Features :: GODS OF ROCK: DEEP PURPLE: The Many Shades of Purple

Deep Purple, a band that has been fronted by some of the prime forces in hard rock singing, is an obvious source of inspiration for a rock singer. This is the band that catapulted to fame the poster-boys of yesteryears — Ian Gillan, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, and Joe Lynn Turner — the Gods that I’ve worshipped for the most part of my adult life. Understandably, the first name that rang in my head when asked to write an article for infinitymag.com was that of Deep Purple. This article is a feeble attempt to manifest my passion for the band that has touched my life in so very many ways. It’s an attempt to open my heart for you to take a peek inside.

My first encounter with Deep Purple was at age 12, when my father brought home a gramophone record of a compilation album that had “Hush” on Side B. Na Na Na Na Na — oh boy, my excitement knew no bounds! Years later, I watched a video clipping of the song in a Deep Purple ROCKumentary on my college PC and learnt that this original line-up of the band featured Rod Evans on vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on the guitar, Nick Simper on bass, Jon Lord on keyboards, and Ian Paice on drums. I also learnt that Evans and Simper were considered the weakest links, and in the words of Jon Lord, it was getting apparent that they were not the singer and the bass player that could help Deep Purple realise their big rockstar dreams. And so, Episode Six singer and bass player, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, were brought in to replace their not-so-promising predecessors.

With the new line-up, Deep Purple went on to record the smash hit albums ‘In Rock’, ‘Fireball’, and ‘Machine Head’ — albums that helped the band emerge as a Colossus in the arena of hard rock the world over. This line-up, however, fell a prey to the bitter acrimony between Gillan and Blackmore. Consequently, the former quit and his song-writing/bass-playing partner from Episode Six followed suite.

Many months and a few thousand audition tapes later, Deep Purple found adequate replacements in David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. This singer-bassist duo had big shoes to fill, and they did so with much élan, leaving their footprints in the sands of time. In ‘Burn’ and ‘Storm Bringer’, Coverdale showcased the many facets of a voice that could turn from a whisper to a scream, while his bass-wielding partner-in-crime, Hughes, doubled up as a singer flaunting a banshee-like voice that boasted an incredible range. With time, their music inclined more and more towards funk — a genre Blackmore wasn’t particularly fond of. This led to his brief replacement by Tommy Bolin — a delightful soul dreadfully into heroin, who left behind his widely cherished contribution, ‘Come Taste the Band’. (Rest in peace Bolin, and return if possible!)

After a period of struggle following Bolin’s death, the classic line-up of Blackmore, Gillan, Lord, Glover, and Paice reunited for ‘Perfect Strangers’ and ‘The House of Blue Light’. But as past tensions began to resurface, Gillan quit yet again. This led to the enrollment of onetime Rainbow frontman, Joe Lynn Turner in 1990. Turner, who had sung in Ezra — a Deep Purple tribute band — during his early career, lived my dream brushing shoulders with the real guys. His stint with Deep Purple was a brief one though. Gillan rejoined to record ‘The Battle Rages On’, a title that seemed to hint at the hardships of the band arising from the seemingly endless line-up changes. And this wasn’t the end of it. Blackmore quit midway through the supporting tour of the album, to be temporarily replaced by Joe Satriani.

Finally in November 1994, Steve Morse was brought in as a permanent replacement for Blackmore. In Jon Lord’s words, you could not put Blackmore and Gillan in the same city, let alone the same band! Blackmore, who has left an indelible mark in the history of rock guitar playing, will always be missed in Deep Purple. But, for fans of Dixie Dregs, Kansas, and the Steve Morse Band like myself, Morse’s induction into Deep Purple meant the beginning of a whole new adventure.

Fancy a 20-hour bus journey from Bombay to Bangalore to catch a glimpse of the band — yes, I’ve been on that road too! This was when Deep Purple stormed Palace Grounds on Sunday, April 1, 2001. Man, I still feel an uncontrollable surge of adrenalin when I think about that night! 30,000 fans, all insanely passionate about the band — and I thought I was the biggest fan Deep Purple ever had!

For me, if a thing was good once, it always is. Friday, May 3, the very next year, I was right in the front row at MMRDA Grounds, Bombay holding up my t-shirt for Gillan to see. It read “DEEP PURPLE” in big block capitals! Gillan waved out at me and smiled. That was when our eyes met, though I’m not certain if he noticed the teardrops running down my cheeks. It was undoubtedly the best night of my life. It was heaven on earth!

Deep Purple — the band that has gifted the world songs timeless, ones that have helped us weather the many storms in our lives — has survived the many upheavals in its own constitution and remains alive ‘n’ kicking! Their success, I guess, is attributable to their conviction — they create the music that they believe in. Over the last few years, I’ve come across bands that once covered songs like “Burn” and “Fireball” but are now doing covers of songs by bands like Audioslave. “You’ve got to change with the times,” they say. In my reply, I say that I haven’t come this far to leave my heroes behind. For me, the juxtaposition of the words — DEEP and PURPLE — will always set off an explosion inside my head. And, I will remain true to this band. Always!

This article has been written by Tirthankar “2BLUe” Poddar, frontman of popular Bombay classic rock band VAYU.