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Cover stories bonanza continues
Sweden Rock magazine has Messrs. Lord & Gillan on the cover of their #6/2024 issue. An 8-page feature based on an interview with Ian Gillan inside. IG: “Jon Lord was the godfather”… Bonus: a 3-page article on Black Country Communion, with Glenn Hughes’ interview.
Goldmine magazine summer 2024 issue (pardon the shouting, the quote is verbatim):
DEEP PURPLE FIGURE OUT A MUSICAL EQUATION JUST FOR GOLDMINE. VOCALIST IAN GILLAN AND BASSIST ROGER GLOVER TALK ABOUT THE BAND’S NEW PHILOSOPHY FOR HARD ROCK EXCELLENCE — THEIR NEW STUDIO ALBUM =!.
PLUS, NEW GUITARIST SIMON McBRIDE AND KEYBOARDIST DON AIREY PICK THEIR FAVORITE PURPLE SONGS OF THE ‘70S.
A WHOLE LOT OF PURPLE IN THE SUMMER 2024 ISSUE!
Powerplay magazine has the band on the cover of issue #275 (July 2024):
Ian Gillan tells us about writing and recording the band’s 23rd album which has the rather odd title ‘=1’ and is the first to feature new guitarist Simon McBride. Ian also recounts how he was assisted by a friend who he describes as a mad scientist!
German version of the Break Out magazine also puts the band on the cover of their July/August 2024 issue, and reviews the new album inside
Regardless they are veteran or young Deep Purple fans, they will all love the record and be grateful to the men around Gillan, Glover, Paice, Airey and McBride, because they have achieved more than just a fine old work.
And last, but not least (albeit not on the cover), Dutch magazine Lust for Life reviews =1 and gives it 5 stars.
Thanks to Benny Holmström, Emje, and Tobias Janaschke for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Purple’s promotion and PR has never been in better hands than currently. In the past, it wasn’t exactly their strong point. They must be working with a good team.
June 30th, 2024 at 23:07Ian Gillan looks like he is ready to play cricket, wearing that ‘pullover’. Being English and all, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was into the ‘gentleman’s game’. Jon Lord is probably more suited to being an umpire. How is that Sir! Not Out & that will be Tea chaps. Bless him. Cheers.
June 30th, 2024 at 23:25Yo,
Nice to get good-press, & a 5-star album review…Very interesting !…
About 2 & 1/2-weeks to go…
Peace !
July 1st, 2024 at 00:26Indeed, a veritable bonanza of coverage for the Purps recently. I don’t recall so much attention having been lavished on Purple during the Morse years. Suddenly Deep Purple seems to be in vogue. I wonder why that is? More attentive management / record label? A more cordial relationship with the rock music press? The novelty factor of a new guitarist? Or, the fact that Purple are possibly considered “elder statesmen” of the rock world and are finally receiving some overdue wider recognition?
July 1st, 2024 at 06:33MacGregor;
July 1st, 2024 at 11:53Don’t forget that Jon had a cricket pitch in his garden in Henley – if ‘garden’ is the right word for a space big enough for a cricket pitch.
@4…
Probably there’s a little of each of your statements that helps add-up why the good-times-are-rolling at the moment.
You forget to mention great music, which is the key I think…And the fact that these guys are going to Rock-’till-they-drop, & that honour alone is worth celebrating for sure, since it’s such a great example to set for people of all ages.
Peace !
July 1st, 2024 at 12:43There’s is only a dearth of mega-bands from the 70ies around that still have 3/5 of their classic line-up intact, including the frontman. And who still tour and record new music regularly. DP have become a rare breed.
The Who are down to two members and only rarely record something new, Status Quo is down, down to just Francis Rossi, so are Uriah Heep (only Mick Box left), Lynyrd Skynyrd have no one left unless you count Rickey Medlocke as an original member due to his short-lived initial drumming stint for them), 3/4 of the original Black Sabbath are ailing and need to stay home, The Allmans threw the towel a while ago and biology took care of the rest, YES have splintered, Pink Floyd are warring, KISS have called it a day too, Genesis will never again be able to tour with Phil Collins (and recorded their last new music almost 30 years ago).
The closest you get to Purple are The Rolling Stones with two men of the original line-up and one from the mid-seventies (I guess we can call Ron a true Stone by now!) still there, regular tours and releases of new music (though not with anything like the frequency of DP). Of course the Stones operate on a much grander scale than Purple and have a wider audience, but overall the field has drastically thinned out and shifted Purple more into focus. To grab a phrase from Glenn: (nearly) last men standing …
Who would have thought a couple of decades ago that David Coverdale would need to retire ahead of Ian Gillan? IG is six years older and – unlike DC – still had to live with/endure food rationing in the austerity of post-WWII-England for his first six to seven years.
July 1st, 2024 at 23:32@ 5 – thanks for the reminder Ted, I had forgotten that. Julian Bream also was into cricket & had a full cricket field set up on his property back in the day. Apparently hosting regular cricket matches with the locals etc. And why not I say, I would be doing the same if in that position to do so. Cheers.
July 2nd, 2024 at 00:47@2. There’s a picture of Gillan playing cricket from ages ago. (if I remember where I saw it i’ll add it here).
July 2nd, 2024 at 13:33@2. Found it! Double Trouble tour brochure. IG is batting (but not well IMO!)
July 2nd, 2024 at 13:38