Deep Purple

From Freepedia

Deep Purple is the name of a British rock group, and is also the name of a song composed by Peter De Rose, from which the band may have borrowed its name. They are one of the first and most famous hard rock bands, and are considered pioneers of heavy metal.


Image:Deep Purple in 2004.jpg

Contents

Pre-History

In May 1965, a band called Episode Six became popular on the British music scene and became particularly popular in the mid-sixties. It featured Ian Gillan on vocals, Graham Dimmock on guitar, Roger Glover on bass, Tony Lander on guitar, Sheila Carter on keyboards, and Harvey Shields on the drums.

Two years later, a band called The Flowerpot Men and their Garden was formed, formerly known as The Ivy League. It was concentrated on a trio of singers. The new name was clearly derived from the children's show The Flowerpot Men, with the obvious psychedelic-era puns on flower power and "pot" (cannabis). The band's most popular song was "Let's Go To San Francisco." Some listeners assumed that the song was a parody of Scott McKenzie's "If You're Going to San Francisco," but the band has denied this. It featured Tony Burrows, Neil Landon, Robin Shaw, and Pete Nelson on vocals, Ged Stone on guitar, Nick Simper on bass, Jon Lord on organ, and Carlo Little on drums.

The Dawn of Purple

In 1968, the group Roundabout formed in Hamburg, Germany, consisting of Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Jon Lord on Hammond organ, Chris Curtis on vocals, and others.

After only a month of rehearsals, Blackmore and Lord split from the group. The two joined forces with vocalist Rod Evans, bassist Nick Simper and drummer Ian Paice. The new band was named Deep Purple.

In October 1968, the group had tremendous success in the US with its cover of Joe South's "Hush," taken from their acclaimed debut album Shades of Deep Purple. In 1969, two more successful albums followed: The Book of Taliesyn and Deep Purple, the latter of which contained a symphony orchestra on some tracks. After three albums and extensive touring in the States, it was the inclusion of vocalist Ian Gillan (who replaced Evans) and bassist Roger Glover (who replaced Simper) that created the essential Deep Purple line-up. Initially, this line-up released a landmark album in Concerto for Group and Orchestra, a three-part movement written by Lord and performed at the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold. It is widely known as the first successful collaboration between a rock band and an orchestra.

Top of the World

Shortly after the orchestral release, the band shocked the music world by creating extremely heavy, hard rock music, and thus becoming a pioneer in the world of heavy metal. Their heaviness was only rivalled by newcomers Black Sabbath. During this period, Deep Purple became one of the most popular hard rock acts in the world, releasing the highly influential and successful albums Deep Purple in Rock, Fireball, and the quintessential Machine Head (the latter featuring their most famous song, "Smoke on the Water"), and the live album Made in Japan, featuring the classics Highway Star, Space Truckin' and Lazy, has long been considered to be one of the finest live rock concerts ever recorded.

The classic line-up continued up through the album Who Do We Think We Are (1973), featuring the hit single Woman from Tokyo, at which point both Gillan and Glover left. They were replaced by an unknown singer named David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes of the band Trapeze on bass and vocals. This new line-up continued seamlessly into 1974 with the heavy blues/rock album Burn, another highly successful Purple album. Hughes and Coverdale added a funky R&B/soul sound to the band's heavy metal elements, a sound that was even more apparent on the 1974 release Stormbringer. Blackmore was not happy with the results, and as a result he left to form his own band Rainbow.

With Blackmore's departure, Deep Purple was left to fill one of the biggest vacancies in rock. The gap was filled by the prodigiously talented American Tommy Bolin who had established himself as a vividly imaginative guitarist with acts such as Zephyr, James Gang and Billy Cobham, with whom Bolin made his mark on the jazz fusion Spectrum album. On the face of it Bolin was just what the doctor ordered. However the subsequent album, 1975's Come Taste the Band, for all its quality, proved unpopular with die-hard fans and didn't attract any new ones. Bolin himself turned out not to be ready for the daunting job of filling Blackmore's shoes, suffering hostility from some crowds while turning in erratic performances varying from the scintillating to the mundane. Bolin also had a drug habit, heroin, which made matters all the worse. After a particularly traumatic tour to promote Come Taste the Band, the band broke up. Later Tommy Bolin died of a heroin overdose whilst on tour supporting Jeff Beck in Miami.

Subsequently, most of the past members of Deep Purple would go on to have considerable success in a number of other bands including Rainbow, Whitesnake and Gillan, while there were a number of promoter-led attempts to get the band to reform, especially with the revival of the hard rock market in the late 70s/early 80s.

The Reunion

In April 1984, eight years after the demise of Deep Purple, it happened. It was announced on BBC radio's The Friday Rock Show that the "classic" early 70s line-up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, and Paice was reforming and recording new material. The band signed a deal with Polydor in Europe and Mercury in North America. Recorded in Stowe, Vermont, the album Perfect Strangers was released in October 1984 and the tour followed, starting in New Zealand and winding its way across the world into Europe by the following summer. It was a tremendous success. The UK homecoming proved mixed as they elected to play just a single festival show at Knebworth (with main support from The Scorpions). The weather was famously bad but 80,000 turned up anyway.

The line-up recorded and toured The House of Blue Light in 1987 though to lower sales, a live album Nobody's Perfect (1988) was culled from US shows on this tour. While in the UK a new version of "Hush" was released to mark 20 years of the band. In 1989, Ian Gillan was fired from the band, as his relations with Blackmore soured. His replacement was former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. This line up recorded just one album, Slaves & Masters (1990), and toured in support of it.

With the tour done, Turner was forced to go as Jon Lord and Ian Paice realised they needed Gillan back in the fold. Blackmore relented and the classic line-up recorded The Battle Rages On in 1993. During an otherwise stunningly successful European tour in mid-1994, tensions between Gillan and Blackmore came to a head yet again. Blackmore walked out, never to return and leaving the band in a fix. Joe Satriani was drafted in, so the live dates (in Japan) could be completed. Satriani was asked to stay permanently, but opted to carry on with his solo career. In a surprise move, the band unanimously chose the extraordinary Dixie Dregs guitarist Steve Morse to become Blackmore's permanent successor.

Revival

The revitalised band enjoyed success throughout the rest of the 1990s, releasing the critically acclaimed Purpendicular in 1996, and Abandon in 1998. Most of this period was spent on the road via constant touring. The group continued forward until 2002, when venerable founding member Jon Lord (who, along with Ian Paice, was the only member to be in all incarnations of the band) announced his amicable retirement from the band to pursue personal projects (especially orchestral work). Rock keyboard veteran Don Airey (Rainbow/Whitesnake, etc.), who had helped Purple out when Lord was injured in 2001, joined the band. In 2003, Deep Purple released their first studio album in five years, the highly praised Bananas, and began touring in support of the album immediately. In October of 2005, the band's 37th year, Purple released the progressive and adventurous Rapture of the Deep, considered to be the group's strongest effort since Purpendicular, accompanied by yet another extensive world tour.

Deep Purple and Heavy Metal

Despite their association with the sub-genre, Deep Purple have never been purely a heavy metal band, though many later heavy metal bands cite their influence. The group has frequently changed styles and line-ups over the years, but has always included virtuoso players in its ranks and placed a high priority on musicianship. Some incarnations of Deep Purple have brought aspects of jazz and classical influences to a rock context due to their frequent use of their songs as vehicles for extended and sophisticated solos.

Today, Deep Purple steadfastly carries on in the studio and around the globe as one of history's most prolific, longest-lived, and hardest touring rock 'n roll bands. Highway Stars indeed!

Band members

Current line-up

  • Ian Gillan - vocals, harmonica, drums and percussion (1969 - 1973, 1984 - 1989, 1992 - present)
  • Steve Morse - guitar (1994 - present)
  • Roger Glover - bass (1969 - 1973, 1984-present)
  • Don Airey - keyboards (2002 - present)
  • Ian Paice - Drums and percussion (1968 - present)

Original members

Other members

Band members

Band member Instrument(s) Dates Albums recorded
Ian Paice drums 1968 - present all
Jon Lord keyboards 1968 - 2002 all except Bananas and Rapture Of The Deep
Ian Gillan vocals 1969 - 1973, 1984 - 1989, 1992 - present
  • Concerto for Group and Orchestra
  • Deep Purple in Rock
  • Scandinavian Nights
  • Fireball
  • Machine Head
  • Deep Purple in Concert
  • Made in Japan
  • Who Do We Think We Are!
  • Perfect Strangers
  • The House of Blue Light
  • Nobody's Perfect
  • The Battle Rages On
  • Come Hell or High Water
  • Purpendicular
  • Abandon
  • Live From Royal Festival Hall
  • Bananas
  • Rapture Of The Deep
Roger Glover bass 1969 - 1973, 1984 - present
  • Concerto for Group and Orchestra
  • Deep Purple in Rock
  • Scandinavian Nights
  • Fireball
  • Machine Head
  • Deep Purple in Concert
  • Made in Japan
  • Who Do We Think We Are!
  • Perfect Strangers
  • The House of Blue Light
  • Nobody's Perfect
  • Slaves and Masters
  • The Battle Rages On
  • Come Hell or High Water
  • Purpendicular
  • Abandon
  • Live From Royal Festival Hall
  • Bananas
  • Rapture Of The Deep
Ritchie Blackmore guitar 1968 - 1975, 1984 - 1993
  • Shades of Deep Purple
  • The Book of Taleisyn
  • Deep Purple
  • Concerto for Group and Orchestra
  • Deep Purple in Rock
  • Scandinavian Nights
  • Fireball
  • Machine Head
  • Deep Purple in Concert
  • Made in Japan
  • Who Do We Think We Are!
  • Burn
  • Deep Purple Live in London
  • Stormbringer
  • Made in Europe
  • Perfect Strangers
  • The House of Blue Light
  • Nobody's Perfect
  • Slaves and Masters
  • The Battle Rages On
  • Come Hell or High Water
Steve Morse guitar 1994 - present
  • Purpendicular
  • Abandon
  • Live From Royal Festival Hall
  • Bananas
  • Rapture Of The Deep
Don Airey keyboards 2002 - present
  • Bananas
  • Rapture Of The Deep
Rod Evans vocals 1968 - 1969
  • Shades of Deep Purple
  • The Book of Taleisyn
  • Deep Purple
Nick Simper bass 1968 - 1969
  • Shades of Deep Purple
  • The Book of Taleisyn
  • Deep Purple
David Coverdale vocals 1973 - 1976
  • Burn
  • Deep Purple Live in London
  • Stormbringer
  • Made in Europe
  • Come Taste the Band
  • Last Concert in Japan
Glenn Hughes bass, vocals 1973 - 1976
  • Burn
  • Deep Purple Live in London
  • Stormbringer
  • Made in Europe
  • Come Taste the Band
  • Last Concert in Japan
Tommy Bolin guitar 1975 - 1976
  • Come Taste the Band
  • Last Concert in Japan
Joe Lynn Turner vocals 1990 - 1991
  • Slaves and Masters
Joe Satriani guitar 1993 - 1994
  • none (Satriani entered the band during the Come Hell or High Water Tour when Blackmore left)

Discography

Studio Albums

Live Albums

Compilation Albums

Hit singles

  • 1968 "Hush" #4 US
  • 1968 "Kentucky Woman" #38 US
  • 1969 "River Deep - Mountain High" # 53 US
  • 1970 "Black Night" #2 UK, # 66 US
  • 1971 "Strange Kind of Woman" #8 UK
  • 1971 "Fireball" #15 UK
  • 1972 "Never Before" #35 UK
  • 1973 "Smoke on the Water" #21 UK (1977 release), #3 US (# 4 US ?)
  • 1973 "Woman From Tokyo" # 60 US
  • 1974 "Might Just Take Your Life" # 91 US
  • 1977 "New Live and Rare EP" #31 UK (including an unheard live version of Black Night)
  • 1978 "New Live And Rare EP II" # 45 UK
  • 1980 "Black Night" (reissue) # 43 UK
  • 1980 "New Live And Rare EP III" # 48 UK (including Smoke On The Water)
  • 1985 "Knocking At Your Backdoor" # 61 US
  • 1985 "Perfect Strangers" # 48 UK
  • 1985 "Knocking At Your Backdoor/Perfect Strangers" # 68 UK
  • 1988 "Hush" (re-recording) # 62 UK
  • 1990 "King Of Dreams" # 70 UK

See also

External links

The Song

Deep Purple was the biggest hit written by pianist Peter De Rose, who broadcast, 1923 to 1939, with May Singhi as "The Sweethearts of the Air" on the NBC radio network. "Deep Purple" was published in 1933 as a piano composition. The following year, Paul Whiteman had it scored for his suave "big band" orchestra that was "making a lady out of jazz" in Whiteman's phrase. "Deep Purple" became so popular in sheet music sales that somewhat purple lyrics were provided for it in 1939 by Mitchell Parish:

When the deep purple falls over sleepy garden walls
And the stars begin to twinkle in the sky—
In the mist of a memory you wander back to me
Breathing my name with a sigh...

and the Larry Clinton Orchestra recorded it, with a vocal by Bea Wain. Now it became a huge hit, reaching #1 on the charts. The song is a sentimental air, not a jazz tune; it was a favourite with Babe Ruth, played at his big birthday parties by Peter de Rose for a decade. The song remained a traditional pop favourite, recast in 1957 as a doo wop classic by The Dominoes with vocals by Eugene Mumford and was recorded in 1976 by Donny and Marie Osmond, with Marie intoning the balmy lyrics during the break.

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