The reunited MkII returned with neither a wimper nor a bang, but something in between.
Bangkok. Barcelona. Beijing. Berlin. Bedford?! Deep Purple have always been a contrary band but this is pushing contrariness to the limit. It’s October 1984 and I’m travelling in cackling PR Roland Hyams’s knackered old Saab 900 up the M1 to the markedly unremarkable capital of Bedfordshire, namely Bedford. My mission is to interview all five members of the reunited Deep Purple Mk II. In a pub. In Bedford.
The official word is that they want to rehearse their live show in an unassuming location, away from big-city scrutiny. So it is that I find myself loitering inside a Berni Inn (Google it), with the scent of cremated steaks and exotic gateaux lingering in the air.
Hyams ushers me into an annexe full of mock Tudor beams, horse brasses and paintings of fox-hunting scenes. There are no tables or chairs; no laminated menus offering Succulent Golden Fried Fillets Of Plaice. Instead the place is packed to the gills with musical instruments and amplifiers. Thick woollen blankets are stapled to window frames to absorb noise and keep Bedford’s glistening sunlight at bay. Tellingly, there is a plaque above the entrance that reads: ‘The Antico Room’.
Now, a lot of water has flowed under the bludgeon bridge since Mk II’s acrimonious break-up in June 1973, shortly after the release of the Who Do We Think We Are album. The NWOBHM has come and gone. The likes of Mötley Crüe and Metallica – plus a bloodthirsty new combo called W.A.S.P. – are currently in the ascendancy. That’s not to mention a recently released album titled Purple Rain (no relation).
Still, to compare Messrs Gillan, Blackmore, Lord, Glover and Paice to the aforementioned plaque – i.e. to describe them as ‘antiques’ – is harsh (Jon Lord is the eldest of the quintet, at 43.) Despite the lure of filthy lucre – each member reportedly pocketing $1 million to partake in the reunion – the vibe in the Bedford badlands is overwhelmingly positive. Purple have a point to prove; a burning desire to inject a touch of class into mid-80s rock’n’roll.
As Lord states: “Most of the
