28 February 2007

A very easy boycott

Deep Purple have found themselves in the odd position of asking their fans not to purchase their latest record. Lead singer Ian Gillan claims a live recording of a 1993 concert at the Birmingham NEC, should never have been released. he claims that infighting during the Come Hell Or High Water tour led to a dismal performance at Birmingham and he describes the label as “opportunist fat cats” for releasing it.

This must be one of the easiest boycotts ever given that I had no intention of buying the album in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I have a soft spot for Deep Purple but I wonder if Mr Gillan still has the range to scream like he used to 35 years ago…

Why on earth am I blogging this? . It seemed like a good idea when I started a couple of minutes ago. Then again it gives a perfect excuse to blog some of the latest efforts of former guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (for the amusement factor - a 60 odd year old man in a wig playing madrigals... just like Sting!)

6 comments:

Steve Bates said...

I thought Sting sang John Dowland songs, not madrigals. Despite having a positively... odd... voice for that repertoire, he does a respectable job of it from a style standpoint. (I heard this because Stella bought that CD; I never would have.)

(Oops - power glitch. Better post this while I can...)

(Beyond that, Blogger comments are bloggered again...)

Frank Partisan said...

It is good to be able to afford, a boycott of your own album.

Paul E. said...

You are right to blog it. One should never pass up the opportunity to slag cock-rockers off.

jams o donnell said...

AH Steve, you know I am a total dunce when it comes to music that isn't by Robyn or doesn't have buzzsaw guitars! I find Blackmore prancing around as a minstrel amusing. The idea of Sting picking up his lute (or perhaps he didn't) made me cringe! I always thought he had a voice akin to a castrated polecat!

That is true Ren, but perhaps it was truly that bad that Gillan felt off about fans buying it

I have a sort of soft spot for old bands Paulie. On the other hand the likes of Blackmore are fair game for a bit of derision!

Steve Bates said...

Sting, thank goodness, didn't pick up his lute very often; for most of the recording, he persuaded Edin Karamazov to do that instead, while he (Sting) sang.

There's even a web site for this CD/DVD. Warning: sample starts playing immediately and rather loudly when you view the site. And the opening song (but not all of the CD) is wrist-slitting sad: the slogan back in his own day was "Semper Dowland; semper dolens" ("Ever Dowland; ever grieving"). Don't say I didn't warn you! :)

jams o donnell said...

Thanks Steve, I'll take a look. I must admit I never liked Sting, when I heard he was doing this album I just thought "oh no! and felt he should go off and record the Exeter phone book like other self indulgent musicians woul!