Share the post "Album review: DEEP PURPLE – Purpendicular (reissue)"
Hear No Evil Recordings [Release date 16.06.14]
Deep Purple’s current album ‘Now What?!’ was a favourite of 2013, and ‘Purpendicular’ shows its blood line: the very first Purple album with guitarist Steve Morse in 1996. As ever it captures the band’s trademark musical interplay and highly accessible hard rock.
If it would take Morse a little longer to bed in, fans would have noted the high guitar quotient. He was, and is, a more predictable player than Blackmore but – as this album demonstrates – as fluid and inventive in his own way. And to his credit he never tried to be another Blackmore, even when stepping into Ritchie’s well worn size 9′s.
From the lively opener ‘Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic’ via the darker ‘Loosen My Strings’ with its pneumatic bassline, to the more folksy ‘The Aviator’ Purpendicular is a great summary of this durable band in the late-1990s and heading for the new millennium.
’Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming’ (included also as a single edit) is outstanding with a particularly distinctive Morse chorus whilst ‘Rosa’s Cantina’ is unusually funky, ‘A Touch Away’ a great slice of soft-rock that also betrays Morse’s Dixie Dregs upbringing.
As ever, the inevitable Malcolm Dome liner note adds little to our knowledge that couldn’t be gleaned from a good Purple biography or the Internet. We know now that there was a great vibe in the band with Morse’s arrival and improved band relationships. Thanks Malcolm.
This reissue adds the aforementioned single edit and the Japan only bonus ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’. The period after Blackmore’s departure in late-1993 is often dismissed by even the fans but, with hindsight, ‘Purpendicular’ shows a band getting themselves back together and confirming they still have a future. ****
Review by David Randall
David Randall presents ‘Assume The Position’ on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio every Sunday at 22:00 GMT.
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Latest session: Sunday 14 April
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 7 April 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 2 April 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)
To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account
Popular (last 10 days)
Share the post "Album review: DEEP PURPLE – Purpendicular (reissue)"
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
