History doesn’t like to talk about it much, but when Deep Purple first replaced Ian Gillan with an unknown, self-described singing salesman named David Coverdale, a lot of their fans – not to mention the media – were deeply, darkly, sceptical.
Nobody, the assembled wisdom of the age insisted, could ever hope to match the lung-searing, throat-tearing, range roving power of Gillan, least of all someone who was best-known among the cognoscenti for having opened for Purple back in 1969, with a forgotten band called The Government!
But Coverdale, came, he saw and he conquered, and “Burn,” the title track of his first album with the band, still blazes with the new energy and fresh dimensions he brought into Deep Purple, as his former Whitesnake bandmate, guitarist Doug Aldrich, explains. “Burn,” after all, is a song with which he is long familiar, and he recalls, “Playing ‘Burn’ with David Coverdale or [bassist] Glenn Hughes was always a great jam.”
And this new version, peeling off the upcoming Purple Storm Deep Purple tribute album, “was equally enjoyable to play on.”
With Bob Daisley and Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow), Jonathan Cain (Journey), and fast-rising goth metal superstars 616 all on board, Aldrich continues “I have been extremely fortunate to work with some of the Deep Purple and Rainbow members during my time….that family tree is pretty legendary!”
And, while he admits, “No one can play [guitar] like Richie Blackmore,” he is adamant. “I always do my best to treat his music with the ultimate respect.”
And “Burn” is respectful, even as this remarkable line-up indelibly stamps its own identity over both sound and vision – the accompanying video is everything a song titled “Burn” should be, and the riff… that riff… still scorches the flesh from a thousand yards.
Purple Storm releases on November 13, on CD, digital and a beautiful purple vinyl double album.
But let’s leave the final words to Doug. “God bless Blackmore!”
Deep Purple will release their new studio album SPLAT! on July 3rd on earMUSIC.
With more than 120 million albums sold since forming in 1968, Deep Purple have long secured their place in rock history. Rather than simply preserving their legacy, they continue to extend it, driven by the same spirit that defined their earliest work.
‘Where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very ‘now’ version of Deep Purple as it was in the seventies.’
Once again, the band has teamed up with renowned producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper). Together, they have crafted an album that draws on the sound and attitude that has always set Deep Purple apart from the rest.
SPLAT! is the heaviest Deep Purple album in many years, with the band playing together in the studio – the way Deep Purple have always recorded.
Ian Gillan: ‘I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with ‘Highway Star’, ‘Smoke on the Water’, ‘Lazy’ – the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from ‘69 to ‘73.’
At the heart of SPLAT! is an idea conceived by Ian Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: SPLAT! explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.
The album concept will be revealed further in the weeks leading up to its release on July 3rd. Follow Deep Purple and earMUSIC on socials to stay tuned.
To celebrate the release, Deep Purple will continue their extensive 2026 touring touring schedule with no fewer than 86 shows across 28 countries on three continents.
New music from SPLAT! is already on the way. Deep Purple invite fans to follow the journey in the weeks ahead.
Ian Gillan sums it up: ‘Deep Purple is in a great place right now.’
SPLAT! will be available on July 3rd in multiple formats:
Limited Box Set, containing:
2LP Gatefold (180g)
12-page vinyl-sized booklet
CD Digisleeve
3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the Deep Purple Tour 2024
Exclusive 7-inch single featuring the bonus track ‘GUINNESIS’ (not included on the studio album and available exclusively in the box set!)
As part of the upcoming ‘Rapture of the Deep – 20th Anniversary Remix’, Deep Purple today release a newly mixed and remastered version of ‘Clearly Quite Absurd’, accompanied by a previously unreleased instrumental studio rehearsal take of ‘MTV’, through earMUSIC.
Roger Glover recalls in 2025: “’Clearly Quite Absurd’ is a very unusual Deep Purple song, which I like. We’ve always liked being unusual. We don’t follow traditions, really. We are just who we are at a specific time.”
The single’s B-side, ‘MTV (2005 Studio Jam)’, is a previously unheard instrumental take from an early rehearsal session – with Don Airey, Steve Morse, Roger Glover and Ian Paice running through a track that later appeared as a bonus on select editions of Rapture of the Deep.
The single is a preview of the Rapture of the Deep – 20th Anniversary Remix, [out worldwide on August 29], which includes a brand-new mix of the full album, revised artwork, and a bonus disc filled with rare studio rehearsals and instrumental jams.
The album will be available as 2CD Digipak, 3LP Vinyl (black, 180g), and the strictly limited 3LP Transparent Sky-Blue Vinyl.
With Deep Purple riding high on the success of their latest No. 1 record ‘=1’, the time is right to (re)discover the album that set the path for Deep Purple in the 21st century.
Alongside the single release, the official music video for ‘Lazy Sod’ is now live on Deep Purple’s YouTube channel.
Asked about the song’s inspiration, frontman Ian Gillan explained in an interview:
“Recently, a young journalist asked me how many songs I had written in my life. I replied that the last time my assistant counted, twenty years ago, it was over 500. I felt quite accomplished until she pointed out Dolly Parton’s 5,000 songs, calling me a lazy sod. I couldn’t help but agree and wrote down the exchange in my notebook.” (ROCKS magazine, June 2024)
Produced once again by iconic Bob Ezrin, the new album ‘=1’ captures the purest classic Deep Purple sound, without relying on nostalgia.
Two weeks before its release on July 19th, global acclaim is mounting for ‘=1’. Critics are already hailing it as a Deep Purple‘classic’ (ROCKS, Germany), giving the album a perfect 10/10 rating, describing it as ‘highly recommended’ (Fireworks, UK), and celebrating ‘=1’ as ‘their finest moment this century’ (Classic Rock, UK).
In celebration of the new album, Deep Purple will perform more than 60 concerts worldwide this year during their ‘=1 MORE TIME’ tour.
With three consecutive No. 1 albums in their back pocket and a resurgent new energy powering them forward, this is Deep Purple at their pinnacle. ‘Now WHAT?!’ (2013), inFinite’ (2017), and ‘Whoosh!’ (2020) have sold over one million copies worldwide, making Deep Purple one of the most successful rock bands currently active. The latest studio album, ‘Whoosh!’, reached #1 on the album charts in 7 countries and charted in the top 10 in another 12.
‘=1’ will be released on July 19th via earMUSIC as Ltd. CD+DVD (Digipak), CD (Jewelcase), 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g), Ltd. Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g), Ltd. Crystal Clear 2LP (180g) and Ltd. Box Set (CD+DVD Digipak, 2LP black Gatefold, 3x exclusive 10” vinyl editions featuring live recordings from Deep Purple’s 2022 tour, exclusive Collector’s T-shirt, 2x exclusive guitar picks, 1x exclusive art print, 1x exclusive lanyard, and the chance to win a Golden Ticket giving access to every show on the Deep Purple ‘=1 MORE TIME’ tour).
All LPs include a rich 12-page LP sized booklet – exclusively in the first print run!
The bonus DVD features the approx. 60min documentary ‘Access All Areas’ joining Deep Purple backstage on tour and providing an exclusive look behind the scenes.
Further exclusive items are available via the official album store: Ltd. 2LP Picture Disc, Ltd. Cassette, strictly limited canvas signed by all band members – limited to 150 items only and various other merchandise items
DEEP PURPLE releases their new song ‘Pictures Of You’ of their upcoming album =1 through earMUSIC.
Deep Purple’s latest song, ‘Pictures Of You’ is now available for streaming and as instant gratification track with all digital download pre-orders for =1. Additionally, the single is offered as part of a four-track bundle which features two previously unreleased live recordings from 2022 in Milan, Italy: ‘When A Blind Man Cries’ and ‘Uncommon Man’.
For collectors, the excitement continues as the physical pre-sale of ‘Pictures Of You’ begins today. The single will be released on CD and 12” vinyl on June 28th, 2024, with each format being strictly limited to 5,000 pieces worldwide, and each copy being numbered by hand.
The first music video for ‘Portable Door’, featuring the band performing live on stage, quickly surpassed one million views. In this new video, fans will once again see Deep Purple in their element, performing together.
The enigmatic album title ‘=1’ encapsulates the band’s philosophy of unity amidst complexity, promising an album that resonates deeply with their five decades spanning hard rock legacy. Produced once again by iconic Bob Ezrin, ‘=1’ captures the purest classic Deep Purple sound, without relying on nostalgia.
In celebration of the new album, Deep Purple will perform more than 60 concerts worldwide this year during their ‘=1 MORE TIME’ tour.
With three consecutive No.1 albums in their back pocket and a resurgent new energy powering them forward, this is Deep Purple at their pinnacle. ‘Now WHAT?!’ (2013), inFinite’ (2017), and ‘Whoosh!’ (2020) have sold over one million copies worldwide, making Deep Purple one of the most successful rock bands currently active. The latest studio album, “Whoosh!”, reached #1 on the album charts in 7 countries and charted in the top 10 in another 12.
‘=1’ will be released on July 19th via earMUSIC as Ltd. CD+DVD (Digipak), CD (Jewelcase), 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g), Ltd. Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g), Ltd. Crystal Clear 2LP (180g) and Ltd. Box Set (CD+DVD Digipak, 2LP black Gatefold, 3x exclusive 10” vinyl editions feat. live recordings from Deep Purple’s 2022 tour, exclusive Collector’s T-shirt, 2x exclusive guitar picks, 1x exclusive art print, 1x exclusive lanyard, and the chance to win a Golden Ticket giving access to every show on the Deep Purple ‘=1 MORE TIME’ tour).
All LPs include a rich 12-page LP sized booklet – exclusively in the first print run!
The bonus DVD features the approx. 60min documentary ‘Access All Areas’ joining Deep Purple backstage on tour and providing an exclusive look behind the scenes.
Further exclusive items are available via the official album store: Ltd. 2LP Picture Disc, Ltd. Cassette, strictly limited canvas signed by all band members – limited to 150 items only and various other merchandise items.
Tickets for the ‘=1 MORE TIME’ tour are available HERE
About Deep Purple
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 ‘5th Most Influential Band Ever’. The band were also presented the ‘Legend Award’ at the 2008 World Music Awards and were 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 were responsible for creating many of the defining rock albums of the early 70’s, 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 sees 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.
Deep Purple have released the first song ‘Portable Door’ from their upcoming new album “=1″ through earMUSIC.
Produced by the Berlin-based agency Mutter & Vater and directed by Leo Feimer, the video showcases Deep Purple against the backdrop of the new album artwork, capturing the band in their essence as they share a stage and perform together.
The enigmatic album title =1 encapsulates the band’s philosophy of unity amidst complexity, promising an album that resonates deeply with their five decades spanning hard rock legacy. Produced once again by iconic Bob Ezrin, =1 captures the purest classic Deep Purple sound, without relying on nostalgia.
In a recent interview regarding the sonic direction of their upcoming album, guitarist Simon McBride shared insights, saying: “The new album will reflect what the five of us create in the rehearsal room. Many of the songs, like ‘Portable Door’, were written in the first sessions and literally came together in 5 or 10 minutes. It all was so easy and natural.”
Frontman Ian Gillan, highlighting the organic nature of Deep Purple’s song writing, added: “Throughout Deep Purple’s history, our best songs have always been those that were written in no time at all. We’ve played what felt good and developed songs as we have always done.”
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
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