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Deep Purple has earned
a place in the top ranks of Rock history. Though they don't always
get the respect they deserve in the United States, they are recognized
the world over as one of the greatest bands of all time. Even the
solo ventures of purple's alumni are heralded in such diverse countries
as Japan, England, and South America. Diversity is certainly a key
word in discussing Deep Purple. Throughout the different lineups,
they have maintained a level of musicianship matched by less than
a handfull of bands from ANY era. For as long as this band has been
around they continue to uphold their high standards as an amazing
live act. This is not a nostalgia act. This is a vital forward thinking
supergroup that still has more to say and more to accomplish. As the
band enters it's 34th year (yes you read that right) and tour America
for the first time in three years, I sat down with bassist Roger Glover
and among other things talked about lineup changes, future remaster
projects, Ritchie Blackmore, and their current focus on America.
BallBuster: The new official bootleg series that
you have been doing is really exciting for the hardcore fans. Is this
something that is going to continue in the future?
Roger Glover: I have no idea. I mean, it's not
in the bands hands. Yes it is ultimately, but we don't really have
much of a say about what goes on. I am not even concerned about that
too much. Bootlegs are bootlegs. There's a lot of crap out there,
and we've been hounded more than most by bootleg people. I understand
the philosophy of bootlegs. That it doesn't really hurt you, it's
a compliment. I know all of that. And people who buy bootlegs also
buy the records, so you're not losing out. It's just one thing leads
to another. We can't legally condone it.
BB: what turned you on to the titles that were
featured in the first two sets?
RG: Like I told you, we don't have much of a
say in that. We don't know which bootlegs are out there! We don't
have a clue. It's a fact of life. It's not legal, but it's a fact
of life. And that's really where were at. We're dealing with it the
best way we can. We don't like it, but it's there.
BB: The box sets did come out with your blessings?
RG: Yeah. They're out there anyways so why don't
we package them up and sell them our selves?! If someone is making
a profit out of us why don't we make a profit out of them! Not that
we are but.......
BB: Where are we at with Purple, is there a new
album coming?
RG: We postponed the next album because of the
concerto tour we did in europe. I know in the states people don't
know about us that much.....
BB: I know! Doesn't that boggle you mind that every else in the world
you guys are huge but....
RG: Well thats why we're touring here, but you're
cutting to the next question. The next album is postponed. We're going
to start writing it and recording it later this year. We'll finish
it sometime early next year. Hopefully it will be out at some point
next year. Spring summer or fall. I don't know when. I would hope
the earlier the better. I would like to see a spring release, with
us back on tour in the states. Because we do want to concentrate on
the states. The only way to let people know that we're still around
is to actually go out and do the business and perform. There's no
shortcut other than having a freak hit record. And as soon as you
try to do that you're seen as a fool, so we're not going to try for
a hit record. We're just going to do what we do, which is go out and
play gigs.
BB: In watching how much fun you are having playing
with Steve, I can't help but think that even if it was a possibillity
to play with Ritchie again, you wouldn't trade what you now have with
Steve.
RG: If you could go back to being fourteen again
would you? Thats going back ten years or so (almost) Would you do
that? Could you do that? The answer is no, you couldn't do that. When
people compare you to what you were when you were fourteen.......the
thing is, you can't go back in the past. There is only one time and
thats the now.
BB: Is that how you view playing with Ritchie
again?
RG: No. I'm just putting everything in an overview.
Our time with Ritchie was very very precious. Ritchie was absolutely
great for this band. There's no two ways about it. Absolute genius
writer, great personality, great everything. When the 60's and 70's
came around he was a great force to have in the band. When the late
eighties came around he was not a great force to have in the band,
because he was more distructive than creative. The balance had gone
the other way. Either that or he was just on a different level to
where we were. But there was obviously a problem and the problem persisted
for years and years and years and YEARS and YEARS! And various personel
changes and YEARS spent in some kind of wilderness until finally he
did the right thing and left the band. And I appreciate that. I appreciate
the fact that he left us to carry on. And we carried on with a huge
determination and will to get beyond that. And to climb into the now
and forget the past. Steve is 100% Steve Morse. He plays Ritchie's
riff's with dedication and respect, but he is his own man. He's not
Ritchie's replacement. He's just the guitar player of Deep Purple.
BB: Speaking of the lineup changes, what were
your feelings on bringing Joe Lynn Turner into the band? Having played
both in the "Classic" era lineup as well as the more popular Rainbow
era, what was that like for you combining the two (by having Joe in
Purple?)
RG: Not good. Without going into the minute details
of our political life, I did welcome Joe into the band in one respect
only, and that is after having lost Ian Gillan, which is something
I couldn't stop. I tried, but I couldn't stop that. Ian didn't help
himself either. He was going through a bad time and we were going
through a bad time and something had to happen. That led to an aweful
long period of trying to find a singer. When Joe Lynn Turner's name
first came up I said, "Absolutely not. No way. Rainbow singer, Joe,
joining purple? No. Just doesn't compute." However, Ritchie had various
intentions for who the singer should be and we auditioned several
people. Actually we spent an enormous amount of time doing nothing
but auditioning people or twidling our thumbs.
BB: Any names you could divulge?
 RG:
Jimmy Jamison had been mentioned a few times. No one I would really
care to mention other than that. It was a barren time. Ritchie said,
"Well what about Joe?'" and I said, "Well, I am really against Joe
but Jon Lord and Ian Paice haven't heard him, so maybe they should
hear him. I don't want the whole thing to be on my shoulders, but
this is what I think. I don't think it's a good deal, but alright
let's have an audition." So he came up, did the audition and he was
great. I mean he was GREAT. He was inventive. He was spontanious.
He was jammin'. He sang Hey Joe. We started writing songs together
immediately in that first jam. After a couple of hours of this he
went away and we had a meeting and I said "Well, I'm the first to
admit of all the singers we've auditioned, he actually came in like
a hurricane. It's up to you." So that's how Joe joined the band. It
wasn't the greatest thing we ever did. There's parts of the album.......I
mean you don't ever go into make an album that's crappy. You put your
heart into every album. Sometimes they don't turn out as well as you
would like and that's life. There's parts of that I don't care for
and there's parts of it I think are great. I know people think of
it as a Rainbow album more than a Purple album. I can understand that.
There were three of us that were in Rainbow.
BB: I think it had an equal foot in both!
RG: Yeah it has. I don't actually care to take
part in opinions, because opinions are entirely personal. My feelings
about that record have nothing to do with anyone else.
BB: The remasters that you worked so hard on
have just been great. The packaging, the liner notes, the extra material.
It has been grand to have those. Although, I didn't think we were
going to get Who Do We Think We Are since the other titles came out
on their 25th anniversary and that one was a few years late. Did you
almost give up?
RG: No actually I finished the project on time.
That project sat on the shelf for a couple years. Nothing to do with
me. I don't really know why to be honest with you. Yeah, alot of those
old recordings, copyright control, publishing, we don't have control
over that. It's kind of mixed up with EMI and various other companies
of our old management. I think there was some kind of legal problem
holding it up, but eventually it came out. In fact, since you brought
up remasters, I had gone on record saying that I wouldn't be involved
in doing Burn or any of the ones after it. But, I spoke to EMI a couple
weeks ago, and said, "why don't you send me the tapes and let me see
what I can find." It's early days........ I've got a solo album coming
out. I've just finished it. I don't know when it's going to come out
though. It's actually........I started off listening to a J.J. Cale
album called Naturally, which was his first album. It came out in
1970 or something like that. It's laid back, blues based mellow country
blues, but groovy. So it's an album of songs with grooves. I thought
if he can do it, I can do it. So mine is songs with grooves.It's called
Snapshot.
BB: If and when Purple decide to call it a day,
would it even be a possibility to do one big send off show and invite
all 12 members of purple past and present, where each singer would
sing songs from their respective eras? Or is that a ludicrous thing
to even think of?
RG: Yeah. The decision to end the band is \not
arrived at without a great deal of thought and pain and doubt and
uncertainty. And maybe fear and anger. Who knows what is gonna cause
the break up of the band. To plan your farewell.......I can't imagine
that happening. I suppose it could in a certain time, but right now
it's almost like we've become objects of inerest as to how long we
can actually play rock and roll. Well fuck that. I'm 55 but feel like
i'm five on stage. I feel great. I read a review of a book yesterday
that suggested there should be a mandatory retirement age for rock
and roll musicians. You reach 30 you cant do it anymore you have to
stop and become a postman or a road digger or an architect...... what
are you gonna do? I mean you fucking play music you know? Rock and
roll is not a team it's a way of life. It's what I do. It's what I
play. I wouldn't ask that of a blues musician or a jazz musician or
a classical musician. Then why the fuck ask a rock and roll musician
if he's too old to play music. That's fucked. Yes there's a certain
dignity involved. Would I put on spandex pants in my 80's and leap
across the stage? Probably not, but who knows. If I could I would!
BB: Have you heard any of Ritchie's recent stuff?
RG: Yes, and I will not make any comment on it what so ever. I just
wish him well.
BB: Back to the remasters, is there a possibility that you you'll
go right through the Mark III and IV albums?
RG: I don't know. That's in the next few years.
If I have time, and if I've got something to bring to the thing then
yes. Made In Japan came out and I had nothing to bring to that. I
didn't want to change any of the mixes, I didn't want to change any
thing. To me Made In Japan is as close to getting perfection in a
live album as you can get. The mixes were fine. Machine Head needed
remixing. You could say that for all things. Everything could be remixed,
but Made In Japan was untouchable to me. They asked me and I said
"I don't want to get involved. It's fine the way it is."
BB: Are you fond of the Coverdale era? Are you familar with it at
all?
RG: Well, it was difficult for me at the time
to listen to it because I had an enormous amount of animosity towards
the band. I was pushed out. That was bad enough. But when we got the
Billboard award for being the biggest artist of all time that year,
there's a picture of Glenn Hughes there instead of me. That really
hurt a lot. I didn't have a lot of good times around that period.
When Burn came out I did listen to it. Without trying to be prejudice
I actually did like Sail Away. I thought it was immediately the best
track on the album for me. Might just take your life was good. I didn't
like (the song) Burn. I could hear the formula riff intro. I also
think it's a lousy, lousy mix. In fact thats the reason why I'm doing
it because I heard it recently and I thought "ah fuck, that's a song
that really needs remixing if ever there was one!" Why should I let
anyone else do it, you know? I have the capability, I can do it.
BB: Oh don't tease me! Now you have to do it!
You're on record now!
RG: Unless some other reason comes up, I will
do it.
BB: Well, your studio talents are........
RG: I have to say....... my studio talents are based entirely on the
people I work with.They're not mine. I'm not an engineer. I know engineering,
but I'm not an engineer. I need to work with an engineer. Peter Denenberg
is the guy who's been working with me for the last four or five years,
and he deserves an enormous amount of credit for that. People talk
about the "Roger Glover mixes" but it's him AND me.
BB: But you have a vision and a way of harnessing the creative work
at hand to be able to bring the best out of it, judging by your production
work with other bands...........
RG: Oh yeah. I have my place, but it's not just
me. That's all I'm saying.
BB: Out of all the bands that are in some way related to Purple (sabbath,
Rainbow, Whitesnake, etc.) as well as other bands of that era,you
seem to be the one that has strongest ties with all of them. (Note:
Roger produced Elf, Rainbow, David Coverdale, and Judas Priest, to
name a few) Are these relationships that you still have today? Did
all of you know Ronnie James Dio pretty well to have included him
on the orchestral album?
RG: Ronnie actually came from a band called Elf.
In 1972 we were on an american tour, and our agent Bruce Payne, who's
now our manager, said, "What are you gonna do on the break?" We had
about a month off between tours and Paicey and I said, "I don't know,
we're just going to go back to London" that's where we lived. He asked,
"What are you going to do in London?" "Well, were going to go out
to the speakeasy every night and get drunk, pick up what we can find.
Then do the laundry and we'll be back on tour!" He then asked "How
would you like to stay here and earn some money? There's a band doing
a audition for CBS called ELF. They're looking for producers. If Either
both of you or one of you would like to do it, then I'm sure it could
be arranged." So we went along to this audition, and I'll never forget
it. Great scene, big studio. All the suits up one end, a row of Marshalls
and a piano and a set of drums at the other end. White wine flowed
when the big executives came in, and a half hour later they decided
to listen to the band. These four guys came out. They looked like
trolls. They had really long hair but they were all pretty small.
Paicey and I just looked at each other like "What the Fuck?!" They
cranked up and just blasted out this intense rock and roll. It was
killer! The guy's voice was amazing! We said "sign us up!" We went
down to Atlanta and we did there first album, and that was how we
met Ronnie. They went on to do another two albums, which I produced.
Then Elf started supporting us on tours. So we did a couple of tours
together. So everyone knew each other. Then I left the band. And with
in six months I was working on the Butterfly Ball and I had Ronnie
come in with me on that. After the Butterfly Ball was finished and
the album came out, Ritchie left Purple. Ronnie and I had plans to
do a band together, his last Elf album didn't work. I fancied being
in a band again and I said to Ronnie, "I really want you to be my
lead singer." Next thing I know, he's joined Ritchie. We've become
friends again. We had lost our friendship for a long time. One of
the great things about the concerto was that it brought Ronnie back
into my life, and I'm very pleased about that. We're good friends
again. He's a good guy.
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