| 16th August 2007 07:08 AM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Deep Purple gets deep on new album
08/15/2007
Ramiro Burr
Express-News Staff Writer
Mysa.com
San Antonio
Producing an album is not exactly routine, but for Deep Purple, it's pretty straight-forward, singer Ian Gillan said.
"We just turned up, made some coffee, talked about the dog, football, how's-the-wife, went into the studio and started jamming," he said last week during a tour stop in Los Angeles.
"Albums are albums. We've got a singular approach to this. It's always been the same. When we make a record, it's normally after a year or so on the road, so the band is in pretty good shape. We take a couple of weeks off. This one, we made in L.A."
Deep Purple, whose latest CD is "Rapture of the Deep," stops in at the Majestic Theatre on Thursday. There is no opening act.
In the interview Gillan, 62, came across as relaxed and deeply confident in his craft. No surprise. Gillan has been in the music business since 1962 when he formed the English group the Javelins, and later Episode Six with bassist Roger Glover.
In 1968, he hooked up with Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple. After a few moderately successful singles, Deep Purple hit the big one in 1972's "Smoke on the Water."
Gillan said "Rapture of the Deep" was less political than 2003's "Bananas."
"I think an album is rather like a photograph album. You take some pictures when you're at a wedding or when you're on holiday or at a party or whatever, and they're all going to be the same people, but they're different. This one was a particularly spiritual mood. The last one was quite political. It took about three weeks."
"Rapture" is the second release with the current lineup, which includes keyboardist Don Airey, drummer Ian Paice, and guitar ace Steve Morse. Highlights on the 11-track (all written by the group) CD include "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" and "MTV."
Gillan said "MTV" is about "classic-rock radio."
"That's why we've remained underground, because we don't subscribe to the classic-rock thing. I know we've been around for a long time. But generally speaking, that doesn't exist outside of the United States. So when we play in France or Brazil or Australia or China, the average age of the audience is about 17. When you come to the States, you have what I call a classic-rock audience."
Gillan said there was no conscious effort to not be as political on the new CD.
"As far as the music is concerned, it drifts in a certain direction, and it depends on the mood. As far as the lyrics are concerned, it's down to what's in my head at the time. So I get things that make me laugh, and things that make me absolutely furious when I see them on TV."
Fans can expect Deep Purple to play most of its vast repertoire. And new material as well.
"We've done from three to seven songs" on the tour, he said. "It's very hard when you've got 400 songs to choose from over the last 40 years."
An Evening With Deep Purple
•Where: Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St.
• When: 8 p.m. Thursday
•Tickets: $37.50-$55 at Ticketmaster outlets
Band members
Deep Purple members past and present:
Current lineup
• Ian Gillan, vocals (1969-73; 1984-89; 1992-present)
•Roger Glover, bass (1969-73; 1984-present)
•Ian Paice, drums (founding member)
•Steve Morse, guitar (since 1994)
•Don Airey, keyboards (since 2001)
Alums
• Ritchie Blackmore, guitar (1968-75; 1984-93)
•Jon Lord, keyboards (1968-76; 1984-2002)
•Rod Evans, vocals (1968-69)
•Nick Simper, bass (1968-69)
•David Coverdale, vocals (1974-76)
•Glenn Hughes, bass (1974-76)
•Tommy Bolin, guitar (1975-76)
•Joe Lynn Turner, vocals (1990)
•Joe Satriani, guitar (1993-94)
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
| 16th August 2007 07:52 AM |
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| Jumping Jack |
I saw DP this summer and it was a good night out. The Machine Head songs were great, the rest pretty mediocre. Gillan can go in spurts and takes a lot of rests between songs and has no top end in his voice any more. Lord retired and Blackmore can't be replaced, it was really his band.
A C-level band at this point a grade below ZZTop, Def L/Styx/Foriegner this summer, and two levels behind Genesis and the Police. The Stones, Who and Coop are in a class by themselves. |
| 16th August 2007 08:35 AM |
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| Mr Jurkka |
Yes i've been waiting for this. |
| 16th August 2007 09:11 AM |
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| mrhipfl |
I saw them along with Edgar Winter about 2 months ago. It was an OK show. The Singer made me realize how awesome of a frontman Jagger is. |
| 16th August 2007 11:29 AM |
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| Dan |
Saw them a few years ago at the Wiltern with the fake Thin Lizzy. Just okay but more like watching a cover band. |
| 16th August 2007 01:12 PM |
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| glencar |
has beens |
| 16th August 2007 02:19 PM |
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| Jumping Jack |
All post 1975 rock is by has beens. |
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