Deep Purple Infinite (2017)

From darkerthanblue.wordpress.com

Having been playing this for a few days now it will be interesting to see what everyone else makes of it. Now What did mark a bit of a change in direction and experimentation and this one feels like it was recorded in much the same spirit. Overall it’s very solid musically; there are nods to Purple’s past which many will pick up on, but it’s often a grungier and denser sound than the last album, and were they to graft a large chunk of these tracks into the stage set this year (if!) it should make for a killer show.

In a way it is a shame they feel they can’t trial tracks so much on stage now for fear of pirating, as some of the material does sound like it comes from a standing start, whereas the one cut they have done live is quickly becoming a favourite. There are a couple too many good time late night bar stories from Ian Gillan lyrically for me, in these uncertain times there are more pressing matters which might have inspired another barbed lyric or two, and certainly the backings would take a heavier approach in this department from the front man. But when he does find the muse outside the tavern it all comes together and Birds Of Prey is a good example, sounding very grown up.  I think this is the one Classic Rock sort of dismissed as a Zepp knock off (in fact I was more reminded of Yes at one point, maybe CR’s prog rock comments were more on the button than I realised); yes Steve gives it a real Pagey type rhythm, but takes it much further and to me CR missed the point rather; once you move on from the opening few bars it is very much a Purple track and it’ll be a proper humdinger on stage, believe me.

Time For Bedlam most have now heard and it makes a strong opener. I can hear the Pictures Of Home echoes which some have mentioned, reinforced mostly by Ian’s vocal melody line and Steve Morse’s work, but it’s hardly a distraction. I still can’t make my mind up about the chanted vocal section which top and tail this but otherwise it is infused with the spirit of Purple throughout.

The Surprising is one of the longer offerings, and they range far and wide over the course of a sometimes slower more laid back track. Lovely vocals from Ian, full of emotion at times. The band sort of go for epic, me I’d have been as happy to edit out the wandering middle section and tighten it all up, but it clearly gives them a kicking off point for a live take. There are nods back to Gates Of Babylon here, and even Clannad at one point for those old enough to remember them.

Hip Boots is one which has been around for a while and whilst it may not (though give it time) be a killer track, it has grown on me a lot and you can see why they gave it second place in the running order. I love the loose rambling feel to it and Steve’s playing (which it has to be said is stunning here) is absorbing, while Don likewise gives it just the right amount of Hammond. Worth the price of admission alone.
The band get dirtier on One Night In Vegas, which reminds me a little of Almost Human, one of my favourites from the SM era, and the same vibe runs through Get Me Outta Here although lyrically the latter doesn’t really stir the pot enough for me.

The riff to Johnny’s Band is bugging me, it’ll click eventually I’m sure. Ian has covered this sort of ground before on Purpendicular and places. It’s OK in a road house sort of way and Radio 2 apparently went for if big time the other week, so at least listeners there will know about the album.

Elsewhere people will love as I do Roger’s thumping bass through On Top Of The World which should sound great via some decent speakers. I’m less convinced by All I Got Is You, despite the care worn vox and often caustic lyrics, while for me the cover version which they inexplicably tag onto the end of the album is a box set bonus at best.  Though Ann reckons it’s IG’s best singing on the album, so it’s already dividing opinion at DPAS towers.  On first listen it just sounded like a studio warm up, and it has since been confirmed that’s exactly what it is.  It might have worked better sequenced earlier in the album, but I won’t be rushing back.

Well, some good tracks to add to the now two decade long Steve Morse era output and I’m sure everyone who has stuck with the band thus far will find something here to enjoy in varying degrees. I should add I’ve been listening to fairly compressed official MP3s (with permission!) so it seems silly to try and comment on overall sound and production until I buy the CD. And buy it I will.  Simon Robinson

I’m generally enjoying it more with each listen… Time for Bedlam – A solid opener, the vocoder effect seems fitting and natural after a few spins.  A restrained vocal means that much can be conveyed with slight inflections – as seen with IG’s ‘We are never alone’ line towards the end.  Rather wonderful.
Hip Boots – Sprightly, sweary, no nonsense – this is good stuff actually.  Much better than the rather tentative limited run of live try-outs would suggest.

All I Got is You – The old put-down (‘You’ve got me, but all I’ve got is you’) is given a pleasing run-out in what initially seems to be a fairly standard Mk Morse/Airey type work-out.  A space age solo from Don merges into a laidback one from Steve.  Improves with repeated listening.  More swearing from IG to finish!

One Night in Vegas –  IG in storyteller mode, Don in bar room boogie mode.  Good, if slightly cruise-controlly for this band.

Get Me Outta Here – Lovely Paicey intro and then a backing that initially brings ‘Nasty Piece of Work’ from ‘Battle Rage On’ to mind.  Again, solid if lacking a little oomph… the brooding backing deserves better than the rather lazy lyric writing here.

The Surprising –  Now we’re talking! Eerie keyboards give way to moody guitar (which sounds like Metallica according to my daughter) – which set up IG’s mournful  almost Johnny Cash-like vocal – and he’s in storyteller mode again – to great effect! ‘There I was, wide awake and dreaming…’ – marvellous.  Authoritative drumming from Paicey heralds the instrumental breaks with Don’s almost movie soundtrack like keyboard work suiting the mood perfectly. Steve almost blows it with a fairly standard Dregs/Classical Gassy type solo, before bringing it back down nicely before the coda.  Extraordinary track.

Johnny’s Band – Radio-friendly Purple (Ken Bruce has already played it on BBC Radio 2).  A sort of tamed-down ‘Junkyard Blues’ riff backs more IG story telling, this time about…well, a band obviously.  A little lightweight maybe, but pleasant enough.

On Top of the World – Starts out as a fairly standard Airey/Morse backing track, but repeated listenings reveal a nice solid latter-day Purple track, with more storytelling in the vocals. Nice solos, and even the rather strange spoken section towards the end is starting to bed-in a bit now.

Birds of Prey – The battle for my favourite track is between this and ‘The Surprising’; here we have a great brooding rock track that builds and builds to a shattering finish.  A display of controlled power and musical dynamics. Great stuff!

Roadhouse Blues –  Somewhat disposable warm-up type treatment of The Doors song here.  Comparable to ‘It’ll Be Me’ from NW?!  Misplaced after the fitting crescendo of ‘Birds of Prey’, which would have made a suitable finale to the album.  There probably is a place for this sort of Purple (a ‘Basement Tapes’ type album?) – but last song on this album isn’t it.

Overall a mixed bag then – repeated listenings are helping appreciate the ‘lesser’ tracks (well, most of them).  A worthy effort all the same.  Hopefully it won’t be the last studio album, but if it is, then it’s not a bad way to go out.

The Clash London Calling (1979)

From boredanddangerousblog.wordpress.com

Before I started listening to London Calling for this review, I already had an intro half written in my head.  I was gonna talk about how it was the pivot point between The Clash proving themselves with the first two records, then using the mainstream mega success gained here to attempt something a little more ambitious with the triple album epic, Sandinista.  Turns out I was wrong about all of it.

While London Calling is the iconic record and image of the band today, it’s predecessor was actually a bigger chart hit back in the day.  And as far as ambitious, epic records go, I had no idea that London Calling was itself just that, with 19 tracks clocking in at well over an hour.  So while I assumed this would be the most familiar Clash album in this career retrospective, I was really pumped to realise just how blind I was going into this legendary and important piece of rock and roll history.

Opening with the titular track, it’s obvious why this might be the most famous and most played song by The Clash almost 40 years after its release.  London Calling is a great example of a band becoming more polished with their song writing and instrument playing craft, while losing none of the raw edge that made them so revolutionary in the first place.

There’s a 50s, greased back, rockabilly sound to Brand New Cadillac that perfectly suits the song’s title.  For a band that always bucked the slick, self aggrandising cock sureness of American rock, they certainly do a good job of appropriating it here.  Which makes it the perfect partner the 50s doo-wop rock and roll (complete with sax solo), given a lazy, stoner looseness on Jimmy Jazz.

With Rudie Can’t Fail, I realise something about The Clash.  The more guitar effects or general trickiness, the more likely are the chances that you’re listening to a Mick Jones lead song.  I’m not saying Jones leans on these sonic affectations as a crutch or anything, I just think he has a different approach to song writing than his old sparring partner.  I think Joe Strummer saw music and melody as nothing more than a delivery method for his message.  Jones songs feel like music and lyrics are more organically linked, and probably evolve together on symbiosis.

There’s more Jones weirdness with Lost in the Supermarket.  Possibly the least Clash-like song by The Clash that I have ever heard.  It’s poppy and light, and even pretty, in a way that I never expected form this band.  And when you’re dealing with 19 songs and over an hour of music, this kind of weird surprise is always welcome.

Going full dub, the rules of reggae are slowed and tuned right down for the hypnosis inducing The Guns of Brixton.  The lethargic energy feels so counter intuitive to the passionate, protest like subject matter, it’s almost like the song is tricking you into subconsciously taking it all in.  It’s also the only song on London Calling written and sung by bass player Paul Simonon, which might explain it’s unique, bass heavy groove.  Crank those reggae rules up in tempo and energy, and you get the dance hall ska of Wrong ‘Em Boyo.

When it comes to the poster boys of this period of punk from each side of the pond, the UK is always represented by The Clash, while the US is all about The Ramones.  I’ve never seen enough similarities between the two to know why they were both labelled with the same genre moniker, until Death or Glory.  Speed this up, flatten out the bass line and the vocal melody, and this could be on any Ramones record.

OK, so Lost in the Supermarket just became the second least Clash-like song by The Clash that I have ever heard.  Because The Card Cheat is a piano driven piece of grandeur that sounds like it could be the opening song to a rock musical, introducing us to the story and main characters.  Before London Calling mixes things up again with the disco bounce of Lover’s Rock.

Saving the best for last, this might be seen as blasphemous from the band’s faithful, but Train in Vain might just be my personal favourite song by The Clash.  It’s super poppy and maybe a sign of the kind of song writing that Jones would indulge more in and eventually lead to his being kicked out of the band.  But what can I say, it’s pop charms work on me.

While the first song hinted at the more polished song writing and musicianship, it’s the rest of London Calling that really surprised me.  It’s such a varied, wide ranging album sonically and stylistically.  Yet, for all its genre hopping, it still remains very much a Clash record.  Turns out, success, fame, money and critical respect did nothing to smother the dissatisfaction and passion of these guys.

Santana – Santana IV (2016)

From sputnikmusic.com

Review Summary: After 45 years, most of the original members reunited to create a proper follow-up to III…

Any true Santana fan must be aware of the fact that after Caravanserai was released all the way back in 1972, his career went downhill. Every decade or so, a better album would surface, however, nothing ever came close to the highly influential, career defining self-titled debut, Abraxas & III. Those had such an energy, combining blues guitar-enhanced Afro-Latin grooves, powerful percussion, along with all those trademark solos, you couldn’t possibly ask for more. Sadly, tension arose within the band and ultimately disbanded, leaving the frontman alone to constantly change contributors over the years. After a commercial and creative struggle in the ‘80s and early to mid ‘90s, Carlos made a spectacular return when Supernatural became his biggest mainstream success. Its Latin pop/R&B jukebox nature, featuring a revolving cast of then famous vocalists, put him back on the map. Even so, it offered few notable songs and paled in comparison to his initial work (not to mention most of those new fans were completely unaware of previous stuff). Unfortunately, it was milked for almost a decade through its weaker successors. Later, in 2012, Shape Shifter took a step in the right direction, delivering some cool instrumental jams, but was followed by what seemed to be the final nail in the coffin, Corazon. In essence it was a Spanish equivalent to Supernatural, though not only lacked substance, but also managed to horribly butcher one of the man’s finest tunes, ‘Oye Como Va’, by letting Pitbull rap on it.

Thankfully and miraculously, a few years ago Neal Schon approached Santana to record some music together again. The latter decided to reunite the original musicians for a proper follow-up to their last album in the trilogy, called IV. They tapped Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Michael Shrieve, together with current members Benny Rietveld (bass) & percussionist Karl Perraza, started jamming and finally this new LP saw the light of day. The outcome? Well, this is by far the best set of songs we have heard since 1972. Of course, the main reason is the chemistry between members, which gladly is still intact. They have put a lot of soul in this, so it actually turned out honest. ‘Yambu’ kicks in similar fashion to ‘Batuka’ or ‘Waiting’, boasting a catchy cumbia rhythm complete with keyboard leads, percussion, as well as the eternal guitar licks. Segueing into ‘Shake It’, the first proper taste off IV, this is a typical call to dance. The fun jam offers everyone a moment in the spotlight, whereas the infectious chorus echoes classic moments before Neal & Carlos tear the house down. There are several improvisational tunes here and we can be thankful for each of them, since they’re a breath of fresh air after decades of forgettable music. ‘Fillmore East’ is a moody instrumental where the two showcase their skills on a steady background, while the romantic ‘Sueños’ offers some Spanish influences over airy keys & percussion. Despite being less frantic, the band manages to transpose you in the early days. Moreover, this is a proof that Latin music is timeless.

Once again, Gregg Rolie helped pen a handful of gorgeous cuts such as ‘Anywhere You Want To Go’, ‘Blues Magic’ or ‘Leave Me Alone’. The former’s atmosphere bears a resemblance to the quintessential ‘Black Magic Woman’, sharing an impressive organ solo backed by a top notch rhythm section. The heart broken, ‘Blues Magic’ is a lovely slow number akin to ‘Taboo’ off III, followed by the smooth ‘Leave Me Alone’ doing Supernatural the right way. It’s clear that record left a mark as pop influences interfere more than on the initial records. Still, that song is enticing and what’s important to mention is Rolie’s warm croon remains just as essential as always.

In the end, I am sure nobody expected IV to be on the same level as the first three records, let alone surpass it. Nevertheless, it offers a collection of solid tunes that were unlikely to ever be conceived. The excitement behind them is noticeable, yet overall they could have been trimmed for the standard release. There are 16 tracks at a total of almost 76 minutes. At this length, there would have been enough material for Santana V too. To be honest, with all the joy included, it’s exhausting to sit through the entire record without any breaks. If a handful of tracks had been left for a deluxe edition, the results would have been a lot more effective. Regardless, everyone who’s into the band’s music should be happy the main members are back together (this might be a one-off, who knows) and dropping such a good album after 45 years.