AN EDITOR REMEMBERS.........
Issue Ten, Mar./Apr.1977

Issue Ten and I started to try harder with the layout, despite what would now be seen as the somewhat primitive quality of the high run photocopiers which Xerox were developing. This was still the only way I could produce a magazine with images in (short of getting them all screened to allow us to go to litho, ruled out for cost reasons). A lot of the images came from Japanese magazines which at the time were light years ahead of anything in the U.K. We both had a thriving trading system going with several Japanese pen-friends, some wanted Purple stuff in exchange but others were into things like the Bay City Rollers, so you could ship out loads of rubbish and get armfuls of really fab. Jap cuttings in return! Ann still corresponds with one of her friends from those days. The magazine was all hand-typed on a sturdy old manual office machine, which really had to be hammered to get a black type. In an effort to give more value we also included a free glossy print (these we had done by a printers in London, so we had to get them organised well in advance). In Issue 10 it was two rare shots, one of Ritchie playing the cello, the other playing the bass. (neither of which are now available).We had also been giving away postcards of the various Rainbow line-ups, though keeping up with these was already proving very difficult! Inside, with the news of "Live In Tokyo" coming out, we were already starting to agitate for some sort of proper reissue policy on Purple's back-catalogue (the band having only been silent for twelve months!) to give fans something rare for their money. Nothing changes then!

Meanwhile Ann has always been into serious astrology and had a bash at tackling Blackmore's traits from his date of birth, personally I think she got it all down spot on.

When we could afford it we were still trying to get to gigs in London and using the time to trawl through the rare record shops. Our reactions to the two PAL shows were mixed, remember Purple was barely a year gone and this was just too different for us hard core fans to appreciate at the time. Similar lingering memories also pervaded my preview of the first solo album from David Coverdale. Coverdale's new single "Sweet Mistreater" is also mentioned, it took us another twenty four years to actually get it issued. Nice also to find some of the members' names are still familiar. Cuttings about Rainbow's first Australian tour came from Howie Kehl, who has just sent me a wedge of stuff about Purple's 2001 Auz shows!

ISSUE TEN : DIGEST & INDEX
RAINBOW
NEWS : Bain & Carey depart
P.A.L.
RECORD REVIEW : Malice In Wonderland
P.A.L.
UK TOUR REVIEW : Birmingham Odeon
bits & pieces NEWS : Roger Glover ....Jon Lord....

RAINBOW

Bain & Carey Depart

On 13th February it was announced that Jimmy Bain and Tony Carey would be leaving the group. Jimmy's departure is the simplest to deal with. He wasn't experienced enough for the group, and it doesn't look as if Ritchie envisaged him lasting beyond the world tour. His replacement is Mark Clarke. Clarke is a veteran of numerous British groups.. Uriah Heep, Tempest, Colisseum, and then his own group, Natural Gas. According to Ritchie "he's very good technically, and he's got a strong songwriting ability as well."

Then there is Carey. Back in 1975 Ritchie said he'd only hired him because he knew that if he fired him he'd accept it. (Bain and Carey had been on a wage all the time, whereas the others were taking a percentage of the profits) "There were too many personality problems" said Ritchie of the split, "we just didn't get on. Musically he was very aggressive, which was good, but it carried over too much into his personality."

There was now a rush on to find a suitable replacement with the next LP due for recording. It wasn't easy. "The problem was finding someone who could play organ - it's really a rhythm instrument, but no-one seems to realise it," said Ritchie. They came across an unknown Italian organist, and were all set to settle for him, but at the last minute Ritchie decided against it. Time was short, and they contacted Tony again...


1976 TOUR FILMS

On Pat Travers' recent tour a 20 minute promotional film of Rainbow was screened during the interval, filmed in Houston, Texas. Oyster do have a much better film of Rainbow, shot in Hamburg on the last tour.


PAICE ASHTON LORD

Malice in Wonderland - Album Review

"I like this LP a lot.That doesn't mean it's faultless though, Ashton's limited vocals are likely to put a lot of people off.Why don't they get a good vocalist in, and let him get on with his superb keyboard work? I was also sorry that they failed to do anything startlingly original with the girl singers and the brass section. There is so much potential in this idea. 'Ghost Story' is the most promising number on the album, hopefully there'll be more along those lines on the next one (which they will record next month)". Ann.


Birmingham Odeon, 26th March 1977 - Live Review

This concert, along with the Rainbow Theatre gig, were filmed to add footage to a documentary on the group. The sound was loud and powerful, and had quite an impact. The dual keyboards, Martinez' excellent bass and Paice's drumming all combine to produce a classy sound. However, it is lacking something to work over that basic sound. By the time the set was half way over, and Bernie Marsden was getting wild applause for a really mediocre solo, I felt there was only me left unconvinced by it all.

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Bits & Pieces

Jon Lord

Jon says he was fed-up with the Albert Hall do, where he got a 23 minute spot prior to David Bedford's Odyssey. He had only 90 minutes rehearsal time. Capitol Radio recorded the show, and broadcast it soon after. Jon is planning a more ambitious do later this year, when the whole Sarabande LP will be performed properly, with adequate rehearsals etc. It's also to be done as a ballet in London.


Roger Glover

Roger's solo LP is now finished, but won't be released until September. The title, Eyes of Omega, has been changed to Elements. He has also abandoned his original idea of an album of songs (two of which featured Ronnie James Dio) in favour of four instrumental tracks only - one for each element.

The Butterfly Ball film was premiered at the Chelsea Odeon on 20th March.

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also in the magazine...Ian Gillan Band news.... David Coverdale 'Whitesnake' album news...Deep Purple Maxi-Single review....Deep Purple 'On The Wings of A Russian Foxbat' bootleg review.....Australian Rainbow tour cuttings...plus more..


   
   

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