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New album producer
Darker Than Blue reports that in an interview to the French magazine Rock Hard Steve Morse said:
Well I think it’s now confirmed, it’s Bob Ezrin who will produce the new Deep Purple album
Bob Ezrin is, of course, known for his production and songwriting work for Alice Cooper (most recently on Welcome 2 My Nightmare), Kiss (Destroyer, Music from “The Elder”), Pink Floyd (The Wall, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell) and many others. His previous Purple connections include producing Kansas’ In the Spirit of Things when Steve Morse was in that band and Dave Gilmour’s About Face, to which Jon Lord contributed keyboards.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
This is excellent news. Ezrin is an fantastic producer, and should be able to get the best out of Deep Purple.
Another minor DP connection – Ezrin produced Kula Shaker, who had a huge hit with Hush (originally Joe South, I think , though the KS version was closely modelled on DP’s cover) . Not sure if he produced that track though.
April 14th, 2012 at 18:58Well, my fingers are crossed, but Mike Bradford didn’t produce them as well as Roger Glover did. They haven’t written a Deep Purple album in seven years so hopefully there will be a creative frenzy like _|_ — the albums following have been likeable but none has lived up to the promise of _|_ IMO.
April 14th, 2012 at 19:54Mistake.
April 15th, 2012 at 00:44Well, Ezrin produced some really awesome records. That’s good news. I hope they get their creative juices flowing one more time. Break a leg, guys!
April 15th, 2012 at 01:04@1 Mathieu,
Great point and guess what…..Roger Glover’s son was a member of Kula Shaker when that song was released. I have the CD Maxi-Single. Great version. It got some good exposure at the time. Late 80’s. Look it up. Ezrin will do Purple some good. I just hope they give in to his expectations. I don’t see why they wouldn’t. They sold out totally to Bradford whom isn’t a smidgeon of the Producer Ezrin is. “Trillion Dollar Purple”.
Cheers
April 15th, 2012 at 01:56I don’t know what he CAN get out of them. They seem SO out of gas.I just watched a clip from Montreux,and it’s Purple by numbers.It was unwatchable,and Gillan is beyond shot. Heck,Steve doesn’t even smile anymore,which should make soem happy I guess.Steve needs to concentrate on his new project and let Purple quietly fade,or Purple need to get another singer with some fire. I apologize to anyone that offends,that’s just my impression.I can’t listen to them any longer as they currently are.
April 15th, 2012 at 02:42Here is Kula Shaker doing HUSH….
Studio Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ4vK0VUGu0
Great Live Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl9GPjcA6Hg
Cheers
April 15th, 2012 at 04:11Did I say 80’s? I meant 90’s. 1997 to be exact.
Cheers
April 15th, 2012 at 04:15Perfect. Purple deserves a producer of this caliber. One suggestion – use the studio and sound engineer that did Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms album – the clarity and depth on that is one of the best I’ve ever heard, no matter how poor your personal stereo equipment is. Sound engineering has lacked so badly in so many Purple recordings, comparatively. IMHO.
April 15th, 2012 at 04:26… I am so very agog and snoopy how the new album will rock us …
*Long Live Rock´N´NRoll*
-kraatzy-
April 15th, 2012 at 10:25This is great news, an outside producer that is world class, and it only took 44 years,(:
April 15th, 2012 at 11:06Lets hope he gets the best out of them.This could be the last album they make and it would be great for them and us if they went out on a winner.
I have been familiar with Boogaloo Bob’s work for nearly 40 years now having grown up an Alice Cooper FREAK! His production on those Classick 4 Cooper Group albums, Welcome To My Nightmare/Goes To Hell & the 2011 sequel are second to none.Not to mention Brutal Planet and The sequel Dragontown. Throw in Get Your Wings by Aerosmith, Destroyer from KISS,U2,Green Day,Rod Stewart,Peter Gabriel,Nine Inch Nails , Berlin from Lou Reed & The Wall from The Floyd plus their 2 Waters-less albums and you have a career that is Legendary and diverse enough to more than handle the Purple cadre.Can NOT wait for this one!!!!!!
April 15th, 2012 at 15:33I don’t have much to add to this story other that to concur with Brads assessment. Purpendicular showed great promise. My initial thought was the DP could be musicially exciting with the new banjo player. Unfortunately, (and this opinion I claim only as my own) Abandon, Bananas and Rapture of the Deep failed to really excitement. I realize it’s difficult for a long tenured band to really move fans because of the catalog they have to carry around with them, which is a pity, (and I’m guilty of judging current by their past) but I do hope that Bob can provide that push and spark that could give the boys one more glory notch in the belt.
April 15th, 2012 at 18:34Kevin Shirley was on my short list. But, I am happy. Things are moving on. Hopeful new blood will help get this one out to us, the starved fans…
April 16th, 2012 at 17:36I’m just grateful that they’re still around, and that they are capable of producing a new record:-) The two last records have been, IMO, poorly produced, but the songs have been “some good and some great”. They’re a different band because Blackmore left, then Lord, but that doesen’t mean that they can’t make great music. Considering what Blackmore’s done since ’97…..:-/
As I said, I’m just grateful that they’re still around giving it their best at age (up to almost) 67. Deep Purple are still the soundtrack to my life, and I still love them with a passion. I hope the new album will show all of us that they’re the best hard rock band ever, no matter the personell:-) And, have a look at all the backstage DVDs out there. They’re a band who enjoys the fruit of their work, and they obviously enjoy eachothers company. They didn’t do that back in ’93, and there was no way the band could continue under such circumstanses.
Earlier I haven’t been Morse biggest fan, but today I love his playing just as much as I used to love Blackmores. Blackmore didn’t do anything for me during the ’80s Purple except for the ’93 tour, but by then it was to late.
I’m glad I’m able to enjoy all incarnations of Purple! Good luck with the new record guys:-)
April 16th, 2012 at 22:34“I think it’s now confirmed” = not confirmed. I’m inclined to think getting a piece of news out is more important than anything, regardless of the outcome. Do they need a producer? I don’t think so, now this one will easily be double the expense of the last one who got away with some easy money if you ask me. The last one was for garnish, this one will be more expensive, so let’s hope an entire course is served up over it.
April 17th, 2012 at 02:05Very Good News!
April 17th, 2012 at 05:28Good news indeed, but a great producer cannot make a mediocre song into a killer one. I’m hoping that the writing is at least 80% better than it has been since Perpendicular…Otherwise its pointless 🙁
April 17th, 2012 at 08:27“I realize it’s difficult for a long tenured band”
Maybe……
But with HIM they for sure hit the classic song button at least for a song or 3 an album.
Ofcourse, some dont like S & M or TBRO or HOBL, but IMHO you re a weird DP fan if you want to dismiss stuff like The Cut Runs Deep, Fire In The Basement.Anya, TBRO, Strangeways, Dead Or Alive, The Unwritten Law…..
Right now I m trying to push away the gloomy feel that has arisen now spring has been replaced by Autumn again.
So again I m listening to the wonderful FLYING COLORS album.
What a singer, drummer and songs.
Ofcourse it has parts I d have dismissed in A Purple piece.
But this ain’t no Purple!!!!
And I m so glad.
Dutch climate is poverty for my health.
April 17th, 2012 at 13:49I hope to escape one day…….
Maybe they should record in an empty hotel next to a burned down building for good measure !
April 17th, 2012 at 19:40@ 18 : Excellent point Wildtrooper, hit the nail on the head. Ezrin has helped in songwriting with a song or two with some of the artists I am into, but I am not sure how much quality in the songwriting department he will add! Still, at least he is a positive to add to the ranks, whilst the fat lady warms up her tonsils & clears her throat!
April 17th, 2012 at 21:13@19 priest……..what is it you are trying to say??? Nothing new from you as far as I can tell….. 🙁
April 17th, 2012 at 23:41It’s all over the net and even listed at Wikipedia already as their next producer. But this isn’t, I would try to be Mr. Anchorman and send it in for a Blog it will likely wind up in here anyway. But this is faster, either post it here guys, or headline it. RARE Deep Purple mkII footage starts this clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18tQml773uQ
April 18th, 2012 at 04:44Re:5 When did Roger have a son?
April 18th, 2012 at 15:57Considering even the production of the last Gillan’s album “One eye to Morocco”, Nick Blagona was in my top list producers….Anyway what really counts is the songwriting…that’s the big question…and I don’t think they are able to recreate the magic of “Purpendicular times”…
April 18th, 2012 at 17:27Bob Ezrin could do DEEP PURPLE a lot of good. I am tired of all the negative banter. Give these guys a break, they are still one of the best bands in the world. I can speak for the company I keep when I say that Abandon, Baanas and Rapture of the Deep are brilliant pieces of driven innovation. (dictionary people) When they come on stage, the palms of my hands still sweat with eager anticipation. Just as they did in 1970. I am 60 on the 29th of April, and I go with my 15 year old grandson to the gigs. We are old farts that still appreciate DEEP PURPLE. Theres a new breed of fan now. YOUNGER. To quote a fantastic vocalist. “It’s time the cattle went to the trough.”
April 18th, 2012 at 21:32Roger has step son(s) -it was his wife at the time’s nefew I believe that was in KS.
April 19th, 2012 at 02:52Appearantly this site gives the boys a thumb up :
http://www.popcrunch.com/19-old-bands-that-need-to-break-up/?img=161356
April 19th, 2012 at 12:31@ 23
Enjoyed the whole bunch but hell, where is the rest of that SKOW clip?! : )
The irony of seeing self proclaimed feminist(he reacted kinda over the top at the time when he heard the so called sexist lyrics of All Night Long by Rainbow, thank you Rogerrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!)Joe Jackson.
Several other bands …..a joy to see.
Now going back to check out that Apolyctica with Nina Hagen clip : )
April 19th, 2012 at 12:49Sorry, typo : (
April 19th, 2012 at 12:54@23 Yes my Italian Tv showed this little footage…great and rare but playbeck…
April 19th, 2012 at 13:25Roger doesnt have a son!! As he doesnt have one, he certainly wasn’t in Kula Shaker! Actress Haley Mills was the singers mother, but thats about it…..
April 19th, 2012 at 18:41I’ll second BR’s suggestion – a few red lights, a few old beds . . .
April 20th, 2012 at 04:40@ 23, amazing footage of 1971 MkII… I don’t know about you lot but I’ve never seen that before. Strange Kinda Woman…now thats a tune!! I wonder if this version of DP can come up with something as simple and timeless on the soon to be completed (Hopefully) album??? The problem as I see it is that all of the SM era albums are simply toooo busy. they are trying to be clever with the arrangements! Lots of brilliant musical passages does not necessarilly make a great piece! You have to have the basic ingredients first: Melody, structure and dynamism. Please take your time with the songs and lets hope you are all in a very productive frame of mind…I used to by DP albums completely on spec. I knew in my heart that there was always going to be something special on them. Not anymore after the last 2. I shall cautiosly listen to some samples before I buy (or download) the next one!
April 20th, 2012 at 07:50If it is true then it’s good news.
Gotta be! Purpendicular was indeed a cracking album, one of their best, but you can’t hope to recreate a vibe, however short or long ago it was. New vibes are always welcome, and hopefully Bob will be able to reproduce this.
April 20th, 2012 at 11:11@Chris, regarding:
April 20th, 2012 at 11:19Tracy Heyder says: “Great point and guess what…..Roger Glover’s son was a member of Kula Shaker”
CP says: “Re:5 When did Roger have a son?”
Alonza Bevan is not Roger’s son. From memory, he’s the son of a cousin of Roger’s ex-wife.
And Ezrin hooked up with Kula Shaker a couple of years after Hush.
@Roberto, -since when does live appearance footage from the 70s matter if it’s playback action or not? Who gives a shit? More importantly, no photos from that performance have even been seen.(although plenty of fans knew about this clip for years now)
@Nigel, -nefews, cousins, I thought it was all the same over there. 🙂
April 21st, 2012 at 19:45I’ve no issues with Bob Ezrin, but why don’t they try tempting Martin Birch out of retirement?
April 22nd, 2012 at 20:02Thanks for the clarification Nigel (that is if you are correct). I just seem to remember when the song was released and got plenty of airplay here in the States, it was mentioned (I also thought by Roger Glover himself somewhere) that his son was in the band. Either way, it was SOMEBODY related to Glover in some way, so I was in the ballpark with a foul ball…..
Cheers
April 23rd, 2012 at 00:07well at least we know morse won’t be replaced by ezrin like ace frehley..or glen buxton was!
April 23rd, 2012 at 00:11@38 -sure, why don’t they provide him with all of the current technology and how to use it as well? So much for the already painstaking expense of producers as it is. I’m quite sure hardly anyone reading this really knows just what percentage they make. Bradford probably came rather cheap when you compare him to one of the most successful ever in Ezrin, however, this is going to be one big money investment either way.
April 23rd, 2012 at 21:58What about Derek Lawrence? FULL CIRCLE!!!!
Or did I miss/forget something about him?
April 23rd, 2012 at 22:13Alonzo is related to Bev Bevan?
April 24th, 2012 at 20:53“I can speak for the company I keep when I say that Abandon, Baanas and Rapture of the Deep are brilliant pieces of driven innovation. ”
Perhaps it’s time for some new friends.
For the most part those were weak albums and hardly innovative. (???)
I don’t see Bob Ezrin being right for Purple. He’s more into a stage-drama type of act. I’d much rather see Purple just retire to solo projects at this point – the band burned up the last of their inspiration onf Purpendicular.
April 27th, 2012 at 01:51@ 22
Yeah, as afar as you can read.
Take a better look at my posts all over the board.
And I did mention Flying Colors.
Btw, what we are doing here is talking among others that are more or less “alike”.
It happens that things get repeated, partly due to repetition of the subjects.
Btw, you re selecting me out of others that are sort of saying the same……..
That is repetition as well as far as I m concerned.
April 27th, 2012 at 09:45@ 26
What is it with that “dictionairy” thing?
Are you implying some of us are retarded?
Btw, I think that a starved audience might be tempted to eat anything served.
April 27th, 2012 at 09:50But , maybe excluding you and your friends, most of us are not starved.
I’m happy as long as it won’t be the same production crap Michael Bradford delivered. Total waste and a huge dissapointment. It won’t take much to improve production this time. “Any Fule Kno That”
April 27th, 2012 at 16:26Total waste and a huge dissapointment?
Not.
But I am looking forward to the next album gents.
May 1st, 2012 at 22:50A guy who can make KISS sound good can’t be that bad. I can’t wait to hear the finished album. A magnificent choice for “The Final Cut”!
May 2nd, 2012 at 18:13Fantastic news!
Purple have produced some great songs with Morse and Airey but imho haven’t done a really fab album since Purpendicular. They should’ve done this years ago!
May 2nd, 2012 at 18:58There are some issues I have… for one, how the hell can a producer be paid to just show up and make any difference? This band hired Bradford and he almost made strides on the first one. I recall wondering if they hired him because he has the same initials as their former engineer who keeps on getting confused as their former producer when every album they made in the 70s was *produced* by them. I mean did Ezrin get approached and sign once he had a miraculous vision as to how a band in their twilight are going to have a hit record? I’m doubting it, I feel no concept to this, but hope there is already one. Bradford straight up told them that if they were not interested in recording a hit record that he wasn’t interested in producing them. Well, telling the freaking label to promote the thing with half the nuts it takes comes to mind, can a producer not do that much, sheesh! I just don’t see him coming up with anything to bring but a refinement of the sound. I see him showing up and trying to make something out of whatever they’ve got. That is not going to exactly cut it, talk about a waste of money, why don’t they just cut a DVD of a run thru performance of the entire album like Metallica did on St.Anger. Do something fair with the money!!!!!!! Most of the online fans seem to want to see them perform this line-up’s tunes only, they would get their wish this one time. Do something spectacular, forget about being contemporary and do away with some of the easy listening stylings that have crept in. And if Ezrin suggests wind chimes he is no better than Bradford, ha ha.
May 3rd, 2012 at 10:11I hate Kiss…but the production it’s a different thing from songwriting…
May 4th, 2012 at 19:56LRT I would have to disagree with you regarding the lack of difference Ezrin could make. The producer obviously is a powerful piece of the puzzle. Look how bad the sound is on Bananas and ROTD. You are being quite inconsistent here. You have been one of the loudest voices here regarding how Bradford’s work on those 2 albums was terrible and made it clear his involvement was a bad choice. Well then obviously a Proper producer should have just as much an effect to the positive side of the situation. Plus Ezrin is a sharp individual whom has a lot of ideas and will offer much input regarding a direction and package. Bradford wasn’t even a Rock Band producer. Ezrin is one of if not the best there is and his presence will be felt by the band. Looking for a hit? Nah. He is smart in taking them on and probably taking part in the historic last Deep Purple album which will also push them into the R&R HoF next year. He has that much clout. Not a bad thing to have your repertoire….Deep Purple’s producer during their Farewell Tour. Hell, if they do it right and he makes as big a difference as I think he will, they might decide to stick around and do a back to back album….(something they should do anyway).
Cheers
May 9th, 2012 at 02:18Ian Gillan has recorded once with a now member of Kiss, ha ha ha. And how can you hate Kiss, Roberto, didn’t you do a tribute once?
May 9th, 2012 at 20:20