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Writer in Japan interviews Roger, Don and Steve….
Writer Glenn Williams has posted transcripts of three interviews the held with Roger Glover, Don Airey and Steve Morse recently during the Japanese tour.
A quick update on the album Roger? What can you tell us?
RG: Well it’s hard to describe music really. It’s like how do you describe the Mona Lisa? A woman standing there with a funny look on her face. (laughs) Maybe she’s sitting…we don’t know do we?
Q: Is it more of the same?
RG: It’s hard to tell. I think it’s more of a heavier album than Now What?! It has a few unrelenting tracks on it and some surprises and in fact one of the songs is very surprising. It’s more or less finished: we’ve got some more vocals and we did some vocals actually two or three weeks ago in Toronto. All the tracks were done in February in Nashville, Bon Ezrin is still working hard yelling at us. (laughs)
Q: I’m guessing that you didn’t even consider anybody else to produce it given how good Now What?! turned out.
RG: No. Bob was really a good thing for us. You know, we are not a very together band strangely enough. We are all very different people, all live in different parts of the world and all have different ideas about what to do – it’s hell in there. (laughs) So writing sessions tend to be a lot of fun but making a decision is hard. Is it going to be a B Flat or B Flat minor, etc and everyone weighs in but Bob has a work ethic that leaves me tired. He’s really energetic and he’ll say ‘Right. Let’s listen to that one!’ and then ‘Yeah, I like that. We’re doing that’ and all of a sudden two hours of arguing in the band is gone.
Q: Which is what a good producer should be doing.
RG: Yeah. He’s opinionated and he contributes. He’s not one that says ‘I don’t like it: do something I like’, he’ll make suggestions. He’s a good songwriter, has good pitching and can work out harmonies. He works really hard, works his staff hard and us hard. We had eleven days…or was it nine days…doing about twelve songs, some of them from scratch so he’s brilliant.
More of Now What?!
SM: Yeah. In the terms of personnel, procedure and excitement, it’s the same but I would say Bob is more excited about this one and I think it’s a really good time for the band because everybody’s taking it super-seriously but at the same time everybody’s having fun. The Rock Hall of Fame thing sort of put a marker – a point in time where they got recognized. You know, we’ve seen people die, Jon died and there were people in my band, road crew and of course Tommy Bolin and I think everyone is really aware that we owe a lot to the audience and I guess for some reason. People are paying more attention right now. The audiences are more attentive and supportive than ever.
All this and much more at http://www.writerinjapan.com
with thanks to Yvonne Osthausen
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Can’t wait to hear it. I’m glad they are still rockin’. I hope Ian Paice gets well soon.
June 19th, 2016 at 19:30Thank you, nice… very nice
June 19th, 2016 at 19:31So it’s the heavier album after the one that shakes things up a bit. I find that these are rarely my favorites.
June 19th, 2016 at 21:43It seems from the chat with Roger that the differences between the new album & Now What?!, are as much as the differences between Purpendicular & Abandon… “I think it’s more of a heavier album than Now What?!”. Interesting!. Don’t suppose they will be including a cover of Ralph McTell’s “The Streets Of London” then!. Lol.
June 20th, 2016 at 01:17We need to be mindful of our old favourites age, health & abilities now. Age slows us down. The current Rainbow concerts are proving that. Still, we love ’em!. Smiles to ya.
Can’t wait for the new album. WN had some heavy tracks like Vincent Price and Apres Vous.
June 20th, 2016 at 03:30Roger says…….. “I think it’s more of a heavier album than Now What?! It has a few unrelenting tracks on it and some surprises and in fact one of the songs is very surprising.”
HELL YEAH!!!! I can not wait to hear this friggin’ record! And the clock ticks and ticks and ticks…….
Ch-BeerZ
June 20th, 2016 at 15:11Blackwood @ 4 – good comment indeed! Cheers.
June 20th, 2016 at 22:21@7 MacGregor, thanks for that!. However, I’m still holding out for a Deep Purple cover of The Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up”….. Be happy!.
June 23rd, 2016 at 03:03Can’t wait. Classy remarks by Steve, as usual.
June 26th, 2016 at 22:03Blackwood @ 8- hmmmmm, i went & had a listen to that Prodigy song, well not all of it, just bits here & there! Yeah, I could hear DP doing a cover of that! Ha! Cheers.
June 27th, 2016 at 02:12Sounds great. I just hope it’s a Deep Purple album with that trademark in sound. Not something fancy. Then I will be happy.
July 1st, 2016 at 16:25I know I’m old school. But that is the way I like it.
Deep purple at Gröna Lund/Stockholm 2/7-2016,Vincent Price:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2XjP-q7YbI
July 4th, 2016 at 17:05