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2000
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1999
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1998
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NOTE: This is news. Talk to Joanna for the latest rumours.

For upcoming releases please check here
If you have any news, please send them to the news crew

February 21
Gillan's Michigan incident ended with $100 fine
Ian Gillan plead "No Contest" to the misdemeanor assault charges arising from an incident at Pine Knob in Clarkston, MI last summer (see news from Sept. 4 below). Gillan was fined $100.

February 18
Jon Lord solo tour postponed
Jon Lord reports:
"The dates for my solo tour have unfortunately had to be postponed and are now rescheduled for May. If you all could please accept, along with my very sincerest apologies, that the reasons must remain for the moment private & personal, I would be most grateful. It goes without saying that I am most upset, as I was primed and ready to go, but I do have the DP dates to look forward to, and the knowledge that by the time May comes I'll be even more primed and even more ready. Just in case anybody was thinking it - it has nothing to do with ticket sales - they were fine, for which, thanks to all those who had bought them. :) Please direct any enquiries re tickets to your local ticket agencies etc, not to me, as I have no knowledge of the procedures in that area.
Best Regards
Jon"

February 11
Good ticket sales in Sydney
Euan McLeod reports:
"A friend living in Sydney heard on the 2MMM radio station that folk planning to go to the Sydney concert had better get their tickets fast; the A-reserve tickets are sold out as are 3/4 of the B-reserve. Apparently they only planned on selling 4,500 tickets whereas the SEC will hold 9,000 ... maybe they'll make more tickets available if the sales are so good. Not bad considering that tickets only went on sale 4 days ago!"
(The above message was posted to alt.music.deep-purple on February 10.)

February 7
Steve Morse feature and competition
Michel Gilles from Belgium reports:
"In the March issue of British Guitar Techniques Magazine, I found a full page photograph of Steve Morse showing his Music Man guitar. It was written: "Win Steve Morse! Well, just his guitar, actually..." In the April issue of this magazine, 2 specially recorded tracks will be included on the cover CD, including the full transcriptions to give you a chance to play along. Furthermore, there will be a competition and there is a signed Music Man Steve Morse signature guitar to win."

January 31
Deep Purple covered on all star project album
Hardradio reports:
Stand Back Entertainment Inc. of Canada is proud to annouce it's latest release, ESP (The Eric Singer Project). ESP features Eric Singer (ex-KISS, ex-BLACK SABBATH, ex-LITA FORD) on drums and vocals, Bruce Kulick (Ex-KISS, ex-BLACKJACK and UNION) on guitars, John Corabi (ex-MOTLEY CRUE, ex-THE SCREAM and UNION) on guitar and vocals and Karl Cochran (Ex-ACE FREHLEY's touring band and ex-JOE LYNN TURNER) on bass and vocals. The album features 10 classic tracks remade: 'Set Me Free' (SWEET), 'Four Day Creep' (HUMBLE PIE), 'Free Ride' (EDGAR WINTER), 'Still Alive And Well' (JOHNNY WINTER), 'Never Before' (DEEP PURPLE), 'Goin' Blind' (KISS), 'Teenage Nervous Breakdown' (NAZARETH), 'Changes' (JIMI HENDRIX), 'S.O.S. (Too Bad)' (Aerosmith) and 'Foxy Lady' (JIMI HENDRIX). The latter features Kiss guitarist ACE FREHLEY on lead guitar as special guest.
BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi is scheduled to hit the studio in March to complete his forthcoming solo effort... [A solo effort that has been rumoured to include an appearance of Glenn Hughes. - Ed.]
The Way It Is is the title of GLENN HUGHES' forthcoming solo album. It is set for an April release in Europe and Japan through SPV and Nippon Crown, respectively...
(Thanks to Benny Holmström.)

January 30
Australian tickets to be released on February 1st
Colin Hadden reports in our guestbook:
"I just got word from a major ticket company that the DP tour Down Under is CONFIRMED AND ON. Venues, ticket prices and other details released on 1st February."

January 28
Rhino box set details
Warner Archives/Rhino shifts into high gear with the March 16 release of "SHADES (1968-1998)", representing the first-ever complete history available in the U.S. of heavy metal pioneers Deep Purple. With a suggested retail price of $59.98, this definitive four-CD box set features 62 tracks from 20 Deep Purple albums plus four previously released anthologies between 1968 and 1998, and encompasses all phases of the influential band's career. The collection also unearths many rare cuts plus tracks previously unreleased in the U.S. Read more in the Rhino Records press release.
(Thanks to Cathy Williams.)

January 28
Remastered "Shades of Deep Purple" postponed
EMI Sweden reports that the remastered "Shades of Deep Purple" has been postponed and will now be released in late March or early April.
(Thanks to Johan Hellström.)

January 28
Jon Lord tour band lineup
The backing group for Jon Lord on his upcoming European tour will be:
Pete York - drums
Colin Hodgkinson - bass
Miller Anderson - guitar
Wolfgang Norman Dahlheimer - keyboards
another German keyboard player (from Cologne?)
Sam Brown (already confirmed)
a backing vocal section (some kind of chorus, 4-5 people)
and a string ensemble.
(Thanks to Thomas.)

January 19
Deep Purple 4CD Live Box Cancelled
Connoisseur Records have announced with regret that they've been forced to completely cancel this box set after licensing problems.
(Thanks to Nigel Young.)

January 19
New UK release date for Jon Lord's "Pictured Within"
Mark Besley reports:
"I tried to get hold of Jon Lord's new masterpiece in the London branch of Virgin's Megastore last Friday, and they informed me that the UK release date has been put back again to February 2nd."

January 18
Yet another Deep Purple compilation
Edel Records will release a compilation album called "Friends & Relatives" (CD 2 0000068EDG). The double CD contains 26 tracks from Deep Purple and releated bands and solo projects. See Edel's homepage for tracklist and details.

January 18
Misc. news from Hardradio
Hardradio reports:
Drummer Uli Kusch is masterminding a RAINBOW tribute album that will include performances by all of Helloween and PRIMAL FEAR vocalist Ralf Scheepers.
JOE LYNN TURNER's cover of FOREIGNER's 'Waiting For A Girl Like You' is a new Japanese edition single, pulled from his Under Cover 2 album, that also features covers of WHITESNAKE, DEEP PURPLE, THE BEATLES, RICK DERRINGER, STEPPENWOLF, and MOUNTAIN. The single is backed with 'Freedom's Wing' and 'Shine On'...
DEEP PURPLE's In Rock (1970), Fireball (1971), Machine Head (1972), Made In Japan (1973) and Burn (1974) have been reissued in Japan, each on a 24 karat gold disc limited to the initial pressing only...
(Thanks to Benny Holmström.)

January 18
Nobodys Perfect re-enters charts
Nobody knows why but the Deep Purple live album "Nobody's Perfect" went from #94 last week to #11 this week on the Canadian national metal chart! See for yourself at: http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicCharts/METAL.html.
(Thanks to Glen Miller.)

January 8
Deep Purple news for Australia
It looks like the long suffering Australian Deep Purple fans can finally look forward to a series of Deep Purple gigs between April 16 and April 24. Standard disclaimer; we've not had this info confirmed by the Deep Purple management yet, so please consider this to be unverfied as of yet.
According to our source in Australia, "Abandon" and "30 : The Very Best of" will be released in Australia in the first week of February, and there will be TV promotion to promote both the CDs and the tour.

January 6
Deep Purple plans for 1999
So, what can we expect from Deep Purple this year? Deep Purple will continue the A.Band.On.World.Tour (stay tuned for tour dates coming soon), Jon Lord will do some concerts in Germany in support of his latest solo album "Pictured Within", "Who Do We Think We Are 25th anniv. edition" will be released in the spring and finally, Roger Glover has mentioned plans of another solo album. And that's just the new stuff... Keep your eyes open for news on archive releases over the year.

January 6
Smoke on the water in "classic rock songs of all time" list
Radio station WHCN in Hartford Ct., conducted a poll for the top 1059 classic rock songs of all time. They played all the songs over the New Year's weekend. The Deep Purple song "Smoke on the water" came in at no. 11.
(Thanks to John Bartone.)

January 2
News about the Warner/Rhino Deep Purple Box Set
The Mining Company Classic Rock website reports:
"A long-awaited boxed set from heavy metal pioneers Deep Purple is on tap for this spring, according to Billboard Bulletin. Shades, the 4-CD set, will include 62 tracks taken from the band's three-decade career, as well as rare and previously unreleased outtakes, live versions and B-sides. A 56-page book will accompany the set. Tentative release date from Warner Archives / Rhino Records is March 2."
As Warner/Rhino is an American record company we guess the above release date is a US release date. I guess the Europeans have to import a Deep Purple release for a change... We're working on making the box set available through the Deep Purple Online Store.
(Thanks to Joel Hammerman.)