Deep Purple earned it's place in rock history, numerous books detail their exploits through the years. And they ain't dead folks.....
What also set them apart from a number of hard rock bands was they could WRITE. Great players who can write are much harder to come by and generally prove to be more popular.
Ian Gillan had an incredible range and today has only a portion of it to use. Perpendicular (1996) shows the band still writing great material around Ian's voice as it is today.
Richie Blackmore has always been at the top of the list as influential guitarists go. Whether with Deep Purple, Rainbow or Blackmore's Night, he usually has something going on that people want to hear more of.
Today, Steve Morse's (Dixie Dregs, Kansas, etc) amazing guitar and writing skills have pushed the band even further, re-inventing the group and re-invigorating their concert classics. While Richie's more closely identified with DP, Morse is has far wider utility as a player IMHO.
Jon Lord's keyboards were the perfect foil for Richie's guitar. Their writing and arrangements took advantage of their playing skills and their telepathic live interplay was not a fluke. Jon tired of the road and now Don Airey fills this slot.
Roger Glover is a great rock bass player; always was. His choice of using a Rickenbacher 4001 bass during the Machine Head days was a smart one. It blended nicely with the guitar/keyboards interplay and stands out in a nice way, always supportive, yet distinctive tones. The irony is the bass on the back cover (four machine heads = tuners) is a Fender Precision, Machine Head would not have been the same had he used it.
Ian Paice is a great drummer no matter what the other players were doing. Check out his work all over Made In Japan (touring for Machine Head) or any live material where he could cut loose. Solid player with a rare gift; taste.
Along the way, they wrote a few classics:
Hush, Strange Kind Of Woman, Child In Time, Highway, Smoke On The Water, Space Truckin', My Woman From Tokyo, Burn, You Fool No One, Pictures Of Home, Black Night, Perfect Strangers, Speed King, Lazy, Maybe I'm A Leo
In summary, doing this type of music is difficult, because if it's done poorly, it's little more than a cliche cartoon. When done properly, it's really great. Deep Purple isn't even in my personal top 10 these days but they are undeniably on the worthwhile rock group list for all time.
What also set them apart from a number of hard rock bands was they could WRITE. Great players who can write are much harder to come by and generally prove to be more popular.
Ian Gillan had an incredible range and today has only a portion of it to use. Perpendicular (1996) shows the band still writing great material around Ian's voice as it is today.
Richie Blackmore has always been at the top of the list as influential guitarists go. Whether with Deep Purple, Rainbow or Blackmore's Night, he usually has something going on that people want to hear more of.
Today, Steve Morse's (Dixie Dregs, Kansas, etc) amazing guitar and writing skills have pushed the band even further, re-inventing the group and re-invigorating their concert classics. While Richie's more closely identified with DP, Morse is has far wider utility as a player IMHO.
Jon Lord's keyboards were the perfect foil for Richie's guitar. Their writing and arrangements took advantage of their playing skills and their telepathic live interplay was not a fluke. Jon tired of the road and now Don Airey fills this slot.
Roger Glover is a great rock bass player; always was. His choice of using a Rickenbacher 4001 bass during the Machine Head days was a smart one. It blended nicely with the guitar/keyboards interplay and stands out in a nice way, always supportive, yet distinctive tones. The irony is the bass on the back cover (four machine heads = tuners) is a Fender Precision, Machine Head would not have been the same had he used it.
Ian Paice is a great drummer no matter what the other players were doing. Check out his work all over Made In Japan (touring for Machine Head) or any live material where he could cut loose. Solid player with a rare gift; taste.
Along the way, they wrote a few classics:
Hush, Strange Kind Of Woman, Child In Time, Highway, Smoke On The Water, Space Truckin', My Woman From Tokyo, Burn, You Fool No One, Pictures Of Home, Black Night, Perfect Strangers, Speed King, Lazy, Maybe I'm A Leo
In summary, doing this type of music is difficult, because if it's done poorly, it's little more than a cliche cartoon. When done properly, it's really great. Deep Purple isn't even in my personal top 10 these days but they are undeniably on the worthwhile rock group list for all time.
:ugham:
