Audio By Carbonatix
Here’s a reconstituted ’70s classic-rock group with an otherwise engaged leader. Deep Purple’s grumpy guitar hero, Ritchie Blackmore, probably hasn’t even played the “Smoke on the Water” riff around the house since 1993, but clearly, Purple is the headliner. Besides the added value of having Dixie Dregs/Kansas guitarist Steve Morse filling in for Blackmore onstage, the Deepsters are three-fifths of the Made in Japan lineup that produced all their great hits. (Roger Glover, Ian Paice and Ian Gillian — when all the Ians are involved in Deep Purple, it’s generally a good sign, sorta like when all the Björns show up at a Blue Swede reunion.) Thus, fans can reasonably expect anything from In Rock to Burn to sound genuine, unlike the notoriously shoddy 1980 Rod Evans-led Deep Purple, who, by rights, could only in good conscience sing their earliest hits, like “Hush” and “Kentucky Woman,” with any credible authority.
When news happens, Phoenix New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
