Strangely this is my first ever Deep Purple album review, my interest was piqued by the addition of Northern Irish guitarist Simon McBride’s addition, Simon is well known to me, I used to get guitar lessons from Simon when he was in his teens at his mum and dads home out by Greenisland / Carrickfergus, the lessons were more me geeking out at Simon’s unbelievable ability as a young lad with the brain and fingers of a guitarist well beyond his years, since then I have always followed him with great admiration and I am delighted to see him with a band of this scale getting the recognition he fully deserves.
Simon has already had the most amazing career to date but his place in Deep Purple along with his input on this recording can never be taken away, the taster of the recent single ‘Lazy Sod’ was dripping in classic purple and stunning musicianship as we have all came to know via the band, so the new album =1, I know will not disappoint.
Right from the off, the production is glorious, allowing all those tasty nuances to overflow out of the speakers and take a grip of you from the start, the little guitar lines filling in around the thick tasty backline of Don Airey, Roger Glover and Ian Paice. Ian Gillan’s vocals are sublime, tying it all together with glorious vocal lines before McBride’s solo’s and Don’s virtuosity cut through to blow the mind.
The influence of Deep Purple is gargantuan, and with the musicianship today in 2024 they have lost nothing of their ability to turn heads, as a collective the sound is just sublime, the combination of Don’s Hammond filling the air against a solid backline with Simon’s beautifully weighted distortion and cutting tone coming In and out just stops you in your tracks. The world is a weird and wonderful place and regardless of the albums sold, the tours around the globe, Deep Purple will still no doubt collect an army of fans with their new album, you can assume everyone will know of the legacy and be on board but so many of us can go through life with blinkers on, especially when it comes to our musical tastes, the idea of looking back can horrify some, it’s 2024 sheeple why would you need anything else when Tay-Tay has it all sown up?
Spend some time in the arms of =1 and you will soon understand that there is a big world out there of music, musicianship and expression that so many modern bands simply do not touch upon, that legacy bands like Deep Purple have engrained in their DNA. An album like =1 is like a sonic rollercoaster, taking you along with the band, once you step on there’s no getting off! You are there for every twist and turn as they carry you full pelt across 13 stunning tracks running around 48 minutes or so is a musical education you need in your life.
A sublime album, one for the established Deep Purple fans and newbies like myself, put it on and lose yourself for an hour or so, maybe best to phone the boss and tell him you’ll need a little recovery time too. As for Simon, the album is a perfect showcase for what I have known and seen for years in the flesh, Deep Purple and Simon McBride seem to be a match made in heaven, few could have stepped into those shoes and filled them so comfortably but =1 says all is good in the world of Deep Purple.
=1 lands Friday, July 19th courtesy of via earMusic
‘=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.
=1 MORE TIME TOUR DATES
Aug. 14 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live
Aug. 15 – Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Event Center
Aug. 17 – The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug. 18 – Durant, OK @ Choctaw Casino – Grand Theater
Aug. 19 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
Aug. 21 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 22 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Aug. 23 – Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Aug. 25 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
Aug. 27 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Aug. 28 – Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion
Aug. 30 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Aug. 31 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sept. 1 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Sept. 3 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
Sept. 4 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Broadview Stage at SPAC
Sept. 6 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Sept. 7 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
Sept. 8 – Scranton, PA @ The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Tickets are available at www.deeppurple.com.