I quite enjoy the very British The Rest Is History Podcast on YouTube. I have just enjoyed two episodes in which these gentlemen talks about The Rolling Stones (you can find the first episode archived in April 2025 on their page). Find out who collected toy soldiers and many other interesting facts (as I said, very British). I will add a tag for posts about podcasts on the blog today. Loads of good stuff out there.
(My shot of vintage Airfix toy soldier box, inserted images are screenshot from said show and late 1960s Rolling Stones album cover)
The new book on Deep Purple by author Martin Popoff popped up in the mail today. He has written several books on the Deep Purple Family before, but this one is pretty darned final as far as Purple is concerned. Maybe a chapter can be added once the band is over for a later edition, but this is pretty much all you need. “Seven Decades Of Deep Purple – The Unofficial History” (Schiffer Publishing, 2025) is quite heavy, you may want to sit in a comfortable chair when you take this one on. 644 pages.
(My shots of said book, main front & back cover photographs by Martin Popoff and Richard Calbraith)
I catched the tail end of a Roselia livestream on YouTube this morning. Just a one camera set-up. Pretty sure that we will get this on DVD some day. The show was billed as “Neuweltfahrt Day 2”. Good to see them out there doing their thing.
I blogged about the new Babymetal Blu-ray “Live At The O2 Arena” yesterday and I also forked out a bit of spare cash on this more expensive LP sized edition. Babymetal always have really cool covers and I will showcase this one in this post. Nice gatefold cover, four page insert with live pictures and general information. Produced by Kobametal. Same tracks as the regular Blu-ray: “Babymetal Death”, “Megitsune”, “Pa Pa Yah!!”, “BxMxC”, “Metali!!”, “Kon! Kon!”, “Sunset Kiss”, “Song 3”, “Headbanger!!”, “Ratatata”, “Gimme Chocolate!!”, “From Me To U” (featuring Poppy in real life and boy is she cool!), “Karate”, “Ijime, Dame, Zettai” and “Road Of Resistance”. Multiple camera drone action for maximum enjoyment (pretty much pioneered by Babymetal), superb show. We also get the outro by Rob Halford, wishing Babymetal good luck on the then upcoming American tour. All in all, there really is no reason why this could not be released outside of Japan. Having said that, all Babymetal live releases are awesome and they really should have been out there. With Babymetal, the optics are just as great as the music.
(My shots of said release, standard variant can be seen in the third image, now go and buy it!)
Enjoyed the current Babymetal Blu-ray “Live At O2 Arena” today and it is amazing. No surprise there. Babymetal are just next level, you have them and then you have everything else. I also got the new issue of Metal Hammer (408), the big 2025 extravaganza. Some good stuff, not least Babymetal (new interview), Ozzy, Ghost, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Arch Enemy.
(My shot of the Babymetal feature in said magazine, plus the new Blu-ray)
I am having a blast trying to get the old collections in order and I keep finding stuff that I had forgotten about, some of which is good enough to highlight on the blog. Case in point, I discovered a forgotten gem from the Deep Purple Freak Society days (it has been 45 years…) that I would like to share with you now. The original source was (by the looks of these questions) a Whitesnake club in Japan. Every member of Whitesnake had filled in a questionaire around the time of the “Ready An´Willing” album and it is pretty funny stuff. I am sorry that I can not credit this to the proper source but I think you will agree that this is pretty cool. So here we go.
REAL NAME AND BIRTH DATE:
David: “David Coverdale, 22/9 1951”.
Ian: “Ian Anderson Paice, 29/6 1948”.
Jon: “Jon Lord, 9/6 1941”.
Neil: “Philip Neil Murray, 27/8 1950”.
Micky: “Michael Joseph Moody, 30/8 1950”.
Bernie: “Bernie Marsden, 7/5 1951”.
FAVORITE SONGS ON “READY AN´ WILLING?
David: “”Fool For Your Loving”, “Blindman””.
Ian: “”Ready An´Willing”, “Fool For Your Loving”, “Sweet Talker””.
Jon: “”Ain´t Gonna Cry No More””.
Neil: “”Fool For Your Loving”, “Ready An´Willing”, “Ain´t Gonna Cry No More””.
Micky: “”Fool For Your Loving”, “Ain´t Gonna Cry No More””.
Bernie: “”Ain´t Gonny Cry No More”, “Fool For Your Loving””.
FAVORITE GROUPS AND MUSICIANS:
David: “Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Hendrix”
Ian: “Steely Dan”.
Jon: “Mahler, Jackson Browne, Eagles”.
Neil: “Jeff Beck, Weather Report, Tony Williams”.
Micky: “Too numerous to mention”.
Bernie: “Jeff Beck, B.B King, Beatles”.
LEAST FAVORITE GROUPS AND MUSICIANS:
David: “Bad ones”.
Ian: (no answer).
Jon: “Sky”.
Neil: “Dooleys, bad New Wave groups”.
Micky: “Some Punk and New Wave”.
Bernie: “The new Yes. The old Yes”.
FAVORITE CARS:
David: “Don´t drive”.
Ian: “Mine, Rolls Royce, Porsche Turbo”.
Jon: “Porsche”.
Neil: “Ferrari Boxer, Mercedes 230SL”.
Micky: “Don´t drive”.
Bernie: “Porsche, Ferrari”.
DO YOU HAVE A LICENCE:
David: “No”
Ian: “Yes, gun”.
Jon: “Yes”.
Neil: “No!”.
Micky: “No”.
Bernie: “Yes”.
FAVORITE SPORTS:
David: “Indoor athletics”.
Ian: “Cricket, soccer, bowls”.
Jon: “Cricket”.
Neil: “Watching television”.
Micky: “Football”.
Bernie: “Soccer, snooker”.
WHAT MOVIES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY:
David: “None”.
Ian: “None”.
Jon: “None”.
Neil: “”All That Jazz”, “Fame””.
Micky: (no answer)
Bernie: “”Airplane”, “Apocalypse Now””.
WHAT BOOKS HAVE YOU READ LATELY:
David: “Bernie´s”.
Ian: “Bernie´s after David”.
Jon: “Many”.
Neil: “Hundreds”.
Micky: “Islands In The Stream”.
Bernie: “Shogun”, Men Only (magazine)”.
DO YOU LIKE A GAMBLE:
David: “Yes”.
Ian: “Yes”.
Jon: “Yes”.
Neil: “Not with Bernie or Ian”.
Micky: “You bet”.
Bernie: “Yes”.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A UFO:
David: “No”.
Ian: “No”.
Jon: “No”.
Neil: “Yes, at Hammersmith Odeon (Pete Way, Phil Mogg)”.
Micky: “Frequently when drunk”.
Bernie: “I´ve played with them!”.
DO YOU WANT TO SEE ANOTHER PLANET LIVING:
David: “Maybe”.
Ian: “No”.
Jon: “No”.
Neil: “Yes, but it´s unlikely”.
Micky: “Yes”.
Bernie: “No”.
WHAT ARE YOU INTEND TO DO TEN YEARS AFTER:
David: “Music”.
Ian: “Ask Alvin Lee”.
Jon: “The same”.
Neil: “Be rich and famous”.
Micky: “Keep playing music”.
Bernie: “Make more music”.
PLEASE LOOK AT THE MIRROR AND SAY SOMETHING:
David: “Pass”.
Ian: “Oh mine gott!”.
Jon: “Er… Hello!”.
Neil: “To young to die”.
Micky: “Aaaargghhh!!”.
Bernie: “Hell yes”.
BIGGEST IMPRESSION ON YOUR CAREER:
David: “Jimi Hendrix”.
Ian: “Deep Purple”.
Jon: “Success of Deep Purple”.
Neil: “Cream”.
Micky: “Discovering American R&B music”.
Bernie: “Our tour manager, Magnet-san”.
PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE:
David: “Indoor athletics”.
Ian: “Success”.
Jon: “Be happy”.
Neil: “Do as you would be done by”.
Micky: “I don´t care, but I do”.
Bernie: “Live happy”.
HOW DO YOU FIND JAPAN:
David: “Great, very very nice”.
Ian: “Smashing”.
Jon: “Beautiful country and people”.
Neil: “Strange mixture of old and new”.
Micky: “Very, very nice”.
Bernie: “Great”.
PLEASE SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO THE MEMBERS OF WHITESNAKE FAN CLUB:
David: “Hello people in Japan, I hope to see you soon”.
Ian: “A tour of Japan is always good. See you soon”.
Jon: “See you on our next Japanese tour, I am looking forward too it”.
Neil: “I hope to see you next year – thank you for supporting Whitesnake and writing to us”.
Micky: “Look forward to seeing you soon, keep the byblos open”.
Bernie: “Thank you for being in the fan club. I look forward to being in Japan again very soon”.
(End of transcript / Credit goes to said fan club / My shots of this Swedish edition)
…
CLASSIC ROCK INTERVIEWS ON TRINKELBONKER: DEEP PURPLE 1987 (November 8 2025), NEMEDIAN CHRONICLES 2025 (October 20 2025), DEEP PURPLE TOUR MANAGER COLIN HART 1991 (September 15 2025), SALLY 2025 (April 18 2025), MIKE ERIKSSON 2008 (April 1 2025), JONAS ÖHLUND 2025 (March 19 2025), SAEKO KITAMAE (February 2 2025), MARTINA EDOFF 2025 (February 1 2025), GEORGE MURASAKI 2025 (January 23 2025), JONAS ÖHLUND 2024 (July 22 2024), MURASAKI 2024 (June 28 2024), METALLIC KITTY/DECADENCE 2007 (May 14 2024), FABIENNE SHINE/SHAKIN`STREET 2008 (May 9 2024), ECHOES OF ETERNITY 2007 (May 6 2024), 220 VOLT 2002 (April 17 2024), THEY WATCH US FROM THE MOON 2024 (March 29 2024), BERNIE MARSDEN 1981 (September 3 2023), BRIDEAR 2023 (June 13 2023), STEVE LUKATHER 1989, Part 2 (May 29 2023), LADIES OF ROCK 2008 (April 25 2023), GLENN HUGHES 1993 (February 23 2023), JON LORD 1983 (June 26 2022), BLIND GOLEM 2022 (April 29 2022), PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 2, December 24 2021), MURASAKI 2021 (December 3 2021), PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 1, November 22 2021), CARINA LIROLA 2008 (November 9 2021), TOTO 1987 (September 17 2021), HEAVEN & EARTH 2001 (July 25 2021), STUART SMITH 1998 (July 4 2021), RAINBOW 1997 (June 28 2021), MARINA AMMOURI 2021 (February 12 2021), VISIONS OF ATLANTIS 2007 (November 10 2020), RITCHIE BLACKMORE & CANDICE NIGHT 2001 (October 27 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (October 18 2020), ACCEPT 1986 (July 17 2020), DEEP PURPLE 1996 (June 27 2020), EUROPE 1986 (June 16 2020), DEEP PURPLE PODCAST 2020 (April 6 2020), KIMBERLY GOSS/SINERGY 2002 (March 31 2020), RAINBOW 1997 (March 9 2020), RAINBOW 1996 (March 6 2020), MICHAEL BRADFORD 2003/MAKING OF DEEP PURPLE´S “BANANAS” (March 2 2020), URIAH HEEP 1988 (February 18 2020), ANNE-LIE RYDÉ 1984 (January 21 2020), CRYSTAL VIPER 2020 (January 16 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (January 12 2020), ARTOMUS FRIENDSHIP 2019 (November 10 2019), NAZARETH 1989 (August 26 2019), VELVET INSANE 2018 (September 11 2018), JON LORD 1981 (December 15 2015), DAVID COVERDALE 1981 (November 13 2015), GLENN HUGHES 1996 (May 12 2015), TOTO 1988 (March 31 2015), YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 1990 (March 1 2015), MARTINA EDOFF 2009 (December 4 2014), MICHAEL MOJO NILSSON 2014 (January 21 2014), THE HUGHES TURNER PROJECT 2001 (December 29 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1996-1998 (October 9 2013), GLENN HUGHES & JOHN NORUM 1988 (September 21 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1994-1995 (September 9 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1993 (September 7 2013), STEVE LUKATHER 1989 (September 4 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1983 (August 22 2013), RAINBOW 1995 (July 19 2013), MICK UNDERWOOD/GILLAN 1982 (June 11 2013), DEEP PURPLE 2002 (May 2 2013), DEEP PURPLE 1998 ( February 25 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1986 (February 12 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1987-1989 (December 31 2012), JOHNNIE BOLIN 2012 (December 24 2012), MARTIN POPOFF & RICH GALBRAITH 2009 (November 12 2012), DAVID COVERDALE 2000 (October 14 2012), JON LORD 1984 (September 7 2012), JOE LYNN TURNER 1992 (August 31 2012), JUDAS PRIEST 1986 (August 22 2012), RONNIE JAMES DIO 2001 (August 20 2012), NIGHTWISH 2002 (August 14 2012).
Muses/Jazz Avengers bass maestro Juna Serita are doing solo gigs in Japan playing funky jazz fusion stuff and she has got a great band. The music is top notch, both in a classic way but also innovative. There is a reason why she is hailed as a top musician. Check out the new video on her YouTube channel that features the songs “Madamada Gal” and “Hunter”. Pretty wonderful if you ask me. Her having come up with Muses alongside drummer Kanade Sato speaks volumes.
(Screenshots is from said live video, no malice intended / My background shot)
In this day and age, the reaction videos on platforms like YouTube is no joke. They pull in millions of views. A song like Rainbow´s “Stargazer” (released on the “Rising” album back in 1976) is finding a brand new audience that is wholly impressed with what they hear. If alternative media has largely taken over the news (I just witnessed a state financed news network say that the current revolution in Iran is largely due to climate change…), the reaction videos by ordinary people is keeping rock alive outside of the realm of the record industry. “Stargazer” was never a hit (outside of the massive impression among fans and musicians) as such, but it is a masterpiece. I would say that it is fast gaining an even bigger reputation right now. And on top of this, the video that everybody is watching as they are listening to this epic track, was made by a fan that used clips from different sources. The record company has wisely let the video do the work it is doing. Rainbow had big hits in the 1980s, but it is “Stargazer” that is catching on in a big way now. Many people are finding it because of Ronnie James Dio, but they all acknowledge the brilliance of Ritchie Blackmore when they hear that solo. Then they find Deep Purple and the “Doing Their Thing” live version of “Child In Time” which is now the big one. Much bigger than “Smoke On The Water”. And they connect the dots. Purple did that 10 years before Iron Maiden. In back catalogue terms, this can not hurt. If I worked at a label, I would identify 50 influential personalities and their channels and I would push classic songs via request. I would buy them that cup of coffee. Also, those reactions are helping younger acts to build careers (Nightwish and Babymetal are the big ones), and they are helping the rock community to stick together over generations. I just love to be a fly on the wall, watching all this unfold.
(Seen on the top image are the following reactors: PhoebeFromTV, The Charismatic Voice, StaceyRPG, AileenSenpai, Aaliyah Chapili, and Elok Hsu, now go and watch them!)
Aerosmith and Yungblud has recorded a five track EP called “One More Time” that saw release in November. I have checked it out on YouTube and I have to say that the song “My Only Angel” is bloody brilliant. The guy is a star. What he did with the old Sabbath song “Changes” at Villa Park back in July was a huge moment in the history of rock. He managed to connect the youth to the old school community like nobody else, and since then his career has taken off like crazy, not least in America. The “Changes” video from the event on his channel has notched up over 12,400,000 views. With talent like this out there, rock is doing just fine.
(Covers seen here of his latest releases are from official platforms)
Added the 2025 Vinyl edition (coloured) of the 2022 Band-Maid EP “Unleashed” to the old collection. First Band-Maid Vinyl that I have got my hands on. In all honesty, this eight track release would have counted as a full blown LP back in the day. Checking this out now, the original EP had the exact same tracks, there are no bonus songs or anything like that on this edition. Love the cover art, some really good songs on this one as well. Very happy about this. Top score on the old Cool-o-meter.
(My shot of said release, cover art credited to Saiki)
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