Tuesday, April 17, 2007
1980
Yes, 1980... perhaps one of the best year in Purple history, and Deep Purple wasn't even active!
I mentioned in my previous post I thought 1980 was a great year for DP fandom even though the band was still defunct, and now I'll try to make my case.
Exhibit A: Rainbow (featuring ex-DP members Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover). While the classic lineups with Ronnie James Dio were now a thing of the past (Dio himself having moved on to Black Sabbath, where the Sabs would release their best ever album this year with Heaven and Hell), Rainbow was still a force to be reckoned with. The previous year saw the release of Down To Earth, and while that album was definitely a move in the direction of the more commercial sound of latter-day Rainbow, it still rocks plenty hard. Cozy Powell was still on board, the ever-solid Roger Glover was now lending his bass playing, songwriting, and producing skills, and Don Airey was providing the best keyboard playing Rainbow ever had. Add in to the mix new vocalist Graham Bonnet, one of the most powerful singers I've ever heard, and you've got quite a lineup. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Ritchie Blackmore was also at the top his game.
Rainbow toured Europe throughout 1980, and based on the boots I have this lineup was a powerhouse live. It all culminated with a headlining gig at the first ever Donington festival - Rainbow was huge in 1980, and they had the talent to back it up.
Exhibit B - Whitesnake (featuring ex-DP members David Coverdale, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice). Whitesnake released one of their best albums, Ready an' Willing, in 1980, and featured their best lineup that year, with Coverdale, Lord, Paice, Murray, Moody, and Marsden. They were also a great live band as evidenced by Live... In The Heart of the City recorded that year.
Exhibit C - Gillan (featuring ex-DP member Ian Gillan). Gillan had really come into their own in 1979 with the formation of the Gillan/Towns/McCoy/Torme/Underwood lineup, and the release of 1980's Glory Road showed a band with a lot of fire and energy. Even more impressive, however, was their set for the BBC's In Concert series (available on Live at the BBC 1979-1980). Live, Gillan was a force to be reckoned with.
So there you have it. In 1980, Deep Purple may not have been together but most of the former members were doing some of the best work they ever did outside of Purple. Plus, that year saw the release of the excellent compilation Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple, which would serve as my introduction to the band 15 years later.
Of course, it wasn't all roses that year - there was the Rod Evans debacle, but that aside I'd still say 1980 was a very good year for Purple People.
I mentioned in my previous post I thought 1980 was a great year for DP fandom even though the band was still defunct, and now I'll try to make my case.
Exhibit A: Rainbow (featuring ex-DP members Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover). While the classic lineups with Ronnie James Dio were now a thing of the past (Dio himself having moved on to Black Sabbath, where the Sabs would release their best ever album this year with Heaven and Hell), Rainbow was still a force to be reckoned with. The previous year saw the release of Down To Earth, and while that album was definitely a move in the direction of the more commercial sound of latter-day Rainbow, it still rocks plenty hard. Cozy Powell was still on board, the ever-solid Roger Glover was now lending his bass playing, songwriting, and producing skills, and Don Airey was providing the best keyboard playing Rainbow ever had. Add in to the mix new vocalist Graham Bonnet, one of the most powerful singers I've ever heard, and you've got quite a lineup. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Ritchie Blackmore was also at the top his game.
Rainbow toured Europe throughout 1980, and based on the boots I have this lineup was a powerhouse live. It all culminated with a headlining gig at the first ever Donington festival - Rainbow was huge in 1980, and they had the talent to back it up.
Exhibit B - Whitesnake (featuring ex-DP members David Coverdale, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice). Whitesnake released one of their best albums, Ready an' Willing, in 1980, and featured their best lineup that year, with Coverdale, Lord, Paice, Murray, Moody, and Marsden. They were also a great live band as evidenced by Live... In The Heart of the City recorded that year.
Exhibit C - Gillan (featuring ex-DP member Ian Gillan). Gillan had really come into their own in 1979 with the formation of the Gillan/Towns/McCoy/Torme/Underwood lineup, and the release of 1980's Glory Road showed a band with a lot of fire and energy. Even more impressive, however, was their set for the BBC's In Concert series (available on Live at the BBC 1979-1980). Live, Gillan was a force to be reckoned with.
So there you have it. In 1980, Deep Purple may not have been together but most of the former members were doing some of the best work they ever did outside of Purple. Plus, that year saw the release of the excellent compilation Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple, which would serve as my introduction to the band 15 years later.
Of course, it wasn't all roses that year - there was the Rod Evans debacle, but that aside I'd still say 1980 was a very good year for Purple People.
