Tribal dance (Charles Lloyd) (LP 2357)

The Charles Lloyd Quartet  Love-In (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1967) ****  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Chaldon Books and Records (Caterham on the hill)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Is It Really The Same?

Gear costume: Tribal Dance 

Active compensatory factors: I was attracted to this in Chaldon Books and Records for many reasons.

• It was recorded live in San Francisco, 1967
• It's Live at The Fillmore, 1967
• The band includes Keith Jarrett on piano and Jack DeJohnette on drums
• It's in mint condition
• The Quartet is my favourite jazz formation - tenor sax, piano, bass, drums
• Charles Lloyd looks cool!
• It's an original pressing on Atlantic
• It was a good price - ten pounds.
• The cover is suitably of the time

It doesn't disappoint, although I could live without the version of the Fabs Here There And Everywhere, and Charles is better on tenor sax than flute.

The 1967 San Franciscan hippies certainly seemed to lap it up!

Where do they all belong? A one off

Loosen my strings (Deep Purple) (LP 2346 - 2356)

Deep Purple  Purpendicular (CD, RCA Records, 1996) ****  

Deep Purple  Live At The Olympia '96 (CD, Thames Records, 1997) ****  

Deep Purple  Live At Montreux 1996 (CD, Eagle Records, 2006) ***

Deep Purple  Abandon (CD, EMI Records, 1998) ***  

Deep Purple  Total Abandon Australia '99 (CD, RCA Records, 1999) ***  

Deep Purple  Bananas (CD, EMI Records, 2003) ***  

Deep Purple  Rapture of the Deep (CD, Edel Records, 2005) ****  

Deep Purple  Live At Montreux 2006 (CD, Eagle Records, 2007) *** 

Deep Purple  Now What?! (CD, EMI Records, 2013) ***  

Deep Purple  InFinite (CD, EarMUSIC Records, 2017) *** 

Deep Purple  Whoosh! (CD, EarMusic Records, 2020) ***  

Genre: Rock

Places I remember: Fopp; HMV; JB Hi-Fi.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic (Purpendicular)

Gear costume: Rosa's Cantina, Sometimes I feel Like Screaming (both Purpendicular) 

Active compensatory factors: What are the odds that Deep Purple Mark 7*, in the mid-nineties, would pick themselves up and with a new guitarist forge and sustain a new vital career in music.

A long shot, right! But somehow, with Ian Gillan revitalised as a vocalist and lyricist, new guitarist Steve Morse from Dixie Dregs playing sublime guitar, and the other guys (Glover, Lord, Paise) back on form (although Ian Paice is always consistently great), blow me down if they didn't do just that - re-invent and innovate in the late nineties and then as Mark 8 (without Jon Lord) into the new millennium.

The production is superb on Purpendicular - Glover's bass lines are crisp and crystal clear (Glover wasn't producing - maybe that helped). The songs are well written, there's some interesting experimentation (there's no DP formula type songs), and the musicianship, as indicated earlier, is fabulous.

There are a number of highlights on Purpendicular that the band tap into in their revamped live set from the time. Live At The Olympia '96 is a superb live double album. 

It feels like a true live document and the set list is perfect: the best songs from Purpendicular alongside deep cuts from the early Mark 2 albums, plus including a visit to Perfect Strangers, and hits (Black Night is the fifth song up and includes a great audience/ guitar interplay section).

In fact, Steve Morse is superb throughout. His playing is his own even though he's often needing to play Ritchie's parts. 

The Live at Montreux 1996 album also documents the reborn band of the mid nineties. It has a couple of bonus tracks from their Montreux appearance in 2000. 

It's not as essential as the Olympia set - mainly because the audience doesn't go apeshit like the Olympia one does, but the vibrancy of the music is still there.

Deep into the nineties - 30 years after they started as a band, came Abandon. Roger Glover and the band are back on production duties for this one.

Steve Morse cements his position as the guitar foil needed in this hard driving rock album. He's also the star of the Total Abandon Australia live double CD album.

The live setting brings out that tight ensemble Deep Purple sound superbly and Total Abandon delivers big time. They were at the end of a long 1998-1999 tour and they sound fully on form.

The highlights are many but I can't go past Steve Morse's intro to Smoke On The Water (where he moves from classic Jimmy Page, Hendrix, Clapton, Van Halen riffs into Ritchie's classic Smoke On The Water riff) and then that version. Ian Gillan's stage announcements throughout the gig are once again a treat as well.

Into the naughties the band trooped but without Jon Lord. His knee injury brought on a retirement from DP and the recruiting of Don Airey as his replacement. 

Bananas was the studio album that emerged in 2003. It's a good start to the Don Airey/Steve Morse years with that signature DP sound present and correct. My only quibble is that it's too long as a CD and I tend to drift off towards the end.

Rapture Of The Deep continues that success and avoids the too-long CD syndrome. Although these albums probably fly under the radar of what's current in the naughties there is something very reassuring about their very presence. 

On songs like Wrong Man, Steve's intuitive understanding of what sounds like a good DP riff is a terrific attribute. he's definitely a great guitarist and fits the DP aesthetic so well.

The concurrent Live at Montreux album (2006) has the old standards yet again - there's no way they can't play Highway Star and Smoke on the Water but Space Truckin' really needs to be retired IMHO. Thankfully there is also a lot of the new material from Rapture (including Wrong Man) and I never get tired of Pictures Of Home.

The next studio album, Now What?!, came out seven years after Rapture of The Deep. In the meantime, Jon Lord had passed away (2012) and, fittingly, the album is dedicated to him.

The music is immediately recognisable as Deep Purple, which is as it should be. They proved in the past that moving away from their pulse beat and core sound wasn't a good move. The usual CD issue of it being too long returns for Now What?! It's probably three songs too many.

And, I'm not crazy about Don Airey's use of synths at the expense of the organ. That Hammond B3 is a crucial ingredient!

Bob Ezrin produced Now What?! and he was on board four years later for InFinite. In truth, I'm not sure it matters who produces Deep Purple albums, they are so used to each other by now they just do what they do.

Anyway, InFinite and Whoosh! continue the story (with great sleeve covers - it must be said) and what remains pretty remarkable is how Ian Gillan sustains his powerful delivery throughout all of these late period albums.

Highlights in this final trio of albums include Apres Vous and Vincent Price on Now What?!

Weak bit: I'm not sure why they decided to cover The Doors Roadhouse Blues on InFinite. It's a pretty weak version.

Where do they all belong? *Mark 6 had Joe Satriani filling in for live shows - nothing was released with the Mark 6 band to my knowledge. So that's it. The end of the Deep Purple albums in my collection. 

I haven't bothered to buy their most recent album at exorbitant prices - Turning To Crime is a covers album and the last to feature Steve Morse who left the band after its release. It's on Spotify (of course) and I've listened to it once. If I manage to find a copy in a shop I'll buy it, but I'm not making a special effort.

Evidence (Sphere) (LP 2345)

Sphere  Four in One (Vinyl, Elektra Musician Records, 1982) ****  

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Catch up of the jazz collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Eronel (Not available on Spotify or YouTube)

Gear costume: Four In One (Not available on Spotify or YouTube). The whole album though is here.

Active compensatory factors: Sphere is a band of jazz musicians who make an album of Thelonious Monk's less well known tunes. Sphere includes Charlie Rouse and Ben Riley who played with Monk and Buster Williams, Kenny Barron (who didn't).

Coincidentally, they recorded much of the album on the day Monk passed away, however they weren't aware of that at the time.

Some masters of the art here, playing some of Monk's brilliant songs. 

Where do they all belong? A one off in my collection, although, now that I think on it, I do have the John DiMartino album that also comprises only Monk tunes. So, a two-off.

Mid town rush (Tom Scott) (LP 2343 - 2344)

Tom Scott  New York Connection (Vinyl, Ode Records, 1975) *** 

Tom Scott  Street Beat (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1979) *** 

Genre: Jazz; jazz rock

Places I remember: Catch up in the jazz collection.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Car Wars (Street Beat)

Gear costume: Appolonia (Foxtrata) 

Active compensatory factors: I'm not a huge fan of Tom Scott and the only reason for owning New York Connection is George Harrison's appearance on one track - Appolonia (Foxtrata) playing his distinctive slide guitar.

Aside from that it's pleasant mellow modern jazz from Tom and some East Coast jazz musicians like Hugh McCracken, Richard Tee, Eric Gale, and Steve Gadd.  Bob James is also a welcome presence.

Street Beat is grittier, hence the name, and also has some vocal tracks, so it leans more toward jazz rock than it does jazz. The vocals don't help - let's just say that.

Where do they all belong? A nice corner of the modern jazz zeitgeist.

Getting tighter (Deep Purple) (LP 2341 - 2342)

Deep Purple Come Taste The Band (CD, Purple Records, 1975) ****  

Deep Purple Slaves And Masters (CD, RCA Records, 1990) *** 

Genre: Rock 

Places I remember: I bought Come Taste The Band in China of all places - in a bookstore in Wuxi that also had CDs. It's a 35th anniversary double CD with the original version and then a 2010 remixed version (with a couple of bonus tracks). The other CDs are from HMV.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Getting Tighter (Come Taste The Band)

Gear costume: You Keep On Moving (Come Taste The Band)

Active compensatory factors: After Ritchie Blackmore left the band in 1975 they decided to carry on with a new guitarist. American Tommy Bolin was the excellent choice.

Mark 4 Purple only recorded the one studio album before disbanding. Tragically, Tommy Bolin would die from a drug overdose shortly after that.

It's an extension of Stormbringer's more funkier direction. Bolin is a very different guitarist to Ritchie (isn't everybody!). His team player approach was taking the band in a slightly different direction, but then - Mark 4 broke up and was eventually replaced by a return of Mark 2 in the eighties. 

When the reformed Mark 2 also petered out, Mark 5 was the next version to record an album in 1990 with Slaves And Masters. Basically, Joe Lynn Turner had replaced Ian Gillan for Mark 5's only studio album.

It's not a bad album as such, it just doesn't sound very Deep Purplish to me - more an attempt to compete with of-the-time rock bands like Foreigner. Joe Lynn Turner's vocals are the main reason. He's a good singer - just not really a good match for Purple. 

And then it was onto another a Mark 2 reunion after Gillan was brought back to replace Turner for The Battle Rages On in 1993. This Mark 2 reunion also ended badly and Ritchie left for good soon after.

Where do they all belong? A deep breath as the interweb catches up on the machinations - who's in, who's out. I'll head to some other albums before launching into Mark 6 a.k.a. the Steve Morse version of the band.

You fool no one (Deep Purple) (LP 2336 - 2340)

Deep Purple  Burn (Vinyl and CD, Purple Records, 1974) *** 

Deep Purple  Stormbringer (CD, Purple Records, 1974) ****  

Deep Purple  Made In Europe (Vinyl and CD, EMI Records, 1976) **** 

Deep Purple  California Jamming Live 1974 (CD, EMI Records, 1996) **** 

Deep Purple  Live In London 1974 (CD, EMI Records, 2007) ***  

Genre: Pop rock 

Places I remember: Fives (Leigh-on-sea); Fopp; Virgin Megastore (Dubai)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Burn (Live version)

Gear costume: Stormbringer

Active compensatory factors: The two studio albums by the Mark 3 version of Deep Purple produced a great set list and these albums hold up. Especially Stormbringer!

Burn was all the rage when I was doing my second year trying to pass School Cert at Mt Albert Grammar. It's not the greatest Deep Purple album by a long stretch, it's weirdly mixed and won't go super loud without creaking but...I think it's a fine album (apart, obviously from "A" 200 which is clearly filler and real crap).

The rest though shows the band bouncing back from the departure of Gillan/ Glover with the hiring of Glen Hughes and David Coverdale and some exciting new sounds.

A funkier Purple and more confident Coverdale/Hughes have their peak on Stormbringer (the album). It still sounds fresh - which is amazing! All this in 1974!

Sadly, I think Stormbringer has been undervalued and almost forgotten in their vast catalogue. It's an excellent album and ripe for rediscovery.

The three live albums by the Mark 3 Purple are also worth investigating. I love the chaotic mess that is Made In Europe. Only 5 tracks so it's definitely a case of less is more, with definitive versions of Burn and Stormbringer songs. 

Ritchie is at his frenzied best on You Fool No One and then segues into a tender slow blues. What a guy! Or couple of guys!!

The California Jamming 1974 live album includes some Mark 2 numbers (Mule, Smoke On The Water and Space Truckin' which is interesting).

This was the show where Ritchie was pissed off at the promoter and took it out on a television camera filming the show. The performances are stirring (Mistreated, Might Just Take Your Life are especially good). The negative is the extended (boring) version of Space Truckin'.

The most thorough live document is Live In London which is a show at Gaumont State Theatre Kilburn, also in 1974, recorded 'for the old radio'. A busy year for the Mark 3 lads!

This is a double CD because they stretch out outrageously on some songs: 15 plus minutes for Mistreated; 20 plus for You Fool No One and a crazy 30 plus for Space Truckin'.

This is insane. No one can hold attention for that long.

Where do they all belong? The very short lived Mark 4 and 5 DPs coming soon.

Rock and roll records (J,J, Cale) (LP 2332 - 2335)

J.J. Cale  Okie (Vinyl, Shelter Records, 1974) ****  

Pete Carr  Multiple Flash (Vinyl, Big Tree Records, 1978) *** 

Eric Clapton  Money And Cigarettes (Vinyl, Duck Records, 1983) ***   

Christopher Cross  Another Page (Vinyl, Warner Bros Records, 1983) ***  

Genre: Pop rock

Places I remember: World Record club (Okie), catch up of the Cs.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Baby Says No (Christopher Cross)

Gear costume: The Shape You're In (Eric Clapton);

Active compensatory factors: First up we have three guitarists featured in this final catch up of albums I missed in the A, B, C and Ds. Interesting that all three have stylised guitars featured on their covers.

I bought my original copy of Okie way way back in 1974 from a mail order record club. I loved that cover!

The word was strong on J. J. Cale at the time and this was one laid back confident dude. I loved the record but he didn't hook me and reel me in with it. I didn't collect anything else by him. Which is weird. But some artists I go apeshit over and have to buy everything they've done, and others...

Like Cale, Pete Carr is another relatively unsung guitarist. Multiple Flash is a largely instrumental rock album that floats by because he's so damn good! He does sing (really well as it happens) on his excellent version of Knockin' On Heaven's Door.

Seemingly he can play it all, but without flash, so, hence the unsung bit (in both ways).

Eric Clapton is not unsung, but this album has probably flown under the radar in his vast catalogue. For me, it's a bit like Reptile - a slow grower, and well worth re-discovering.

Ry Cooder, Duck Dunn and Albert Lee are along for the ride. 

Christopher Cross also has some heavyweight help on his second album. Most notably, and successfully, on Baby, Says No with Carl Wilson providing vocal support.

That one song elevates the record onto the next level on its own. Carl Wilson. A genius, sadly taken from us far too young.

The rest of the album is good but not great. That debut casts a huge shadow. 

Where do they all belong? Back up to date now and heading back to Mark 3 Deep Purple.