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Not with a bang, but a whimper
Mike Eriksson recalls in his blog Trinkelbonker the end of the first run of Deep Purple — which reached its lowest point 40 years ago today, on March 15, 1976.
When Deep Purple did their five shows back in Britain between March 11 and March 15 1976 it was actually a pretty big homecoming. UK publication Sounds sported a big feature on the band with a fairly positive report from the US Tour by Geoff Barton that week and the shows were sold out. They played Leicester (11), London (12-13), Glasgow (14) and Liverpool (15). It was, however, the tour that finished Deep Purple in the 70s.
It could be argued that the spirit of the band had taken a severe blow much earlier and we do know that David Coverdale initially wanted to cancel the UK Tour. So when the band played the UK it was severly wounded, not least by drugs and alcohol, but also, perhaps, by a lack of faith. Glenn Hughes has stated that he did not sleep at all during this tour and that he could barely get through these shows. The press was out in force in London on the first night at the Wembley Empire, and they pretty much slaughtered the band. One headline read “Shocking Purple” and it was pointed out that Tommy Bolin had reputedly been carried on stage. NME wrote “Even backstage, an aura of discontent is evident before the gig. There´s no feeling of an event about to happen, which a Wembley gig certainly should be. And the obvious joviality between Lord, Coverdale, Paice and Bolin (Hughes isn´t around) is only superficial. To me the spirit of the band seems drained”.
Continue reading in Trinkelbonker.
Thanks to Yvonne for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
My first date with my now wife was the Saturday night at Wembley. It was awful, the gig, not the date.
March 15th, 2016 at 14:59I was at the Glasgow gig on the 14th. My seat was directly in front of Tommy Bolin, i did enjoy the show. It was howeve not as high octane as I was hoping for but a good memory all the same.
March 15th, 2016 at 15:01And if they had somehow soldiered on, say, with another guitarist, then we may never have had the reunion in ’84 & the superb Perfect Strangers album… or Whatsnake?. Come Taste The Band was a valiant effort to try & carry on after Stormbringer, but thankfully it passed into history, just as it was supposed to. Enuff said.
March 15th, 2016 at 16:21И именно “Love Gun”, что примечательно!!! Thank You!
March 15th, 2016 at 16:22bolin was a great musician but fuchin drug destroy a genius dead at 26 is sad
March 15th, 2016 at 16:24I saw Purple in Miami a month before the breakup & it was a very disappointing show. they were just going through the motions & even the audience knew it. so I wasn’t shocked at all when I heard about the band breaking up a month later. I remember just shaking my head at what might have been if DP MK II had not broken up. the band had reached superstardom & the California Jam should have been the pinnacle of THEIR success.
March 15th, 2016 at 16:36Yes, but in these 8 years we had:
– Rainbow
– Paice Ashton Lord
– Whitenake
– Ian Gillan Band
– Gillan
– Tommy Bolin Band
– Hughes / Thrall
– Gary Moore with Ian Paice
– Black Sabbath with Gillan
… und einige Soloscheiben.
To be honest, I won’t miss these days….
But the first time I had a listen to “Knocking At Your Backdoor” – WOOOW.
March 15th, 2016 at 18:50I Saw this in Auckland NZ…..
March 15th, 2016 at 22:17Nothing new at all. Every DP hardcore fan knows it very well. Maybe the young DP fans will be interested in this black chapter.
March 15th, 2016 at 22:59CTTB to these ears has always been a great album. It was just too far removed for a lot of (hardcore) fans. I still play it far more and would also rate it before any Mk. Morse albums (yes even Purpendicular). Ted, Cascades, (and especially) SIFLS are great tracks but the rest I’m really not that bothered about. I still don’t get the buzz about NW?! CTTB stands head and shoulders above it.
March 17th, 2016 at 18:43It was a pity that it was the stage environment where of course Purple had been at their mightiest that Bolin and Hughes really let them down. But nevertheless over the course of time Come Taste has endured extremely well and had it not had the DP name on reckon could have been far better received as a stand alone album. Just my penny’s worth.
I recall an interview with Jon where he relates the story of this final concert. He describes David coming up to him and telling him he was quitting the band, to which Jon replied, “What band? It’s already broken up.” (or words to that effect. They chugged on until they could no longer perform right. Glenn and Tommy had (in my mind) destroyed the band with their nose friendly side projects. It was a sad way to end.
March 17th, 2016 at 19:08I agree with Dick Pimple (#10)… I also rate CTTB before some of Mk. Morse albums.. Maybe Purpendicular could be the exception, but I think CTTB is better even than “Now What”.. The 35th Anniversary Edition was beautifully remastered and the new sound brings a freshness to the album that sometimes is difficult to find in the new albums of the Morse era… I like the album and I think that things would have been different without the drugs and some nasty influences.
I am listening the album now. The Anniversary edition… Exquisite!
March 18th, 2016 at 01:38I KNOW WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SUBJECT BUT AM WONDERING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF DEEP PURPLE DOING THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW IN SUPER BOWL 52. THE REASON I THINK THERE IS A CHANCE IS BECAUSE NBC NETWORK HAS THE BROADCAST RIGHTS. WHAT MAKES ME FEEL THERE IS A CHANCE IS THE FACT THAT THEY PLAYED ON THE TODAY SHOW ON THROWBACK THURSDAY. ALSO THE NFL DOES HAVE THROWBACK UNIFORMS FOR CERTAIN GAMES SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO SHOWCASE THE GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME IN ON THE BIGGEST STAGE IN THE WORLD VIEWED BY THE MOST FANS IN THE WORLD. YOUR THOUGHTS WELCOME.
March 18th, 2016 at 07:07Absolutely agree with, first, Blackwood Richmore , and following, Karl-Heinz. I discovered DP with the PS, their best album since the 84 reunion, and from then on, I discovered all the beautifull things Karl-Heinz writes down. Come taste… is a great album, but we were fortunated that Mark IV lasted just that long, because afterwards, and since then, we’ve been enjoying all the glorious purple heritage, some of them through the 8 years period, many still going on, plus, of course, the mighty purple in its many incarnations since their majestic return. What would have happened had the MARK IV prevailed and continuing going on it’s a mistery to quantum mechanics to resolve, but I’m sure we wouldn’t have had the timeline of present we’ve been having since, and I’m sure everyone’s very pleased and thankful.
Waiting ready and willing, and EAGERLY, for the new album. God bless
March 18th, 2016 at 10:14@ 13 Frank Miller, Really?, play the Superbowl… the greatest band of all time?… I suspect the Rolling Stones or the Who or many others may challenge that statement!… but I take your meaning & won’t rain on your parade. Good luck with that Frank, ahh… if all our dreams & wishes eh?.
March 18th, 2016 at 23:47@13:
Frank, I know little about the things you describe, but my ears are ringing… why are you shouting at me?
@14:
Thinking about CTTB, I reckon it might depend on one’s personal DP history as to how one views this album. For me, discovering DP with the MkII gems, and then catching the MkIII albums as they were released, at the time MkIV just didn’t cut the mustard – and that includes seeing the band in Perth (Dec 1975) when that line up was at its best on stage.
However, looking back on it after all the water under the bridge since then, CTTB is a fine piece of work for which I have great affection – it just never seemed like true DP to me. I suppose someone who discovered the band post ’76 may have a different perspective though. Just sayin’…
Long live Deep Purple!
March 19th, 2016 at 15:26EXCELLENT IDEA SUPER MIGHTY MR MILLER !!!!!! ****** EVERYBODY TELL EM NBC NFL ALL COMMERCIALS LET MIGHTY MAGNIFICENT DEEP PURPLE GREATEST MUSICIANS IN UNIVERSE PLAY SUPERBOWL !!!!!!&&&&&& YAY MARVY GRRROOVY MAN !!!!!! %%%%%% ****** HAVE FUN SUPER ~~~~~~ I SAW HIGH IN BLACK NYT SKY LAST WEEK OUR FAVE GLORIOUS CONSTELLATION ====== BUTTERFINGERS ORION CANT CATCH THE FOOTBALL SHAPED HALF MOON ) AGAIN !!!!!! HAVE YER HANDS OUTWARD WHEN YA CATCH FOOTBALL SO YA DONT HURT YER GUITAR PLAYIN FINGERS LIKE I DID !!!!!! ****** ORIONS FUNNY FUMBLE LOOKS JUST LIKE FAMOUS STARS I SEEN ON SUPERBOWL ****** PARTY OUT DUDES & PIXIES & BLACK CAT PANTHERS & ALL TEAMS & PERFECT STREET RANGERS &&&^^&&& BIKINI CHEERLEADER GODDESSES YAY !!!!!! %%%%%% ****** 🙂
March 19th, 2016 at 18:08@13 Frank Miller: Are you kidding?
The superbowl is an american thing! No rockband from the BIG BANG ROCK EXPLOSION of the late 60s/early 70s will ever play there!
In fact, the only bands that makes sense are The Rolling Stones or the reloaded Guns N’ Roses, but that’s another story…
Have a nice Day!
March 19th, 2016 at 18:20Totally agree with 10 & 12. I give Purpendicular the odd whirl, and never in between that and NW! although less so of late. The reissue of CTTB on the other hand is seriously impressive and gets a regular playing. Very impressive tight playing from all concerned, although ever since I heard Burn for the first time in 74, I have never and will never be a fan of Hughes, not least because I don’t think he was right for the band and how he single handedly destroyed the band with Tommy. He can never be thanked for that. A fantastic legacy destroyed.
March 20th, 2016 at 18:22The simple truth is the band had chopped and changed too many times by the time Bolin joined for long time fans to keep up. While there certainly were some ropey moments on tour from a band that hadn’t gelled (nor would it ever), many of the negative stories were overblown or false. The truth was, if a person came up on Machine Head, In Rock or Burn, and were into Blackmore’s pyrotechnic style, there really wasn’t anyone who was going to make the grade. Not even the likes of Beck or Rory Gallagher. CTTB is probably my favorite Purple album, but it really isn’t a Purple record. To this day, it’s a stand alone that still sounds fresh. I can totally get WHY it was dismissed by many, and why MK IV could be seen as lackluster even on the good nights, as that band was a different beast, trying to forge forward while not being brave enough the let go of the past. Most site drugs, which didn’t help, but the band was mostly directionless, or more to the point going in too many differing directions at the same time, to last. There was very little interplay between the factions,if you will. But, the general “sound” was and is unique to this day, even if the execution is many times lacking. It’s a shame they couldn’t focus their collective energy, but I still enjoy much of what they did,warts and all.
March 23rd, 2016 at 00:47Have to agree with #7, with the exception of Perfect Strangers, nothing done during the Post Blackmore MI, reunited years or Post Blackmore MII years is as good as the the Dio era Rainbow or Gillian (which was highly underrated).
March 23rd, 2016 at 14:35