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We listen to the new album, part 4 =1
Thanks to earMUSIC, The Highway Star is reviewing Deep Purple’s new album =1 to be released on July 19. This is the penultimate segment.
Having lived with =1 for just over a month now, the initial trepidation has evaporated. All doubts have been replaced by a feeling of energetic elation and warm reassurance that all’s truly good and well in the McBride’d Purple camp.
There’s a lot going on on this album. You’re constantly turning your head to little musical detours on the instruments and ingenious details in the compositions, which make for very entertaining listening.
Even allowing for a natural curve of ups and downs along the album, the general standard is incredibly high, and several personal favourites already threaten to turn into future classics.
But let’s move on to the individual songs.
9 – Lazy Sod – kicks off in an upbeat manner, Gillan proclaims he can’t get his ass out of bed while the world’s on fire, and there’s a groovy shuffle underneath it all cooked up by a band that genuinely gels and feeds off one other.
Throughout the song – which appeared suddenly as a surprise third preview single – everything is coming together in that wonderful fashion displayed only by bands who actually play together in the same room – as the photos from the Toronto recording sessions last Spring confirm. The vibe was real and it permeates the album.
“The oceans are rising, I can’t do a thing about it.”
10 – Now You’re Talkin’ – McBride leads us into an uptempo rocker with healthy amounts of lyrical innuendo over an intense riff. The feel and atmosphere reminds me of other busy-busy Purple tunes without becoming predictable, and it’s all good.
“Whatever does you good, lifts your skirt, gets you done, unbuttons your shirt, get the fuck out …”
Gillan spits out a bossy delivery on the verses, and the orchestration changes on the chorus, lifting, adding new colours along a busy winding road of elegantly played intricacies.
As we head into an exciting solo section, McBride turns in a fantastic sweaty old school rock’n’roll guitar solo – before Airey takes over with an Eastern tinged synth solo and – again – a lot going on!
The guitar theme takes us into an exciting ascending and loosely “jammed” end section. Listen to the simple genius of Glover’s bass intensify from quarter to eights notes. Everything threatens to lift off into the skies – but is suddenly inexplicably overtaken by the album’s first (and frustrating) fade out. Great track!
11 – No Money to Burn – is another swaggering riff based rocker with surprising accents and punctuations and a tasty groove. There’s no shortage of ideas here, and it’s yet another highly entertaining listen.
“I hear a blackbird sing, I feel a scorpion sting.”
Middle section goes off into new directions – again – before a guitar solo of long notes, taking their time beautifully followed by a gorgeous, swirling Moog solo to brighten your day.
A minor gripe throughout (which might be rectified in the final product – been listening to a thin streaming signal here), is Ian Paice’s tom-tom sound. It’s boomy and unrefined and not exactly a tight fit with the rest of the otherwise very well balanced sound of a band striding along.
With its increased intensity, this one could also become huge favourite.
Next segment we’ll be looking at the last two songs on =1, and it’s safe to say, they’ve not kept the boring songs for last. Listen up!
Read also: Part Three, Part Two, Part One.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Great work, as usual! Looking forward to this one, a LOT!
July 12th, 2024 at 00:33Reliable Rasmus, how we can always count on him.
July 12th, 2024 at 05:48I cannot resist & I am bored. Ritchie naming the new DP 2024 album. Second image from Cal Jam behind his amps with the guitar tech looking rather concerned. Cheers.
https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/1st-november-guitarist-ritchie-blackmore-from-deep-purple-news-photo/159600591?adppopup=true
https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/deep-purple-guitarist-ritchie-blackmore-on-the-stage-with-a-news-photo/155941635?adppopup=true
July 12th, 2024 at 07:11Thanks Rasmus. Like the sound of “up tempo rocker” and “swaggering riff based rocker”
July 12th, 2024 at 11:37I cannot yet prove it, but Rasmus is getting paid by earMusic for these åccølådæs if you ask me. 😑
https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExNmhwZ2lyaHNqeDNuemVqbGxyZXQ3enk4bWY3bTEzcWNuajdmZjV0MSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/YZGJc1WmUZPi0/giphy.webp
July 12th, 2024 at 15:39Percussive island dweller @3: Huh? “Ritchie naming the new DP 2024 album …” – I don’t see it say ‘=1’ on the back of his amps anywhere, what am I missing?
You always confuse me, even when unbored.
July 12th, 2024 at 18:32After listening three songs there are at least two new members in the band – Ritchie McBride and Keith Airey…
July 12th, 2024 at 19:27Holding his finger up, one. Well at least it sort of looks like that. There is a Ian Paice image somewhere of him doing that. Did someone post that a little while ago, possibly. Cheers.
July 12th, 2024 at 22:56@3. You gotta be joking, man, what are you smoking?
July 13th, 2024 at 05:54Blow it out through my portable door
It was a sudden spur of hyperactivity, David, the Tasmanian will eventually collect himself and settle down again. Best to not even ignore it …
July 13th, 2024 at 11:20Or just lie down in a darkened room and listen to Beyond The Notes to calm down 😉
July 13th, 2024 at 17:02Yes indeed, I do enjoy the humour in certain situations & some of those images are rather good for that. Especially the Cal Jam photos as we know what went down there & I have always wondered about the roadies & tech guys. The drum kit destruction image reminds me of The Who more than anything else. Although Townshend rarely used a Stratocaster back then, so that is a give away as to it not being The Who. All that thinking does get the adrenalin going & Uwe has had an influence on me, can anyone believe that? All those links he occasionally sends have had an impact. If you cannot beat em, join em. Cheers.
July 13th, 2024 at 22:14Honorable Herr MacGregor, how you humble me with your gracious attention!
Cal Jam was something, very much of its time. No Woodstock or Isle of Wight hippie romanticism, no Altamont killing of a dream; it was a music corporate event of successful stadium rock acts, a bit on the decadent and megalomaniacal side, but very efficiently run. Greatest triumph of American logistical capability since D-Day in 1944.
And a very memorable performance from a band that had just undergone a huge line-up change, had juvenile new blood in its ranks and just released a new album people had not yet really got to know, yet which made up the lion’s share of the radically revamped set. No act as established as DP back then was would today take the same risk.
July 14th, 2024 at 00:56@ 13- you are not wrong Uwe & Cal Jam organisers had the advantage of watching & learning how to do it I suppose. Four years or so after those earlier mega ‘hippy’ rock festivals. Keeping it simple & direct & the filming was more organised. Easier to do in one day than over three days. Blackmore’s attitude at that time of ‘the devil may care’ payed off in throwing the band to the wolves, so to speak. Coverdale was the only one so inexperienced & that shows at times, but he had to learn to tread water before swimming. I have been watching a fair bit of different performances of The Isle of Wight 1970 festival lately & I enjoy some of them (The Doors in particular) as Morrison is straight, sober & he sings superbly. Talk about a crooner in a rock band. The weather of course can help out or ruin a festival & Woodstock for all it’s intentions suffered big time. Cal Jam being a one day setup was the winning deal & it worked. Cheers.
July 15th, 2024 at 00:26Part 5? if it’s not tomorrow then I’ll get the album before the review.
July 17th, 2024 at 13:54