This dropped through the letterbox yesterday. After given it a couple of spins, their are some good songs, their are no great songs, but like I said, its only a couple of spins in so far. doesn't seem as strong as ''Now What?!'' or ''Infinite''.

I have played it once through, and now listening to the Deep Purple Podcast as they review and break it down.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxcThTTLtAC_k7m9sTV5HIw/videos

I really like what I have heard so far. Will probably keep it in heavy rotation in the car for the next few weeks. Ian's voice sounds real good and he knows his range these days and the quality is there.
I don't think its DP's forte over the last three Ezrin releases to do the real hard rockers anymore(maybe a few here and there). They have definitely branched out and became more experimental and expanded they're writing creativity with BE. I think most of the material/direction of writing over the last three have worked pretty good, a few here and there I could do without, but all very solid.

The newest one seems to be the most adventurous. Might be my fav of the three, but still early. I should revisit the others soon. My perspective and ears change with age and the passing of time. I cant think of very many bands of that era consistently putting out "quality" material.

mine is on order and should be here next week

Steve Morse has been voted Best Overall Guitarist 5 years in a row by Guitar Player magazine.

I saw him in a club years ago with The Dixie Dregs. He played a wild looking contraption. It had about six pickups, I guess a Gibson or Bigsby weammy bar and extra switches bolted onto a Telecaster body and it had a Stratocaster neck. Steve had several tones and some were killer and he was technically advanced. A hybrid of playing styles that sometimes seem to like a classical instrument in a symphony. According to what I read, now that he is world famous as a master guitarist, Music Man makes his guitars custom for him.

I wonder what the ABB would have sounded like from 2001 to 2014 if instead of Derek and Watren, we had much more advanced technical players such as say Steve Mores or Eric Johnson or Steve Vai?

I bet it wouldn't have been as good. Vai pulling out all of his licks from his bag of tricks would probably ruin Elizabeth Reed.

To me live tracks such as the stuff on Fillmore East and Eat A Peach are played perfectly for the ABB sound because it IS the ABB sound. I saw a good number of shows 2005 to 2014 and have the Fox Box. If students of the band such as Warren and Derek couldn't play those old songs better than Duane and Dickey the Allman Brothers way...then Steve Morse or Steve Vai would probably sound like a classical violinist playing in Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys.

This must be the parts guitar I saw Steve Morse play years ago with the Dixie Dregs . Steve is another player who is very advanced technically and very clean.

It seems all the technical wizards cant play a regular electric guitar. They have to do major modifications and stick parts including a neck that wasn't made for the body. Then after they become famous, a guitar manufacturer will built a line of custom axes. Not just one but several varieties.

Steve Morse has been voted Best Overall Guitarist 5 years in a row by Guitar Player magazine.

I saw him in a club years ago with The Dixie Dregs. He played a wild looking contraption. It had about six pickups, I guess a Gibson or Bigsby weammy bar and extra switches bolted onto a Telecaster body and it had a Stratocaster neck. Steve had several tones and some were killer and he was technically advanced. A hybrid of playing styles that sometimes seem to like a classical instrument in a symphony. According to what I read, now that he is world famous as a master guitarist, Music Man makes his guitars custom for him.

I wonder what the ABB would have sounded like from 2001 to 2014 if instead of Derek and Watren, we had much more advanced technical players such as say Steve Mores or Eric Johnson or Steve Vai?

I bet it wouldn't have been as good. Vai pulling out all of his licks from his bag of tricks would probably ruin Elizabeth Reed.

To me live tracks such as the stuff on Fillmore East and Eat A Peach are played perfectly for the ABB sound because it IS the ABB sound. I saw a good number of shows 2005 to 2014 and have the Fox Box. If students of the band such as Warren and Derek couldn't play those old songs better than Duane and Dickey the Allman Brothers way...then Steve Morse or Steve Vai would probably sound like a classical violinist playing in Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys.

you make lots of posts on this forum that seem to lack any music research. steve morse can play normal guitars and standard guitar solos. most guitarists in big named bands aren't using a stock guitar you buy off the shelf in the store.

here he is not playing some lightning fast technically stuff as you think thats all they play. amazing guitar solo in "haunted"

when morse was in kansas

matt05 thanks for the footage. I watched both. Steve is using a Music Man Steve Morse custom in both videos right?

Well I was reminded of all the players who put together parts guitars years ago and Steve had the Telecaster with the Strat neck and 4 or 5 pickups and other modifications and I remember the first and second times I saw Van Halen, Eddie had a heavily my modified Fender Stratocaster which I later found out had some pickups and switches that were not wired into the guitar so people trying to steal Eddie's tone would get confused when trying to copy the Strat.

So you are saying very few famous guitarists play a Strat or Les Paul or whatever just as it comes out of the box?

matt05 thanks for the footage. I watched both. Steve is using a Music Man Steve Morse custom in both videos right?

Well I was reminded of all the players who put together parts guitars years ago and Steve had the Telecaster with the Strat neck and 4 or 5 pickups and other modifications and I remember the first and second times I saw Van Halen, Eddie had a heavily my modified Fender Stratocaster which I later found out had some pickups and switches that were not wired into the guitar so people trying to steal Eddie's tone would get confused when trying to copy the Strat.

So you are saying very few famous guitarists play a Strat or Les Paul or whatever just as it comes out of the box?

i wasn't talking about steve playing a regular guitar in this clips. was talking about him not playing some crazy guitar part that involved playing as fast as possible.

correct. i'm sure guitar players on here can comment more than me but there was a site or something where you can look up equipment details. very few guitar players who are big enough that you know who they are are, slash, clapton, SRV, hendrix, beck, etc have a guitar exactly the way it comes from the factory. most of them have a different pickup or headstock or something

"To me live tracks such as the stuff on Fillmore East and Eat A Peach are played perfectly for the ABB sound because it IS the ABB sound."

That's sort of like saying that on "Foxy Lady," Jimi Hendrix is able to sound like Jimi Hendrix playing a Jimi Hendrix song because in fact Jimi Hendrix actually is Jimi Hendrix. Come on, man.

ANYWAY, back to the actual post's topic!!!!!! The new Purple album is very good especially if you have ridden with the various twists and turns of the band. If you listen to it expecting this current line-up recording in 2020 to sound like a different line-up recording in 1971, you would struggle.

Ian Paice has been my favorite Purple musician since the late 1980s; I've seen them a half-dozen times, I guess, twice with Blackmore and 4 times with Morse, and Ian Paice always steals the show by managing to be incredibly in the pocket and grooving while slipping in really subtle and often unexpected grace notes, accents, and fills, and then also really anchoring the band as it moves through some complex passages. Especially with Morse, the band does have mini-suites within songs that move into prog rock territory, yet Paice pins those sections down with a really musical (rather than mathematical) rhythmic element.

That is true on this new album too. A number of the songs feature verses that are somewhat standard hard rock, and Steve Morse chugs along with a somewhat standard hard rock rhythm part, and Paice just serves up these muscular grooves, not flashy but confident, thwacking the drum with a great sound that swings and that elevates the song.
Don Airey offers SOME classic Purple sounds on the Hammond, but very confidently branches out with synth and other keyboard sounds that stretch the band's sound out. Good stuff. Even though the album has relatively short songs, there are a few times where Airey really gets to spread out and play in a relaxed, loose fashion.

As has been the case with the past few albums, Bob Ezrin gets Steve Morse to play some slower and more soulful passages to let his playing breath. Morse is a great guitarist who does have the tendency to play a lot of the same-sounding licks when he is onstage with Purple, and I think Ezrin recognizes that if he can get Morse to slow down and not just shred a lotta palm-muted chromatic licks every time, he really can serve up some more interesting stuff.

I'm eager to listen to it more, and that is a great sign.

I'm just not feeling this release. I've had it for a week and a half, and it feels more like it should be "Don Airey featuring Deep Purple". There is something about his playing on this album that is dominating the sound. He is a good player, but he just doesn't have that organ sound that Jon Lord got, especially on this album. I just don't like synths and even the organ sounds synthy at times on this album.

Ian Paice is a beast as always and rock's most underrated drummer.

Don really shines on this release. Some very tasty stuff. I have probably listened to the whole thing 4-5 times over the last week and I really like it. It falls in line with the last 3 Ezrin produced releases. This one might be a little more adventurous. I think this is where DP lives at these days with the direction of the music. Really are not going to get a lot of full throttle rockers. Yes I would like top hear that, but it does not take away form the quality of music they are putting out. I like the prog aspect of the music. It would be interesting to here them go a little deeper in that world and extend some songs out. could get interesting.

Ian's vocals sounds real good.

As a big fan of the band I feel very fortunate that they are still doing this . Hate to see them wrap it up, will miss this stuff.

Now only if Mr Blackmore could do something with Rainbow and make a formidable release.

WarEagle, I think the key is to drop any expectation that Airey is aiming to sound like Lord across the board. I will say that my jaw dropped when one song did begin with what sounded like the opening massive keyboard chord from "Perfect Strangers," and Airey does give Lord a few nods, but overall, he is his own man on this album, and it sounds fresh and confident and loose.

It sure is a challenge with Purple - in the same way, Ritchie's sound was so much a part of this band that it was tough for a lot of listeners to listen to Bolin and now Morse objectively. It is almost a shame that they didn't change the name so that those expectations would not be present.

WarEagle, I think the key is to drop any expectation that Airey is aiming to sound like Lord across the board. I will say that my jaw dropped when one song did begin with what sounded like the opening massive keyboard chord from "Perfect Strangers," and Airey does give Lord a few nods, but overall, he is his own man on this album, and it sounds fresh and confident and loose.

It sure is a challenge with Purple - in the same way, Ritchie's sound was so much a part of this band that it was tough for a lot of listeners to listen to Bolin and now Morse objectively. It is almost a shame that they didn't change the name so that those expectations would not be present.

I'm not a big prog fan at all, so them going a little more proggy on this album might be the issue I've had with it. Then again, Maiden has gone proggy over time and I still love their work.

It's not just what I think is the over use of keyboards, it's also the vocal effect (for lack of a better word) that they did on Ian Gillan's vocals several times on the album.

I listened to it again today and I really like "Drop The Weapon" and "And The Address". I never need to hear "Man Alive" or "Throw My Bones Again" again.

Out of the last three albums as far as my favorites go I would go in this order.

1. Infinite
2. Now What?
3. Whoosh