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"Reflections" |
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It's quite remarkable how ideas change once you start jamming and routining the song ideas...certainly with such creative and powerful players as Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Glenn Hughes...I could sense, even then, that they all deferred to Ritchie...and most definately didn't want to piss him off...but, still, it was quite democratic, and everyone contributed to the development of the songs... I recall one day being very embarrassed when Ritchie caught me playing his Strat in the rehearsal room...I was messing around with an idea I'd had...in F#minor...He was very generous with me...and said he had no idea I could play...as up 'til then, I'd been quite happy to let the maestro play guitar, as you can imagine...and then he asked me what the song was...and quite rightfully took over and started to shape it into something which is still remarked on as one of the highlights of the Mark 111 chapter...'Mistreated'...
Ian Paice was playing explosively and tastefully and impressing me to the max...and he was obviously enjoying jamming with his new bass player...and Glenn was kicking arse as only Glenn can...It also helped that they were both dating beautiful twin sisters!!!...Ahh...there ain't nothing like a tight rhythm section...YEAH!!! What a band...What an unbelievable, powerful collective this was...It was easy for me, as the singer, to stand back and watch and listen...and it was incredible!!!...I couldn't believe my luck in being involved with this enterprise...Please...if this is a dream...don't let me wake up... Another memory from that time at Clearwell was being introduced to midnight seances...Ritchie enjoyed...er...'dabbling'...and after a few pints he talked me into getting involved...and brought the ol' Ouji board out...I didn't feel it was right...and at times I had a hard time keeping a straight face...To be honest I was just trying to part of whatever was going on...After a while, I made my excuses and buggered off...Although some experiences stayed with me...One in particular...I was 'told' I should always wear a belt when near a large body of water...and that I should be sure of this when I was with Glenn...(cue the spooky music!!!)...So far, I'm happy to say...I haven't had any unusual 'encounters' when near a 'large body of water'...(ahem) I also remember putting a noticeable amount of weight on while working at Clearwell Interestingly...no drugs had surfaced...and there had been no discussion about them...It appeared that 'booze' was the 'drug' of choice for the Deeps...well...at that time, anyway... That would all change in the future...but, right now...a couple 'o' glasses of this an' that...and some more 'o' that...and I was a very happy camper...Oh, yes...and 'scrumpy', a harsh, but, tasty and very potent cider that was brewed in that part of the country...and that was most enjoyable, too...Although I must confess...I was enjoying smoking my grass on the quiet... There was much amusement at my expense when the guys saw my passport picture...There it was in all it's glory...THE MOUSTACHE!!!...I was stuck with that bloody thing for a couple of years...I looked like a smarmy second hand car salesman from a Monty Python sketch... I was given a hundred quid to play with...(thank
you)...and we flew First Class to Germany...checked into the esteemed Atlantic hotel...where I was told I was to be in a suite that had formally housed a certain...er...Mr. Hitler whenever he was in that fair city...(I still believe the guys set the hotel manager up to wind me up...Still it gave me a story to tell)...We were then supposed to search for a studio to record the album...but, first...I was to be introduced to the electrifying nightlife of Hamburg...and, yes...I lived to tell many stories about that What a place!!!...What BEAUTIFUL women!!!...I had an unbelievable time...and to further ruin my reputation...I will share a little tale with you about how 'internationally' naive I was in those days...As dawn was breaking, I remember drunkenly getting in a taxi with an illuminated sign on it's roof saying 'Frei'...Wow...I thought...how gracious of this fine city to supply free transport for visitors!!!...That thought was dispelled on my delivery to the hotel...I made my effusive thank you's...and commenced to enter the hotel...only to be assailed by the big bugger whom had just driven me there...'Oi!!!"...he shouted in rather abrasive German...'Where's me gelt???"...Oh...terribly sorry, Sir!!!...(potential involuntary bowel movement)...and immediately handed over probably way too much in whatever I had in Deutchemarks... Well...I was rat-arsed, wasn't I??? Buses loaded with journalists from all over the place were brought down to Gloucestershire to meet the new band...and Mrs Coverdales's little boy...David... I'm still haunted by those pictures!!!...I had no idea how to 'pose' like a rock star...Absolutely none at all!!! I remember the many headlines in the music press..."WHO IS THIS GUY???"...Thank God the band were supportive of me... I spent a whole evening drinking with Martin and 'doing the clubs'...excitedly talking about we should record my voice..."I love how those Motown singers sound...all intimate and breathy!!!...Can you get me to sound like that???"...Martin would just smile...Of course, I had no idea having no real studio experience and never having made a commercial record before...I'd only made a few demos...Birchy was very patient and supportive and basically told me not to worry...(oh, dear...was it that obvious???)...and that everything would be fine...and it was... We took over a conference centre...the Stone's truck parked on the ground floor level...tentacles of cables spilling out all over the place...and an industrial elevator ride to the top floor where we set up the studio proper...
I kept seeing wonderful winter coats and snow boots that I would have loved, but, everything was prohibitively costly for a working class lad from Teesside... ...and so...the sessions began...I was blown away by how incredible these guys were...I had always felt blessed with the players I'd worked with in local bands, but, this lot were something else entirely...Suddenly...everything began to take shape...Much more focused than when we were in rehearsals...Jon Lord's scorching organ sound shaking the building as he played as only he can play...and impressing me immensely with his barrelhouse piano playing on 'What's Going On Here'...Glenn, such a natural musician, consistently firing on all six cylanders...Completely confident... I remember during a take of 'You Fool No One', with that unique and relentless cowbell/drum pattern Ian created...All of us were having a laugh about something that happened as we were recording...when Ian threw down his sticks and stormed off the drumkit...'Hey...this is fucking hard to play...Get it right...or I'm off!!!"...He was dripping wet from playing the song perfectly for the last 3 or 4 takes...so...needless to say...we got the song on the next pass...Nice one, Paicey...What a player!!!...His love of big band jazz drummers like Max Roach inspired him to swing much more than most of his contemporaries...Listen to his powerhouse playing on the title track...Exceptional... My metabolism has never enjoyed amphetamine, despite a love affair with cocaine later on...and the pills made me emotionally edgy...at times disoriented...and certainly sleep deprived...All good stuff, as you can imagine...but...I was definately losing some of the good ol' Yorkshire 'insulation' from my waist...which leads me to yet another anecdote... I had been up pretty much most of the night writing tons of lyrics for what became 'Burn'...I joked later that I was so enthusiatic that I wrote at least a dozen versions of the song!!!...Not quite true, but only a slight exaggeration...probably more like 3 or 4 versions...The most memorable for me was called...wait for it...'The Road'!!!...So, instead of 'All I hear is...BBBUUURRRNNN!!!"...it was...'Take me dowwwnnn...the ROAAAADDDD!!!" Not one of my finer lyrics...and a source of much amusement to Mr. Lord...Anyway...I'd left all the lyrics...including the complete sci-fi lyric for 'Burn' that I'd specifically written with Ritchie in mind...on a grand piano in the studio for the guys to look over and take their pick...Needless to say...I felt rather accomplished giving 'em so many choices...and I staggered off to bed...absolutely shagged... I had no sooner climbed into bed when my phone started ringing off the hook...I picked up the receiver...and dropped it back into the cradle...This happened a few times...Next...banging on my door...and by this time...I was getting pissed...It was one of our assistants..."David...the lads are all waiting for you downstairs for the photo session!!!" 'What fuckin' photo session???...Nobody told me...I've been up all night working!!!...I've just now got into bed...Fuck off!!!"...I slammed the door and climbed back into bed... More banging on the door... "FUCK OFF!!!" Insistant, irritating banging... RIGHT, YOU BASTARD!!! I tore open the door with the intention of causing Mr. Broad significant bodily harm to be greeted by Mr.Blackmore in my face telling me..."Look, mate...in this business you have to look after yourself!!!" I saw red.."Nobody told me about a fuckin' photo session!!!" Whereupon Ritchie and I proceeded to have our first serious falling out... Thank God Ritchie could see how stressed out I was...and I'm happy to say, he was very patient and understanding...He just said..."Hurry up and get ready as soon as you can...I'll see you downstairs..." We had a good laugh about it later...but, I felt very fortunate...it most certainly could have gone the other way... The photo session with German photographer Didi Zill was bloody painful for me...I felt...and looked like hell...Not one of my better memories... Another 'all-nighter' was writing the lyric for 'Sail Away'...I was particularly pleased with the man!!!"...What???..."Are you sure it isn't too low???...It feels really low to me..."...I was almost crying...(bloody pills!!!)...Jon excitedly told me to "Come an' 'ave a listen, if you don't believe me!!!"...Thanks again, dear Jon... I took the elevator to the ground floor where the truck was parked...and climbed inside...Ritchie was there...the assistant engineer TP...and Birchy...so, it was pretty packed...Ritchie was nodding his approval...and when I heard it played back my confidence returned...I went back upstairs to finish the song...Phew!!! Another memorable moment for me during the 'Burn' sessions was casually meeting a very beautiful German woman called Julia whom I was introduced to by her gentleman friend who was a good friend of Purple and had stopped by to say hello......Little did I know that this lovely lady and I would become more than friends in the not too distant future...Not only that...we would also get married and have a stunning daughter together!!!...But, none of that was apparent to either of us at that time... I had to have a bit of a giggle, 'cause everytime we set up a song, he inevitably felt he had to rush into the studio and overdub a tambourine to 'fatten' his snare drum sound...All through the actual recording sessions, Ritchie would be pressuring him in a light-hearted way to try a deeper snare drum for a thicker 'crack', instead of the lighter, crisp Ludwig snare that Ian preferred, and felt was 'his' sound...but, Paicey always, and quite rightly, stuck to his guns...'til the mix, that is...when he'd be straight in to...er... 'Do The Tambourine'!!! One of the first songs we set up to mix was 'Mistreated'...Glenn and I were particularly looking forward to hearing how our choir sequence that we recorded for the outro for the song would turn out...I can't remember exactly how many harmony voices we put on it...12...16???...Something outrageous...Anyway...we couldn't believe our ears when Martin solo'd the voices...He dimmed the lights in the studio...and pressed 'play'...My God...it was chilling to hear...no...IT WAS BLOODY MARVELLOUS TO HEAR!!! When Ritchie came down to hear work in progress...I could hardly wait to play him the outro... Mmm...he seemed completely underwhelmed!!!...I couldn't understand... "You can't hear the guitar solo for the voices..."...he said without even looking at me... You could have heard a pin drop... Martin had no choice, but, to turn the Coverdale-Hughes 'choir' down and highlight Ritchie's outro solo... I was heartbroken...We ended up burying the voices to the point where it was almost impossible to even hear the drama of the stack 'o' voices Glenn and I had spent a whole night recording...So...I just got up and walked out of the studio without saying anything to anyone...On reflection, he was right, of course...Ritchie was the primary composer...The Riff Merchant...his electrifying guitar playing and his unpredictable live performances were undeniably a major factor in why people flocked to Purple's shows... Ahh...'withdrawals'...such 'fun'...NOT!!!...Lots of Scotch and Coke and a new gift from my Harley St doctor...some precious little blue thingies called Valium...Both helped me make it thro' some very uncomfortable, sleep deprived nights...Fortunately, a couple of exhausting weeks later...all was seemingly well with the ol' bits and pieces...and I felt like myself again...Hey...not bad...exchange one addiction for another...That's nice to know...Another double, por favor!!! I didn't tell the band or management that in my chemically compromised state I'd considered leaving before I'd even done a show...Yes...I'm glad I didn't go that far...Very glad, indeed... We were all supposed to get a set of the finished candles...which none of us did, of course...other than the band's two managers...Personally, I thought the back cover should have been the front...I felt the distressed candles looked heavier and stronger as an image for a band like Purple...
When at last I received my copy of the test pressing of the album...I placed it nervously on the new B & O turntable I'd treated myself to on getting the gig with The Deeps...cranked it up...stood back...and almost died from the excitement of hearing it finished in all it's stereo glory...I had never before experienced such an extraordinary rush as I did at that moment...These were totally new sensations for me...I was so proud...and I couldn't wait to play it for my friends...At last I had made a bloody record...and a good 'un, too!!! Actually...I may have wept with joy, to be honest... 'Burn' was the first professional, commercial recording I was ever involved with...at the ripe old age of 21...Not only that...it was a Deep Purple album...undeniably, one of the most successful rock bands in the history of contemporary music... 'Burn' was a certified hit, commercially and critically, on both sides of the Atlantic...and the Pacific...I could see that the original members of the band, and the managers, breathed a collective sigh of relief...There was no loss of momentum with the change in personnel...Deep Purple rolled on... It gave me the first of many gold and platinum awards...and was the beginning of so many extraordinary adventures in my life that continue today...30 years later...
I am utterly thrilled to have been involved with Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Glenn Hughes...The courage they displayed in taking a chance on an 'unknown' singer when they could have had their pick of pretty much anyone at that time...still takes my breath away...They unquestionably changed my life and the direction it was taking...(I'd initially planned a career as an art teacher and a graphic design artist)...and I learned so much from my relatively brief association with them, privately and professionally...good and bad...that there is absolutely no question in my mind or in my heart that had I not been involved with Deep Purple I know so many doors to so many opportunities I have enjoyed through all these many years would simply have not opened and allowed me inside...But, enough about all that...Here it is at last...the Deep Purple 'Burn' album...Remastered after 30 years...still as fresh as fuck...and still kicking major arse!!!..."ERE'S AN ALBUM FOR YA!!!" |
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End Part2 - Go to Part 1 |
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