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Too mellow and too muted

Guitar Player reprints online a story of how Ritchie Blackmore got the “loudest amp Marshall ever made”. In his Deep Purple days, Ritchie Blackmore was known for two things: his habit of torturing his Fender Stratocasters and his love of volume. But getting an amp as loud as he wanted took particular skills and talents. […]

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Trapped in undesirable circumstance

Louder Sound reprints online a feature on Gillan’s Magic, arguing it is a conceptual album of sorts in nature. Of the three major offshoots that emerged after the break-up of Deep Purple in 1976, Gillan (the band, not the man) was certainly the most musically daring. And Gillan’s most daring album just might be their […]

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A little Gillan and a little Lord

The latest issue (February-March 2025) of the Rock Candy magazine has a feature on the “Deep Purple maestro’s other band” Gillan. We have no idea on the details, so please report if there’s something interesting in there. In other unrelated news, Dear Mr Fantasy – A Celebration for Jim Capaldi Featuring the Music of Jim […]

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A day in history

City of Münster, Germany, publishes this historic photo. Deep Purple in the window of city history The Deep Purple concert on December 4, 1970 in the Halle Münsterland was completely sold out. Numerous disappointed fans without tickets then tried to storm the entrance to the hall. Only a massive police operation prevented them from entering. […]

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Barely made a dollar

You guessed it right — yet another classic Gillan video has been restored and posted to the intertubes. Living for the City

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Celebrating Bernie Marsden

Rufus Publications is taking pre-orders on their new book Celebrating Bernie Marsden. The promo blurb reads: With the kind permission of his family we have been working on a new book to celebrate the career of the amazing Bernie Marsden. This new, 300mm square book with over 300 pages includes written contributions from David Coverdale, […]

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Two colours of the rainbow

A couple of recent interviews with ex-Rainbow people. Ronnie Romero talks to Barstools & Bandtalk: Bob Daisley has appeared on the Talk Louder Podcast, and it was a protracted conversation, so buckle up! Despite repeated efforts to scrub his name from the history books, bassist, composer and lyricist Bob Daisley is universally celebrated (and rightfully […]

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Sea Glass

Candice Night’s new solo album Sea Glass will be released on April 25, 2025, vie Edel/earMUSIC. It will be a family affair, with her hubby guesting on one track (The Last Goodbye), and their children appearing on another (Promise Me). Track list: Sea Glass Unsung Hero (She’ll Never Tell) The Line Between Angel And Jezebel […]

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Live Archive 1974

Another batch of vintage Deep Purple bootlegs has been released on streaming platforms. These are the Live Archive 1974 Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. The sets include: Manchester-Belle Vue, King’s Hall, May 15, 1974 New York City, Madison Square Garden, March 13, 1974 Sheffield, City Hall, Oval Hall, May 6, 1974 Uniondale, Long Island, New […]

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Sarabande in Athens

Jon Lord’s Sarabande will receive a rare live outing in February in Greece. It will be a one off performance by the Camerata Friends of Music Orchestra, conducted by George Petrou, with special guest Gus G on guitar. Other memebers of the band include Giorgos Fakanas on bass, Stefanos Dimitriou on drums, and the conductor […]

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No, not swimming

Another classic Gillan video has been restored and posted.

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The Frank Sinatra of rock´n´roll

A 1981 vintage Jon Lord interview, where he talks about the bogus Purple, Gillan’s departure from the band, Tommy Bolin, prospects for a reunion, Tony Ashton, an upcoming solo album, and the Frank Sinatra of rock´n´roll. The interview is published with a warning that no part can be quoted without permission, so we can’t offer […]

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Ще не вмерла Україна

Ian Gillan’s autobiography has been published in Ukraine. It was translated by Gennady Shpak (text) and Julia Vrotna (lyrics), and edited by Volodymyr Drybushchak, who himself is a well published author of quite a few books on Deep Purple and family. With Ian’s blessings, Volodymyr corrected several factual inaccuracies that sneaked into the original. Sounds […]

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John Sykes R.I.P.

John Sykes, guitar player with Tygers of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, and his own band Blue Murder, has died, having lost a protracted battle with cancer. The following message has appeared on his website yesterday, January 20, 2025: It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has passed away after a hard […]

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Line of struggle

Former Sabaton guitar player and current Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has posted his cover of Child in Time a-la Power metal style, with plethora of guest appearances. Check it out if you’re a fan of the genre.

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She’s anarchy and treason

A newly restored video for Gillan track Sleeping on the Job off the Glory Road album has been posted on YouTube

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Pushed To The Edge it is

Don Airey’s latest solo album Pushed To The Edge (of which he hinted about back in September) is set to be released on March 28, 2025, via earMUSIC. Joining him on the record are Carl Sentance and Mitchell Emms on vocals, Simon McBride on guitar, drummer Jon Finnigan, and bassist Dave Marks. The album will […]

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Unpretentious and clear-eyed

Steve Morse dispenses wisdom to younger players on the virtual pages of the Guitar Player magazine. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced shifting from Kansas to Deep Purple? My first encounter with Deep Purple was a really good jam session, and my first encounter with Kansas was a writing session. Those were […]

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If it could, it would

Couple of Machine Head related articles in the Vintage Guitar magazine. Both have originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of the magazine, and now are also available online. Roger Glover was interviewed on the occasion of the Dweezil Zappa’s remix of the album. The recording circumstances are part of the Machine Head legend, so […]

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Before there was EVH

Guitar World has a story about the origins of two-hand tapping guitar technique, and Ritchie Blackmore is indirectly involved. It sounds like something out of one of those corny classic rock-themed parodies of Renaissance paintings. The setting is one of the most famed rock venues of all time, LA’s Whisky a Go Go, and the […]

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