The Last Band Standing

Before I get into this, for the benefit of those new to BP blogging and rewards . . . About Clapping: Rewards for blog posters and viewers are based on clapping. For the viewer you receive a daily reward for 'clapping 10 blogs' for the poster it is based on 'claps received'. Viewers, you can clap a single blog to receive your reward, simply do so slow and steady: clap & clap & clap ... 10x. Posters require first 100 and then 500 claps. A viewer can clap up a blog to 20x. So if and when you clap this blog, please clap 20x, not once or twice, as claps may have been intended to serve as a measure of blog quality, value, enjoyment but in reality are simply a means to a reward. I never dreamed the day would come but on August 12th, at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, Richie Blackmore stepped onto the stage to perform Smoke on the Water with Deep Purple once again. A momentous moment in rock history given that 33 years that have passed since he left the band for the second and final time. 33 years in which bad blood and mud-slinging often made the news. 46 years since I'd first heard Richie's iconic riff that launches Smoke on the Water. Now, almost 60 years since the first album, Shades of Deep Purple, was released, Deep Purple are the last band standing. I first saw the name Deep Purple stenciled on older boys canvas backpacks in 1976, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbeth. I was 11 and knew nothing of rock music, had no idea of the significance of these names. Later I would learn of this "Unholy Trinity" of hard rock, arguably the most influential bands on the hard rock and metal genre, shaping what would follow. I've come to enjoy the heavy rock of Sabbeth and the bluesy rock of Zeppelin but to this day, Purple remain my favourite hard rock band. In 1980 a school friend was broadening my music horizons. Music was a part of our household but more jazz, folk, easy listening. Contemporary popular music (for lack of a better word) was limited, The Beatles Red and Blue albums and ABBA. Waterloo was the first song I ever loved when it won the Eurovision Song Contest before we immigrated from the UK to South Africa. I discovered Fleetwood Mac, Supertramp, Jethro Tull, Queen, Pink Floyd, and of course Deep Purple. The first album we purchased, to replace the cassette recordings the friend had made for me was Queen's Night at the Opera - my mother tired of the terrible sound quality she was hearing, purchased it. The second was the iconic Deep Purple live album Made in Japan, considered one of the finest live rock recordings of all time. A recording that faithfully presents this band playing live, no subsequent studio doctoring, at the peak of their powers. Including, of course, Smoke on the Water, which tells the story of what happened in Switzerland when the band was setting forth to record the Machine Head album. While 1972's Machine Head and 1970's In Rock are considered by many to be their finest albums, the band's story begins in in the late 60s. Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice formed a five piece band with Simper and Evans. They played a mix of covers and original songs, exploring a variety of styles from the high energy of Joe South's Hush, to the melancholy of Donovan's Lalena, and the classically inspired (Lord's influence) progressive rock of April, a 12 minute epic in three parts. While the band achieved a measure of success, Blackmore in particular wanted to take the music in a different, harder, rock direction. In an act that Lord regretted to his dieing day, Simper and Evans were fired to be replaced by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover to form the classic Mk II lineup. The next single Speed King is a hard rock anthem that showcased the new Deep Purple sound. The album that followed, In Rock, is often considered their finest. It featured the masterpiece Child In Time, with its haunting lyrics, musical dance between Blackmore's guitar and Lord's organ, and Gillan's powerful screaming vocals. It would be follwoed by Fireball and then the classic Machine Head, which contributed 4 songs to the 7 performed at the Made In Japan concert. While Smoke on the Water is undoubtedly Purple's most well known song, in my opinion it is by no means their finest song. The album opens with Highway Star from Machine Head, and to this day they still open a show with this anthem. It is followed by Child In Time. Side 1 of the first vinyl record. Side 2 does include Machine Head's Smoke on the Water, followed by The Mule from Fireball. Side 3 includes the bluesy number Lazy in which Lord throws in classical motifs, my favourite being the melody from 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf'. These musical quotes and nods are a regular feature of Lord's playing. But musical differences and inter-personal tensions would surface and soon Glover and Gillan were replaced by Coverdale and Hughes. Again the flavour of the bands recordings would change under their influence, the music becoming more soulful and funky while still rocking. Two albums were released, Burn and Stormbringer, with memorable songs like Burn, Mistreated, Stormbringer and the ballad Soldier of Fortune. Once again musical differences created tension and Blackmore left the band he had been instrumental in forming. Mk IV recorded one album before Deep Purple was finally disbanded. But the thrill of playing together when the chemistry was working proved a strong attraction, and Mk II got back together in 1984 to release Perfect Strangers, and the title track of the album, Perfect Strangers, is one of my favourites, with fabulous lyrics Can you remember, remember my name? As I flow through your life A thousand oceans I have flown And cold spirits of ice All my life I am the echo of your past (echo of your past) I am returning the echo of a point in time Distant faces shine A thousand warriors I have known And laughing as the spirits appear All your, all your life shadows of another day And if you hear me talking on the wind You've got to understand we must remain Perfect strangers I know I know, I must remain inside this silent well of sorrow A strand of silver hanging through the sky Touching more than you see The voice of ages in your mind Oh, is aching with the dead of the night Oh oh precious life Your tears are lost in falling rain And if you hear me talking on the wind You've got to understand we must remain Perfect strangers It delivers one of my all time favourite lines "I know I know, I must remain inside this silent well of sorrow" Of course tensions re-surfaced. Blackmore would leave again, not to return until August's unexpected reunion. Replaced briefly by Joe Satriani - yes Satch, played in Purple for a short period of time. But despite his unquestionable ability, he is not really a good fit. So it was that in 1994 Steve Morse became Deep Purple's guitarist. Classically trained, bringing a fusion of styles to his playing and a recording pedigree with Dixie Dregs and Kansas, he became a lynchpin, playing with the band until he left to take care of his (now) late wife in 2022. The 1996 release Purpendicular proved that the band was bigger than Blackmore. Morse also brought his influences to shape the sound but as always the band rocked, Ted the Mechanic is Purple rocking hard and Gillan having fun with a lyrical singing of a larger than life character he actually met in a bar. In 2002 founding member and a cornerstone of the Deep Purple sound and improvisional performance, Jon Lord, retired from the band. This time an amical parting of ways as Lord was tired of relentless touring and wish to pursue more classical musical directions. Before In Rock was recorded, he'd written the Concerto for Group and Orchestra which was performed in the Royal Albert Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He was replaced by journey man Don Airey, who'd played with Blackmore in Rainbow, and such legends of rock as Ozzy Osbourne and Gary Moore. His blend of classical and rock influence was a natural fit. A highlight of this era is the song Uncommon Man released on the Now What?! album, a tribute to Jon Lord who sadly passed in 2012, celebrating his life with the repeated refrain: "The man is walking tall... It's good to be king!" The departure of Morse did not signal the end of Deep Purple. Simon McBride was recruited to replace Morse, and they continued to record albums and tour. Known to the band through involvements with Airey and Gillan and musical history that includes playing alongside greats such as Jeff Beck, Derek Trucks and Joe Bonamassa. The first album =1, released in 2024, proved Purple continue to endure and deliver, featuring songs like Pictures of You. The Deep Purple story continues with the release of Splat!, their 24th studio album. An album that has received critical acclaim. An album that echoes the hard-rocking heritage of those first albums of the early 70s. Not an album made by rote by a group of geriatrics who should long since have exited stage left. Audiences, old and new alike, are enjoying the Deep Purple experience, as they once more tour the world in 2026. Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980 after the tragic death of drummer John 'Bonzo' Bonham. Black Sabbeth remained a force in metal until announcing they were retiring in 2017. They did reunite for a final "Full Stop" with the original lineup in 2025. Thus Deep Purple truly are the last band standing. And if they came to South Africa again I would make a point to see that show, to reprise the experience of seeing them in 1993, the best rock concert I saw, even better than The Rolling Stones on their Voodoo Lounge tour. About Clapping: Rewards for blog posters and viewers are based on clapping. For the viewer you receive a daily reward for 'clapping 10 blogs' for the poster it is based on 'claps received'. Viewers, you can clap a single blog to receive your reward, simply do so slow and steady: clap & clap & clap ... 10x. Posters require first 100 and then 500 claps. A viewer can clap up a blog to 20x. So if and when you clap this blog, please clap 20x, not once or twice, as claps may have been intended to serve as a measure of blog quality, value, enjoyment but in reality are simply a means to a reward.