Pictures of You and Lazy Sod — A Mini Review of Deep Purple’s Two Latest Singles
Us Deep Purple fans have been eating quite well on the lead up to their upcoming album, =1. Since my most recent update on it here, we’ve gotten two new singles from the British heavy rock pioneers — Pictures of You having been released last month and Lazy Sod just a few days ago.
I must say that like their first single, Portable Door, I really dig both of these! Both are centered around very catchy guitar riffs that’ll easily stick with you after first listen — I particularly enjoy the riff in Lazy Sod; Being in the key of G makes me think of Deep Purple classics Smoke on the Water and Burn. It’s also got the swagger and attitude of any great heavy rock riff — Love it!
On the topic of guitar riffs, I’m finding Simon McBride to be a great fit for this band’s sound. First off is his tone! Killer! It worked well for Portable Door, but I think it fits these two even better — especially Lazy Sod. This is the kind of guitar tone players die trying to attain in the world of heavy rock — the perfect amount of grit and aggression without being too rough around the edges.
He definitely focuses on phrasing rather than tearing your face off with a flurry of 32nd notes when it comes to soloing; Though we do get a taste of what he can do when he turns up the jets on the Lazy Sod solo. Overall, I think he does excellent to capture the right bits of the band’s classic sound while simultaneously carving out his own sound and identity in the band’s catalog — rather than fully emulating those who preceded him.
Let’s not forget the rest of the band though. Sure Ian Gillan may not be able to hit some of those ear-splitting high notes he once did in the 70s, but he knows that — He knows his range nowadays and doesn’t try to leave that range, and for a man who’s pushing 80 I’d say he does a solid job. Don Airey looks to be having fun behind that organ as well, playing a very Jon Lord-esque solo in Lazy Sod — Just like he does in Portable Door.
With how strong the three singles from this upcoming album are, this is looking to be a big release from Purple in my eyes. If the remaining tracks follow suit with these three, I think =1 could surely end up as a high-ranking album among those I’ve reviewed — And it could even shape up to be the first album I give an overall ‘Modern Classic’ rating to this year. I don’t want to speak too soon, but I’m very much looking forward to giving it a listen and review.
