When Roger Glover learned that he was due to be removed from Deep Purple, he reacted by handing in his resignation, leaving (along with singer Ian Gillan) after a show in Osaka on June 29th 1973, and bringing to an end the most successful period in Deep Purple’s history.

Roger flew home and stayed there for three months, rethinking his next move. Deep Purple’s managers asked him to stay with them as an A&R man, and he also chose to work out of the public eye as a producer. He and Ian Paice had been interested in this side for some time, and had co-produced the first Elf album together in 1972. He now took up the trade with determination and had early success working with Nazareth, for whom he produced their first two big hit singles.

His connections with Purple’s managers remained and they asked him to write music for a musical version of The Butterfly Ball, Alan Aldridge’s classic 1970s illustrated book. This resulted in a major European hit single ‘Love Is All’ (sung by Ronnie James Dio, still with Purple Records label act Elf) but plans for a fully animated movie got no further than a promo film for the single. There was one live performance (at the Albert Hall in October 1975), which was filmed (but disowned by all when it was spliced with poor live action sequences). The show was notable for a large gathering of “Purple family” guests; Coverdale, Glover, Hughes, Lord and Gillan all taking part. It was Gillan and Glover’s first live gig since leaving Deep Purple. Glover was then asked to produce the first Ian Gillan Band album ‘Child In Time’ and almost joined the band but decided against it (although he stayed long enough to make one German TV appearance with them in late 1975).

Instead in 1976 he released his first solo album, the decidedly different ‘Elements’ (originally named ‘Eyes Of Omega’), four long mostly instrumental pieces. It was then back to producing with a vengeance (with the occassional guest slot), working with Rory Gallagher, Judas Priest, Strapps and many more, including David Coverdale’s first two solo albums. His talents both in the producer’s seat and as a writer saw him approached by Ritchie Blackmore to produce Rainbow in December 1978. Once there it wasn’t long before he joined the band full time, playing bass, producing and helping to give the band the commercial edge they needed to break into the charts.

Again he had immediate success, with the 1979 hit album ‘Down to Earth’ which spawned two huge hit singles: ‘Since You Been Gone’ and ‘All Night Long’ (co-written by Roger). He became the longest serving member of Rainbow after Blackmore himself. This left him little time for other work, though he did produce a Michael Schenker Group album in 1980 and finish a second song-based solo album, ‘Mask’, which appeared in April 1984.  [photo: Roger Glover in the studio with Nazareth, 1973]

The release of this was swamped in the publicity which surrounded the reformation of Deep Purple. Since then Glover has produced or co-produced most of the Deep Purple reunion albums (albeit reluctantly at times), only bowing out in 2003 when the group finally brought in an outside producer. Roger also worked on a joint project with Ian Gillan, 1988’s “Accidentally On Purpose”, a record which many felt had a lot of commercial potential, but which Deep Purple’s work-load prevented them exploiting. Glover has released just one more solo album since, ‘Snapshot’, in 2002.

 

.... 1973-2006 Roger Glover Discography ....

 
LOVE IS ALL mp3 DPAS ONLINE STORE  
 
 
 
 
 
DIVIDED WORLD mp31984 DPAS REVIEW
DPAS ONLINE STORE
 
 
 
QUEEN OF ENGLAND mp3DPAS ONLINE STORE  
 
 

1984 DPAS REVIEW
 
 
 
Completing the collection.... The non album Butterfly Ball single 'Little Chalk Blue' is available as a bonus track on the Connoisseur CD edtion of the album, along with the cartoon promo for 'Love Is All'. Cassette copies of Mask had an extra track 'Unnatural', which has not appeared on any CD version. The 12" US promo of 'Fake It' featured a 6.49 remix of 'The Mask' as a b-side, not available elsewhere.  
 
 

.... Roger Glover Production List 1971-2006 ....

Nazareth : Razamanaz Elf : Elf Dave Cousins : Two Weeks Last Summer
ALBUMS
   
RUPERT HINE
PICK UP A BONE : Purple 1971
also guests and produced a non album b-side
JON LORD
THE GEMINI SUITE : Purple 1971
plays bass
ELF
ELF: Epic 1972
co-prod with Ian Paice
RUPERT HINE
PICK UP A BONE : Purple 1972
 
DAVE COUSINS
TWO WEEKS LAST SUMMER : A&M 1972
plays bass on four tracks
NAZARETH
RAZAMANAZ : Mooncrest 1973
also guests
NAZARETH
LOUD’N PROUD : Mooncrest 1973
also guests
HARDIN & YORK
with CHARLIE McCRACKEN : Vertigo 1974
 
SPENCER DAVIS GROUP
LIVING IN A BACK STREET : Vertigo 1974
 
EDDIE HARDIN
unknown : Phonogram 1974
 
ELF
CAROLINA COUNTY BALL : Purple 1974
 
ROGER GLOVER & GUESTS
THE BUTTERFLY BALL : Purple 1974
 
NAZARETH
:RAMPANT : Mooncrest 1974
 
ANDY MACKAY
IN SEARCH OF EDDIE RIFF : Island 1974
plays bass on some tracks
ELF
TRYING TO BURN THE SUN : MGM 1975
 
DAN McCAFFERTY
DAN McCAFFERTY : Mountain 1975
plays bass, didn’t produce
IAN GILLAN BAND
CHILD IN TIME : Polydor 1976
 
STRAPPS
STRAPPS : Harvest 1976
co-prod with Lou Austin
RORY GALLAGHER
CALLING CARD : Chrysalis 1976
 
VARIOUS ARTISTS
WIZARD’S CONVENTION : RCA : 1976
bass on some tracks.
JOHN G. PERRY
SUNSET WADING : Decca 1976
ARP synthesiser on one track
YOUNG & MOODY
YOUNG & MOODY : Magnet 1977
also produced 3 non album b-sides for the band
STRAPPS
SECRET DAMAGE : Harvest 1977
co-prod one LP track and one non album b-side
JUDAS PRIEST
SIN AFTER SIN : CBS 1977
 
EDDIE HARDIN
YOU CAN’T TEACH AN OLD DOG.. : Attic 1977
also guests
BARBIE BENTON
AIN’T IT JUST THE WAY : Playboy 1977
also guests
DAVID COVERDALE
WHITESNAKE : Purple 1977
also guests
DAVID COVERDALE
NORTHWINDS : Purple 1978
 
ROGER GLOVER
ELEMENTS : Polydor 1978
 
GRAND THEFT
:HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BAND? : Sunburst 1978
 
JOE BREEN
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE : Vertigo 1978
producer / plays on 7 tracks
RAINBOW
DOWN TO EARTH : Polydor 1979
 
WHEELS
DON’T BE STRANGE : WEA 1979
co-prod / plays percussion on some tracks
MICHAEL SCHENKER GRP
FIRST : Chrysalis 1980
 
VARIOUS ARTISTS
MONSTERS OF ROCK : Polydor 1980
including two tracks by Rainbow
RAINBOW
DIFFICULT TO CURE : Polydor 1981
 
RAINBOW
STRAIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES : Polydor 1982
 
RAINBOW
BENT OUT OF SHAPE : Polydor 1983
 
ROGER GLOVER
THE MASK : Polydor 1984
 
DEEP PURPLE

PERFECT STRANGERS : Polydor 1984
 
RAINBOW
FINYL VINYL : Polydor 1986  
DEEP PURPLE
THE HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHT : Polydor 1987
 
DEEP PURPLE
:NOBODY'S PERFECT : Polydor 1988
 
DEEP PURPLE
:SLAVES AND MASTERS : RCA 1990
 
DEEP PURPLE
THE BATTLE RAGES ON : RCA 1993
 
DEEP PURPLE
PURPENDICULAR : BMG 1996
DEEP PURPLE
ABANDON : EMI 1998
ROGER GLOVER
SNAPSHOT : Eagle 2002
 
SINGLES
MARLON
LET’S GO TO THE DISCO / Broken Man : Purple 1974 ........ produced / co-wrote
REFLECTIONS
MOON POWER / Little Star : Purple 1975 ........ B-side produced / co-wrote
NATURAL MAGIC
STRAWBERRY FIELDS / Isolated Lady : Oyster 1975 ........ co-produced both / co-wrote B side
STATUS QUO
WILD SIDE OF LIFE / All Through The Night : Vertigo 1976
SNAFU
? : 1975 ........Glover produced single, no details

....Roger Glover, Further Reading....

Roger Glover at www.deep-purple.net
- Features - Snapshot Letter
- Discography - Dave Cousins / Two Weeks Last Summer

Roger Glover at www.deep-purple.net contd.
- Photo Gallery - Butterfly Ball Live Photos, 1975
- Discography - Strapps / Strapps

tree index

© 2006 DPAS/Darker Than Blue.
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