In a new interview with São Paulo, Brazil’s 89 FM A Rádio Rock radio station, the members of the iconic British rock band DEEP PURPLE were asked how it feels to be “a bridge between generations”. Drummer Ian Paice responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Kids are still listening to rock roll. It doesn’t matter what sort of rock and roll. It’s all related to what we did and where we got it from, but it’s still rock and roll. You can put different names to it. The music, obviously, evolves, it changes, but it’s still very closely related. So I think that’s the connection. And the generation we came from, where for kids music was the only thing — not the most important [thing]; it was the only thing… Nobody had money, nobody had a car, no computers, no phones. Money, it was nothing. Music was your everything. And I think over the last couple of generations, kids do more things — they have more wealth, they have more toys to play with. But those bands that are still here from that generation still can teach a lot of the younger musicians what’s important. And I don’t mean by sitting down and learning — just by listening and watching. And I think that’s the connection for younger musicians. They see something which, for us, was natural and for them has to be sort of learned. And the only way you learn is by watching and listening. So that’s the connection.”
DEEP PURPLE‘s latest album, “=1”, came out in July 2024 via earMUSIC.
There simply aren’t enough superlatives to properly acknowledge the contribution DEEP PURPLE has made to rock music. Having sold more than 100 million albums and filled global arenas for decades, there’s little wonder that the respected British radio station Planet Rock named the group the “Fifth Most Influential Band Ever”. The band as also presented the “Legend Award” at the 2008 World Music Awards and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016. DEEP PURPLE truly are “rock royalty”.
With a body of work spanning seven decades, DEEP PURPLE has helped pioneer and define the hard rock genre while progressively moving into new areas, both keeping their sound fresh and attracting new fans to the legions who have remained loyal since the band’s inception. The celebrated MKII line up of Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore was responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early 1970s, including “Made In Japan”, universally accepted as one of the most important and influential live albums of all time.
Known as one of the hardest-working bands ever, DEEP PURPLE has continued to release No. 1 albums and tour globally since forming in 1968, with little rest. In 2007 (almost 40 years after being formed),the band performed 40 dates in France to an award-winning audience, and they continue to spend much of their year on the road selling out arenas across the globe.
DEEP PURPLE has stayed true to its musical roots taking from an eclectic mix of styles to create a distinctive sound that defines the band today, but which in turn, has created a legacy that very few bands could ever hope to replicate. The band has written and produced so many “classic,” well-known songs, that its audience range widely in age and background — something the band has readily embraced.
DEEP PURPLE‘s recent studio album “Whoosh!” (2020),followed their worldwide chart-topping albums “Infinite” (2017) and “NOW What?!” (2013). 2024 saw the release of their brand-new album “=1”. On all albums, DEEP PURPLE joined forces with producer Bob Ezrin, who has worked with the likes of KISS, PINK FLOYD, Lou Reed and Alice Cooper.
Furthering their collaboration with Ezrin, in 2021 and during the pandemic the band recorded a collection of cover songs from their own homes (normal for most bands nowadays, revolutionary for a band that records everything together in the studio),creating an eclectic and celebratory history of their roots in music, in the shape of “Turning To Crime”.
In 2022 came the sad news of Steve Morse‘s departure due to personal circumstances. Moving forward, DEEP PURPLE sought out the masterful skills of guitarist Simon McBride and played the year out in style, exciting crowds with a new energy and excitement.
Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride continue with renewed vitality, pushing the boundaries of hard rock to audiences around the globe, proving that DEEP PURPLE are very much here to stay.
Photo credit: Jim Rakete (courtesy of The Outside Organisation)
Source: blabbermouth.net
