Here we have a simple and straightforward one hour bonus DVD. No bonus features other than subtitles, so let’s dive in and watch Deep Purple hit the road! This documentary, unlike past ones, is not about the making of the =1 album. This is about Deep Purple on tour, and is more like a fly on the wall look at the band in their environment. We seem them relax, practice, drink and work.
We begin with Steve Morse, and his sad necessity to step down from Deep Purple after 28 years in the band. Roger Glover explains that Steve came in at a time (1995) when Deep Purple needed to reinvent themselves, which is what they did. Then, we transition to Deep Purple live on stage with Simon McBride, and “No Need to Shout” from the bonus live 10″ records included in this box set. Don Airey calls it a “fresh start”, and Ian Paice contemplates on how a new member creates new energy in the Purples. Roger praises Simon’s “cool” personality. The important thing, with any new Deep Purple member, is to musically just be themselves. Don jokes that Simon “brought the average age of the band down to 74.”
Time to hit the road. Ian Gillan talks about the routine, and the tour begins (to the tune of “Hush”). Hotels, breakfasts, limousines…and security tips from Gillan! It takes about three hours to set up the stage and start checking the PA. Drums are tuned and cymbals are attached to the kit. The guitar tech talks about the adjustment from Steve Morse to Simon McBride, and a different brand of guitars. We also get a good look at Don Airey’s keyboard rig. In a cute touch, Don keeps a bobblehead of his old boss, Ozzy Osbourne, on his keys. Finally the band turns up and sound checks. Don Airey tells Ian Paice a funny story about Gary Moore messing with his keys. The band have a quiet, very English sense of humour, but they are often seen laughing and kidding around.
During soundcheck, we get to hear Purple working on a new song: “Old-Fangled Thing”, which ended up on =1. Airey says he really enjoys soundchecks because it gives them a chance to play things like bossa novas, and entertain the crew. We move on to the 02 arena with Blue Oyster Cult opening, and other gigs with Jefferson Starship, who Purple seem to get along with famously.
There is a hilarious bit in Don Airey’s keyboard solo. He takes a wooden shim, and sticks it in the keys to hold them down. As a single note plays. A waiter with a glass and bottle emerges. Don pours himself a glass of wine as he takes a brief break. It’s all so very quaint and gentlemanly funny. Don’s son is actually the band’s stage manager, and it has allowed him to see more of his dad than he ever would at home.
The documentary then jumps to another day, and the 10 minute wait before showtime. Backstage, Roger Glover takes a crack at Ritchie Blackmore’s violent aversion to cameras. Ian Paice jokes about the palpable tension in the air, as the band continue to joke around and laugh, whiling away the last minutes before stage time. Paicey picks up a pair of bananas, plays a drum roll, complains the bananas are not properly balanced, and tosses them aside. That’s the wildest party moment in the Deep Purple dressing room.
Finally the waiting is over. The whole day revolves around the 90 minutes on stage, remarks Gillan. The band take the stage while Holst’s “Mars: Bringer of War” assaults the crowd in preparation. “Highway Star” (which, incidentally, is not included on the live records in the box) rolls out the thunder, and Simon McBride brings his own style to it. The documentary runs through a few live clips to give you a taste of the set, including the beautiful ballad “Nothing At All”.
When Deep Purple hits Berlin, Ian Paice has the idea to play a bit of “Let the Good Times Roll”. A young horn section is brought in, and it sounds great to everyone. We are treated to a clip of a soundcheck of “Hush” with the horns.
Show over, it’s off to the hotel, get a tea, and into bed with a book for Ian Gillan. Paicey prefers a glass of wine after a show, “because I’m allowed”.
Though it’s never overtly stated, one can’t help but notice the contrast in this documentary to the war stories of old. We remember the tales of on-stage and backstage blowups, food trays thrown about…but not any more. Now Deep Purple is five older gents who love playing together and don’t seem to mind each other’s company too much. That’s nice to see. And it’s still entertaining enough for an hour.
As a bonus DVD in a box set, this one’s easily a 5/5.
The box also came with art prints, a lanyard, guitar picks, a nice T-shirt and more, all seen in this unboxing video below.
HURRICANE – Take What You Want (1985 Enigma EP, 1989 reissue with bonus tracks)
Hurricane attracted my attention initially because I was a Quiet Riot fan. I considered Hurricane to be a “brother” band to Quiet Riot. Bassist Tony Cavazo’s brother Carlos was in Quiet Riot. Guitarist Robert Sarzo also had a brother, in Rudy. I loved that Carlos played bass, and Robert played guitar. I just knew that they chose those instruments so they could have jammed with their brothers, on guitar and bass respectively.
Perhaps Hurricane are best known as a band that launched its members into higher orbits. Robert Sarzo has been a member of Geoff Tate’s Queensryche. Drummer Jay Schellen is in Yes. Singer Kelly Hansen is with Foreigner. Big names!
Their debut EP was not a bad start. It boasted one single/video that impressed me as a kid, but we’ll get there. The original EP opened with “Take Me In Your Arms”, a tough little rock crooner with a great chorus. Right from the get-go, it’s the singer that impresses. The production buried him a bit too far back in the mix. It may be a case of “too many cooks”, as Kevin Beamish, Mike Clink and Hurricane all get co-production credits, with Bob Ezrin in an executive role! The swampy backing vocals don’t really help, but fortunately Hansen was more than capable of driving a chorus home. It was also obvious that Jay Schellen was going to go places. His drumming here is far from simplistic, standard rock cliches.
The second track gives Tony and Jay a chance to jam a bit before Robert comes in with some squealing guitar. “The Girls Are Out Tonight” is not especially remarkable, but like the preceding song, it has a great little chorus to go with some pretty poor lyrics. “Laughin’ and talkin’ about the boys, with whom you want to be seen.” You don’t see the word “whom” in rock lyrics very often, I’ll concede. The MVPs on this track are Tony Cavazo with a rollicking bassline, and Robert Sarzo with some great 80s excess on guitar.
The title track “Take What You Want” goes third, with an ominous little riff to open it. There’s a vibe here somewhere between Journey and Kiss. Hansen impresses thoroughly with those pipes! The mood of the song isn’t consistent however, going for a more cliched rock vibe on the verses, while the chorus just smokes. Almost a great song, but not quite.
Hurricane’s eponymous track was the single/video back in the day, and immediately impressed with the riff. Traditional metal with a hint of exotic, “Hurricane” was my favourite song for two weeks straight. “You’re like a hurricane comin’, you don’t forgive!” Get pumped up and rock this tune on repeat. It’s great.
“It’s Only Heaven” features Robert Sarzo and Tony Cavazo making really cool, atmospheric sounds with their instruments. Then Schellen comes in with a classic drum beat, followed by Kelly Hansen. This ballad could have been a Scorpions song, perhaps. Vocally it’s very different from the Scorps, but Klaus can sing anything he wants. Though slow, this ballad could have gone down in history like similar songs by Dokken…except for a really bad key change almost six minutes into the song. Otherwise, it’s pretty epic and spectacular. Somebody should have chopped the last minute and a half of it though.
Back to the hard rockin’, “Hot and Heavy” was the closing song on the original EP. It gets the job done. It’s fast, rippin’ with shout along hooks, and ready to tear it down. Robert Sarzo illuminates the sky with guitar pyrotechnics. Good little tune. Nothing remarkable of course, but adequate for the task. The whole EP is above average, because of the skill of the players and some occasional production goodness. It’s just a nose above the rest of the bands that didn’t quite have the same level of musicianship.
Old CD copies came with a bonus track, “La Luna”, a beautiful classical guitar piece by Sarzo. There is some really clever backwards guitar mixed in with the forwards. It’s almost like next level Randy Rhoads. The entire band got credited for writing, which means the band had an agreement to split writing credits.
This CD reissue has three bonus tracks, all from the next album Over the Edge. The first is a single version of “Over the Edge” itself. This hard rocker opens and closes with cool acoustic guitars, which caught my ear back in the day. I loved this tune. The production is still a bit wanting, but you can hear the talent shine through. Schellen’s got a great groove going, and Kelly was so underappreciated as a singer back in the day.
“I’m On To You” was another great single from that album. This is just an edit version. This “super stormin’ hook edit” opens straight away with the chorus, which may or may not be to your taste. “Na na na na na na, I’m on to you!” croons Kelly Hansen. You’ll love it or hate it. Finally, the CD ends with “Baby Snakes” (not a Zappa cover)…and finally it’s an instrumental version, without the phone call stuff! That part of the song was amusing for a few minutes, but hindered re-plays. This instrumental version remedies that!
Hurricane could have gone further than they did. Unfortunately for them, Robert Sarzo departed after Over the Edge, replaced by a guy named Doug Aldridge that you might know from some other bands. They started using outside writers, and that’s rarely a good sign. They have since reunited, but never with this original lineup again. An album and an EP was all we got. At least they were both decent.
3/5 stars for the original EP 3.5/5 stars with bonus tracks
ALICE COOPER – Breadcrumbs (2024 earMUSIC, expanded reissue of 2019 Edel EP)
Wait a second…”Breadcrumbs“? I thought the full title was The Breadcrumbs EP? It was, but with the addition of two bonus tracks, it appears that Breadcrumbs has been upgraded to an album, with a modified title and altered cover art. Interestingly now the artwork highlights the production of Bob Ezrin.
Back in 2019, Alice Cooper wanted to do a Detroit garage rock record and pay homage to his roots. The Breadcrumbs EP was originally six tracks of stripped down goodness on 10″ vinyl and limited to 20,000 copies. (I own #48!) Now on CD, it is expanded to include the 2020 standalone Covid-era single “Don’t Give Up“, and a live track from 2022.
For the first six tracks (the original EP), Alice is backed by the MC5’s Wayne Kramer, bassist Paul Randolph, Grand Funk’s Railroad Mark Farner, and Detroit Wheel Johnny “Bee” Badanjek. A remake of Alice Cooper’s “Detroit City” (from The Eyes of Alice Cooper) is an appropriate starting point:
Me and Iggy were giggin’ with Ziggy and kickin’ with the MC5, Ted and Seger were burnin’ with fever, and let the Silver Bullets fly, The Kid was in his crib, Shady wore a bib, and the posse wasn’t even alive.
That’s some rock and roll poetry right there. Not one of Alice’s finest songs but worthy of a second chance. Then “Go Man Go” is a new original composition co-written by Wayne Kramer. It’s punk rock Alice, as authentic as the bands he’s paying tribute to. Bob Seger’s “East Side Story” is anchored a steady groove, right out of Hendrix’s version of “Gloria”. A really funky “Your Mama Won’t Like Me” (Suzi Quatro) is the centrepiece of the EP. Horns blastin’, Alice hasn’t been this funky since his dance-oriented Alice Cooper Goes to Hell in 1976. “Devil With a Blue Dress On” (Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels) is the soulful side that Alice occasionally shows. It’s merged with “Chains of Love” (J.J. Barnes) which pulls everything back to rock. Finally “Sister Anne” by the MC5 puts the snot on the nose and the grime in the rock. Kramer’s simply awesome riff is perfectly complemented by Cooper.
The world suddenly changed in March of 2020. By May, Alice had made his statement on Covid-19: “Don’t Give Up”! It’s the most direct, most topical, and the least “Alice” song of the bunch. Why? Because this time he’s not telling stories, or covering a rock classic. This time he’s addressing the listening directly and talking about current events. Wisely, he just stuck to the feelings.
“Yeah, I know you’re struggling right now. We all are, in different ways. It’s like a new world that we don’t even know. It’s hard to sleep, even harder to dream. But look, you got seven billion brothers and sisters all in the same boat! So don’t panic. Life has a way of surviving and going on and on. We’re not fragile and we sure don’t break easy.”
Since it was 2020, the single was recorded in home studios and eventually released on vinyl, with a different version appearing on the Detroit Stories album. This is the first CD release of the original 2020 version. Musically you could call “Don’t Give Up” a power ballad. It has a very 80’s guitar figure, with Alice speaking his message over it. The chorus is more modern, with Alice singing as plaintively as he can. It was never a remarkable track, but it was an important one in its time.
2020’s live version of “Go Man Go” features his live band, including Hurricane Nita Strauss on lead guitar. This is a short blast of live track, and well recorded, at Hellfest 2020. Probably just because of the live vibe, it’s a more enjoyable listen.
Nobody likes getting double-dipped and having to buy the same thing twice. However, we’re used to getting fleeced by now. It’s easy to ignore.
Onto Sonic Boom and some other albums. For those keeping score at home, this CD contains tracks 106-120 in the Vault box set.
GENE SIMMONS – The Vault – Disk 8 (2018 Rhino)
“We Rocked It All Night” is an autobiographical song written for the Sonic Boom album. Though modern sounding, it also has a throwback vibe. It would have fit well on Sonic Boom and you could make an argument for its inclusion. It has a cool old-time rock and roll vibe while remaining modern Kiss. Gene can’t help referencing back to “Rock and Roll all Nite” in the lyrics, and it’s alright by me. 4/5
“She’s Rotten to the Core” is a Gene Simmons / Bruce Kulick composition not to be confused with “Rotten to the Core”. They are two different songs. It can get very confusing going through these demos! Gene likes to re-use titles and lyrics. This also has a vintage Kiss sound to it. Catchy chorus, circa Rock and Roll Over. “She’s rotten to the core, and I don’t care!” Really good tune that would have worked well on a number of Kiss albums. 4/5
“S&M Love” is the same musical idea as “Sweet & Dirty Love”, recorded with Tommy Thayer. These originate with an old Gene song called “Jelly Roll”. This version of the song has lots of tasty slide guitar action and sounds pretty much ready for an album. It’s better than the version on Asshole. It’s more rock and roll. 4/5
“Sweet & Dirty Love #2” with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer is a dirtier demo of the same song. It’s a lot rougher sonically but with just as much slide. Good, fast & heavy. Too much it doesn’t sound as good. 3.5/5
“Jelly Roll” is the original idea. You can hear the riff there, and suddenly a younger Gene Simmons is singing the same melody that we just heard. There’s a certain AC/DC vibe here without the slide guitar. Perhaps it was too fast and straight-ahead for Kiss, who knows? A song like this easily could have been on Love Gun. 3.5/5
In this Vault, we often hear later versions before we hear the originals. “Just Gimme Love #2” is a Thayer & Singer update of a song we’ll hear later on. It has a cool “Kickstart My Heart” beat and tempo. Lo and behold, this song later became “You Wanted the Best” on Psycho-Circus. The chorus is different, and maybe a little more Kiss-like. Thayer’s solo is in the Ace ballpark. Regardless, it’s not quite the song that the final version would be, though it’s pretty good. 3.5/5
“You Wanted the Best” is of course the re-written version considered for Psycho-Circus. Gene explains in the liner notes that Ace and Peter were largely absent from the sessions not because they were underskilled as we were told before. Now Gene says it’s because the two wanted to renegotiate their contracts last minute, so they were forced to start working with Thayer on the album. This song was intended to be sung by all four members and ultimately that’s exactly what happened when Ace and Peter “came to their senses”. There are some cool lines here that didn’t make it into the final version here such as “Yeah, we’re back baby!” 3.5/5
“Just Gimme Love #1” is now, finally the original 1970s version of everything we’ve just heard. It is from the same recording session that yielded “Love Is Blind” and other songs. It’s kind of crazy how Gene wrote this music for his band and they didn’t get around to it for 20 years. This original idea is less breakneck and more in the vibe of old school Kiss, but the chorus doesn’t have the right vibe yet. It’s a little clunky, but Kiss obviously would have made more more their style. Since the idea here is a little more primitive, the rating is lower. 3/5
You gotta love Gene’s titles sometimes. “Hit the Ground (Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is)” is a Singer / Thayer demo with improvised lyrics just to get the musical idea down. It originally came to Gene while in a car so he sang into into a cell phone to record it. There’s something cool here, but it’s just a fragment of a song, not a complete idea. 2.5/5
Pete Townsend inspired the big chords on “Who Said So”. It definitely sounds like a Who outtake, and Eric Singer sounds like he’s going for a Keith Moon vibe on some of his fills. Tommy Thayer is on guitar as Gene counts out the sections to the band. “Bridge, two, four!” They are literally hashing out the song live in the studio. There could have been something here. As it is, it’s just the basis of an idea. 2.5/5
“Bad Bad Lovin'” is crazy. We already heard another version of “Bad Bad Lovin'” that became “Dr. Love” on Disk 4. Now Gene revisits the idea in 1978 and sounds more like Alice Cooper or Lou Reed in a sing-talk voice. There’s a saxophone. This is cool. Some of the words later became “Good Girl Gone Bad” on Crazy Nights, but largely this sounds like “Charisma” on Dynasty. Gene doesn’t say so, but this can be considered a prototype for “Charisma”. 4.5/5
Jumping ahead to Revenge, “I’m Paralyzed” eventually ended up on that album. Bob Ezrin has a writing credit and joins on the chorus. It’s a very cool demo, but the chorus is not the final one. It doesn’t quite fit, but of course they would fix that later. Drums are programmed and Gene played the guitar with a coin a-la Brian May, to a get a certain chug chug sound. Not bad stuff. 3/5
“Chrome Heart” is a Bruce Kulick / Gene Simmons demo from a post-Crazy Nights era where Kiss needed to rock a little more. This song smokes! Bruce Kulick always brings a certain level of quality. This is better than most of Gene’s songs that made it onto Hot in the Shade. How do songs like this get lost? Yet another song that should have been released on an album. It does sound like some parts turned up elsewhere. 4/5
Gene really likes these big Mountain chords that inspired “Goin’ Blind”. “‘Til the End of Time” is a similar idea, mostly instrumental with Gene scatting improvised lyrics. There was potential here to create a similar slow, determined and emotional song of heavy construction. 3.5/5
This disc closes on a pretty clean demo of “Thou Shalt Not” from the Revenge album. All the music is there, but none of the lyrics aside from the title. There are empty spots that Gene intended to fill with words. It’s kind of funny to hear that. Good idea with a final song that was album-worthy. 3/5
Average score by song: 3.46/5 stars
Disk 8 Track length and songwriters (from Wikipedia)
1. We Rocked It All Night (3:25) Simmons
2. She’s Rotten to the Core (3:33) Simmons / Kulick
3. S&M Love (2:40) Simmons
4. Sweet & Dirty Love #2 (3:24) Simmons
5. Jelly Roll (1:54) Simmons
6. Just Gimme Love #2 (3:40) Simmons
7. You Wanted the Best (3:41) Simmons
8. Just Gimme Love #1 (3:34) Simmons
9. Hit the Ground (2:10) Simmons
10. Who Said So (1:55) Simmons
11. Bad Bad Lovin’ (3:15) Simmons
12. I’m Paralyzed (3:40) Simmons / Ezrin
13. Chrome Heart (3:36) Simmons / Kulick
14. Till the End of Time (3:15) Simmons
15. Thou Shalt Not (3:07) Simmons / Damon
DEEP PURPLE – Turning to Crime (2021 Edel / mailing list bonus track)
Deep Purple are more known as the kind of band that people cover, rather than a band known for doing covers. Sure, “Hush” (Billy Joe Royal) was a hit. “Kentucky Woman” (Neil Diamond) was almost a hit. Their first three records are cover-heavy, but that was the 1960s. Live covers, like “Lucille” (Little Richard) or “Green Onions” (Booker T. & the M.G.’s) were more of an in-concert thing. Until the surprising inclusion of “Roadhouse Blues” (The Doors) on 2017’s InFinite.
Stir in another surprise: a worldwide pandemic! You get one of the world’s greatest bands doing a covers album to keep from going stir-crazy! Re-teaming with producer Bob Ezrin, the boys in Deep Purple decided to turn to crime and steal songs from other artists. With twelve tracks plus one bonus, it’s 53 minutes of Deep Purple doing their thang all over the oldies. How salacious!
The excellent packaging even tells you who did the original tunes if you didn’t already know. Love’s “7 & 7 Is” has been covered numerous times by our beloved rock artists, including Alice Cooper (twice) and Rush. Without comparing, the charm of Purple’s version is threefold: 1) Ian Gillan’s mannerisms on lead vocals, 2) Ian Paice’s pace, and 3) Don Airey’s quaint 80s backing keyboards. Not to be outdone, Steve Morse turns in a solo that can only be described as brief but epic.
Sax and horns join the for “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”, once covered by Aerosmith. You so rarely get to hear Deep Purple gettin’ down with a horn section (although they once did a whole tour based on that concept). It’s brilliant, and listen for a nod to “Smoke on the Water” in a musical Easter egg. “Rockin’ Pneumonia” is reminiscent of “Purple People Eater” from Gillan/Glover.
Like a polar opposite, Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” is built tough and heavy. Morse plays the main blues riff on an acoustic, while Don Airey’s big Hammond roars behind. This smoker will sound great if Purple play it live. Meanwhile, 73 year old Ian Paice plays those drums like a berzerker.
Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels were an influence on early Purple. Ritchie Blackmore confessed to appropriating their kind of beat for “Kentucky Woman”. You can absolutely hear that here on “Jenny Take A Ride!”. The two songs are connected via Purple’s playing. There’s also a mid-track segue into one of Gillan’s big influences, Little Richard’s “Jenny Jenny”.
Bob Dylan isn’t an artist you think of in conjunction with Deep Purple. “Watching the River Flow” has a beat you can get behind. Ian Gillan’s actually the perfect singer to do Dylan, isn’t he?
The horns return on Ray Charles’ “Let the Good Times Roll”. It sounds like “Deep Purple go Big Band”! Which is not a bad thing. Especially if you want a varied covers album. Airey and Paicey really go for that jazz band vibe. You can picture this one in a big smokey club somewhere in Chicago.
It’s Little Feat next with “Dixie Chicken”, a track we can assume came in via Steve Morse. Airey and Morse are the stars here, but as a cover it’s a little nondescript. The Yardbirds’ “Shapes of Things” is similarly like sonic colourlessness, though Roger Glover gets to shine a little. They can’t all be highlights on this album.
Speaking of album highlights, this one will doubtless be divisive. Some will think it’s too corny for Deep Purple, others will love the fact that it’s so different and Purple’s take is so original. Lonnie Donegan’s version of “The Battle of New Orleans” is the main inspiration rather than Johnny Horton’s. You can hear that in the beat. But what might really surprise people about “The Battle of New Orleans” may be the singers. For the first time, that’s Roger Glover up front. Ian Gillan, Steve Morse and Bob Ezrin are also credited singers. As for Purple’s arrangement, it’s jaunty and slightly progressive where the guitar is concerned. It’s certainly not pure country though it does have plenty of twang and fiddle. Crossover hit material?
The album has not necessarily peaked as there are still great tracks ahead. “Lucifer” by the Bob Seger System is right up Purple’s alley. Purple could easily put it in a concert setlist. It’s jam-heavy and sounds right at home. Another track in the same category is Cream’s “White Room”. Keen-eared Purple aficionados will recall Purple opened for Cream on their first US tour. Of course, only Ian Paice is still around from that tour, but he got to witness the original band play it every night. It’s certainly odd hearing a band that is clearly Deep Purple playing such a recognizable Cream song, but damn they do it so well! What’s amazing is these jams were recorded separately in home studios by family members.
The final track on CD and LP is “Caught in the Act”, a medley of famous songs that they Purple-ized. Many of these, Purple have played live such as “Going Down” and “Green Onions”. We’ll save some of the others as surprises. They finish the medley with “Gimme Some Lovin'” by the Spencer Davis Group, and it’s a totally smashing way to finish an album that was some massively fun listening.
But it’s not really the last track if you signed up for Deep Purple’s Turning to Crime mailing list. A specially numbered 13th track was emailed to those who subscribed. “(I’m A) Roadrunner” by Junior Walker & the Allstars is another horn-laden Deep Purple soul jam. Just drop it in the folder and it’s already pre-numbered as the last track on Turning to Crime. Great sax solo!
What you won’t hear on Turning to Crime are any of Purple’s earlier classical influences, for those members are gone. Nor will you get any Beatles whom Purple covered twice in the early days.
How many times will you end up reaching for a Deep Purple covers album to fill your speakers? Hard to say, but know this — you will enjoy it every time you do.
The Infinite Live Recordings, Vol 2. (3 x 10″ EPs)
DVD – Live at Hellfest, Roger Glover and Bob Ezrin in Conversation
Whoosh!
Every Deep Purple album seems like the final album. Maybe this one is; maybe it isn’t. It feels like the band treat every album as seriously as if it was their last. The cover art and music of Whoosh! takes us back to 1968 and Shades of Deep Purple. The logo is similar, and there is a new version of the 52 year old first Deep Purple song ever, “And The Address”.
Opening with the lead single “Throw My Bones“, the album sets a mid-tempo pace from the start. This is a lush, catchy groove with hints of classical and funk. It began life during the Infinite sessions but was not finished until Whoosh! Purple pick it up a bit on “Drop the Weapon”, a non-preachy appeal for cooler heads to prevail. It has a similar vibe to the 1988 album Accidentally On Purpose by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. The immediate riffs and hooky vocals are bound to make this a favourite.
“We’re All the Same in the Dark” has a cool groove and a jaw dropping funky Morse solo. Purple haven’t sounded this funky since Glenn Hughes was in the band. Airey and Glover give it some heaviness. “Nothing At All” sounds like a Morse composition, but his intricate classical-inspired interplay with Airey is sheer delight. This could be the best track on Whoosh!, and contender for one of the best songs of the entire Morse era. A massive chorus could help this one cross over on radio. Though it’s a far different song, “Nothing at All” has elements that recall “Never A Word” from Bananas. A regal-sounding crowning achievement.
“No Need to Shout” opens with the growl of a Hammond. “Just a bunch a crap, you’re talkin’ out your hat!” sings Ian on a song featuring rare female backing vocals. This is one of a few new Deep Purple songs that display a pissed-off attitude. “I got your message loud and clear, the meaningless ringing in my ear.” Add in a couple naughty words and you can tell Ian isn’t having any of it. Cooler though is “Step By Step”, a very different kind of song with perhaps some lineage with “Vincent Price” from Now What?! The haunting, ghostly quality of “Step By Step” sets it aside with a cascade of keyboard accents.
Purple start to boogie on “What the What” (a friendlier way of saying “What the Fuck”). While Don’s hammering the keys, Steve stabs out with some tasty guitar twang. If any song recalls “old” Deep Purple, it’s “What the What”, which could have been on 1973’s Who Do We Think We Are! But that album completely lacks the joie de vivre of “What the What”. Then Purple get heavy on “The Long Way Round” which just drives. The keyboard solo is out of left field but is a spacey masterwork to itself. There’s even a sly Black Sabbath callback — “I promised myself I would not get Trashed again.” Then the song dissolves into a beautiful, quiet stream of notes. This serves as a great lead-in to “Power of the Moon”, an excellent track previously heard on the “Throw My Bones” single. It stalks prey in the cover of night.
Another heavy growl unexpectedly opens “Remission Possible”, an absolutely smokeshow of fretwork. It’s a brief instrumental interlude just before the excellent “Man Alive”. This track, enhanced by orchestra, sounds absolutely massive. It has serious heft, but it’s not weighed down. Ian is writing about some heavy themes and it will take deeper analysis of the album as a whole to decipher them all. Roger Glover was very happy with Ian’s writing on the album, which takes a more contemplative tone without going heavy-handed.
The final side of vinyl begins with another instrumental, the aforementioned “And the Address” from Shades Of. Deep Purple have occasionally re-recorded old material with new lineups, such as “Hush ’88” and “Bludsucker”. This cut of “And the Address” has more momentum. The only guy present who played on the original is Ian Paice, but Don Airey is a dead ringer for Jon Lord. “And the Address” is one of the most enjoyable songs on Whoosh!, probably surpassing the original recording.
There’s still one track to go: the “bonus track” called “Dancing In My Sleep”. Safe to say it’s called a “bonus track” because it’s the most different of all the songs. It’s an Airey conception based on a cool little techno beat. Though it’s certainly not dance music, it does have one foot in that world and it’s a sheer delight to hear Purple stretch out into new territory 52 years into their game.
A seriously fine album this late in the career. An album so fresh that it is hard to rate so soon. But clearly a high point, with a band still exploring new ideas completely unafraid of what people might say. In fact, a band who still has something to say. Something worth listening to.
4.25/5 stars
But that’s not all of course. Go big or go home. Check out the rest of the box set’s contents in detail below.
The Infinite Live Recordings, Vol. 2
The previously released Infinite Live Recordings, Vol. 1 came out in 2017. The concept behind the series is simple: pure live releases with no overdubs. Vol. 2 comes from a show in 2017 on the Infinite Tour in Rio. It is the big bonus in this box set, and present on a set of three beautiful 10″ coloured records. 72 minutes of live Purple — essentially, a double live album.
The opening thunder of “Highway Star” is robust on purple 10″ vinyl. How these guys can still blast through it full speed is unknown, but they do it. Mr. Gillan still gives it his all, which is not the same in 2017 dollars as it was in 1970 dollars, but still more than the average mortal his age. Mr. Morse and Mr. Airey give each version of “Highway Star” a different feel, while Mr. Paice in the back is the only original member left from the 1968 lineage. Sticking to Machine Head, Purple seamlessly go into “Pictures of Home”. The old familiar groove of Mr. Glover is comforting warmth from the emptiness, eagles and snow. Morse’s solo is a composition to itself, and then Airey gets to put his spin on Jon Lord’s classic organ solo. Then it’s an unfortunate side flip as the band goes back to In Rock with “Bloodsucker”. Gillian is more a verbal timekeeper than the screamer he once was, but the track is otherwise flawless and heavier than lead. A more mainstream hit, “Strange Kind of Woman” flows from that, and relaxes the groove a bit. Don Airey gets his first of two solos (this one organ) as the last track on this disc.
The action continues on transparent burgundy vinyl, and “Lazy”. Morse’s signature string bending is the star of this show. There are a couple different twists in this fresh version including a nifty Gillan harmonica solo. Then it’s the only new song of the set, “Birds of Prey” from Infinite. It’s weighty and worthy of its place. Steve Morse is the Captain on this flight. Gillan ends the track on a joke and then, after a side flip, introduces Don Airey’s keyboard solo including Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley”. This diverse and fun solo goes into “Perfect Stranger” (no “s”?) which has steadfastly remained in the setlist ever since its 1984 conception. Gillan is shaky but the Purple is solid.
The final vinyl, clear 10″ power, commences with “Space Truckin'” signalling the beginning of the end. “Smoke on the Water” is the penultimate moment, slow and groovy after all this blazing rock. Ian Paice has a couple nice moments on this one and Steve Morse’s stuttery solo is completely compelling. One more side flip, and Purple end the set with their first hit “Hush” and the “Peter Gunn” theme. Glover goes funky on this one with a bassline a little like “Another One Bites the Dust” in parts.
An entertaining and good live album, but one you won’t play often simply because Deep Purple have 846 live albums (exaggeration).
There is still more live material from the same tour in DVD form included in this box set.
Live at Hellfest
Next we have a double feature DVD: A live show from Hellfest in 2017, and an interview session with Roger Glover and Bob Ezrin. The Hellfest show has a much longer runtime with more new material. They open the show with “Time For Bedlam” from Infinite. Ian doesn’t even attempt to sing it in tune, but we’ll always cut the guy some slack for still getting up there and givin’ ‘er. The track has a “Pictures From Home” vibe, and the band look cool playing midday in shades. Into “Fireball”, Ian Paice leads the charge as if it was 1971. Don Airey has an Ozzy bobblehead on his keyboard! Then it’s “Bloodsucker”, powered by Paicey. “Strange Kind of Woman” is a nice melodic respite after a pair of piledrivers like that. Ian ends this one with a bizarre freeform spoken word beat poetry bit, but with Morse shredding next to him.
The Jon Lord tribute from Now What?!, “Uncommon Man”, is heartfelt, and a solid track from their current era. It sounds massive. As good in quality is “The Surprising” from Infinite, something of an epic, and performed with full gusto. Intricate symbol work by Paice.
After a brief pause, it’s on to Don Airey and “Lazy”. A high speed workout like that merits something slower to follow, so it’s “Birds of Prey” from Infinite, a steady groove with dynamics. Steve Morse’s solo takes center stage and it’s a melter. “Hell To Pay” picks up the pace. Not Purple’s most remarkable single, nor the best version, but nice to have in live form. Airey’s jammy keyboard solo on this track is stellar, just as the sun starts going down. Then he gets his own full-blown solo, with the Ozzy bobblehead there next to him during “Mr. Crowley”. Roger Glover just watches from the side as Don goes to town through familiar melodies and themes. The crowd eats it up smiling.
Don takes it into “Perfect Strangers” without missing a beat, and soon the rest of the band joins him. This version has some stellar Morse guitar trickery. The set is almost finished, with only “Space Truckin'”, “Smoke on the Water”, “Hush” and “Black Night” left to satisfy cravings for the classics. Even at the end Paicey still brings that thunder. “Hush” has the “Peter Gunn” theme attached, and “Black Night” brings the show to a massive finish.
It’s absolutely delightful watching Ian Paice play the drums, as he mouths along to every beat as if playing beatbox along to himself. It’s fantastic and an expression of pure joy.
It’s not over yet. The DVD has even more content.
Roger Glover and Bob Ezrin in Conversation
The DVD also includes the conversation with Roger Glover and Whoosh! producer Bob Ezrin. This is another full 70 minutes of content. Ezrin was involved with Purple from the jamming stage in Nashville and speaks in terms of “we”. One of the biggest takeaways from this interview is a piece of wisdom from the late Jon Lord as told by Roger Glover. Lord didn’t want to do more than two takes of a solo. More than that, and he starting thinking too much.
The pair discuss the lyrics, the songs, the title (nicked from Faulty Towers), the playing, and more. It’s lovely watching the pair just enjoy Steve Morse’s harmonics. “Like capturing lightning,” says Roger. Watching this portion of the DVD will enhance your enjoyment of the album. It’s fun knowing what parts of the songs turned on the musicians and producer. “Stretch out,” advised Bob. And so Purple interpreted that as stretching it out every way. “I wanna put the Deep back in Purple,” said Bob. The boys also praise Ian Gillan’s focus, from eating right to meditating. They even go back in time and talk about Glover’s joining of Deep Purple in 1969.
Ezrin particularly loved seeing magic unfold live before his eyes and ears, captured on tape. He is obviously a fan of Deep Purple as musicians and as people. Whether you can get into Ezrin-era Purple or not, there is real chemistry between band and producer.
You’ll probably only watch this conversation once, but you’ll be glad you did that at least. There is so much knowledge and history to absorb here that all fans are advised to give the whole thing a spin.
Summing up
The box set itself comes with a cool black T-shirt with the “strolling dissolving astronaut” graphic. This is the second album in a row with simple excellent art design for Deep Purple. The astronaut recalls the music video for “Knocking At Your Back Door” from 1984. He appears in numerous places in this set in different forms. There are three art prints (two 12×12 and one 12×6), and of course all this music! The vinyl copy of Whoosh! comes in a gatefold sleeve with credits and photos. It sounds phenomenal with plenty of bottom end. For lyrics, you’ll have to dig into the included CD copy.
Of course, if you don’t need all the extra live stuff and added goodies, you could just buy Whoosh! on CD, vinyl or download. It’s frequently said that the benchmark for Purple is Purpendicular. “Best album since Purpendicular,” fans often enthuse. Whoosh! could be the best album of the Ezrin era, and is a contender for best of the Steve Morse epoch. A serious fan will want the whole box with the three live 10″ discs. They are beautiful to look at and sound good on the turntable. Though the set is expensive, this is the kind of thing I’m willing to pay for.
DEEP PURPLE – “Throw My Bones”/”Man Alive” (2020 10″ Edel single)
As a general rule, I won’t listen to new Deep Purple until I have a physical product in my hands. These days that usually happens in the form of a new single. Deep Purple will be back with a new album Whoosh! produced by Bob Ezrin in August 2020. Until then, they’ve issued a three track single with one exclusive new song. How nice of them!
A huge thanks to John of 2 Loud 2 Old Music for gifting this vinyl. Certain new releases are difficult to find today (for obvious reasons), at least without spending money on huge markups by secondary sellers. Music friends are the best kind of friends — make one today!
A word about the cover art: love it! Though not identical, the new Deep Purple logo is strongly reminiscent of the original Shades Of Deep Purple logo from 1968. The astronaut is similarly retro. He even recalls the similarly-garbed “archaeologists” in the music video for “Knocking At Your Back Door”. And now, for the first time, the needle drops on the vinyl and we find out what the new Deep Purple sounds like.
“Throw My Bones” has one of those quirky Steve Morse guitar riffs but then it’s backed up by those lush Don Airey keyboards. This is one of the catchier songs that Deep Purple have written in the last few years. Morse’s solo is as breathtaking as usual, but the sparkling keyboards are what makes this song shine.
The second track is the non-album “Power of the Moon” which prompts the question: if this didn’t make the album, just how good is the album? Because this track is excellent. It’s different. Its quiet passages are mesmerising. Once again it’s Morse and Airey who really take it to another level.
Finally we have “Man Alive”, a song adorned with an orchestra. Under the deft guidance of Bob Ezrin, something powerful and dramatic hits the ears even though Deep Purple don’t really do “heavy” anymore. “Man Alive” is the song that detractors call the “environmental agenda song”. Hey, if Deep Purple can say something relevant to today and get you to think, that’s great. We don’t always have to hear about strange kinds of women from Tokyo. The lyrics are assembled intelligently and thoughtfully.
A lot of people bitch and moan about Ian Gillan. For the most part, it’s not the singer delivering the hooks in these new songs. Just as Steve Morse has had to adapt to his damaged right wrist to keep playing, Deep Purple have adapted to Ian Gillan’s age. The songs don’t blast like they used to; they breathe. Ian’s voice is multitracked to give it some thickness. Incidentally the vocals were recorded in Toronto, a city that Gillan has history with.
Longtime Purple fans who enjoyed Now What?! and InFinitewill enjoy these new songs just as much. The cool thing about Purple is that they have distinct eras. We might be in the tail-end of a Bob Ezrin era (and the whole saga in general) and with time, the Purple/Ezrin collaborations will be looked back on fondly. The Ezrin albums don’t sound like the Bradford discs, the Glover productions, or any of the others. They’re more subtle and show a band growing even in their later years. Whoosh! could be a nice capstone to a career. We shall see.
ALICE COOPER – Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits(1974 Warner)
Picture this: a kid, just turned 17. An older uncle named Don Don. Recording tapes off each other in the summertime. I didn’t know much of Alice Cooper. “Teenage Frankenstein”, “The Man Behind the Mask”, and “I Got A Line On You” were the songs I knew best. I heard a bit of a live version of “I’m Eighteen”, and a Krokus cover of “School’s Out”. That’s all I knew. But my uncle had Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits in his tape collection, and I had a blank tape.
I recorded Greatest Hits on one side of a 90 minute cassette. (Eventually I taped Trash on the other side.) My impressions at that young age were mixed. The music sounded old fashioned. Not at all like his 80s stuff. While some songs (“Desperado”) flat out lost me, after a couple listens, other tunes started to jump out.
Some of the elements that appealed to me were the lyrics. “She asked me why the singer’s name was Alice, I said ‘listen baby, you really wouldn’t understand.'” (“Be My Lover”.) “The Reverend Smith he recognized me and punched me in the nose.” (“No More Mr. Nice Guy”.) Of course, “Elected” too — that goes without saying. Simple, comedic and effective lyrics.
The huge orchestration behind “Hello Hooray” hit me where it counts too. I grew up on soundtracks and orchestras, so anytime a band used a big bombastic arrangement like that in rock song, it immediately appealed to me. Even then I was aware of Bob Ezrin from his work with Kiss.
My favourite song on the whole thing was “Teenage Lament ’74”. What is it about that song? The old-fashioned jangly rock and roll? The unforgettable “What are you gonna do?” chorus? Although it’s fallen by the wayside since, “Teenage Lament” is still an Alice Cooper triumph of triumphs. On the cassette version, it had a place of honour — second song, side one, right after “I’m Eighteen”. I couldn’t figure out all the words but I got the jist. I still love what I perceive to be its old-fashioned sound. Alice Cooper didn’t need to be heavy to be awesome. I was learning this. None of Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits would be considered “heavy” by the standards of the time when I first heard it (1989).
“Is It My Body”, “Under My Wheels”, and “Billion Dollar Babies” were the next songs to slowly reveal themselves to me. “Muscle of Love” and “Desperado” were the last ones to enter into this new Alice love affair. Before long, they were all memorized. Then it was time to start collecting the albums! Billion Dollar Babies seemed like a wise choice, since I liked so many of its songs on Greatest Hits. And that’s how a greatest hits album is supposed to work. It is meant to whet the appetite and make you want more.
Today Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits has been supplanted by more recent, more complete greatest hits discs, remastered for the modern age. That’s fine and well, but Greatest Hits works better as a first Alice. The track order, the more concise running time (41 minutes), and of course the classic cover art made this something special. It’s historic as it was the very last product released by the original Alice Cooper group before Vincent Furnier went solo. Also worth noting: all tracks were remixed by Jack Richardson, but you probably won’t even notice. Completionists, pay attention.
Want an awesome first experience with Alice Cooper? Follow my lead and check out Greatest Hits.
I was very enthusiastic for this album when it came out in 2011: four copies purchased (to get all the bonus tracks) and a 5/5 star rating. I can hear what I loved about it so much, even if the feelings are faded today. That’s what makes these “Just Listening” writings interesting!
The original Nightmare is still a favourite and always will be. Factors that appealed to me about the sequel album are the musical and lyrical callbacks. These recurring cues unite both albums quite successfully despite the decades that passed. Musical sequels can be a dicey affair (Mindcrime 2, anyone?) but Alice Cooper and Bob Ezrin managed to do the near-impossible.
The standard album runs 52 minutes, and that’s just a tad long. Although there are no obvious duds to cut, the original Nightmare was more effective because it was more concise. (You want a longer experience? Adding in all the bonus tracks more than doubles the album’s length!) Regardless of the digital age that most of us inhabit, there is something to be said for the length of a standard LP. It just happens to jive with the natural attention spans of the human mind. The new Nightmare crams 14 tracks into that 52 minutes, and it plays out as a lot to absorb. Especially after giving the album a rest for a few years.
Another way in which the second Nightmare is inferior to the first is the overall tone. Nightmare 2 is far more humorous. A couple tracks (“Ghouls Gone Wild” and “Disco Bloodbath Boogie Fever”) are there for the laughs. That’s fine — Alice Cooper does humour in music better than 99% of those who try. The original Nightmare had its fun, but the tone of the album was far darker, especially with songs like “Steven” and “Only Women Bleed”. You’re going to have a preference one way or the other too. I prefer the darker original Nightmare to the more comedic sequel.
These are all very fine hairs to split. I still like the album, a lot. I believe it to be Alice’s best from the last two decades. There’s very little wrong with it. I just don’t think it matches the first as much as I once did.
The first three-year gap between Kiss albums. The first Kiss record produced by Bob Ezrin since 1981. The first shared Simmons/Stanley lead vocal in ages. The first lineup change since 1984. And saddest of all, Kiss’ first album without Eric Carr since 1980. Revenge was a shakeup for fans and band alike.
The pendulum of rock had swung back to “heavy”, with Metallica scorching the charts and grunge pummelling everyone else with new sounds. It was obvious that Kiss had to go heavier, too. In 1992, most rock bands had to sink or swim. In order to swim, bands tended to heavy things up. A lot of the time they called it “going back to the roots”.
Kiss began making tentative steps back that way. Hot in the Shade(1989) toned down a lot of the keyboards and 80s trappings. On tour, they played more old material like “Dr. Love”, “God of Thunder”, and “I Was Made for Loving You”. Then, as an experiment, they got back together with Bob Ezrin for a song from a movie soundtrack. Everyone was writing, even the sick Eric Carr. The initial plan was to have Eric play on half the new album, so he could have time to recover from his cancer surgery. The drummer from Paul Stanley’s solo tour, Eric Singer, was available to play on the other half. Singer was on tour with Alice Cooper during the summer of 1991, but would be home soon enough. Then, on November 24, Eric Carr passed.
The most obvious choice to replace Carr was Eric Singer. He was already working with the band, he knew the songs, and he was a fan. Bruce Kulick found him inspiring to have around, as Singer loved his guitar work. In fact the only thing about Eric Singer that didn’t fit was his hair colour!
The energetic new drummer was a godsend. With albums to his name by Black Sabbath and Badlands, Kiss couldn’t have asked for a more technically adept player. He could hit hard (though Eric Carr takes the belt in that regard) and he could authentically do any era of Kiss. Be it the early, slippery Peter Criss material or the heavy metal of Eric Carr, Singer had it all covered. And he could sing! Though we wouldn’t get there quite yet.
It was the heavy metal side that was most immediately apparent. The first track and first video from Revenge was “Unholy”, something very unlike anything Kiss had done before. And it came about in a most peculiar way. Enter: Vinnie Vincent.
Those who say “Vinnie saved Kiss” will point to “Unholy” as one such song that saved Kiss. After years of estrangement (and preceding even more), Vinnie came out to write with Gene and Paul. “Unholy” was one of three songs he contributed.
With a fury unlike any before, Gene Simmons and company swirl in rage on “Unholy”. The closest they got to this kind of heavy before would be Creatures, but there’s something just pissed off about it that wasn’t there before. With a concrete riff and angry slabs of drum tribalism, Kiss announced their return loudly. Not to be outdone, soloist Bruce Kulick laid down his noisiest guitar assault yet. There isn’t an ounce of fluff to “Unholy”.
Thanks to Bob Ezrin, Revenge is Kiss’ best sounding album since Lick It Up or Creatures. It’s no Destroyer, and it’s no Elder. This time they cut the extras down to the bone, leaving the four Kiss guys to rock it themselves. Err, mostly themselves. That’s Kevin Valentine on drums for the second song, “Take It Off”. Strange that Kiss continued to have ghost musicians on albums when they clearly didn’t need to. An ode to strippers, “Take It Off” is lyrically juvenile, but gleams like stainless steel. Paul Stanley wrote it with Ezrin and ex-Alice Cooper guitarist Kane Roberts, and it could have been used as a single had Revenge needed another. A dirty, dirty single.
Paul, Bruce and Ezrin composed “Tough Love” with a slower, chunky riff. Kulick’s solo is remarkable, but it’s also just nice hearing Paul do a sex song that has some balls. There is no “X” in this sex, although there’s a little BDSM for the 50 Shades crowd. Then, teaming up with Gene, they do their first co-write and co-lead vocals together in the first time in a dog’s age. “Spit” is old school fun with a modern heavy edge. Bruce pays homage to Jimi Hendrix in his complex guitar solo, a composition all to itself. Eric Singer gets to throw down tricky beats and fills, making “Spit” one of the most deceptively clever songs Kiss has done.
“God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II” was released as a single the year before. It was the experiment with Ezrin that kicked off Revenge in the first place. It was the only song that Eric Carr was alive for, and you can clearly hear him on backing vocals. Singer handled the drums, though Carr did it in the music video. The album mix is different from the single or soundtrack, in order to better suit the sonics of Revenge as its sole anthem.
Gene tells a story about a girl who “kisses like the kiss of death” to end side one. “Domino” hearkens back to early Kiss, with a sparse arrangement and Gene playing rhythm guitar instead of Paul. This greasy rocker just screams “Kiss”. There is nobody else with songs like “Domino”. It was the third single from Revenge, sporting a nifty video with Gene cruising around in a convertible while Kiss plays as a trio! Paul Stanley: bass guitar.
“Heart of Chrome”, the second Vinnie Vincent collaboration, rocks with attitude. Once again, anger seems to be the emotion of the day. The 90s-look Kiss could deliver anger in spades. Then Gene takes the mantle on “Thou Shalt Not”.
He said “kindly reconsider the sins of your past,” I said “Mister you can kindly kiss my ass.”
These are not songs for the Kiss hits mix tape you’re making for your roadtrip. These are songs to be experienced in context of the album, where they deliver mighty riffs and enough hooks for the long-player. “Thou Shalt Not” has another one of those Kulick solos that could be a study in string manipulation, and Singer just keeps it kicking the whole way through.
You could choose from two schools of thought regarding “Every Time I Look at You”. As the album’s only true ballad, some see it as a mistake on a record as heavy as Revenge. Others see it as a reprieve from a fairly relentless onslaught. Indeed, it does sound as if from another album. With a string section, Ezrin on piano, and Dick Wagner on ghost guitar, one could even argue that it’s an album highlight. A little re-sequencing though, and you probably wouldn’t even miss it.
Gene makes it heavy again on “Paralyzed”, not an outstanding track but a little funkier than usual. “I Just Wanna” is far more entertaining, though it is a shameless and obvious rip-off from “Summertime Blues”. It was chosen as the second single, and lo and behold, it’s the third Vinnie Vincent song too. “I Just Wanna” is immediately catchy and memorable for days. Probably because you already knew it as “Summertime Blues”.
As a touching surprise, Revenge ends on an instrumental called “Carr Jam 1981”. Bob Ezrin dug up an old demo from The Elder with a hot riff and a complete drum solo. It had been bootlegged before, notably on Demos 1981-1983, but not with very good sound. Ace Frehley even recorded it as “Breakout” on his second solo album. Ezrin cleaned up the original demo for Revenge, edited it for length, and overdubbed Bruce on lead guitar. “Carr Jam” has become Eric’s signature drum solo. Placing it here at the end of Revenge was not only poignant but also just great sequencing.
Album in hand, now it was time to tour. Kiss would start with a short run in the clubs. More on that next time.
DEEP PURPLE – =1 Access All Areas (2024 Edel DVD)
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