listeners might say that this album completely lacks innovation and is nothing more than a repetition, more or less, of music the group has been making for the last almost sixty years. Well, this is very true, but what of it? They do what they do perfectly and the music still kicks ass and puts any contemporary Rock group (if there are any) to shame. For people who grew up in the 1960s and followed Deep Purple faithfully for all these years, there is absolutely nothing wrong with hearing a bit more of the same, as long as it is as good as the music herein. The instrumental abilities that come together on this album are absolutely convincing, which of course is no surprise to any music lover familiar with Deep Purple’s legacy, Gillan is still a mighty vocalist, losing just a bit of his upper range, which is all for the better. Sparkled with some British sense of humor and obvious love of the subject matter, they are simply unbeatable. Veterans, grandpas, dinosaurs and whatever they are called, they still easily kick the ass of any band half (or one third) their age. Overall, this is a superb Rock album, which combines tradition, great selection of material and sublime musicianship, which is way more than one dares to expect from any contemporary Rock music. The fans of the group need no convincing and the youngsters might just learn something from what it has to offer. Hats off are in order and hopefully see you all on stage one day soon, lads.

Updated: 05/08/2024Posted: 05/08/2024

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DEEP PURPLE ~ INFINITE EAR MUSIC 4029759118480 (Barcode: 4029759118480) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the 20th studio album by the iconic British Rock group Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist, released four years after their previous studio album “Now What?!Find albums with this title” from 2013. It is also the fourth studio album by the Mk VIII lineup of the group: vocalist Ian GillanFind albums by this artist, American guitarist Steve MorseFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don AireyFind albums by this artist, bassist Roger GloverFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist. It is the 2nd album by the group produced by Bob EzrinFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten songs, all co-written by the group members, except the final track, which is a cover of a song by The DoorsFind albums by this artist. The music is everything one would expect from Deep Purple: a highly dynamic Rock music, which offers melodic themes and classic Rock riffs, which are the group’s trademarks. The current lineup completely consolidated its ranks since 2002 and became a perfect Rock machine, which has but a few contenders despite the advanced age of its members. The sound returns to the organ drenched heavy sound that was the group’s trademark from its onset, Gillan’s charismatic vocals are still one of the most recognizable Rock symbols and the music still manages to grab the listeners by their hearts, so what else would one want? The cover of “Roundhouse Blues”, originally recorded by the Doors and released on the “Morrison HotelFind albums with this title” album, is the longest and to me the best tracks on the album, being a great reminder of how great Deep Purple are when covering classic songs by others. It perhaps hints to making of the 2021 album “Turning To CrimeFind albums with this title”, which is entirely dedicated to covers. Overall, this is another great album by a veteran band, which refuses to rest and still sounds better that any of the wimps that call themselves Rockers these days.

Updated: 05/08/2024Posted: 25/01/2022

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

DEEP PURPLE ~ NOW WHAT?! (DELUXE EDITION) EAR MUSIC 826992031828 (Barcode: 826992031828) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 This is the 19th studio album by the iconic British Rock group Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist, released over seven years after their previous studio album “Rapture Of The DeepFind albums with this title” from 2005. It is also the third studio album by the Mk VIII lineup of the group: vocalist Ian GillanFind albums by this artist, American guitarist Steve MorseFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don AireyFind albums by this artist, bassist Roger GloverFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist. It is the 1st album by the group produced by Bob EzrinFind albums by this artist. The original album presents eleven original songs, all co-written by the group members. This Deluxe Editions adds one bonus tracks and a bonus DVD with an interview with the band and three bonus audio tracks. The album is dedicated to Jon LordFind albums by this artist, the founding member of Deep Purple, who died in 2012, while this music was recorded. The music is everything one would expect from Deep Purple: a highly dynamic Rock music, which offers melodic themes and classic Rock riffs, which are the group’s trademarks. The current lineup completely consolidated its ranks since 2002 and became a perfect Rock machine, which has but a few contenders despite the advanced age of its members. The sound returns to the organ drenched heavy sound that was the group’s trademark from its onset, Gillan’s charismatic vocals are still one of the most recognizable Rock symbols and the music still manages to grab the listeners by their hearts, so what else would one want? Overall, this is another great album by a veteran band, which refuses to rest and still sounds better that any of the wimps that call themselves Rockers these days.

Updated: 05/08/2024Posted: 23/01/2022

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DEEP PURPLE ~ TURNING TO CRIME EAR MUSIC 4029759157151 (Barcode: 4029759157151) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the 22nd studio album by the iconic British Rock / Prog band Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist and their first album dedicated entirely to covers of Classic Rock songs by such legends as Fleetwood MacFind albums by this artist, Bob DylanFind albums by this artist, YardbirdsFind albums by this artist, CreamFind albums by this artist and others. The lineup includes vocalist Ian GillanFind albums by this artist, guitarist Steve MorseFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don AireyFind albums by this artist, bassist Roger GloverFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist. A few additional musicians appear on selected tracks. The album presents twelve tracks, the last of which is a medley of five songs, so altogether the album includes covers of sixteen songs. The album, recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic, was put together by recording the five members of the band in separate studios and then pasted together by the band’s regular producer Bob EzrinFind albums by this artist, for whom this was the 4th DP album he produced. Although Deep Purple created a plethora of great original songs during the fifty plus years of their existence, they were always superb interpreters of songs written by other songwriters, starting with their debut album. This album proves that they indeed are able to put new life into songs, which are mostly as old as the group, and that without damaging the original songs and often improving on them. The instrumental abilities that come together on this album are absolutely convincing, which of course is no surprise to any music lover familiar with Deep Purple’s legacy, Gillan is still a mighty vocalist, losing just a bit of his upper range, which is all for the better. Sparkled with some British sense of humor and obvious love of the subject matter, they are simply unbeatable. Veterans, grandpas, dinosaurs and whatever they are called, they still easily kick the ass of any band half their age. Overall, this is a superb Rock album, which combines tradition, great selection of material and sublime musicianship, which is way more than one dares to expect from any contemporary Rock music. The fans of the group need no convincing and the youngsters might just learn something from what it has to offer. Hats off are in order and hopefully see you all on stage one day soon, lads.

Updated: 05/08/2024Posted: 25/12/2021

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

DEEP PURPLE ~ WHOOSH! (LIMITED EDITION) EAR MUSIC 4029759141358 (Barcode: 4029759141358) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the 21st studio album by the iconic British Rock group Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist, released three years after their previous studio album “InfiniteFind albums with this title” from 2017. It is also the fifth studio album by the Mk VIII lineup of the group: vocalist Ian GillanFind albums by this artist, American guitarist Steve MorseFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Don AireyFind albums by this artist, bassist Roger GloverFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist. It is the 3rd album by the group produced by Bob EzrinFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen tracks, grouped into two six songs sets called Act 1 and Act 2 and one bonus track. All the songs were co-written by the group members and Ezrin, except the final track of Act 2, which is a re-make of a song from the group’s debut album “Shades Of Deep PurpleFind albums with this title” from 1968, written by Ritchie BlackmoreFind albums by this artist and Jon LordFind albums by this artist. The Limited Edition includes a bonus DVD, which includes an interview with Glover and Ezrin and a full live concert performance filmed in 2017. The music is everything one would expect from Deep Purple: a highly dynamic Rock music, which offers melodic themes and classic Rock riffs, which are the group’s trademarks. The current lineup completely consolidated its ranks since 2002 and became a perfect Rock machine, which has but a few contenders despite the advanced age of its members. The songs are distinctly shorter in duration, featuring less instrumental passages, but retain the Classic Rock formula faithfully and are all performed brilliantly, producing a time capsule, which sound nothing like contemporary music, thank God! The sound returns to the organ drenched heavy sound that was the group’s trademark from its onset, Gillan’s charismatic vocals are still one of the most recognizable Rock symbols and the music still manages to grab the listeners by their hearts, so what else would one want? Overall, this is another great album by a veteran band, which refuses to rest and still sounds better that any of the wimps that call themselves Rockers these days.

Updated: 05/08/2024Posted: 13/03/2022

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