Posted by Nick on Monday, April 29th, 2024,
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Not too bad at all. Wish there was more clarity in the bottom end though, a tad muddy sounding. Thanks for posting. A good solo from McBride, nice & steady. Cheers.
Like it from the first listen. Rock & Roll rollicking. Simon is up in the mix. As a small critique of mine, with the great Bob Ezrin, was keeping Steve way down on Time For Bedlam and a few others of his Purple productions.
First observations/impressions, I reserve changing my mind:
– A mix of different eras, that stuttering shuffle rhythm is very late 60ies/early 70ies, but the guitar melody echoes both Pictures of Home and even some of the guitar lead tunes Steve would play. The interspersed key changes are very Steve.
– Lots of Ians singing there 😁, maybe give some background singers live another thought?
– Great gnarly and ferocious bass sound. Both the guitar and the organ solos are ace. The double-bends Simon plays at 02:02 are almost Bernie Tormé-dirty, must be something in the Irish Sea. Steve would have sounded much more cerebral playing something like that.
– In most other bands, the chorus of this song would be a bridge leading to a chorus – of course with DP there isn’t a real chorus, why change a tried and trusted recipe, we’re not Uriah Heep after all. 🙄 It’s catchy though, I’ll give it that, if not exactly breaking new ground.
– It’s altogether gutsier and more committed than the Morse era material, more of a forward drive. Paicey is kicking some serious butt as the song progresses.
– I do like Big Ian’s concept of a ‘portable door’, I can certainly relate. As Kris Kristofferson once sang: “I’d go crazy if I paid attention all the time!”
I would never say that I haven’t enjoyed Steve Morse’s tenure in the band, but this is the first song that I’ve clicked with right off the bat in a very long time.
takes you round and round the greasy door of mediocrity… come on boys, go have a couple of beers with Ritchie, get back to Purple passages. stop being Lazy, another album, another dollar… money for nostaligia ain’t funny. man your music is scraggy…
I love it, of course I do! But I have one major criticism:
The chorus is pretty much the chorus from Above and Beyond – same chords and vocal melody, just sped up and with a shuffle feel.
I’d prefer to see a bit more originality in the writing and not just rehashing older material.
That said, it’s a solid song – that opening riff from Simon – holy crap!!! And I love his solo – as others have noted, I’m hearing Steve’s influence in this. I’m wondering if they kept some of the material he was writing with them before he left the band, and this song was one of those tunes? If so, I hope Steve is given a writing credit on the album!
Glover and Paice are kicking ass, Gillan is in good form – haven’t been impressed with his live vocals recently, but he’s redeemed himself here. I cannot detect the use of heavy chorus to mask the tuning issues with his voice that Ezrin has used on the last four studio albums (it is there – listen close, it’s most apparent throughout on Infinite and Now What?!, but it’s on the others as well.), and this is a good thing. It seems Ian has gotten his voice back and is in fine form here – now I only hope he can do it live!
Don sounds great, killer solo – I wish the Hammond was dirtier – it’s a bit too clean for me, but I’m sure we’ll get some dirty gritty Hammond organ on the new record!
All in all, solid effort from the band, if a bit repetitive of older material – hoping they deliver something new and fresh – the energy though and the injection of new blood Simon has given them is very apparent!! He’s a great fit for the band – I know Steve thinks he’s a ‘better’ fit than himself, but I disagree! I think both players are/were great fits for DP, just a bit different, and that’s alright by me!
I instantly liked it. An instant hit, you might say. I think everything works here. Groove is great and the melody is fine. With this band there is no need to say anything about the playing. It is always superb. The new guy fits in like he has always been there. Today, the 30th of April, is a big celebration day here where I live, and the Portable Door will be in repeated use today and tomorrow. Cheers!
As mentioned the song sounds somewhat familiar. Did Simon copy Steve’s style here (at least partially)? In contrast to the guitar solo, the organ solo sounds rather weak – both in terms of sound and playing (it’s not particulary well constructed and sounds like a sequence of phrases Don plays all the time). Using a Marshall Plexi with bridged channels and leaving away the Leslie (or stopping the rotors) would be a nice improvement considering Don’s style. The Leslie can sound rather muddy if one plays a lot of notes.
Considering the low quality of the music played these days, it’s very good that bands like deep purple play new stuff.This is a great year.Saxon, judas preist, accept released new albums and David Gilmour’s new single was on you tube last week.
So it’s a mixture of ‘Things I never said’ and ‘Pictutes of home’
Can a band sue itself for Music plagiarism.
If the music is good on the ears who cares.
I really like the mix as well as you can hear all the band members contributions
Forever in love with DP
Peace✌️
Well, not so bad, but not that sooo good either….and yes, Things I Never said and Pictures of home, you’re right. Mc Bride solo rather contemporary, but the Hammond solo brings the whole track back in the past. I would have used a much more modern sound in the context of this peculiar song, not the old Hammond sound. And its too low in the mix compared to the Guitar, I dont know why. Mmmmmm….mixed feelings at the end of the day. I hope to hear better, and more adventurous tracks in this album. But they do what they can, I suppose.
As for Simon, what a great display of taste & style.
Ian Gillan is singing better than ever imo.
Ian Paice is still coming-up with new rhythm-parts, that will continue to set the bar high for the young-ones for generations.
To be quite honest, with all the movements & key-changes, plus Simon placing a definitive Steve Morse line in the solo, I suggest this track is like a bridge that traverses the Steve Morse era sound-scape whilst blending the new sound / personality of Simon in there. And they couldn’t have done a better job imo. Respect for the old & new band heard in the one track.
* I listened to this via lap-top on my Logitech 2.1’s cranked up a bit @ 50%, & can’t wait for the album to arrive for a 5.1 work-out.
Well done boys ! I’m sure Steve would approve for sure, & has a big smile on his face 🙂 !
So far, so good. As others have said, a definite Pictures of Home nod in there. Simon’s solo, let’s face it the bit we all wanted to hear, was good with a mix of old style Purple and new. Don’s keyboards were very…. Jon. I like it and if this is a reflection of what to expect on the album it’s good news.
My only, minor, grumble is that for me Gillan’s vocal is too high in the mix, needs tapping back a notch. I suspect the album will be the same as it’s been that way since Bob Ezrin has produced.
People are saying it reminds them of Pictures of Home but it sounds more like All I Got Is You or any other Bob Ezrin produced galloping rocker to me. Judging by this, the album may be a continuation of Morse era rather than coming back to roots, which is a good thing in my opinion. Simon’s tone and phrasing is much closer to Morse than Blackmore.
It is difficult to judge the album by a single but I am suspecting they are playing it safe, which is confirmed by the concert footage with Simon. Deep down I was hoping for a new direction like what happened with Purpendicular. When Morse joined the band he didn’t open the door but he blew it up, sometimes to dissatisfaction of hard core fans. But it was a brave move that resulted in one of the best and most diverse albums in their career. but I am aware it was very unlikely to happen again, keeping in mind at what stage of career they are. I am glad they are still here and release quality music.
It sounds awesome, and there is something in the tone of Gillan’s voice which reminds me of a 70s record. I have not heard that since the 70s itself! Roll on the new album and tour.
The spirit of Jon Lord ( Don thanks) ! that has to be good,very good !.Glover rocks .Gillan incredibly vital ( thanks Bob !).Simon more Steve than Ritchie.Paice in a low start.
I listen to the music, which in this is very good. For the people who would have done this with the keys or that with bass or something else with the other instruments, can you even play anything? and if you can why don’t you do it.
As for 10. give it a break. Who wants RB back to cause more hassel now? What has he wrote in the last 20 odd years?.
Lets hope the rest of the album is as great as this single.
Just watched the Video since the Audio Link was not working. I like most of it, and the Guitar is rocking. Pictures of Home a little, but if I were to have heard this in the background and not knowing that it was a new song I would have thought it from one of the past couple of albums due to the chorus. Maybe this is a Morse era song and it was released as a bridge to the last lineup, but I was hoping for a “Fresher” sound and hope that the rest of the album will be, although with Ezrin producing still I think that we are in for more of the same (Not that it is a bad thing, just more in a similar vein).
I’ve listened to it a few more times on different devices and take back what I said about Don’s playing and sound. Still, it would be interesting to see what he would do with a dry sound, probably just using the Leslie with the rotors stopped to add the low end to his guitar amp (is it still a Hughes & Kettner Puretone?). Gillan is in great form, as he was last year when I saw them. All in all, it took me some time to get into the song. I wasn’t too impressed at first, but now I think it’s actually pretty decent.
When Whoosh came out it went to no. 11 on the Billboard album charts here in the states. It was only topped by Taylor Swift. This is such a killer track that if the rest of the album is like this she cld get blown right off the chart.
There are elements of Steve on the song. Tribute? Who knows. The bass kicks major behind. Drums and keyboard are hardcore. Guitar? Hardcore and thensome. Stunning. Let’s keep it going fellers.
I just gave it a listen. Ian looks old and worn out. The video gives him a bunch of bad close ups. The excitement is just not present. Not like the recent work by Glenn Hughes. DP should retire.
I am a purple fan since the 70’s . And I still enjoy every new song of DP. But I agree with some remarks I read here : the song is ok, but the weak point in my opinion is the production. Imagine this (great) riff played faster, just like Blackmore used to do it. This would give “portable door” another dimension. A mk II dimension.
I can’t wait for the rest of the new cd, The songs chosen as singles weren’t always the best (think of “never before”😉). Cheers!
Bob Ezrin being ‘lazy’ with his production again. Oh well they all (except McBride) are in their twilight years & laid back & almost retired, it is the way of things. Four albums in a row that have that Ezrin ‘spit & polish’ is it? As I said a while back, time for a new producer but it is probably not worth the hassle these days. I hope he isn’t doing a ‘Rick Rubin’, i.e; taking it for granted, he he he. Laying back on the sofa, “not now McBride, leave that for your solo album”. I really like Don Airey & his vibe & brilliance as a keyboard player. However I do think that solo sounds rather pastiche. He sounds cornered if you know what I mean. Gillan’s vocal, hmmmmm. As long as Simon has a good time & with the experience of working in this environment, he will look back in a few years & pinch himself. Good luck to him. Cheers.
This song follows the tried-and-trued Purple formula of having both an organ and guitar solo. Sounds great. The rhythm throughout with the bass and drums really gives it teeth. I imagine this song will crank out live; should go about two minutes longer live to really expand those solos.
Purple ist zurück, mit einem Portable Door, zwischen Garagensound der 60’s, 70’s (Mark #I und #II) und der Soundbasis der Morse Ära.
Macht schon Lust auf mehr, denn sie wirken sehr vital in der Spielweise.
I like it, a friend sent me the link a couple nights ago and I listened a few times and sent it to my son and he said it sounds like Morse era way more than Blackmore to which I agree 100%. I personally enjoy the Ezrin style and as long as they are still making new music we should be happy 🙂 Can’t wait to hear the rest of he LP and see a few songs live in August. A few tunes could be longer but no biggie and man do they clean-up well! lol
I think we all underestimate how much what we identify as a “Morse Sound” is actually by now an “Airey Sound” where changing the guitarist does not have as seismic an effect as Tommy replacing Ritchie in 1975.
I think the song is solidly written for lack of a better word and well-produced (I like Ezrin’s production style, always have). It lets me hope for the album – a Highway Star, Burn or Perfect Strangers quality composition it is not, but that is hardly reasonable to expect.
I also really love what Paice’s doing, everybody’s on top form, that’s superb.
I just saw the live rendition from Singap : even better ! Just sad that they’ve sacked When a blind man cries which was one of the best moment on the show and hoping for a few more new things when they hit Europe next month…but will be happy yo hear that great new song live.
Song is ok imo, nothing special. Similar to No Need to Shout or One Night in Vegas in that regard… The band’s never been good with choosing singles though, so I’ll avoid drawing conclusions before listening to the full album.
As some have said, it’s continuity rather than disruption. Not very promising for those hoping for a new mold-breaking Purpendicular. (Ezrin being there yet again probably is a big reason why; wish they went with someone else this time…) Either way, I’m thankful they’re still feeling creative and producing new music.
P.S.: I often see comments complimenting Don by saying things like “he picked up right where Jon left off” or “plays just like Jon”. Baffling, really. I suppose the enormous rift between Blackers and Morse is probably more obvious to people, but IMO there’s one almost as big between Jon and Don’s styles.
Thanks for the live performance @ 61 & 63. It sounds much better as a live performance usually does. Straight from the heart, nice & heavy & no gloss & sheen of the studio. It is a good song. Cheers.
“I often see comments complimenting Don by saying things like “he picked up right where Jon left off” or “plays just like Jon”. Baffling, really. I suppose the enormous rift between Blackers and Morse is probably more obvious to people, but IMO there’s one almost as big between Jon and Don’s styles.”
Don himself pointed out that his go-to instrument is a piano, whereas Jon was primarily a Hammond organ player.
Love the live version too. Big Ian’s voice is in fine form and the lads are killing it. Whoosh is one of their best albums any Mark in my opinion. High hopes for =1 and the tour.
qt.1.”I think we all underestimate how much what we identify as a “Morse Sound” is actually by now an “Airey Sound” where changing the guitarist does not have as seismic an effect as Tommy replacing Ritchie in 1975″.
2.”I think the song is solidly written for lack of a better word and well-produced (I like Ezrin’s production style, always have). It lets me hope for the album – a Highway Star, Burn or Perfect Strangers quality composition it is not, but that is hardly reasonable to expect”.
R1…People hear what they wish to hear within a tune, & imo, Don & his parts have discretely brought the keyboards back to the forefront of the DP sound, where they should be…Poor Jon was being dwarfed / pushed aside ( it appeared ) album for album since the reunion by RB into the background, & by the time he was able to hold-his-own again with Steve, Jon retired…
Tommy remains among the greatest losses in R&R…Not often does a guitarist come along that is not only better than the one he replaces, but could change the whole sound & vibe of the band too…Steve Morse managed this, & no-doubt Simon has the same magic. DP have got it right quite a few times, with only one error that I can think of, & it wasn’t JLT.
R2. Mr.Ezrin & the band are getting-it-on quite well, long live that relationship ! All good wine needs time to mature & become respected, many have to drink-up first…I think you are well & truly jumping-the-gun here Uwe, with only 1/13 tunes to listen too…It took years & countless concerts for your aforementioned tunes to become set-in-stone…These tunes are of-the-moment, & may well be the inspiration R&R needs for its come-back, with so many other bands that were holding that flag considered AWOL… Give it time 🙂 !
Sorry, the game is over. Nothing’s changed in the last 3 LPs (not including the COVID disaster). Time either to get away from Ezrin or pack it in. Time to make a serious decision, become a better band or a parity of a great band
There’s much to admire, and we should be glad that the band are still energised enough to produce medium octane rock whilst approaching octogenarian status…
The guitar 🎸 sounds good to my ears, with a touch of Hendrix in the solo and some Ritchie in the riff, yet retaining enough soul to betray the individual at its heart.
Don looks like my dad, which I found distracted me from his performance which though full of Purps Lordian trademarks, lacked the dirty edge that would have made it true… yet perhaps that would’ve resulted in parody ? it’s still a fine performance.
Little Ian chugs away as he has done for the last three or four LPs – he’s still a fine drummer.
Big Ian really is looking his age, and his voice – although decent when layered, lacks any real power hence the mix pushing him to the fore … although he’s a legend, and (like the rest, Simon aside) ancient.
Roger, with his wizard look and wispy hair of yore, clad in raiments soooo cool 😎 he makes the other guys look like they’ve been shopping at Gap… for me (visually) he saves the day and underpins this performance with as assured class … an absolute hero.
The song does remain the same (ahem) however, I’ve heard this before … a lot … especially in the chorus, especially recently… the nod and a wink to bygone eras is really welcome and I hope we hear more of this on the LP… I’d love to hear a Fools style tune, with space to stretch itself… that’d be a nice surprise…
It’s okay, but when I examine it… in five years time I’m going to be listening to Fireball not this one… why? Nostalgia, memories ?? Or, that those songs, albums and the fire of youth simply outweigh the fading glories of these latter day LPs – as fine as they are, they’re just not, you know, as good. Brutal but there you have it.
Having said all of that, and to finish as I began: I’m glad the chaps are still here, still producing music and song… it’s a testament to thier talent that they can still find even an ounce of originality operating within a formula that the likes of Thom Yorke told us was dead circa 1998… lol.
The concert version “Portablle Door”….I am positively surprised by big Ian (when I think there are no more surprises, he jumps out), his voice (for his age) is incredible, it’s not something sensational but but but..the biggest surprise!, he knows the lyrics of the new song ( no script from the floor)!!!!!.So this dish was cooked for a long time…Congratulations Big Ian!:)
PS
“Portable Door”fast song on the new setlist for the first (20-25 minutes) opening concert DP hard-heavy block
One observation from the live footage. Simon is playing his solo exactly like on the record. Has it ever happened in DP history? Blackmore never played exactly the same thing twice. Same with Morse who sometimes kept the structure of the solo but deviated quite a bit each time he played it.
@72 – Two points. First, sorry, Sir. The decision is theirs, not ours. It was Michelangelo’s decision how to carve his David, and it is DP boys’ decision how to play their music.
Second, no need to threaten with the game being over. They are close to their eighties and they know it better than we do. Just one major health issue with one of the guys, and even without a tragedy it may be over for all of us.
With that, let’s just be thankful for what we’ve got and keep enjoying it while we can, even if we think they are playing it too safely. All the time in the world…
I usually find the 1st single to be the weakest song on the album, but this one rocks. I also liked the live version better largely because the vocals are less poppy and stronger without doubling the vocal track. The riff is really good and Simon & Don have nice solos. Everything that a great DP song should be.
@73
I was thinking the same thing. Pretty much nothing the first 5 months and then a very busy schedule the rest of the year. I’m glad I’m seeing them in August and don’t have to wait till November. Time is on no ones side.
Boring, like all Ezrin productions…
Sounds like a spa concert that is played again and again…
They are only a shadow of themselves and fade beyond recognition in the light of their own work.
The party is over and even though the morning is breaking, there is just no more light.
But memory is the only paradise from which one cannot be expelled.
So many sourpusses here.
I don’t like this…I fon’t like that. “They do not change”.
It’s a deep purple song in deep purple style, for god’s sake.
Thanks god they still play and give us new music. Rock on!
Congrats DP on this new album. Simon seems right at home.
Can’t wait for the rest of the album. Who would have thought that the guys would still be rocking in 2024…
See you in North America later this year!!!
@80. Chuffing hell fella. Lighten up! If you can do at 79 what you could do at 21 the credit to you but I’ll wager you can’t. Purple now are still better than virtually any other band (and I watched G&R’s Glastonbury performance so I know that’s true)
Lighten up fellas, indeed! @80 must be irony about the likes of @72. No need to brawl. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. The main thing is that the band enjoys doing it, and there are a multitude of people who enjoy the band doing it. If you do not happen to be in that multitude, that’s nobody’s problem and nobody cares. Everybody’s happy with that! And I am happy with having a portable door.
I haven’t commented here in many, many years. I feel the need to now though.
The very fact that these geezers are still breathing is astounding considering how many of their contemporaries are no longer with us. Saw that Richard Tandy of ELO passed away, and he was younger than both big Ian and Roger. The fact that these Purple guys can still play at a high level is even more amazing. Add to that the crazy touring schedule (which apparently was even a bit much for Steve Morse), and they should be revered for those things alone. The song itself is a nice mix of Mark II and the Mark Morse era stuff. It’s certainly not groundbreaking by any stretch, but it’s most definitely a nice propulsive groove with some splendid solos and in the live clip Gillan sounds about as good as I can remember (and he remembered the words!) for the past 30-ish years. He’s not the Gillan of the 70s or even the 80s, but I would not expect that at this stage of the game. So many of the bands touring these days are playing to backing tracks, miming vocals and using other enhanced technology to mask their various shortcomings. You always know with these guys you are getting an absolutely authentic live show with integrity, warts and all.
As a fan it’s your prerogative to like, love, dislike or hate anything they do, or the production, or the album artwork, or the videos, or whatever. You can pine for the never going to happen reunion with Ritchie (who, if you watched any of the Rainbow reunions of the last 10 years doesn’t really seem that interested or able to play this type of stuff anymore). The fact that you can do this on music just now being released by this band is simply a wonder in itself in my opinion.
The first album I ever bought with my own money was “Made In Japan” when I was about 13. I have enjoyed all of the marks throughout the years, with the possible exception of the JLT disaster. I did, however, enjoy JLT era Rainbow and saw a couple of those tours (got to see the Rainbow Rising lineup once in concert as well) and they were all stellar. I saw Glenn Hughes do a Mark III show in February of this year. He was absolutely amazing and the music from that era of the band still holds up. I have watched so many of my good friends succumb to various ailments through the years before and since. I never dreamed I would outlive so many people. The fact that all these guys are still bringing it gives me untold amounts of joy and hope as I approach my own personal “golden years”.
I personally will choose to marvel at their longevity and the fact that, like it or not, in their 7th (!) decade as a band they are still carrying the torch for this type of music and are still saying something.
First, a general comment, just like Rick G said, the fact that four guys from the current DP still even twitch and hold body temperature is in itself worthy of praise and ritual sacrifices (burning of Led Zep albums etc).
Herr Gregster: Where did I say I‘m judging the album based on a pre-release single? Kangaroo-pouch-sized hogwash! For all we know now, this might be the best or the worst song on the album. All I said was that it‘s pleasantly familiar, but won’t have us rewrite DP history.
His Lordship, the Venerable Disease @65, Don plays nothing like Jon, he‘s more angular, jazzier (I sometimes hear a bit of Colin Towns), technically more proficient, a good bit faster too and more importantly doesn‘t share Jon‘s idiosyncratic ‘Keith Richards-gifted sloppiness’ that made the music roll and not just rock. I really don’t compare the two. Roger once said that the only commonality he hears is that they both play the Hammond. I do think though that Don’s Hammond playing has developed in leaps and bounds with DP, he’s today a much more impressive organ player than when he joined them 20 years ago or so.
Cisco @76: Yup, I noticed that too, The Belfast kid replicates his studio solo live. Probably because recording it is still fresh on his mind and he doesn’t want to blow it with the first number he has co-written. Give him time, he’ll grow more relaxed. That said, Simon is generationally of course someone raised on players who would replicate their studio solos more often than not. I don’t know what happened, but in the last few decades “sounding just like your record” has turned into something aspirational for many younger musicians. I blame Don Henley and the Eagles! 😂
I felt as @86, lotta time not posting anything here, and thinking how to post my feelings. @86 did it.
I took the Purple train on the Perfect Stranger’s station. Then went back to the, Perfect, Maide in Japan and back beyond ‘tlll the roots, and forward on. Happines, sadness and all in between, for me are painted with purple colors of any kind: Gillan, Snakes, Rainbows, Blue light, name’s changes, Bands On (not, Abandon), bananas, all their prolific Ezrin years… They have been there ever since, for four of the five and a half decades I’ve been going through. Always true.
(Apologize for beig so melodramatic.)
It’s a miracle that in this world that has move on so fast so much, they are still playing such a fantastical music and sharing it with us. For us.
Big BIG Thankyou, Deep Purple!
I believe that when Mr Lord stopped playing in the band, that was the start of the end. Airy doesn’t have the same ability. Morse was great with Lord. I would love to have an LP like purpindicular, abandon, banana’s! There’s different individual songs on those LPs. The first Ezrin was good, 2nd, ok, 3rd just a repeated formula. Now, unless I hear something different on the other songs on this new LP, it’s formula rock. Sad
@ 89 – so we can expect a funeral pyre of sorts regarding your cherished Led Zeppelin collection Uwe? Nice to finally hear, you really do NEED to exorcise that demon. Careful though as Aleister could pay you a visit, so make sure you do plenty of protecting yourself with chanting & dancing, plenty of incense & some new age music or something similar. On second thoughts couldn’t you hand them to your son, although he probably has all the albums himself we would think. From one Zeppelin aficionado to the next & why not, it is nice to hear a musical influence has been created there from father to son. Are there going to be any images (genuine) of the fire ritual if that proceeds. Health & safety guidelines enforced of course for safety measures? We are looking forward to it. Cheers.
After about 12 or so listens I have to say that it’s growing on me. Typically, the songs that I like on the first exposure are not the ones that stick with me so I am starting to have high hopes for this one. Regardless, any new purple is better than no new purple.
@89Uwe, I was thinking of the last time a Purple guitarist recreated studio solo live and I found one. It was Haunted from Bananas. You can’t blame him for that, it was a really beautiful solo, one of my favourites from Steve.
I remember Gillan meeting some derision at the time from Brit critics for daring to rhyme “haunted” with “wanted”. They can be tough on their own. 😁
The lavish Paul Buckmaster string arrangement didn’t appeal to everyone either, it was viewed as “unpurple” and even “cheesy”, but I really liked it, it’s no doubt the Elton John-fan in me, but I’m in good company: Jon Lord liked Elton’s music and piano playing too. He once said that he wanted PAL to sound “like a mixture between Elton John and Little Feat”.
As always fans in here and out there will complain and compare and wishing “ Ritchie Blackmore was back in Deep Purple” even though he had not been playing rock music for a while. The ladt Rainbow concerts were like listening to a karaoke band. Listen the dude is happy playing his pop, bubble gum so called renaissance folk cover music and God Bless his soul. I close my eyes And I feel and hear Steve sound and style more than Ritchie’s on Simon’s playing. Great catchy single. I cannot wait for the album. similar in the vein of Time For Bedlam and Pictures of Home/ Things I never said maybe ? Same time signature but I love it!!
Surprised that no one has commented on the unflattering presentation of IP in Portable Door. It sounds like he’s barely hitting the snare, the bass drum is indistinct and the cymbals are too high in the mix, making them sound like they are all over the place. Outcome of the listening experience: a very peculiar IP performance. Ezrin has given DP a boost late in their career but he clearly doesn’t know how to make Paicey sound good.
The single hasn’t made it on to the radio 2 playlist and i have been looking at the planet rock playlist and it hasn’t been played in the last 24 hours or so. Space Truckin, demons eye and strangely enough Throw my bones have been played. Maybe they will get more airplay nearer the album release , but it must be frustrating for “classic” bands releasing new material. “simple song” “out of hand” “above and beyond” “uncommon man” “time for bedlam” “birds of prey” “the surprising” , in my opinion are modern DP classices that rank alongside the older classics but didn’t get the airplay to reach that level.
Terry, I don’t believe there are many radio listeners left that would base their decision of buying (or downloading) the new DP album on a chance encounter hearing a single on the radio. Even in their 70ies heyday Purple were never a singles band, they have album fans like us and to us a single release is just a teaser for a coming album which we would buy in any case – single release or not.
I’m only really interested in DP singles if the song version deviates from the album or if there are non-album B-sides/bonus tracks like in the days of yore with I’m Alone and When A Blind Man Cries.
Uwe, Radio 2 has a huge influence in the uk and if it means an extra 500 units sold it is still worth the leg work. My other point is, a modern classic is not allowed to become a classic because it competes in a genre that spans nearly 60 years.
@98 said qt.”As always, fans in here and out there will complain and compare and wishing “Ritchie Blackmore was back in Deep Purple”, even though he had not been playing rock music for a while”…
@107 said qt.”Don’t you know, Gregster ? He’s that Limey guitarist who can’t improvise for the hell of it with a screaming banshee of a bassist”…
* Yes, I know he can’t improvise to save his life ( unless you like hearing the same thing played over & over through every tune ), but didn’t he hang-up his Stratocaster to hang-out with Dwarves, Elves, & Hobbits somewhere in Middle Earth ???…
And as for that “Banshee bassist” wasn’t he the main reason that RB left DP, & then DP split-up a year or so afterwards ???…
You and your pet theory about Glenn being the major factor for Ritchie‘s departure in 1975! Realistically, if Ritchie had said “it‘s either Glenn or me …”, what do you think would have happened? How many more seconds would have Glenn lasted?
What happened in 1975 was more like that Ritchie realized that he had painted himself into a corner with the purge from Mk II to Mk III and that neither the band as a whole nor the management would follow him instigating another one. Perhaps it also dawned on him that getting rid of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had not been such a great idea after all – Mk III sales were by 1975 dwindling, there had been no hit single of the line-up and after the sojourn with Dio he would try to get both Big Ian (who said no) and Roger (who said yes) into Rainbow looking for something he felt he lost when he forced the change from Mk II to Mk III.
In 1975, Glenn had the weakest position within Purple, certainly compared to Ritchie. And when Glenn’s drug habits began to have an impact on the Come Taste The Band recording sessions, he was swiftly and unceremoniously sent home by the others to clean up his act, which he dutifully did (for a while), worrying whether he would still have a job after rehab. Glenn couldn’t have rowed out Ritchie and if he had wanted to (which I don’t think he ever did, knowing how near to impossible it would be to replace him). Rather I believe Glenn was under the mistaken impression that he could turn Ritchie into Mel Galley in the long run, a British guitarist rooted in the Blues, but open for Funk influences. And that collided with Ritchie’s tendency at the time to go the other way and actually “unfunk” his music: The Rainbow debut was less funky than Stormbringer, but Rising did away with even those funk groove influences still present on the debut courtesy of the Elf rhythm section. Jimmy Bain/Cozy Powell were the epitome of an unfunky rhythm section (which is why Mistreated always sounded plodding to me when Rainbow played it, yet subtly funky when Mk III performed it, especially as regards the bass/drums/keyboards backing during Ritchie’s solo part).
Here’s how I recall matters as discussed within here…
* IG hands in resignation.
* No one says anything, or asks him to reconsider.
* RB starts searching-out members to form a new band, a blues trio in fact with IP.
* Management asks RB “What would it take to get you to stay” ???
* RB said “I expect RG to go if you want me to stay on for 2-more-years”…
* Mk-III is formed, to surprising positive reception by the masses, especially the US-of-A.
* “Burn” turns out great, & then RB lets the “shoe-shine” music colour itself within “Stormbringer”, & along with GH antics, satisfies his reasons for leaving to both management & the masses, as proved on record.
* RB apparently always left the stage when GH was “Doing his thang”…
* Rainbow is formed, & around 12-months or so later, DP are no more, but did manage to release a superlative final recording, that was sadly never followed-up, due to poor & irregular live performances.
* Check-out “Last Concert in Japan”, & see if you can listen all-the-way-through it.
Glenn’s “shoe-shine bass playing” was already all over Burn (the album), people just didn’t notice because the mighty Blackmore riffs were still there (they went missing on Stormbringer because Blackmore began saving things for his solo album). But the bass on Might Just Take Your Life, Sail Away, You Fool No One, A 200 and even on Mistreated is already funky as hell and, more importantly, was supposed to be played that way because Blackmore liked it at the time, he was looking for an Andy Fraser type bass player due to his love affair with Free. He got that (and more) with Glenn.
I have no problems watching Last Concert in Japan footage or listening to the album front to end, I preferred it at the time to Made in Europe which to me sounded like Blackmore’s mind was already somewhere else. What strikes me about the 75 Budokan gig is the unbelievable rapport Glenn and Tommy had, those two really fell for each other. That compensates for Tommy’s handicapped arm. The live versions of the songs from Come Taste The Band all come across great and I even like how Tommy played the SOTW riff, he made it dance a little.
qt.”I have no problems watching Last Concert in Japan footage or listening to the album front to end, I preferred it at the time to Made in Europe which to me sounded like Blackmore’s mind was already somewhere else”…
* I agree that the footage, as found on say “Phoenix Rising” & the sound quite acceptable, though it’s Tommy having to cover-up a defunct right arm. The recording “Last Concert in Japan” however, reveals more of the show, & just how poor the quality actually was. I recommend you listen to the record, & not watch the DVD, as the DVD show presents itself as “just acceptable under the circumstances”…
Although RUSH 2112 is about the heaviest & most stunning studio album I’ve heard, “Made in Europe” is the heaviest live album, it’s good stuff. The Friday Music version makes it almost equal MiJ in sound quality too.
“I recommend you listen to the record, & not watch the DVD, as the DVD show presents itself as “just acceptable under the circumstances”…”
But I know the Last Concert album forwards, backwards and inside out! I worshipped that album ever since in 1977 I got my grubby adolescent hands on a virgin Japanese copy I mail-ordered from the UK (I’m still adamant that I was the first person in Germany to own that album, jawohl!). It’s the album that turned me into a full-fledged Mk IV fan. The Wild Dogs performance (priceless, a young DC, already in his grand baritone: “For the first time in Japan, Tommy Bolin is gonna sing for ya!”) on that alone is magic irrespective whether you are Tommy Bolin or a DP fan.
It drives me nuts that the live vid to that song is for some reason no longer available. Contrary to what you often read, IT DID EXIST AND WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL BUDOKAN FOOTAGE. I saw it many times on German TV and there was even once a VHS copy of it. Moreover, until maybe 10 years ago, you could even still see it on YouTube sometimes, but it regularly got taken down. I assume it has to do with the rights to the music and the rights to the vid not being aligned. YouTube vids where the track is synced to other parts of the Budokan live show abound, but I haven’t seen the real thing in a while (where an obviously handicapped Tommy is still chuffed to present the song to the Japanese audience and does a bloody fine job at it – in hindsight I wonder whether it found inclusion on that one night because Tommy was obviously in no state to play Marching Powder which DP would usually do). It is a performance full of Bolin charm and Purple power with some really propulsive bass playing from Glenn.
Hm… Last concert in Japan and even more so the whole show released years later on a 2CD set have always had a place on my playlist and in my heart. You Keep On Moving, Wild Dogs and Soldier Of Fortune are among the best live recordings of the band IMHO. The sound is, well, warm and it captures a live feel. I never understood what was wrong with it apart from the fact that it just was no Made In Japan. A whole different band but an interesting one.
Still I have to say that Burn and Mistreated from Made In Europe are among the band’s finest moments too in my book.
So here I am – treasuring them both … Cheers.
Made in Europe has grown on me over the decades, I used to detest it. Not because it is badly played or recorded, but because it sounded cold, unhappy and somehow very corporate to me. I preferred the Cal Jam and Kilburn recordings of Mk III though Made in Europe (or the Paris and Graz gigs + Saarbrücken it is cut and pasted from) beat it in sheer sound quality.
Once one edits away the GH bollox, (& there’s plenty of it), the Mk-IV Deep Purple (overseas) Live Series”Longbeach 1976″ show is right up there along side MiJ & MiE imo.
* Also known as “On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat”.
Speaking of: At the Hughes gig in Mannheim I saw someone wearing a Captain Beyond T-shirt and couldn’t help commenting: “Now that IS a rare garment!” I think I made his day. 😎
I have to be honest, I just got into heavy metal in my 30s, so I’m not as well-rounded a Deep Purple listener as you all. I have only heard from Shades Of Deep Purple through to Machine Head , but checked this out last night.
I absolutely love this, it has a lot of bite, tightness, and great riffs. Ian’s voice gives me goosebumps here. This is great stuff and I have to doubt the testosterone levels of people saying they should retire.
![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/morse6.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/gillan2.jpg)
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Just listened to it. I like it. I don’t know why but for some reason it reminded me of “Things I Never Said”. I’m not really sure why? Anyone else?.
April 29th, 2024 at 23:08Not too bad at all. Wish there was more clarity in the bottom end though, a tad muddy sounding. Thanks for posting. A good solo from McBride, nice & steady. Cheers.
April 29th, 2024 at 23:40That’s quite a strong advance single.
April 29th, 2024 at 23:48Hope it bodes well for the whole album.
Things I never said ?
April 30th, 2024 at 00:25Like it from the first listen. Rock & Roll rollicking. Simon is up in the mix. As a small critique of mine, with the great Bob Ezrin, was keeping Steve way down on Time For Bedlam and a few others of his Purple productions.
Peace,
April 30th, 2024 at 02:21Ted
First observations/impressions, I reserve changing my mind:
– A mix of different eras, that stuttering shuffle rhythm is very late 60ies/early 70ies, but the guitar melody echoes both Pictures of Home and even some of the guitar lead tunes Steve would play. The interspersed key changes are very Steve.
– Lots of Ians singing there 😁, maybe give some background singers live another thought?
– Great gnarly and ferocious bass sound. Both the guitar and the organ solos are ace. The double-bends Simon plays at 02:02 are almost Bernie Tormé-dirty, must be something in the Irish Sea. Steve would have sounded much more cerebral playing something like that.
– In most other bands, the chorus of this song would be a bridge leading to a chorus – of course with DP there isn’t a real chorus, why change a tried and trusted recipe, we’re not Uriah Heep after all. 🙄 It’s catchy though, I’ll give it that, if not exactly breaking new ground.
– It’s altogether gutsier and more committed than the Morse era material, more of a forward drive. Paicey is kicking some serious butt as the song progresses.
– I do like Big Ian’s concept of a ‘portable door’, I can certainly relate. As Kris Kristofferson once sang: “I’d go crazy if I paid attention all the time!”
April 30th, 2024 at 02:27Holy fuck.
April 30th, 2024 at 02:37I would never say that I haven’t enjoyed Steve Morse’s tenure in the band, but this is the first song that I’ve clicked with right off the bat in a very long time.
April 30th, 2024 at 02:40Has a Pictures of Home feel to it which ain’t a bad thing. Liked the short solos from Simon & Don. Interesting lyrics.
April 30th, 2024 at 02:41Cheers
Phil
takes you round and round the greasy door of mediocrity… come on boys, go have a couple of beers with Ritchie, get back to Purple passages. stop being Lazy, another album, another dollar… money for nostaligia ain’t funny. man your music is scraggy…
April 30th, 2024 at 03:16Wooow!
April 30th, 2024 at 05:36I like it from the very first moment!
That rocked!!!
April 30th, 2024 at 05:36hi from france
April 30th, 2024 at 05:40i am agree with “things i never said”, good song but the organ is little bit under mix during the solo. not new, but fresh.
I love it, of course I do! But I have one major criticism:
The chorus is pretty much the chorus from Above and Beyond – same chords and vocal melody, just sped up and with a shuffle feel.
I’d prefer to see a bit more originality in the writing and not just rehashing older material.
That said, it’s a solid song – that opening riff from Simon – holy crap!!! And I love his solo – as others have noted, I’m hearing Steve’s influence in this. I’m wondering if they kept some of the material he was writing with them before he left the band, and this song was one of those tunes? If so, I hope Steve is given a writing credit on the album!
Glover and Paice are kicking ass, Gillan is in good form – haven’t been impressed with his live vocals recently, but he’s redeemed himself here. I cannot detect the use of heavy chorus to mask the tuning issues with his voice that Ezrin has used on the last four studio albums (it is there – listen close, it’s most apparent throughout on Infinite and Now What?!, but it’s on the others as well.), and this is a good thing. It seems Ian has gotten his voice back and is in fine form here – now I only hope he can do it live!
Don sounds great, killer solo – I wish the Hammond was dirtier – it’s a bit too clean for me, but I’m sure we’ll get some dirty gritty Hammond organ on the new record!
All in all, solid effort from the band, if a bit repetitive of older material – hoping they deliver something new and fresh – the energy though and the injection of new blood Simon has given them is very apparent!! He’s a great fit for the band – I know Steve thinks he’s a ‘better’ fit than himself, but I disagree! I think both players are/were great fits for DP, just a bit different, and that’s alright by me!
Long live Purple!!!! Cannot wait for the rest!!
April 30th, 2024 at 06:12Imagine this live and sweaty!!
April 30th, 2024 at 06:36Good quiet piece from the guys but this time Ezein made a bad work with drums. Tom Tom are inaudible.
April 30th, 2024 at 07:00I instantly liked it. An instant hit, you might say. I think everything works here. Groove is great and the melody is fine. With this band there is no need to say anything about the playing. It is always superb. The new guy fits in like he has always been there. Today, the 30th of April, is a big celebration day here where I live, and the Portable Door will be in repeated use today and tomorrow. Cheers!
April 30th, 2024 at 07:44As mentioned the song sounds somewhat familiar. Did Simon copy Steve’s style here (at least partially)? In contrast to the guitar solo, the organ solo sounds rather weak – both in terms of sound and playing (it’s not particulary well constructed and sounds like a sequence of phrases Don plays all the time). Using a Marshall Plexi with bridged channels and leaving away the Leslie (or stopping the rotors) would be a nice improvement considering Don’s style. The Leslie can sound rather muddy if one plays a lot of notes.
April 30th, 2024 at 08:24Considering the low quality of the music played these days, it’s very good that bands like deep purple play new stuff.This is a great year.Saxon, judas preist, accept released new albums and David Gilmour’s new single was on you tube last week.
April 30th, 2024 at 08:36I hoped in a hard rock’n’roll blues piece…
April 30th, 2024 at 08:44So it’s a mixture of ‘Things I never said’ and ‘Pictutes of home’
April 30th, 2024 at 09:26Can a band sue itself for Music plagiarism.
If the music is good on the ears who cares.
I really like the mix as well as you can hear all the band members contributions
Forever in love with DP
Peace✌️
Well, not so bad, but not that sooo good either….and yes, Things I Never said and Pictures of home, you’re right. Mc Bride solo rather contemporary, but the Hammond solo brings the whole track back in the past. I would have used a much more modern sound in the context of this peculiar song, not the old Hammond sound. And its too low in the mix compared to the Guitar, I dont know why. Mmmmmm….mixed feelings at the end of the day. I hope to hear better, and more adventurous tracks in this album. But they do what they can, I suppose.
April 30th, 2024 at 10:40Yo,
Great sounding track imo, very likeable indeed !
Mr.Ezrin has done a great job in producing imo.
And I love the fact that there’s tonne’s of Don’s keyboards in there, with a very well balanced sound, where everyone is clearly heard.
Powerful & thunderous is RG’s bass, & yet crystal clear too.
As for Simon, what a great display of taste & style.
Ian Gillan is singing better than ever imo.
Ian Paice is still coming-up with new rhythm-parts, that will continue to set the bar high for the young-ones for generations.
To be quite honest, with all the movements & key-changes, plus Simon placing a definitive Steve Morse line in the solo, I suggest this track is like a bridge that traverses the Steve Morse era sound-scape whilst blending the new sound / personality of Simon in there. And they couldn’t have done a better job imo. Respect for the old & new band heard in the one track.
* I listened to this via lap-top on my Logitech 2.1’s cranked up a bit @ 50%, & can’t wait for the album to arrive for a 5.1 work-out.
Well done boys ! I’m sure Steve would approve for sure, & has a big smile on his face 🙂 !
Peace !
April 30th, 2024 at 10:46I’m very impressed. I really like it. So much so, I think I’ll listen to it again!
Roll on the new album if this is anything to go by. Should we expect any more tasters before the new album is released?
April 30th, 2024 at 11:28So far, so good. As others have said, a definite Pictures of Home nod in there. Simon’s solo, let’s face it the bit we all wanted to hear, was good with a mix of old style Purple and new. Don’s keyboards were very…. Jon. I like it and if this is a reflection of what to expect on the album it’s good news.
April 30th, 2024 at 12:00My only, minor, grumble is that for me Gillan’s vocal is too high in the mix, needs tapping back a notch. I suspect the album will be the same as it’s been that way since Bob Ezrin has produced.
Nick’s original link to the single doesn’t seem to be working anymore (at least in Germany), this should:
https://youtu.be/4E3MP5jIMT8
April 30th, 2024 at 12:03@1 Yeah, I feel the ” Things I never Said” vibe in that track too.
@4 You’ve not heard of that track? Look it up. For me, it was the best song from the Rapture of the Deep cd/lp. It was the Japanese bonus track.
As far as “Portable Door” It didn’t knock me off my chair, but it rocks and they can musically still “bring it”. Waiting for more of =1
April 30th, 2024 at 12:20The road to glory is lined in red
April 30th, 2024 at 12:36And though the reason now is gone
The battle rages on…..
People are saying it reminds them of Pictures of Home but it sounds more like All I Got Is You or any other Bob Ezrin produced galloping rocker to me. Judging by this, the album may be a continuation of Morse era rather than coming back to roots, which is a good thing in my opinion. Simon’s tone and phrasing is much closer to Morse than Blackmore.
April 30th, 2024 at 12:46It is difficult to judge the album by a single but I am suspecting they are playing it safe, which is confirmed by the concert footage with Simon. Deep down I was hoping for a new direction like what happened with Purpendicular. When Morse joined the band he didn’t open the door but he blew it up, sometimes to dissatisfaction of hard core fans. But it was a brave move that resulted in one of the best and most diverse albums in their career. but I am aware it was very unlikely to happen again, keeping in mind at what stage of career they are. I am glad they are still here and release quality music.
April 30th, 2024 at 12:57It sounds awesome, and there is something in the tone of Gillan’s voice which reminds me of a 70s record. I have not heard that since the 70s itself! Roll on the new album and tour.
April 30th, 2024 at 13:53The spirit of Jon Lord ( Don thanks) ! that has to be good,very good !.Glover rocks .Gillan incredibly vital ( thanks Bob !).Simon more Steve than Ritchie.Paice in a low start.
April 30th, 2024 at 14:04Gritty – bring on the album!
April 30th, 2024 at 14:30I listen to the music, which in this is very good. For the people who would have done this with the keys or that with bass or something else with the other instruments, can you even play anything? and if you can why don’t you do it.
April 30th, 2024 at 15:01As for 10. give it a break. Who wants RB back to cause more hassel now? What has he wrote in the last 20 odd years?.
Lets hope the rest of the album is as great as this single.
Time for a different producer. Somebody say Andy Sneap? Would be refreshing
April 30th, 2024 at 15:24Love it. The anticipation for the new album just got turned up to 11!
April 30th, 2024 at 15:48The vid is nice, Roger holding his position as the best dresser in the band. Nice reading glasses too.
In another music-related forum I frequent, one of the members quipped: “When did Deep Purple turn into old women?” 😁
To me, they are the most beautiful boy band in the world. 😍
April 30th, 2024 at 15:48Just watched the Video since the Audio Link was not working. I like most of it, and the Guitar is rocking. Pictures of Home a little, but if I were to have heard this in the background and not knowing that it was a new song I would have thought it from one of the past couple of albums due to the chorus. Maybe this is a Morse era song and it was released as a bridge to the last lineup, but I was hoping for a “Fresher” sound and hope that the rest of the album will be, although with Ezrin producing still I think that we are in for more of the same (Not that it is a bad thing, just more in a similar vein).
April 30th, 2024 at 16:21I’ve listened to it a few more times on different devices and take back what I said about Don’s playing and sound. Still, it would be interesting to see what he would do with a dry sound, probably just using the Leslie with the rotors stopped to add the low end to his guitar amp (is it still a Hughes & Kettner Puretone?). Gillan is in great form, as he was last year when I saw them. All in all, it took me some time to get into the song. I wasn’t too impressed at first, but now I think it’s actually pretty decent.
April 30th, 2024 at 16:28The gray tint matches some of their hair colors here, at least they still have some 🙁
April 30th, 2024 at 16:56Love the guitar solo!
Well – Don Airey’s skills are without doubt but Jon Lord was a composer and knew how to use leslies loud and soft. I miss that .
The guys are about 80 years old now
And I’m not asking like “in rock”
or “Fireball” .
I don’t want to pass judgment yet, but “Whooshh” will be hard to top.
April 30th, 2024 at 17:08My opinion
When Whoosh came out it went to no. 11 on the Billboard album charts here in the states. It was only topped by Taylor Swift. This is such a killer track that if the rest of the album is like this she cld get blown right off the chart.
April 30th, 2024 at 17:19There are elements of Steve on the song. Tribute? Who knows. The bass kicks major behind. Drums and keyboard are hardcore. Guitar? Hardcore and thensome. Stunning. Let’s keep it going fellers.
Great. They keep on rockin’.
April 30th, 2024 at 17:54I just gave it a listen. Ian looks old and worn out. The video gives him a bunch of bad close ups. The excitement is just not present. Not like the recent work by Glenn Hughes. DP should retire.
April 30th, 2024 at 19:21Well, 6 Per 10. I hope it will get better.
April 30th, 2024 at 20:43I am a purple fan since the 70’s . And I still enjoy every new song of DP. But I agree with some remarks I read here : the song is ok, but the weak point in my opinion is the production. Imagine this (great) riff played faster, just like Blackmore used to do it. This would give “portable door” another dimension. A mk II dimension.
April 30th, 2024 at 20:50I can’t wait for the rest of the new cd, The songs chosen as singles weren’t always the best (think of “never before”😉). Cheers!
This is what Deep Purple sounds like in the 21st Century.
It would fit on Whoosh or Now What!?, but that is not a bad thing.
Let’s face, only one member has changed – and while Simon’s solo is not a clone of one of Steve’s – the main thrust comes from Ian, Roger and Don.
It is also only three minutes, so not a lot of space to stretch – perhaps this is the single edit.
I am hoping that the other tracks will offer a range of textures, perhaps with more input from Simon.
April 30th, 2024 at 21:31WOW… Simon fits right in where Steve left off. Great song and hopefully another great album.
April 30th, 2024 at 21:39Bob Ezrin being ‘lazy’ with his production again. Oh well they all (except McBride) are in their twilight years & laid back & almost retired, it is the way of things. Four albums in a row that have that Ezrin ‘spit & polish’ is it? As I said a while back, time for a new producer but it is probably not worth the hassle these days. I hope he isn’t doing a ‘Rick Rubin’, i.e; taking it for granted, he he he. Laying back on the sofa, “not now McBride, leave that for your solo album”. I really like Don Airey & his vibe & brilliance as a keyboard player. However I do think that solo sounds rather pastiche. He sounds cornered if you know what I mean. Gillan’s vocal, hmmmmm. As long as Simon has a good time & with the experience of working in this environment, he will look back in a few years & pinch himself. Good luck to him. Cheers.
April 30th, 2024 at 22:10I think, Ian being a carpenter or was it just furniture he made, a portal door is needed when you re on a Roundabout.
1 song is not enough to make any big statements here.
It does not sound unpleasant and I kinda understand what several people are saying about it.
I will reflect on it some more tomorrow when I m gonna take down a strangling Poison Ivy.
April 30th, 2024 at 23:10New guitarist sounds more like Morse than Blackmore…
But more like Blackmore than Morse did.
Curious to check out more of his playing…
May 1st, 2024 at 00:28Fantastic song ,fantastic band.The band says it all.We need to just Listen.Greattttt.
May 1st, 2024 at 02:29This song follows the tried-and-trued Purple formula of having both an organ and guitar solo. Sounds great. The rhythm throughout with the bass and drums really gives it teeth. I imagine this song will crank out live; should go about two minutes longer live to really expand those solos.
May 1st, 2024 at 02:54Purple ist zurück, mit einem Portable Door, zwischen Garagensound der 60’s, 70’s (Mark #I und #II) und der Soundbasis der Morse Ära.
May 1st, 2024 at 08:26Macht schon Lust auf mehr, denn sie wirken sehr vital in der Spielweise.
“TIME FOR BEDLEM”
May 1st, 2024 at 08:48I like it, a friend sent me the link a couple nights ago and I listened a few times and sent it to my son and he said it sounds like Morse era way more than Blackmore to which I agree 100%. I personally enjoy the Ezrin style and as long as they are still making new music we should be happy 🙂 Can’t wait to hear the rest of he LP and see a few songs live in August. A few tunes could be longer but no biggie and man do they clean-up well! lol
May 1st, 2024 at 10:45Wow !! What a killer song !! Love it from the first seconds…
May 1st, 2024 at 10:58Yo,
Nothing at all wrong with the vid imo, as compliments the tune quite well…And quite a good rocker it is ( now on the 2nd listening )…
But that’s it for me until the album & DVD arrives here in the mail.
Peace !
May 1st, 2024 at 11:11So glad the didnt ditch the ‘Morse’ era sound that they developed over the last few decades.
Sounds good- Lets face it who would of thought they would still be creating music in 2024
May 1st, 2024 at 14:18I just want to listen the test of the album. I like the song but I Was expecting something new and it doesnt happen.
May 1st, 2024 at 17:05Already have a live performance ))
https://youtu.be/AmRVjAQQLoA?si=Bey53_J5toDbD0QU
May 1st, 2024 at 17:51I think we all underestimate how much what we identify as a “Morse Sound” is actually by now an “Airey Sound” where changing the guitarist does not have as seismic an effect as Tommy replacing Ritchie in 1975.
I think the song is solidly written for lack of a better word and well-produced (I like Ezrin’s production style, always have). It lets me hope for the album – a Highway Star, Burn or Perfect Strangers quality composition it is not, but that is hardly reasonable to expect.
May 1st, 2024 at 18:04Aaand it’s in the live set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmRVjAQQLoA
May 1st, 2024 at 18:07Great song… Gillan incredibly stong here…can’t believe he’s 79 pretty soon.
I also really love what Paice’s doing, everybody’s on top form, that’s superb.
I just saw the live rendition from Singap : even better ! Just sad that they’ve sacked When a blind man cries which was one of the best moment on the show and hoping for a few more new things when they hit Europe next month…but will be happy yo hear that great new song live.
May 1st, 2024 at 18:55Song is ok imo, nothing special. Similar to No Need to Shout or One Night in Vegas in that regard… The band’s never been good with choosing singles though, so I’ll avoid drawing conclusions before listening to the full album.
As some have said, it’s continuity rather than disruption. Not very promising for those hoping for a new mold-breaking Purpendicular. (Ezrin being there yet again probably is a big reason why; wish they went with someone else this time…) Either way, I’m thankful they’re still feeling creative and producing new music.
P.S.: I often see comments complimenting Don by saying things like “he picked up right where Jon left off” or “plays just like Jon”. Baffling, really. I suppose the enormous rift between Blackers and Morse is probably more obvious to people, but IMO there’s one almost as big between Jon and Don’s styles.
May 1st, 2024 at 19:46Pictures of Home= Time for a bedlam= Portable door=1
May 1st, 2024 at 20:48Thanks for the live performance @ 61 & 63. It sounds much better as a live performance usually does. Straight from the heart, nice & heavy & no gloss & sheen of the studio. It is a good song. Cheers.
May 1st, 2024 at 21:51@ 65, VD:
I totally agree but especially on the following:
“I often see comments complimenting Don by saying things like “he picked up right where Jon left off” or “plays just like Jon”. Baffling, really. I suppose the enormous rift between Blackers and Morse is probably more obvious to people, but IMO there’s one almost as big between Jon and Don’s styles.”
Don himself pointed out that his go-to instrument is a piano, whereas Jon was primarily a Hammond organ player.
May 1st, 2024 at 22:11Love the live version too. Big Ian’s voice is in fine form and the lads are killing it. Whoosh is one of their best albums any Mark in my opinion. High hopes for =1 and the tour.
May 1st, 2024 at 22:34That live version is commendable for a bunch of geezers born ’45 (2x), ’48 (2x) and that nascent talent born ’79.
Good shirt with nice color too, Herr Gillan.
May 1st, 2024 at 22:58@62 said…
qt.1.”I think we all underestimate how much what we identify as a “Morse Sound” is actually by now an “Airey Sound” where changing the guitarist does not have as seismic an effect as Tommy replacing Ritchie in 1975″.
2.”I think the song is solidly written for lack of a better word and well-produced (I like Ezrin’s production style, always have). It lets me hope for the album – a Highway Star, Burn or Perfect Strangers quality composition it is not, but that is hardly reasonable to expect”.
R1…People hear what they wish to hear within a tune, & imo, Don & his parts have discretely brought the keyboards back to the forefront of the DP sound, where they should be…Poor Jon was being dwarfed / pushed aside ( it appeared ) album for album since the reunion by RB into the background, & by the time he was able to hold-his-own again with Steve, Jon retired…
Tommy remains among the greatest losses in R&R…Not often does a guitarist come along that is not only better than the one he replaces, but could change the whole sound & vibe of the band too…Steve Morse managed this, & no-doubt Simon has the same magic. DP have got it right quite a few times, with only one error that I can think of, & it wasn’t JLT.
R2. Mr.Ezrin & the band are getting-it-on quite well, long live that relationship ! All good wine needs time to mature & become respected, many have to drink-up first…I think you are well & truly jumping-the-gun here Uwe, with only 1/13 tunes to listen too…It took years & countless concerts for your aforementioned tunes to become set-in-stone…These tunes are of-the-moment, & may well be the inspiration R&R needs for its come-back, with so many other bands that were holding that flag considered AWOL… Give it time 🙂 !
Peace !
May 1st, 2024 at 23:45Sorry, the game is over. Nothing’s changed in the last 3 LPs (not including the COVID disaster). Time either to get away from Ezrin or pack it in. Time to make a serious decision, become a better band or a parity of a great band
May 2nd, 2024 at 00:20Rough tour coming up. For example, 19 concerts in North America in just over three weeks. I wonder how the singer’s going to keep up with this pace.
May 2nd, 2024 at 06:49There’s much to admire, and we should be glad that the band are still energised enough to produce medium octane rock whilst approaching octogenarian status…
The guitar 🎸 sounds good to my ears, with a touch of Hendrix in the solo and some Ritchie in the riff, yet retaining enough soul to betray the individual at its heart.
Don looks like my dad, which I found distracted me from his performance which though full of Purps Lordian trademarks, lacked the dirty edge that would have made it true… yet perhaps that would’ve resulted in parody ? it’s still a fine performance.
Little Ian chugs away as he has done for the last three or four LPs – he’s still a fine drummer.
Big Ian really is looking his age, and his voice – although decent when layered, lacks any real power hence the mix pushing him to the fore … although he’s a legend, and (like the rest, Simon aside) ancient.
Roger, with his wizard look and wispy hair of yore, clad in raiments soooo cool 😎 he makes the other guys look like they’ve been shopping at Gap… for me (visually) he saves the day and underpins this performance with as assured class … an absolute hero.
The song does remain the same (ahem) however, I’ve heard this before … a lot … especially in the chorus, especially recently… the nod and a wink to bygone eras is really welcome and I hope we hear more of this on the LP… I’d love to hear a Fools style tune, with space to stretch itself… that’d be a nice surprise…
It’s okay, but when I examine it… in five years time I’m going to be listening to Fireball not this one… why? Nostalgia, memories ?? Or, that those songs, albums and the fire of youth simply outweigh the fading glories of these latter day LPs – as fine as they are, they’re just not, you know, as good. Brutal but there you have it.
Having said all of that, and to finish as I began: I’m glad the chaps are still here, still producing music and song… it’s a testament to thier talent that they can still find even an ounce of originality operating within a formula that the likes of Thom Yorke told us was dead circa 1998… lol.
Yeah, Rock on.
May 2nd, 2024 at 07:42The concert version “Portablle Door”….I am positively surprised by big Ian (when I think there are no more surprises, he jumps out), his voice (for his age) is incredible, it’s not something sensational but but but..the biggest surprise!, he knows the lyrics of the new song ( no script from the floor)!!!!!.So this dish was cooked for a long time…Congratulations Big Ian!:)
May 2nd, 2024 at 07:52PS
“Portable Door”fast song on the new setlist for the first (20-25 minutes) opening concert DP hard-heavy block
One observation from the live footage. Simon is playing his solo exactly like on the record. Has it ever happened in DP history? Blackmore never played exactly the same thing twice. Same with Morse who sometimes kept the structure of the solo but deviated quite a bit each time he played it.
Gillan sound fantastic here by the way.
May 2nd, 2024 at 07:53@72 – Two points. First, sorry, Sir. The decision is theirs, not ours. It was Michelangelo’s decision how to carve his David, and it is DP boys’ decision how to play their music.
Second, no need to threaten with the game being over. They are close to their eighties and they know it better than we do. Just one major health issue with one of the guys, and even without a tragedy it may be over for all of us.
With that, let’s just be thankful for what we’ve got and keep enjoying it while we can, even if we think they are playing it too safely. All the time in the world…
May 2nd, 2024 at 08:18I usually find the 1st single to be the weakest song on the album, but this one rocks. I also liked the live version better largely because the vocals are less poppy and stronger without doubling the vocal track. The riff is really good and Simon & Don have nice solos. Everything that a great DP song should be.
May 2nd, 2024 at 08:58@73
May 2nd, 2024 at 09:07I was thinking the same thing. Pretty much nothing the first 5 months and then a very busy schedule the rest of the year. I’m glad I’m seeing them in August and don’t have to wait till November. Time is on no ones side.
Boring, like all Ezrin productions…
Sounds like a spa concert that is played again and again…
They are only a shadow of themselves and fade beyond recognition in the light of their own work.
The party is over and even though the morning is breaking, there is just no more light.
But memory is the only paradise from which one cannot be expelled.
So let’s listen to “shades of deep purple”.
May 2nd, 2024 at 10:07So many sourpusses here.
May 2nd, 2024 at 10:33I don’t like this…I fon’t like that. “They do not change”.
It’s a deep purple song in deep purple style, for god’s sake.
Thanks god they still play and give us new music. Rock on!
Congrats DP on this new album. Simon seems right at home.
May 2nd, 2024 at 10:36Can’t wait for the rest of the album. Who would have thought that the guys would still be rocking in 2024…
See you in North America later this year!!!
@ 72 No, it isn’t over. Many people seem to enjoy the new song and the last albums a big deal, including me and my son – who’s in his 20s …
May 2nd, 2024 at 12:59@80. Chuffing hell fella. Lighten up! If you can do at 79 what you could do at 21 the credit to you but I’ll wager you can’t. Purple now are still better than virtually any other band (and I watched G&R’s Glastonbury performance so I know that’s true)
May 2nd, 2024 at 13:09Lighten up fellas, indeed! @80 must be irony about the likes of @72. No need to brawl. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. The main thing is that the band enjoys doing it, and there are a multitude of people who enjoy the band doing it. If you do not happen to be in that multitude, that’s nobody’s problem and nobody cares. Everybody’s happy with that! And I am happy with having a portable door.
May 2nd, 2024 at 14:17I haven’t commented here in many, many years. I feel the need to now though.
The very fact that these geezers are still breathing is astounding considering how many of their contemporaries are no longer with us. Saw that Richard Tandy of ELO passed away, and he was younger than both big Ian and Roger. The fact that these Purple guys can still play at a high level is even more amazing. Add to that the crazy touring schedule (which apparently was even a bit much for Steve Morse), and they should be revered for those things alone. The song itself is a nice mix of Mark II and the Mark Morse era stuff. It’s certainly not groundbreaking by any stretch, but it’s most definitely a nice propulsive groove with some splendid solos and in the live clip Gillan sounds about as good as I can remember (and he remembered the words!) for the past 30-ish years. He’s not the Gillan of the 70s or even the 80s, but I would not expect that at this stage of the game. So many of the bands touring these days are playing to backing tracks, miming vocals and using other enhanced technology to mask their various shortcomings. You always know with these guys you are getting an absolutely authentic live show with integrity, warts and all.
As a fan it’s your prerogative to like, love, dislike or hate anything they do, or the production, or the album artwork, or the videos, or whatever. You can pine for the never going to happen reunion with Ritchie (who, if you watched any of the Rainbow reunions of the last 10 years doesn’t really seem that interested or able to play this type of stuff anymore). The fact that you can do this on music just now being released by this band is simply a wonder in itself in my opinion.
The first album I ever bought with my own money was “Made In Japan” when I was about 13. I have enjoyed all of the marks throughout the years, with the possible exception of the JLT disaster. I did, however, enjoy JLT era Rainbow and saw a couple of those tours (got to see the Rainbow Rising lineup once in concert as well) and they were all stellar. I saw Glenn Hughes do a Mark III show in February of this year. He was absolutely amazing and the music from that era of the band still holds up. I have watched so many of my good friends succumb to various ailments through the years before and since. I never dreamed I would outlive so many people. The fact that all these guys are still bringing it gives me untold amounts of joy and hope as I approach my own personal “golden years”.
I personally will choose to marvel at their longevity and the fact that, like it or not, in their 7th (!) decade as a band they are still carrying the torch for this type of music and are still saying something.
May 2nd, 2024 at 14:21At =rick g.
May 2nd, 2024 at 16:29@86 – Spot on. Well said.
janbl
May 2nd, 2024 at 17:24First, a general comment, just like Rick G said, the fact that four guys from the current DP still even twitch and hold body temperature is in itself worthy of praise and ritual sacrifices (burning of Led Zep albums etc).
Herr Gregster: Where did I say I‘m judging the album based on a pre-release single? Kangaroo-pouch-sized hogwash! For all we know now, this might be the best or the worst song on the album. All I said was that it‘s pleasantly familiar, but won’t have us rewrite DP history.
His Lordship, the Venerable Disease @65, Don plays nothing like Jon, he‘s more angular, jazzier (I sometimes hear a bit of Colin Towns), technically more proficient, a good bit faster too and more importantly doesn‘t share Jon‘s idiosyncratic ‘Keith Richards-gifted sloppiness’ that made the music roll and not just rock. I really don’t compare the two. Roger once said that the only commonality he hears is that they both play the Hammond. I do think though that Don’s Hammond playing has developed in leaps and bounds with DP, he’s today a much more impressive organ player than when he joined them 20 years ago or so.
Cisco @76: Yup, I noticed that too, The Belfast kid replicates his studio solo live. Probably because recording it is still fresh on his mind and he doesn’t want to blow it with the first number he has co-written. Give him time, he’ll grow more relaxed. That said, Simon is generationally of course someone raised on players who would replicate their studio solos more often than not. I don’t know what happened, but in the last few decades “sounding just like your record” has turned into something aspirational for many younger musicians. I blame Don Henley and the Eagles! 😂
May 2nd, 2024 at 17:31I felt as @86, lotta time not posting anything here, and thinking how to post my feelings. @86 did it.
I took the Purple train on the Perfect Stranger’s station. Then went back to the, Perfect, Maide in Japan and back beyond ‘tlll the roots, and forward on. Happines, sadness and all in between, for me are painted with purple colors of any kind: Gillan, Snakes, Rainbows, Blue light, name’s changes, Bands On (not, Abandon), bananas, all their prolific Ezrin years… They have been there ever since, for four of the five and a half decades I’ve been going through. Always true.
(Apologize for beig so melodramatic.)
It’s a miracle that in this world that has move on so fast so much, they are still playing such a fantastical music and sharing it with us. For us.
Big BIG Thankyou, Deep Purple!
(Looking forward to see them in Madrid!)
May 2nd, 2024 at 20:33I believe that when Mr Lord stopped playing in the band, that was the start of the end. Airy doesn’t have the same ability. Morse was great with Lord. I would love to have an LP like purpindicular, abandon, banana’s! There’s different individual songs on those LPs. The first Ezrin was good, 2nd, ok, 3rd just a repeated formula. Now, unless I hear something different on the other songs on this new LP, it’s formula rock. Sad
May 2nd, 2024 at 22:28@ 89 – so we can expect a funeral pyre of sorts regarding your cherished Led Zeppelin collection Uwe? Nice to finally hear, you really do NEED to exorcise that demon. Careful though as Aleister could pay you a visit, so make sure you do plenty of protecting yourself with chanting & dancing, plenty of incense & some new age music or something similar. On second thoughts couldn’t you hand them to your son, although he probably has all the albums himself we would think. From one Zeppelin aficionado to the next & why not, it is nice to hear a musical influence has been created there from father to son. Are there going to be any images (genuine) of the fire ritual if that proceeds. Health & safety guidelines enforced of course for safety measures? We are looking forward to it. Cheers.
May 3rd, 2024 at 00:06After about 12 or so listens I have to say that it’s growing on me. Typically, the songs that I like on the first exposure are not the ones that stick with me so I am starting to have high hopes for this one. Regardless, any new purple is better than no new purple.
May 3rd, 2024 at 01:52@89Uwe, I was thinking of the last time a Purple guitarist recreated studio solo live and I found one. It was Haunted from Bananas. You can’t blame him for that, it was a really beautiful solo, one of my favourites from Steve.
May 3rd, 2024 at 07:20Deep Purple Live Portable Door Multicam
May 3rd, 2024 at 10:18https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORb-Ot8xtvo
Sigh, Haunted was such a lovely song, they played it at the time and then, inevitably, never again. And that Morse solo was great, true.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6f/78/ab/6f78ab1c2b4e92a41c28fc1a92e94c33.png
I remember Gillan meeting some derision at the time from Brit critics for daring to rhyme “haunted” with “wanted”. They can be tough on their own. 😁
The lavish Paul Buckmaster string arrangement didn’t appeal to everyone either, it was viewed as “unpurple” and even “cheesy”, but I really liked it, it’s no doubt the Elton John-fan in me, but I’m in good company: Jon Lord liked Elton’s music and piano playing too. He once said that he wanted PAL to sound “like a mixture between Elton John and Little Feat”.
May 3rd, 2024 at 15:16Oops, wrong link for ‘Haunted’!
https://youtu.be/LotAru3vJIY
May 3rd, 2024 at 19:17As always fans in here and out there will complain and compare and wishing “ Ritchie Blackmore was back in Deep Purple” even though he had not been playing rock music for a while. The ladt Rainbow concerts were like listening to a karaoke band. Listen the dude is happy playing his pop, bubble gum so called renaissance folk cover music and God Bless his soul. I close my eyes And I feel and hear Steve sound and style more than Ritchie’s on Simon’s playing. Great catchy single. I cannot wait for the album. similar in the vein of Time For Bedlam and Pictures of Home/ Things I never said maybe ? Same time signature but I love it!!
May 3rd, 2024 at 20:12Surprised that no one has commented on the unflattering presentation of IP in Portable Door. It sounds like he’s barely hitting the snare, the bass drum is indistinct and the cymbals are too high in the mix, making them sound like they are all over the place. Outcome of the listening experience: a very peculiar IP performance. Ezrin has given DP a boost late in their career but he clearly doesn’t know how to make Paicey sound good.
May 5th, 2024 at 07:53Or is it Paicey’s playing style that has changed so drastically?
May 5th, 2024 at 07:58The single hasn’t made it on to the radio 2 playlist and i have been looking at the planet rock playlist and it hasn’t been played in the last 24 hours or so. Space Truckin, demons eye and strangely enough Throw my bones have been played. Maybe they will get more airplay nearer the album release , but it must be frustrating for “classic” bands releasing new material. “simple song” “out of hand” “above and beyond” “uncommon man” “time for bedlam” “birds of prey” “the surprising” , in my opinion are modern DP classices that rank alongside the older classics but didn’t get the airplay to reach that level.
May 5th, 2024 at 09:17Terry, I don’t believe there are many radio listeners left that would base their decision of buying (or downloading) the new DP album on a chance encounter hearing a single on the radio. Even in their 70ies heyday Purple were never a singles band, they have album fans like us and to us a single release is just a teaser for a coming album which we would buy in any case – single release or not.
I’m only really interested in DP singles if the song version deviates from the album or if there are non-album B-sides/bonus tracks like in the days of yore with I’m Alone and When A Blind Man Cries.
May 5th, 2024 at 20:39Uwe, Radio 2 has a huge influence in the uk and if it means an extra 500 units sold it is still worth the leg work. My other point is, a modern classic is not allowed to become a classic because it competes in a genre that spans nearly 60 years.
May 7th, 2024 at 15:11It has been played a couple of times on Planet Rock..does that make me an influencer.
May 8th, 2024 at 16:15Esteemed Prof. Terry Xavier, I think your psychic mind power is utterly compelling.
https://images.app.goo.gl/wvEpeKses3wMzWXT9
Now can you please summon Rod Evans as well?
May 8th, 2024 at 23:55Yo,
@98 said qt.”As always, fans in here and out there will complain and compare and wishing “Ritchie Blackmore was back in Deep Purple”, even though he had not been playing rock music for a while”…
* Who’s this guy Ritchie Blackmore ???
Peace !
May 10th, 2024 at 02:54Don’t you know, Gregster? He’s that Limey guitarist who can’t improvise for the hell of it with a screaming banshee of a bassist.
May 10th, 2024 at 14:33LOL !
@107 said qt.”Don’t you know, Gregster ? He’s that Limey guitarist who can’t improvise for the hell of it with a screaming banshee of a bassist”…
* Yes, I know he can’t improvise to save his life ( unless you like hearing the same thing played over & over through every tune ), but didn’t he hang-up his Stratocaster to hang-out with Dwarves, Elves, & Hobbits somewhere in Middle Earth ???…
And as for that “Banshee bassist” wasn’t he the main reason that RB left DP, & then DP split-up a year or so afterwards ???…
Peace !
May 12th, 2024 at 00:26You and your pet theory about Glenn being the major factor for Ritchie‘s departure in 1975! Realistically, if Ritchie had said “it‘s either Glenn or me …”, what do you think would have happened? How many more seconds would have Glenn lasted?
What happened in 1975 was more like that Ritchie realized that he had painted himself into a corner with the purge from Mk II to Mk III and that neither the band as a whole nor the management would follow him instigating another one. Perhaps it also dawned on him that getting rid of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had not been such a great idea after all – Mk III sales were by 1975 dwindling, there had been no hit single of the line-up and after the sojourn with Dio he would try to get both Big Ian (who said no) and Roger (who said yes) into Rainbow looking for something he felt he lost when he forced the change from Mk II to Mk III.
In 1975, Glenn had the weakest position within Purple, certainly compared to Ritchie. And when Glenn’s drug habits began to have an impact on the Come Taste The Band recording sessions, he was swiftly and unceremoniously sent home by the others to clean up his act, which he dutifully did (for a while), worrying whether he would still have a job after rehab. Glenn couldn’t have rowed out Ritchie and if he had wanted to (which I don’t think he ever did, knowing how near to impossible it would be to replace him). Rather I believe Glenn was under the mistaken impression that he could turn Ritchie into Mel Galley in the long run, a British guitarist rooted in the Blues, but open for Funk influences. And that collided with Ritchie’s tendency at the time to go the other way and actually “unfunk” his music: The Rainbow debut was less funky than Stormbringer, but Rising did away with even those funk groove influences still present on the debut courtesy of the Elf rhythm section. Jimmy Bain/Cozy Powell were the epitome of an unfunky rhythm section (which is why Mistreated always sounded plodding to me when Rainbow played it, yet subtly funky when Mk III performed it, especially as regards the bass/drums/keyboards backing during Ritchie’s solo part).
May 12th, 2024 at 14:22@109…
Here’s how I recall matters as discussed within here…
* IG hands in resignation.
* No one says anything, or asks him to reconsider.
* RB starts searching-out members to form a new band, a blues trio in fact with IP.
* Management asks RB “What would it take to get you to stay” ???
* RB said “I expect RG to go if you want me to stay on for 2-more-years”…
* Mk-III is formed, to surprising positive reception by the masses, especially the US-of-A.
* “Burn” turns out great, & then RB lets the “shoe-shine” music colour itself within “Stormbringer”, & along with GH antics, satisfies his reasons for leaving to both management & the masses, as proved on record.
* RB apparently always left the stage when GH was “Doing his thang”…
* Rainbow is formed, & around 12-months or so later, DP are no more, but did manage to release a superlative final recording, that was sadly never followed-up, due to poor & irregular live performances.
* Check-out “Last Concert in Japan”, & see if you can listen all-the-way-through it.
Peace !
May 13th, 2024 at 00:36Glenn’s “shoe-shine bass playing” was already all over Burn (the album), people just didn’t notice because the mighty Blackmore riffs were still there (they went missing on Stormbringer because Blackmore began saving things for his solo album). But the bass on Might Just Take Your Life, Sail Away, You Fool No One, A 200 and even on Mistreated is already funky as hell and, more importantly, was supposed to be played that way because Blackmore liked it at the time, he was looking for an Andy Fraser type bass player due to his love affair with Free. He got that (and more) with Glenn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJEa3C5WScU&list=PL0UilNO-mADvejypsqfBq2pQ7OIsucih5&index=9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDYNDJVXz2g&list=PL0UilNO-mADvejypsqfBq2pQ7OIsucih5&index=2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uXjFNLUImI&list=PL0UilNO-mADvejypsqfBq2pQ7OIsucih5&index=4
I have no problems watching Last Concert in Japan footage or listening to the album front to end, I preferred it at the time to Made in Europe which to me sounded like Blackmore’s mind was already somewhere else. What strikes me about the 75 Budokan gig is the unbelievable rapport Glenn and Tommy had, those two really fell for each other. That compensates for Tommy’s handicapped arm. The live versions of the songs from Come Taste The Band all come across great and I even like how Tommy played the SOTW riff, he made it dance a little.
May 14th, 2024 at 05:38Yo,
Leiber Uwe stated…
qt.”I have no problems watching Last Concert in Japan footage or listening to the album front to end, I preferred it at the time to Made in Europe which to me sounded like Blackmore’s mind was already somewhere else”…
* I agree that the footage, as found on say “Phoenix Rising” & the sound quite acceptable, though it’s Tommy having to cover-up a defunct right arm. The recording “Last Concert in Japan” however, reveals more of the show, & just how poor the quality actually was. I recommend you listen to the record, & not watch the DVD, as the DVD show presents itself as “just acceptable under the circumstances”…
Although RUSH 2112 is about the heaviest & most stunning studio album I’ve heard, “Made in Europe” is the heaviest live album, it’s good stuff. The Friday Music version makes it almost equal MiJ in sound quality too.
Peace !
May 14th, 2024 at 08:01“I recommend you listen to the record, & not watch the DVD, as the DVD show presents itself as “just acceptable under the circumstances”…”
But I know the Last Concert album forwards, backwards and inside out! I worshipped that album ever since in 1977 I got my grubby adolescent hands on a virgin Japanese copy I mail-ordered from the UK (I’m still adamant that I was the first person in Germany to own that album, jawohl!). It’s the album that turned me into a full-fledged Mk IV fan. The Wild Dogs performance (priceless, a young DC, already in his grand baritone: “For the first time in Japan, Tommy Bolin is gonna sing for ya!”) on that alone is magic irrespective whether you are Tommy Bolin or a DP fan.
It drives me nuts that the live vid to that song is for some reason no longer available. Contrary to what you often read, IT DID EXIST AND WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL BUDOKAN FOOTAGE. I saw it many times on German TV and there was even once a VHS copy of it. Moreover, until maybe 10 years ago, you could even still see it on YouTube sometimes, but it regularly got taken down. I assume it has to do with the rights to the music and the rights to the vid not being aligned. YouTube vids where the track is synced to other parts of the Budokan live show abound, but I haven’t seen the real thing in a while (where an obviously handicapped Tommy is still chuffed to present the song to the Japanese audience and does a bloody fine job at it – in hindsight I wonder whether it found inclusion on that one night because Tommy was obviously in no state to play Marching Powder which DP would usually do). It is a performance full of Bolin charm and Purple power with some really propulsive bass playing from Glenn.
May 14th, 2024 at 14:00Hm… Last concert in Japan and even more so the whole show released years later on a 2CD set have always had a place on my playlist and in my heart. You Keep On Moving, Wild Dogs and Soldier Of Fortune are among the best live recordings of the band IMHO. The sound is, well, warm and it captures a live feel. I never understood what was wrong with it apart from the fact that it just was no Made In Japan. A whole different band but an interesting one.
May 14th, 2024 at 14:20Still I have to say that Burn and Mistreated from Made In Europe are among the band’s finest moments too in my book.
So here I am – treasuring them both … Cheers.
Made in Europe has grown on me over the decades, I used to detest it. Not because it is badly played or recorded, but because it sounded cold, unhappy and somehow very corporate to me. I preferred the Cal Jam and Kilburn recordings of Mk III though Made in Europe (or the Paris and Graz gigs + Saarbrücken it is cut and pasted from) beat it in sheer sound quality.
May 14th, 2024 at 19:15@113 & 114…
Once one edits away the GH bollox, (& there’s plenty of it), the Mk-IV Deep Purple (overseas) Live Series”Longbeach 1976″ show is right up there along side MiJ & MiE imo.
* Also known as “On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat”.
Peace !
May 15th, 2024 at 01:49But I want my Georgia On My Mind! 😂
Long Beach was a great gig, more propulsive than Budokan even, but the latter still has its undeniable charm.
May 15th, 2024 at 10:47Yo,
Here you go Leiber Uwe, all yours !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7VNYi0tTYI
Peace !
May 17th, 2024 at 00:30A Captain Beyond fan (they do exist in remote parts of the world) pitches in:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/imtT4-QZYWw
Speaking of: At the Hughes gig in Mannheim I saw someone wearing a Captain Beyond T-shirt and couldn’t help commenting: “Now that IS a rare garment!” I think I made his day. 😎
May 23rd, 2024 at 15:06I have to be honest, I just got into heavy metal in my 30s, so I’m not as well-rounded a Deep Purple listener as you all. I have only heard from Shades Of Deep Purple through to Machine Head , but checked this out last night.
I absolutely love this, it has a lot of bite, tightness, and great riffs. Ian’s voice gives me goosebumps here. This is great stuff and I have to doubt the testosterone levels of people saying they should retire.
May 23rd, 2024 at 20:02“I have to be honest, I just got into heavy metal in my 30s, so I’m not as well-rounded a Deep Purple listener as you all.”
Allan, it is the late converts we love the most. 💞 😘
May 24th, 2024 at 18:50