Deep Purple’s 23rd studio album, =1 (Equals 1), got its release on Friday, July 19. The 13-track collection is a follow-up to the British hard-rock legends’ 2021 covers project Turning to Crime, and is the band’s the first album of new original songs since Whoosh! in 2020.
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=1 is Deep Purple’s fifth consecutive album to be produced by lauded studio whiz Bob Ezrin, whose collaborative relationship with the band began with Now What?! in 2013.
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As explained in an early press release, the new album’s title “symbolizes the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one.”
Founding Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice recently chatted with American Songwriter about =1.
Paice explained that the concept for the album’s title came from frontman Ian Gillan, who also is responsible for writing the majority of the lyrics.
[RELATED: Deep Purple Debuts “Lazy Sod,” Rocking Third Advance Track from Band’s =1 Album]
“[Gillan] just had this [idea] about this massive algebraic equation, and it all came down to just equaling the number one,” the drummer noted. “And it seemed pretty interesting. You got people saying, ‘Well, what’s that all about?’ But Ian’s never really told us properly, so we all have our own idea what it might be.”
Paice then offered said his take on Gillan’s concept for the album.
“The important things we have, there’s one of,” he noted. “We have one sun. We have one planet. We have one life. And what that one life does, it’s sort of important. … It all comes down to you, the one. What you do. You know, make [the world] a better place, not a worse place. … That’s my look at it. Ian might say that’s totally wrong. Well, it’s wrong for him, but it’s right for me.”
Paice’s Favorite Songs on the Album
=1 features a mix of hard-rock tunes, mid-tempo songs and ballads. Prior to the album’s release, three advance tracks were made available—“Portable Door,” “Pictures of You,” and “Lazy Sod.”
Paice shared his own favorite tunes from the album with American Songwriter.
“I do like ‘I’m Saying Nothin,’ ’cause I think that harkens back to a couple of the tracks on the old In Rock record,” Paice said. “It’s got a sort of a similar vibe, and incredibly simple but catchy little riff, and a nice lyric.”
He continued, “But also, two of my favorites are what I call the ballads. I love ‘If I Were You.’ I think that’s a beautiful track. And, of course, the real ballad ballad … [‘I’ll Catch You’] I think is a great piece of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a wonderful story. It’s just a great piece of music.”
About New Deep Purple Guitarist Simon McBride
=1 is Deep Purple’s first album to feature guitarist Simon McBride, who replaced longtime member Steve Morse in 2022, when Morse left the group so he could spend more time with his terminally ill wife. McBride delivers blistering solos throughout the new record.
Paice described working with McBride as “special” and “very easy.” He added, “He’s an incredibly nice guy. And he knows what he has to do.”
Paice pointed out that McBride approaches playing Deep Purple’s older classic material with the proper respect.
“Part of [original Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie [Blackmore’s] solos in some of the real old songs, they’re part of the composition,” Ian said. “They’re not just a solo. The set-ups and the get-outs, they’re sacrosanct. You’ve got to play ’em. And Simon understood that straight away. But he has the courage and the belief in himself to stand on his own two feet and say, ‘This is me.’”
More Details About =1
=1 is available now in multiple formats and configurations. They include a standard CD, a cassette, a CD/DVD digipak, two-LP collections pressed on black and limited-edition purple vinyl, a limited-edition two-LP picture disc, and a deluxe box set.
The box set can be purchased exclusively at Deep Purple’s online store. It features a two-LP 180-gram vinyl set housed in a gatefold sleeve, a 12-page booklet, the CD/DVD digipak, three 10-inch vinyl EPs featuring live recordings from the band’s 2022 tour, a T-shirt, two guitar picks, an art print, and a lanyard.
The DVD boasts a 60-minute documentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and more.
Deep Purple’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Deep Purple currently is in the middle of a European headlining trek that’s scheduled through an August 8 concert in Skandeborg, Denmark. The band’s next show is scheduled for tonight, July 19, in Dresden, Germany.
After the European outing, Deep Purple will launch a North American tour in support of =1 and celebrating the 50th anniversary of their classic song “Smoke on the Water.” The trek, which also features Yes, kicks off August 14 in Hollywood, Florida, and is plotted out through a September 8 show in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Following the North American tour, Deep Purple will play three shows in South America in September. The group will then head back to Europe for more shows in October and November, including a series of gig in their native U.K.
Tickets to Deep Purple’s 2024 concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
=1 Track List:
- “Show Me”
- “A Bit on the Side”
- “Sharp Shooter”
- “Portable Door”
- “Old-Fangled Thing”
- “If I Were You”
- “Pictures of You”
- “I’m Saying Nothin’”
- “Lazy Sod”
- “Now You’re Talkin’”
- “No Money to Burn”
- “I’ll Catch You”
- “Bleeding Obvious”
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