ALBUM REVIEW: DEEP PURPLE - "WHOOSH" (2020)
Here is the "Whoosh" at last. No need to relay on the spoilers and all the weird preview stuff. So how is it?
It would be rather unfair to put this album in the context of ALL of
Purple's career. In that canva it's rather undistinguishable record. So
let's talk it rather in the frame of the Bob Ezrin years, since the
collaboration between the renowned producer (Alice Cooper, Kiss, Pink
Floyd) and the band is treated as a kind of era in the band's history.
It's debut of "Now WhatI?" was and is as amazing as it's been upon the release in 2013. Consistent, punchy, sparky, very little filler on it. Gems like "A Simple Song" and "Weirdistan"
are still unknown to the general public. Inspired set all the way down -
in no small part by the loss of the late Jon Lord, who's been cited as a
spiritual influence lifting up the music and the overall level of
creativity (and it's well heard in the music). "Infinite",
3 years later, held in decently well, though the consistency was slowly
scrapping off. I still remember feeling somewhat puzzled after first
listening. It seemingly felt OK, but left the long time Purple listener
confused. Only "Time For Bedlam", "The Surprising" and "Birds Of Prey"
were sure shots to end in the Purple cannon of the exciting songs, the
rest being to some varying extent, debatable on quality. In 2019, in
secrecy, the band recorded the new album and withheld it for almost a
year from public - releasing it just today after a string of three
singles announcing the record. Of which - each and every one was yet
again somewhat confusing to the Purple followers.
So glad that the album starts off with the first single. "Throw My Bones"
still sounds like an instant skipper - cheesily synthetized strings
carry the throwaway tune through less than 4 minutes. It sounded
dreadful at the initial release, and should be forgotten, right off the
spot. Leaves you feeling that the rest of the material just must be
superior to this. As the album unfolds, luckily the overall story gets
better... Not necesarily in "Drop The Weapon",
though. More decent tune than the procedessor, but still the chorus
sounds so totally out of line with the track. Not much over the decency
line, though. Good bridge, reasonable solos... Still, it's Deep Purple -
so the bar of expectations is so much higher. "We're All The Same In The Dark"
- a bit of generic sounding riff, but at long last the bite is starting
to sound. Without Gillan's extended explanation for the background of
it - the lyrics sound a tad iffy. Steve Morse plucks away the weird
solo, phrasing almost like on a country or pop record. Hell, it's weird.
At least though some muscle is appearing in the old dog. "Nothing At All"
- another iffy lyrics, but the hook is almost as infective as corona is
- really sits on your head after a couple of spins. Don Airey's run
through the middle part - with fugue-like sounding showcase (there is, I
reckon, some quotation from Bach's works in there) is at last bringing
in some amazing old fashioned Purple spirit where rock meets the
classic. Good Morse - Airey lick trade-off at the end. We got the first
major strong point of the album, a likely favourite for many. "No Need To Shout" almost resembles the "Stormbringer / "Slow Down Sister"
spirit, but I reckon, the Messers are not much aware of this... The
drive is there, though the solos are debatably imaginative (wake up,
Steve!), despite Don's citing a bit of Gershwin during his piano solo.
Mid-way through the album there is the first REAL mind-blow. "Step By Step". My eyes got wide and far out once I heard the cathedral like organ and fugue-ish chords. I hear bits of "Clearly Quite Absurd"
finale in there, and if there was / is a baroque Purple shuffle -
that's the one. Solos are well balanced and it's a perfect shot at
something absolutely monumental.
Could this be destroyed though? Sadly yes... Fade out at 3:25. I wish I
could sit with Bob Ezrin with a beer at the table and tell him that
this kind of crime desrves a death sentence by public stripping of
flesh. The fade starts at the point where this pearl should start to
develop - just let Don and Steve off the fucking leash! Play it on, for
grief sake, take it to the 7 minute mark... Wasted chance for something
absolutely legendary, damn! How... come... it's ever been allowed!!
Crime! I want blood! Shame on you, Purps!
And what do w change it for? Piano boogie of "What The What"...
Almost cheesily idiotic after the amazement of "Step By Step". Most
ridiculous pairing of the tracks on any Purple album, this might be just
it. And sadly the rock and roll quotations a' la "Speed King"
in the lyrics can't salvage the feeling that it's a filler track. Out
of space, out of time. Almost like eating a bad food, duh. "The Long Way Round"
lifts you a bit off the floor, it has strong progressive aspirations,
but the execution is not really much of convincing. Don Airey's synth
solo stands out in the middle - nice, imaginative outburst of flashy
fingers. Still the illusion of a driving tempo and a punch is
disspersing somehwere throughout. Maybe because the bridge part sounds
almost like rip off from Gillan's solo staple "Hang Me Out To Dry" from
"Toolbox" 30 years back. But that's the risk in this genre - you will
stumble upon the plagiarising your own self one fine day. Fine set of
tools intended, this, but a miss in final execution of mounting it. More
aspiration than the effect of it's result.
Time to make up for the mishaps, and "Power Of The Moon"
is rather succesful in that. Haunting verses versus blasts of chorus -
there's a fair dose of prog edge in this. Nice, works rather well. Solos
in the middle are at last better balanced between moody (Morse) and
raspy (Airey - with slight running out of imaginative use of his
favourite key licks). Fade out kills the spirit again, almost making you
think that the band has run out of imagination on how to develop this
really good track. Shame again. "Remission Possible"
- why only 1:38? Why not give it more development? Especially as it
seems to have the strongest kick of all the album's tracks... Almost
makes you wanna sit and weep. Best chances to build up something
monumental off the best tracks are shot and cremated in fade-outs, just
like if someone was puting restraints on the band over their aspiration
to spread the musical wings. It's bad, it's insane, it's dreadful.
Ezrin, you bastard, why? Huge amount of dissapointment in this. "Man Alive"
is what we know it is. Rich in ideas, instrumentation, wide scan of
sound layers, but so poorly composed, with the middle part completely
destroying the monumentum. Plus the dreadful, squeaky sound of Morse's
solo. I wish I could like it, but it pisses me right off. Kill the
squeal Steve, forget it for one damn record, play clean, low and heavy.
You can, by now, just stick to it. Good shape, bad, ill-chosen filling.
Dummy in result.
"And The Address" - a very solid
reendition of the track that kickstarts Deep Purple's discography.
Sounds good and inspired enough to be a pleasing listen. No use
comparing it to 1968 sound, but as a nod to Jon, Ritchie and the scope
of band's career - it's not a bad choice and execution at all. Risk of
accusation of lack of original ideas - some will bring it up. I don't
mind it. "Dancing I My Sleep" is
quite a punchy stomper, although falls into a generic cathegory of the
mediocre tracks of the era. Gillan says - Morse's solo in the song is
one of the best guitar he's ever heard in his life. Now that's a
blasphemy, with the 20+ years of Blackmore's magic in the bucket. Steve
sounds experimental and rough for sure, but come on, be fair in putting
marks if you vote that far and wide.
A bit of odd ending to the odd album. Not as bad as the first two
singles hinted it would be. In fact - it seems to be coming off better
than "Infinite", more inspired
and a bit more packed with shards of good ideas. If only a more
thoughtful execution could follow it. Band is well olied, playing very
tight - and it should be no suprise to anyone. Still, the crime of
killing off it's best tracks is so painful to my ears. Cutting up the
wings to fold them, just as they were about to spread and take them to
fly off... Unjustified crime, this. That will be my remaining impression
of the record, roots of this process I will not understand. And while
it's good to have their new music, it's such a pity that these goods
ended up held back.... Like butcher ripping off the eyes to reach the dying brain... A good album that could have been really big with more open, corageous approach. A dose of joy with a big shame in a bag.
