Unknown Soldier

Overview
After the terrible Who Do We Think We Are album, which was then followed by the departure of both Ian Gillan and Roger Glover from the band. The famous Mk.II version of Deep Purple was truly dead in the water and this must’ve been a worrying time for Purple fans worldwide. Deep Purple knew that replacing Ian Gillan was going to be an extremely difficult task, so they went about replacing him through auditions and little known David Coverdale finally got the job. The band also hired Trapeze vocalist and bassist Glenn Hughes to replace Roger Glover and to also share vocal duties with David Coverdale. This new addition certainly gave the new Deep Purple Mk.III line-up some interesting options when it came to their music style. David Coverdale was a bluesy singer in the mould of Robert Plant and Glenn Hughes always had a funky tinge to his sound with Trapeze. But instead of giving us the self-indulgent Deep Purple Mk.II sound or the sheer power of Machine Head, the band aligned themselves with a more basic hard rock sound with a strong commercial focus based around David Coverdale’s bluesy vocals and Glenn Hughes’ funky style. This allowed the band to usher themselves in with a boogie orientated sound, which incorporated a fair slice of both soul and funk and certainly the Glenn Hughes influence was most strong here. The second album on this ‘double header’ Stormbringer highlights these funky influences with even more clarity than Burn. On both albums as expected, Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar operates as the main driving force, with riffs galore driving most of the songs along and Deep Purple yet again produced themselves on Burn. The band retained the services of Martin Birch who operates as an engineer again, as he had done with the previous Deep Purple albums. He would’ve course keep his ties with Deep Purple throughout the rest of the decade and also go onto work with the future Rainbow and Whitesnake breakaways from the band. Burn would therefore take the band in a very new direction.

David Coverdale- Vocals
Glenn Hughes- Bass/Vocals
Ritchie Blackmore- Guitar
Jon Lord- Keyboards
Ian Paice- Drums

Production- Deep Purple

Album
Burn- The show-stopping opener which quickly opens up with the bluesy tonsils of David Coverdale and accompanied by some blistering work from Richie Blackmore on guitar and Ian Paice on drums, and also gives us our first sampling of the David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes partnership, as both trade vocals on “Burn” as they do on most songs on the album. This song would be a concert staple for the Mk.III version of the band over the next couple of years. Might Just Take Your Life- One of the more boogie sounding tracks on the album, that wouldn’t seem out of place on a ZZ Top album and again the lead vocals are traded between Coverdale and Hughes on this song. Lay Down, Stay Down- One of the more up-tempo tracks on the album and a consistent listen from beginning to end, and again the song is propelled by the guitar of Ritchie Blackmore. Sail Away- With its crunchy opening, this is a drifting sounding rocker and is probably the best all-round Coverdale and Hughes singing trade-off on the whole album. You Fool No One- Another funky track to open up the b-side of the album and gives over to an intensive work out by the band. What’s Going On Here- A straight-up boogie sounding number, which is laden with some of those traditional Ian Gillan vocal type hooks (despite not being with the band) and there is a great work out by Jon Lord on piano. Mistreated- Along with the title track this the most famous track on the album. The song is a classic cut from its time and the song is seemingly perfect for David Coverdale’s bluesy wail, this is the song that finished off the original album. Some versions of the album have the instrumental “A 200” as the final song on the album and to be fair it’s a basic instrumental in every way and certainly not worthy of a place on the album.

Verdict
The first thing noticeable about this album, is the revitalised feel of the band and this is very evident on the opening title track “Burn” with Ian Paice’s top-notch drumming throughout and Ritchie Blackmore’s solo in the later part of the song, which shows the band going for broke from the word go! Also we can’t forget Jon Lord’s contribution to the song, making it one of the very best in the whole Deep Purple catalogue. Then there is the funky sounding “Sail Away” which rubs shoulders with the title track, as one of the album’s real highlights. The trio of classic songs is then made up by the slow-burning “Mistreated” a song essential in every way and one of David Coverdale’s finest moments as a vocalist. The boogie aspects of the album, are mostly highlighted on numbers like "Might Just Take Your Life" which again has another great Ritchie Blackmore solo and it’s songs like these that really give the album its energy. Burn has plenty of instrumental solos, but the band have decided not to ponder on the more self-indulgent solos of old and have presented their solos in a tighter manner all round. Without a doubt the band were seeking a commercial sound here and in that respect they achieved their goal, as Burn sold by the bucketload. On nearly all the songs, there is the joint David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes vocal partnership, with David Coverdale being the senior partner here. But it’s Glenn Hughes’ influence that would be more dominant influence on the band though, in terms of the band’s direction. Just listen to his funky influence on “Sail Away” a song where his singing is given more airplay time than normal and this is the type of funky sound, that the band would go onto do more often over their next two albums. For years I never saw the finer points of Burn, as I was always kind of aggrieved that Glenn Hughes had decided to leave Trapeze and take up second vocals behind David Coverdale, but on now reviewing this album, I see that the two actually complement each other very well and the vocals from both artists are superb throughout. The album now ranks in the top echelon of Deep Purple albums.


David Coverdale- Vocals
Glenn Hughes- Bass/Vocals
Ritchie Blackmore- Guitar
Jon Lord- Keyboards
Ian Paice- Drums

Production- Martin Birch

The Album
Stormbringer- Starts off with a synth intro before moving into rockier territory and in the typical driving start that we saw on "Burn" The song turns out to be a great exercise in muscular melodic rock and holds as one of the strongest offerings on the album. Love Don’t Mean a Thing- A early chill-out offering blending soul and funk nicely together and with vocals shared between Coverdale and Hughes. Holy Man- Glenn Hughes takes centre stage here and despite the odd pick-up this is something of a subdued effort mostly. Hold On- Basically follows on from the previous "Holy Man" and in many ways could’ve been recorded by any number of rock and soul influenced acts of the time. Lady Double Dealer- One of the fastest songs on the album and tries to pick up the energy at the start of the b-side of the album. You Can’t Do it Right (With the One You Love)- Another one of the album’s outright funky efforts. High Ball Shooter- A sweaty rocker highlighted by an infectious riff and one of the album’s faster tracks. The Gypsy- A ponderous track with a melancholic feel and one of the more accomplished tracks on the album. Soldier of Fortune- The slow and ponderous album closer which is normally held in esteem, as one of the most important songs on the album.

Verdict
Of the three albums that the Mk.III line-up recorded Stormbringer is the lesser of those three albums and sits in between both Burn and Come Taste the Band in their discography. Stormbringer though, is the album that sounds most akin to the future Rainbow, which is no surprise as this would be the last album that Ritchie Blackmore did with Deep Purple until the mid 1980s, as after Stormbringer he upped and left with his guitar and formed Rainbow. Just listening to the title track “Stormbringer” David Coverdale’s vocals could easily be replaced by Dio here and wouldn’t have seemed out of place on the first couple of Rainbow albums! In fact the same could be said for the similar paced “The Gypsy” one of the album’s later songs. Stormbringer would be the funkiest album that Deep Purple ever put out and its blend of rock, soul and funk are evident across a number of songs, songs like “Love Don’t Mean a Thing” and “You Can’t Do it Right” are among the most funky. There are also a couple of faster tracks on the album, such as “High Ball Shooter” along with some very slow tracks like “Soldier of Fortune” which do add a bit of variety. The funk that was hinted at and briefly developed on Burn, now takes more of a central stage on Stormbringer and without doubt Stormbringer is an attempt for the band to break some new ground. The huge commercial success of Burn and the California Jam festival of 1974, had given the band the perfect stage to try and expand the funk elements featured on Burn. The problem is though, that Stormbringer fails to ignite in a way that Burn did, the songs are there but the execution seems too subdued at times and a greater song development could’ve brought the album up to the level of Burn. Despite this negative opinion about the album, Stormbringer is still an interesting listen but really just an album for Deep Purple fans. Because anybody expecting a high-octane listen as the album title would suggest, is going to be in for a big disappointment.

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Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Big Ears

I heard an interview, a few years ago, in which Jon Lord said after Deep Purple had recruited Glenn Hughes, they were struggling to find a lead singer to the point where they were considering Hughes. I found this even more amazing than when he switched from Trapeze to Purple. They must have recruited him principally as a bassist, writer and backing singer, on the basis they had made him an offer he could not refuse.

I also remember reading letters in the music press, around the time of Come Taste the Band, in which readers were calling for Hughes to stop singing and leave all the vocals to David Coverdale.

Coverdale is okay, but my thinking has always been that Glenn Hughes should have been lead singer with Deep Purple. When I listen to Burn, the remastering and remixes are extremely good, but I just wish there was more of Hughes's voice. I saw Trapeze, without Hughes, supporting the Frankie Miller Band and they were so good, they blew Miller off the stage. Mel Galley was a good vocalist, but he had recruited a singer so he could concentrate on guitar. I think the hired hand was John Goalby, but I'm not absolutely sure.

I agree that Burn and Come Taste the Band are better than Stormbringer, although, by the latter, they were good, but no longer Deep Purple (until Perfect Strangers).

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Unknown Soldier

As they say you learn something new everyday. I didn't know that Glenn Hughes had been recruited just as a bassist, but it kind of makes sense as he was nothing like Gillan as a vocalist, whereas Coverdale would've fitted the bill. It seems as I always expected Hughes was seeking fame and fortune at the expense of no longer being the main frontman of the band.

Now I knew about the second point, as I've read on several occasions over the years, about how Purple fans at the time didn't like the supposedly girly voice of Hughes.

Agree Mel Galley was a good vocalist and a real talent and the Frankie Miller Band is a blast from the past and yes Peter Goalby was with Trapeze before he joined Uriah Heep.

I always thought Perfect Strangers was a poor comeback album, in fact the only recent Purple album I ever liked was Bananas.

Hell I envy the fact that you seen bands like Trapeze performing live, it would be great to hear about some of the live bands you saw back in the 1970s.

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Metal Wars

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Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Big Ears

When I was young I had older friends who had seen Jimi Hendrix. They did not boast or make a big deal of it, but I was really envious. I never saw Deep Purple, but I went to a lot of Ian Gillan gigs with the the Gillan lineup. His voice was massive and it was one of the rare occasions when I felt I was in the presence of greatness (probably because I was young and he was very famous).

The Led Zeppelin show at Knebworth on, or around, 11th August 79, is possibly the most famous I saw and it seems to have gained a legendary reputation, in hindsight, on the internet, but I didn't think anything of it at the time (I'm not a big Zeppelin fan). The most memorable thing is that we forgot where we parked the car and it took forever to track it down after the show!

An experience that meant a lot to me was seeing Mick Green, but I recently read that he did not play on Shakin' All Over. Considering the fact that it was an authentic British rock 'n' roll record, I felt the news had shattered one of the great moments in my life.

What I remember overall is that I enjoyed most of the bands that I saw live, although some that are now deemed 'great' were among the most disappointing. I've always been a Lemmy-with-Hawkwind fan, but the early Motorhead were terrible. On the other hand, what were then lesser known bands put on great shows, like the George Hatcher Band, Sassafras, Horslips, Upp, Chinatown and UFO.

In truth, much of it was a haze, because if you remember the seventies, you definitely weren't there! That's my excuse anyway.

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My Journal: Rabbiting On

Unknown Soldier

(Double Header- When two great albums were released by the same artist within the year, but due to my top 10 criteria I couldn’t fit both without eliminating somebody else. Main album first and the not so strong album second)

Everybody we're lookin' good, but the bitch looks better!

Overview
New York 1974 saw the debut release of one of the most influential and most charismatic acts in the history of ‘heavy music’ and that band was known as Kiss. The original Kiss line-up which would see out the rest of the decade, consisted of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, four guys that would take their rock images to new levels. Kiss of course would be known for their elaborate live performances and theatrical make-up and costumes. Now these aspects weren’t exactly new in the world of rock at the time, as we’d already had the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and more importantly the world had been exposed to Alice Cooper. Also the music world was littered with the flamboyance and ambiguity of the glam rock scene as well. Now what set Kiss apart from the aforementioned acts was their theatrical identity, as each of the four band members had their own individual image. Each band member had created their own unique character and the suitable make-up for their image. Paul Stanley was the Starchild, Gene Simmons the Demon, Ace Frehley the Space Ace and Peter Criss the Catman. So it certainly appeared that the band were taking their theatrics one step further, by creating their own identities within the band. This characteristic would help earn them, the spot as one of the biggest bands on the planet later on in the decade. As for the music, the band weren’t the most original out there and they basically used the trashy but seminal New York Dolls debut, which was released the previous year as their creative launchpad. This made the early Kiss sound a brand of hard-rock, infused with a heavy portion of rock ‘n’ roll, which usually demonstrated itself in an anthemic rock with sleek sounding hooks and what the band lacked in song writing ability, they more than made-up for with both attitude and their theatrical image. The first two Kiss albums are featured in this double-header, the Kiss debut album and Hotter Than Hell, and both these albums are a great double offering from the band. Kiss may well have been one of the biggest commercial acts in the world by the latter half of the decade, but their first few albums really did suffer from a lack of sales and it wasn’t until a few years later with their big breakthrough, that the music world finally discovered what the rawer early Kiss sound was actually like.

Paul Stanley- Rhythm/Vocals
Gene Simmons- Bass/Vocals
Ace Frehley- Guitar
Peter Criss- Drums

Production- Kenny Kerner/Richie Wise

Album
Strutter- With its brief drum intro, the song is an up-tempo rocker penned by Paul Stanley, even though the song had originally started out as a Gene Simmons composition. The song today is still regarded as one of the best songs in the whole Kiss discography. Nothin’ to Lose- With joint vocals by Gene Simmons and Peter Criss, this song is a good old fashioned rocker and supposedly about anal sex Kiss style! Firehouse- A slower song with some good guitar and drum work throughout, all worked into its plodding style. Gene Simmons used this song for his fire breathing concert performances at the time. Cold Gin- One of the most popular songs from the album, which also happens to be the only single composition by Ace Frehley. The vocals on the song are sung by the heavy voice of Gene Simmons and the song is regarded as an ‘alcohol anthem’ and often voted as one of the best drinking songs of all time! Let Me Know- One of the very first songs ever written by the band and with a heavy outro. Kissin’ Time- The only cover song on the album is a Lowe and Mann song from 1959 and was included in an attempt to give the band a hit single. Deuce- Another one of the best tracks from the album, with its great strutting rhythm and a long time concert favourite from the band. Love Theme From Kiss- An instrumental which fills out its 2 plus minutes aptly and in general a jovial tune. 100,000 Years- With its bass riff intro by Gene Simmons, the song is another solid effort by Kiss and again it’s composed by Paul Stanley. Black Diamond- Starts off like a ballad and soon emerges into a melodic rocker with some really beefed up sections on the song, it’s a great album closer as it pounds out the lights.

Verdict
This is an essential raw effort of its time and really demonstrates the fun aspect of the hard rock genre at the time. If we forget the lifting of ideas and song style from the New York Dolls debut just the previous year, the Kiss debut has enough about it to be called an essential Kiss release. Also on closer analysis, the Kiss debut probably draws on wider influences than the New Tork Dolls debut, as the album branches out wider and picks up on a variety of influences, right down to Led Zeppelin type heaviness which can be heard at the end of “Let Me Know”. Kiss always relied on classic hooks in their songs, to hide their own deficiencies as musicians, but here they cracked that nut with songs like “Strutter” with its classic beat, full of memorable hooks and a glam rock vibe, and it still sounds just as good today as when it first came out back in 1973! There is the fun of “Nothin’ to Lose” which is full of early Kiss riffs! Then there is the strutting style of “Deuce” with more great riffs and it’s probably the best Gene Simmons song on the album. The strongest track on the b-side of the album has to be “100,000 Years” and demonstrates what a great songwriter Paul Stanley is and the song is centred around some really great guitar work by Ace Frehley. Paul Stanley keeps the songs solid right to the end with the memorable “Black Diamond” to finish the album. Overall the Paul Stanley compositions such as “Strutter” “Firehouse” “Black Diamond and “100,000 Years” the latter written with Gene Simmons, probably stand as the pivotal tracks on the album, as they demonstrate the basis of the future Kiss sound. One of the best known songs though, is the Ace Frehley composition “Cold Gin” and most of the album material was written by both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, these songs are amongst the tightest and most focused on the album. The album though does have some weaker moments, “Kissin’ Time” is poor and the instrumental “Love Theme From Kiss” does show the limitations of the band as musicians and it could’ve benefitted from greater depth, which is strange really as all the band members most notably Ace Frehley and Peter Criss have their moments on the album. Despite these flaws both this album and Hotter Than Hell are two of the best examples of raw and raunchy sounding hard rock.

Babe I think I'm going blind and the bitch should know!

Paul Stanley- Rhythm/Vocals
Gene Simmons- Bass/Vocals
Ace Frehley- Guitar
Peter Criss- Drums/Vocals

Production- Kenny Kerner/Richie Wise

Album
Got to Choose- With a crunchy guitar start, Paul Stanley follows up the plodding “Firehouse” from the first album with a another similar cut here. Kiss the Parasite- In contrast to the opener, this track is a rapid-fire offering and again Kiss concentrate on heaviness here, the song is worth just listening to thanks to its dynamic riff. Goin’ Blind- A song about a 93 year old having a relationship with a 16 year old and the song ranks as one of the band’s best known early efforts. The Melvins did a cover of this song on their Houdini album and the Rush song “I Think I’m Going Bald” is a play on this song. Hotter Than Hell- The title track is a mid-tempo rocker and writer Paul Stanley stated that it was a re-write of the Free song “It’s Alright Now” personally I would never have guessed that! Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll- Basically a speeded up rock ‘n’ roll song and again has a real touch of speed and heaviness about it. All the Way- The first of two Gene Simmons songs appearing back to back on the b-side. Watchin’ You- Probably the stronger of these two songs and again really has that crunchy metallic feel about it. Mainline- A melodic Paul Stanley effort and nothing special. Comin’ Home- One of the stronger songs on the b-side and actually sounds a bit like a glam anthem from the era. Strange Ways- The first ever Peter Criss solo song and it’s one of the best on the b-side and it shows that the band had three very able singers on board.

Verdict
Most of the ingredients found on the debut set can also be found on Hotter Than Hell, as from the word go with “Got to Choose” the plodding style of “Firehouse” can be heard but now in a much heavier way. In fact a central aspect to this album seems to be its heavier feel over the debut and this is noticeable on “Got to Choose” and really becomes even more evident with the metallic feel of “Kiss the Parasite” and this song really benefits from Ace Frehley’s flowing guitar, and he also shared writing credits on this song. The heavier direction on the album seems to have come from Gene Simmons (I’m guessing this here) as two of his tracks on the b-side “All the Way” and “Watchin’ You” are heavy numbers without a shadow of a doubt! Reviews of this album, often rate it as a notch lower than the debut set, but I don’t wholly agree with that opinion, as I think the songs on this album are just as tight throughout and with memorable songs like “Goin’ Blind” the album goes hand in hand with the debut quality wise. The riffs are equally as memorable on this album as well, with some of the great riffs being laid down on “Kiss the Parasite” and “Hotter Than Hell” which really are two top draw songs. If there has to be a winner between the Kiss debut and Hotter Than Hell, then the debut probably just sneaks it, largely because the b-side of the debut is slightly stronger than the b-side of Hotter Than Hell, despite the fact that the flip side of the debut does have a couple of weaker tracks. I say this with caution though, as the b-side of Hotter Than Hell does contain the essential “Watchin’ You” and the Peter Criss both penned and sung “Strange Ways” which is a great song. Overall the Hotter Than Hell album is essentially more of the same, albeit a heavier more direct listen throughout. Once again this album failed to break the band commercially and actually fared worse than the debut in terms of album sales, but years later it became a real fan favourite amongst Kiss fans.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

A brazenly distorted burst of Aussie metal.

Overview
After finding their focus on the previous year’s Volcanic Rock and also giving us an EP in between, the Sydney based quartet gave us another dosage of their proto-metal barnstormers on their third album Only Want You for Your Body and this album along with the previous Volcanic Rock stand as the band’s defining moment. Once again they courted controversy with their choice of album cover, last time it had been a play on a phallus shaped rock! This time around though, it was a fleshy woman strapped semi-naked to a torture device! The cover though, was no more than a humorous touch by the band which actually went hand in hand with their blatantly sexual lyrics. In fact the album cover could be seen as a precursor, to a number of album covers that bands from the future New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) would put out several years later and the album cover also has NWOBHM DIY feel about it. The band would finally lay to rest their progressive and psychedelic influences as well and give us their most accurate musical representation yet on Only Want You for Your Body. The album only clocks in at around 34 minutes and it’s very much a case, of what you hear is what you get for those 34 minutes on this album. After this album the quality of the band’s releases would drastically go downhill, which was largely due to the sacking of guitarist John Baxter the following year. Eventually the band folded and largely passed into the vault as a forgotten metal band of their era. Without a shadow of a doubt, future Australian rock bands such as Angel, Rose Tattoo which was formed by bassist Peter Wells and of course AC/DC, owe a huge debt to this band with their pacey and highly addictive riffs. Along with a couple of other bands featured on here, Buffalo have often been seen as precursors for the future doom and stoner rock movements and will be of interest to somebody into that scene.

Album
I’m a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser- With a corny loudspeaker introducing the band and quickly followed up with a drum intro, David Tice’s rasping vocals carry this energetic song across. The song then lets up for the odd special effect such as a toilet being flushed and then doesn’t let up with the energy for a moment. I’m Coming On- Nifty crunching guitar start before engaging in some Black Sabbath type heaviness and then the band have the talent to keep the intensity of the song going. Dune Messiah-Back to special effects again and this time with a church bells intro followed up by a guitar and drum intro. The song then settles down into a mid-tempo Sabbath style raunch. Stay With Me- Another metallic caress, as the band mix a subtle clapping beat and rhythm into the song. The song has a good tempo throughout but is an album track through and through. What’s Going On- Another uptempo song in a similar vein to the epic “Shylock” from the previous album, but of course not as startling as that song. The song finishes up with a tinge of a proto-death metal growl! Kings Cross Ladies- Another cheeky voice opener about ladies of the night and they’re referring to Kings Cross in Australia and not the London variety. This is the longest track on the album and one of the better known songs with fans of the band, and over the space of 7 minutes we are treated to a variety of speeds and some great guitar and drum work as well. United Nations- Another lengthy track to close the album and as expected the band really indulge here in what they do best, and that is to really beat the hell out of their instruments and as what could be expected we finish off with a voice outro.

David Tice- Vocals
John Baxter- Guitar
Peter Wells- Bass
Jimmy Economou- Drums

Production- Spencer Lee

Verdict
From the word go, Only Want You for Your Body is all about both thunderous power and energy in true Aussie style, and David Tice’s raspy voice on the album opener the blatantly sexual “I’m a Skirt Lifter, Not a Shirt Raiser” demonstrates this point to perfection! In many ways he carries a voice similar to that of Dan McCafferty of Nazareth, who of course were far better known than Buffalo at this time. The humorous attitude of Buffalo can also be heard on “Kings Cross Ladies” which at over seven minutes running time is the longest track on the album and in the latter part of the song we are treated to some stunning jamming by the band, who can do it as well as any band out there. The root psychedelic and proggy influences of the band are completely out the window here as well and most of the songs have far more in common with either Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin. The song “I’m Coming” proves this point and you could say that the band display an intensity here, that either Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath themselves would’ve been proud of. But things don’t get more Black Sabbath like than the third track the superbly named “Dune Messiah” is one of the best tracks on the album. Throughout nearly all the songs on the album, the guitar work of John Baxter and his distorted six-string often takes centre stage on the album. If variety or diversity is what the listener is looking for here, then this album doesn’t provide that at all, this is quite simply a great early metal offering full of solid tunes in the vein of Black Sabbath and with no hidden surprises. Anybody interested in AC/DC, should also listen to early Buffalo and realise that this Sydney based quartet, really set the pace for the Australian ‘heavy scene’ at the earlier part of the decade. This album clocks in at just 34 minutes and as they say good things often come in small packages!

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

The Batlord

Hot.

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Unknown Soldier

Wow you've seen a lot of acts in their prime, if I had to choose one of those shows I might just go with the UFO concert. I actually saw Deep Purple live in 2005/2006 and it was just a competent show from a veteran band but Ian Gillan was impressive and the only other old boys with him were Roger Glover and Ian Paice. The other two in the band were Don Airey and the impressive Steve Morse.

Hot it certainly is!

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Big Ears

^ Deep Purple have released a single Hell to Pay/ All the Time in the World. It's a breath of fresh air, with Ian Gillan's voice is as good as ever and Don Airey sounding very similar to Jon Lord. But, it lacks a bit of magic and shows that Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord are missed. I have to admit I do not know anything about Steve Morse, or Dixie Dregs.

Interesting (I know I keep using that word) also to read a British view of Kiss - I'm assuming you're British? On some forums, Kiss and Aerosmith seem to be revered by Americans in the way that I would consider Alice Cooper. I cannot see it myself.

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My Journal: Rabbiting On

Unknown Soldier

I Knew Steve Morse from his time with Kansas and he's been with Deep Purple since the mid 1990s. Sure I'm British and I can never make my mind up about Kiss. On the one hand their music is pretty basic and it has limitations and their career music wise may have had more downs than ups. But when I was considering these two albums for the list, I was surprised at just how great they were and I enjoyed them more than ever and would really recommend them. As for Aerosmith I think they're one of the greatest rock acts of all time (I'm referring to their 70s output here) and of course I'm a lifelong fan Alice Cooper. It took the American scene in terms of hard rock and heavy metal some time to catch up quality wise with their British counterparts. They quite often had a different feel and the pathway to success always seemed harder for the Amercian bands than the British bands, I guess this was down to USA record labels being a lot more demanding on the bands.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History