deep purple
ok, the truth will out: the first record i ever bought for myself (when i was 11) was "hush" by deep purple mk 1. here they are performing it on playboy after dark. (did real people really dance like that in the '60s? i think not.) back in those days, ritchie blackmore delivered a lot of what jeff beck only promised. singer rod evans went on to legendary proto-stoner obscurity with captain beyond. and organist jon lord (who looks like john kay from steppenwolf in this clip) went on to play for 25 years "without ever having an original idea" (according to blackmore).
here's dp mk 2 in an apparently "made in japan" version of "highway star." note presence of ex-jesus christ superstar ian gillan of "i want everything louder than everything else" fame. roger glover, the guy playing the rickenbacker bass with a pick, was really the brains of the operation. right, matt?
and here's the, um, mk 8 version of the band playing the song i played more than any other in the summer of 1973. (actually blew off going to the watkins glen festival to spend an entahr weekend at the upstate home of some friend of my middle school best friend's after we scored copious quantities of some drug, playing endless versions of "smoke on the water" and "savoy brown boogie.") this clip (from 2004) is pretty funny, because it was actually recorded in montreaux, by the lake geneva shoreline. i once had the opportunity to see the mk 7 version of the band when i was reserve-ing it in italy, but d. purp without blackmore, with steve morse just seemed like a bad idea.
here's dp mk 2 in an apparently "made in japan" version of "highway star." note presence of ex-jesus christ superstar ian gillan of "i want everything louder than everything else" fame. roger glover, the guy playing the rickenbacker bass with a pick, was really the brains of the operation. right, matt?
and here's the, um, mk 8 version of the band playing the song i played more than any other in the summer of 1973. (actually blew off going to the watkins glen festival to spend an entahr weekend at the upstate home of some friend of my middle school best friend's after we scored copious quantities of some drug, playing endless versions of "smoke on the water" and "savoy brown boogie.") this clip (from 2004) is pretty funny, because it was actually recorded in montreaux, by the lake geneva shoreline. i once had the opportunity to see the mk 7 version of the band when i was reserve-ing it in italy, but d. purp without blackmore, with steve morse just seemed like a bad idea.
posted by stashdauber at 2:06 AM
1 Comments:
I don't know if Glover was the _brains_ of the outfit, but I do know he has the best quote I've ever read about the role of a bass player in a rock band. I came across this a loooong time ago in an interview in some rock mag. It resonated so strongly with me then and fits so well with my concept of being a "bass player" that I remember it to this day. The quote is:
"When all hell is breaking loose on stage, it's my job to stay cool and keep a firm bass line going."
Meaning that he viewed his role in the band (as I do in my various musical endeavors) as the glue that holds the rhythmic and melodic elements together, even when chaos reigns supreme.
Don't get me wrong, I am in awe of bassists like Jaco, Wooten, Manring, et al that can take "bass" to places its never been before. And truth be told I've played a few leads here and there as well. But there's just no substitute for that feeling that happens when I'm playing a solid grooving bass line, and the drums fold in, and the guitars fold in, and the vocals dance along the top, and everyone knows they can go somewhere else for a while and when they're ready to come back, I'll be here holding their spot open, keeping it warm and safe for their return.
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