Yeah, I wondered if it wasn't an issue with the venue; I believe this is a new club in "the chain", and I've heard that it was a bit behind in the renovation process, so perhaps that played into things.
I'd prefer SF in any case, so we'll see what happens down the line...
Anybody know why the upcoming gig in Sacramento, CA (10.10.21) was cancelled?
The venue just emailed me to say that they "we regret to inform you.. blah, refund, blah."
A shame - I was particularly looking forward to catching this one...
-Marc
Joe has played some rarefied guitars in the GH Tapestry; Mel Galley's black Gibson Les Paul on Black Country Communion's cover of "Medusa", and now Tommy Bolin's very own sunburst Gibson Les Paul is in his collection.
How great is that?!?
I was able to get the Hamden gig downloaded yesterday. Perhaps that has expired because I grabbed it already and Asbury is "expired" because that upload hasn't occurred?
Hi David,
Seems my download links have all already expired? 
Not sure what has happened or how this is possible since I bought the whole package and the tour is as yet ongoing, but I figured I'd follow up here and see if there's been a technical glitch of some sort...
Any ideas?
-Marc Fevre
Napa, CA
Just pre-ordered the whole kit & caboodle! Won't be able to see any of the shows on this current leg of Glenn's North American tour, but at least now I'll be able to hear them!
Special thanks to Glenn, (and all else involved), for making this unique opportunity available...
-Marc Fevre
Napa, CA
In all of this - does anyone know if an effort has been made to film/record or otherwise document this once-in-a-lifetime tour?
Would love to know if a live CD and/or Blu-Ray will be in the offing down the pipe...
Fingers crossed!
This is sure to be a signature tour, and not likely one that we'll see again.
I mean, a full on tour of MKIII and MKIV Purple material from Glenn?!?
One hopes this will be filmed or at least recorded and released for posterity's sake...
Guess we'll see...
Well, that's not entirely true...
Much of the bonus live material from both of these editions has never been made officially available before, even if all of it has been floating around the bootleg circuit for quite awhile.
The "Live in Holland" recording alone was a good soundboard bootleg as I recall, but this might be better in that it would have been officially sourced from Glenn's own collection and then properly mastered for this release I would presume...
My sincere condolences, Glenn - I remember speaking to your mother on several occasions back in the day. Hers was a genuinely sweet soul, and the love and support she felt for you came through loud and clear in our conversations...
So sorry to read this - Frank was a regular here for many years...
Actually, the CD can still be ordered through Amazon.com:
www.amazon.com/III-ELLIS/dp/B00005UO35
Hope this helps!
-Marc Fevre
Napa, CA
"Good to be Bad"? Guess Glenn has included an Aldrich-era Whitesnake song in his set?
Ok, I am convinced; a live DVD/CD package from this tour will be a MUST. Hoping the team at Frontiers gets on this one...
With a trio this potent and dynamic, I sincerely hope that some of these shows, (either in Britain or Japan), will be recorded for a live album and/or DVD release.
I have a feeling there are going to be some very exciting gigs from this particular band...
-Marc
I have to admit; all in all the album is growing on me.
I'm still not thrilled by the drumming or the sound engineering but, on the whole, I am definitely warming up to the album and its re-interpreted material.
I still don't like "Comin' Home" or "Lady Luck", and neither "Burn" nor "Stormbringer" thrill me, but apart from those...
I have listened to the album a few times now, and I am trying to keep an open mind, but I have to admit that I cringed through most of the first listen or two…
To be fair, though, I have listened to the original material for over thirty years now so I have to recognize the bias I bring to the table when listening to this new album.
[FONT=Calibri]In most instances Tommy Aldridge is a perfectly capable hard rock / heavy metal style drummer, but his work on this album does the material a real disservice in my opinion.
[B][U][FONT=Calibri]THE SOUND:
[FONT=Calibri]As with the last several releases from Whitesnake, The Purple Album is a brick-walled mess from a sound engineering standpoint.
[B][U][FONT=Calibri]THE KEYBOARDS:
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]Where are they?
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]Where the album seems to work best is in its acoustic numbers. In general these songs enjoy a more natural, organic sound than the rocked up material as the instrumentation is sparser. Coverdale’s voice fares better on these songs as well, as they allow him to use the lower registers where his vocals still shine at their brightest. It’s not that he can’t handle the more aggressive material vocally, (he’s a seasoned veteran, and he knows exactly what he can and can’t do with his vocals at this point), but the higher-octane songs do take him to the very edge of his vocal limitations.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]It’s ok that Coverdale’s voice isn’t what it used to be, but there’s a line that he cannot cross vocally, and the slightest stress on his voice these days brings out the rasp that both age and abuse has cultivated. To balance this, he has smartly included a cadre of musicians who are also good singers in Whitesnake these days, and a special nod has to go to Reb Beach for his contributions in the vocals department on this album; he’s no Glenn Hughes, but he ably fills the need the vocal harmonies in Coverdale/Hughes era Deep Purple songs call for.
[FONT=Calibri][size=12]In the end, I think that [size=12]The Purple Album[size=12] is something of a mixed bag, succeeding in some areas, and falling far short in others.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]That said, I think it remains a brave and interesting choice on Coverdale’s part overall. It may not be the album that all of the band’s fans might have wanted, but then that really isn’t anything new for Whitesnake either; their fan base has been split into two camps for a long time now, with some yearning for a return to the old R&B, rocked-up boogie woogie days epitomized by the band’s earlier releases, with others preferring the “Sykes and Beyond” era of more cyclonic heavy metal-styled output instead.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]This album is more of the latter and less of the former for sure, and the slick commercial metal approach taken to some of these songs doesn’t always work so well to my ears but, at the end of the day the album remains both well intentioned and technically well executed for the most part, so it is sure to have its fans.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]For me the album’s high points are in the following songs:
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]“Sail Away” – an interesting acoustic take on the original. It’s different, for sure, but pretty and well done.
[FONT=Calibri][size=12]“Holy Man” – another really interesting version of a classic song. I had a hard time imaging Coverdale singing this Glenn Hughes solo piece from [size=12]Stormbringer[size=12], but he found a way and it works, even if I still prefer the original.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]“The Gypsy” – a fairly faithful cover of the original, and not what I would have considered an obvious choice for Coverdale to tackle given the harmonies it calls for. Kudos to Reb Beach, job well done!
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]“Mistreated” – Coverdale’s voice skates the edge on this one, but the guitar work on display is suitably appropriate and impressive without being overly excessive either.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]“Might Just Take Your Life” – This would have been better with more Jon Lord-inspired organ work, but this bluesed-up reinterpretation is actually a lot of fun.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]As for its low points:
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]“Burn” – how can such a great song sound so tired and boring - especially when WS plays it so well live?
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]“Stormbringer” – this version is pure drivel; a once proud song that has now been reduced to a bad heavy metal cover - enough said.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]“Lady Luck” – far too slick for my tastes, completely missing the swagger of the original.
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]“Comin’ Home” - words fail me, a lifeless reinterpretation without any of the original’s drive or energy. Blech!
[size=12][FONT=Calibri]The rest of the songs on the album rise and fall somewhere in the middle in my opinion. Some are better than others, and only time will tell whether I warm up to them or not…
[FONT=Calibri][size=12]In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how this album does for Coverdale & Company. I don’t think it’s the album WS fans were demanding, but it might go over well with many of them just the same and, if it spurs any of the band’s younger fans to go on and check out the magic of the originals than that can only be a good thing in the end.
Very cool! I've always kind of hoped that Glenn and JJ might find their way back together again, but its good to know that JJ is still out there doing his thing just the same.
A DP covers album? What an odd - but interesting - choice.
Honestly, I'd have to say that without participation from Glenn, such a full blown nod to DP on David's part is somewhat diminished in my eyes and yet, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious.
The version of Burn/Stormbringer that WS has played live for several years now has always struck me as being pretty well executed, so I'll reserve final judgment until I hear the album, but I think WS would have done better to get an album of new material out instead, especially in the wake of Aldrich's departure...
Given that a major raison d'être behind California Breed's genesis was for Glenn and Jason to finally have a band that they could tour together, I think Bonham's departure pretty much killed the whole thing; in essence the band was more or less DOA by the opening day of their tour.
They bravely made a go of it with Joey Castillo but, when even he couldn't commit to all of the band's gigs, (the band's drum tech played in his stead), things became somewhat farcical.
Like some others here, I had a hard time coming to terms with the album at first, but I really came to like it, and I have to say that the material really shone when played live - irrespective of who was behind the kit.
Seeing the effort Glenn and Andrew put into bringing the songs to life onstage, I found myself hoping that they might find a viable way forward, but in talking to Glenn I know that even now "new things are in the pipe", so 2015 will surely bear new fruit for us all to enjoy.
In the meantime, California Breed joins a proud collection of work in Glenn's catalog as a whole, taking a deserved place alongside other notable short term endeavors like Hughes/Thrall, Face the Truth and the albums that Glenn recorded with Tony Iommi.
Goodbye CB, hello to the future...
