August sees the triumphant return of Deep Purple with new album Whoosh! – something made all the more sweet considering that when they released their last album, in 2017, it looked like that might be the end of the road.
Thankfully it wasn’t, and for the latest issue of Classic Rock we've collared the two Ians, Roger, Don and Steve to talk about their new record, life in and out of Purple then and now, and what lies ahead.
We've also compiled a handy Spotify playlist to accompany the issue, which features many of the artists featured or reviewed. We hope you enjoy it.
Classic Rock 278 is on sale now, and available to buy online.
Features
Deep Purple
They ended their Long Goodbye Tour last year, but with their last three albums putting them on a (rock and) roll, none of the band are even contemplating retirement.
Mark Lanegan
His self-destructive days are now behind him, but for years it looked like we would be robbed of one of the stand-out singing voices of his generation.
Celisse
Following high-profile stints with Melissa Etheridge and Lizzo, the guitarist is now prepping an album of her own.
David Bowie
After the minimalism of his ‘Berlin trilogy’, in 1980 he and his long-time producer Tony Visconti went all out for a kitchen-sink art-rock album. The result was Scary Monsters.
Genesis
Despite going into the studio to make their fourth album “a bit stuck for ideas”, they emerged with what for many remains the band’s artistic peak: Selling England By The Pound.
The Blinders
They arrived in 2018 as the incendiary, politically attuned rock band to beat. Now they’re back with their game-raising album Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath.
Outlaws
While the Allman Brothers Band are retired and Lynyrd Skynyrd are preparing to follow suit, these contemporaries continue to stick to their southern rock path.
Massive Wagons
With touring on hold and a new album just out, they take us back to the times and gigs that shaped them.
What's on the Free CD?
Official Deep Purple EP
It's an official Deep Purple EP featuring Throw My Bones from new album Whoosh! plus two rare live tracks [the EP comes with all subscriber copies – both UK and international – plus those issues purchased from UK newsstands and ordered online].
Regulars
The Dirt
Live music and the road ahead: are drive-in gigs and pay-per-view concerts the post-pandemic future? Queen appear on new Royal Mail postage stamps; Lemmy biopic to begin production next year; Kurt Cobain guitar sells for $6 million… Welcome back The Dowling Poole, Primal Fear and Lynne Jackaman… Say hello to Girish And The Chronicles and Thundermother… Say goodbye to Paul ‘Tonka’ Chapman, Steve Priest, Rupert Hine, Keith Tippett.
Q&A: Dion
The 60s teen idol on the blues, getting Bob Dylan to write his sleeve-notes, and being blown away by Jerry Lee Lewis.
The Stories Behind The Songs: Stevie Nicks (with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
How a song from Tom Petty’s reject pile unwittingly became a Petty/Nicks duet, and the massive hit single that launched Nicks’s solo career: Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.
Six Things You Need To Know About… The Texas Gentlemen
A band before they were actually a band, having clocked up the miles as sidemen, they’ve got all musical bases covered.
Reviews
New albums from Deep Purple, Massive Wagons, Alcatrazz, Steve Howe, Enuff Z’Nuff, Bob Dylan, Goldray, Dee Snider, Stephen Dale Petit, Primal Fear… Reissues from The Yardbirds, The Stooges, Grateful Dead, Be-Bop Deluxe, Frank Zappa, Joy Division… DVDs, films and books on Roger Waters, Brian Jones, Steve Hackett, INXS, Bob Dylan… Rewind live reviews of Page & Plant, Queensrÿche, David Bowie, Europe, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, The Police, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers.
Buyer’s Guide: Eighties soundtracks
It was the decade of brat packers, teen movies and films about fast cars and even faster fighter pilots. Many with killer scores. But which of them were the Top Guns?
Gig Listings
Find out who’s playing where and when (but, as usual now, expect cancellations).
The SoundtrackOf My Life: Lzzy Hale
The Halestorm singer/guitarist on the records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance for her.
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