I got this from a local bookshop as a gift, because it was my birthday, and because I wanted something to fill some time – and oh em gee – doesn’t it just… This is basically a fan letter from Martin Popoff to his favourite band and he does a really good job of digging into the sights, the sounds, the smells of a band which, as the title makes clear, is older than many of my best friends. Simon has done a lot – and I mean A LOT of research, interviewing, collecting and listening, and has a refreshingly sober approach to the (many) band’s output – he seems like a chap who would cheerfully you engage on why Steve Morse is a better fit for the group than Ritchie Blackmore, if that’s the sort of person you’d care to hang out with at a party. It’s set out chronologically, mainly divided into an album by album analysis, with many pictures, principally from the author’s collection, and many of them consisting of signed backstage passes. There are a few distracting typos, but if you were to look for the dictionary definition of ‘labour of love’ you’d probably find a » Continue Reading.

Deep Purple will release Time for Bedlam in February, a new four-track EP featuring the lead single from their forthcoming album Infinite.

I have just brought my singles collection down from the attic and am currently overdosing on the joy of 45rpm discs. They are, er, the future.