Out goes one guitar player, in comes another, and this legendary band called Deep Purple does not lose one step. That's what happened when long-standing guitar legend Steve Morse stepped down from the band to be closer to home and his ill wife (who has since passed away) leaving the door open for the band to seek out a new guitar player. Simon McBride, who has previously worked with both Ian Gillan and Don Airey, is now in tow with the new Mk9 lineup of Deep Purple. Along with bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice, the band has once again hooked up with producer Bob Ezrin for what is =1, a new collection of 12 hard-hitting tracks in the grand Deep Purple tradition.
Right from the start of =1, it's apparent that this album is meant to rock harder than even some of the previous Ezrin-produced affairs, which all featured high-energy but perhaps more 'prog' styled material. "Show Me a Bit On the Side", "Sharp Shooter", "Portable Door", and "Old-Fangled Thing" all feature big guitar & Hammond organ riffing, blazing McBride guitar solos (this guy can rip!), organ and synth solos from Airey (often times dueling it out with Simon), the always steady rhythms from Paice & Glover, and Gillan's grizzled but still enjoyable vocal style. "If I Were You" is more of a slower blues number with a hazy Gillan vocal and a tasty solo from McBride, "Pictures of You" is a melodic and quite memorable rocker, and then you have the plodding but quite groovy "I'm Saying Nothing." Fans of classic stompin' Purple, featuring heavy guitars and organ, will love the pulsing rocker "Lazy Sod", as well as the fast-paced boogie of "Now You're Talkin', which even sees Gillan attempting a little screaming...or as much as he can scream these days. "No Money to Burn" could have easily come off of Perfect Strangers, and closer "Bleeding Obvious" might be the best song on the album, featuring some wild interplay between Airey and McBride, with Glover and Paice digging a deep groove over which Gillan unleashes his venom. McBride's solo is lethal, and he encompasses the spirit of both Morse and Blackmore here, while the final moments are both proggy as well as hard rock at its finest. While the bluesy "I'll Catch You" might be the weakest song here, it's not bad, but it doesn't compare to the rest of the very fine stuff before and after it on this really enjoyable album.
Though it's hard to say just where =1 sits in the Bob Ezrin-produced part of the catalog, I'm certain it's close to the top. He's gotten quite a performance out of the band, and specifically McBride, and allowed everyone to rock hard. Job well done folks, and now we can all ponder whether more is coming in the years ahead, or will this be the final statement from this legendary band. Time will tell!
Track Listing
1)Show Me a Bit on the Side
2)Sharp Shooter
3)Portable Door
4)Old-Fangled Thing
5)If I Were You
6)Pictures of You
7) I'm Saying Nothin'
8)Lazy Sod
9)Now You're Talkin'
10)No Money to Burn
11)I'll Catch You
12)Bleeding Obvious
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