It seems unfeasible but Deep Purple trace their origins back to the 1960’s, and yet here they are now, having just released one of their finest albums ever – ‘InFinite’. It combines the classic Deep Purple sound, with something quite contemporary. The musicianship is formidable, and yet as always they make it sound so easy. So natural.
AM’s Baz Bardoe chats with Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse
I first got into Deep Purple via their 1984 album ‘Perfect Strangers’ which marked the reformation of the classic ‘Mark2’ lineup. This in turn prompted an exploration of their 1970’s output and I just could not believe how awesome it was. Jon Lord’s keyboards blew me away – the sound was so vast and he could play anything. Despite many lineup changes the playing was always formidable, and in that regard nothing has changed. In 2002 Lord retired and was replaced by the only other keyboardist who could do justice to the Purple legend, Don Airey, (subsequently Lord has changed cosmic address). And since 1994 the guitar spot has been filled by Steve Morse who is one of a very select group of players to have won ‘Guitar Player’ magazine’s ‘best overall guitarist’ award five years in a row. He will forever be compared with the mercurial Ritchie Blackmore of course, but he is now the longest serving guitarist in the band. The other three members – Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice – all remain from the ‘Mark 2’ lineup. A strong case can be mounted that this is musically the most formidable lineup in the band’s long history – it is certainly the most stable.
Which brings us to the new album ‘InFinite’ and what is being advertised as the farewell tour. And when you consider bassist Roger Glover was born in 1945, it is perhaps understandable. Countless trends came and went, but some variant of Deep Purple always seemed to be out there. They have seemed eternal. But now finally, this may well be the end of a very long, and unspeakably successful career. If it is, then ‘InFinite’ is a fitting final statement of Purple’s singular hard rock infused sound. I was lucky enough to grab a few moments on the phone with guitarist Steve Morse, and I out it to him that this was one of the best Purple albums ever. He seemed genuinely delighted to get such feedback, so I started by asking him if there was any special approach they took with this album, and he seemed keen to give a lot of credit to the approach of producer Bob Ezrin. “When you work with Bob Ezrin the big challenge is to make Bob happy{, says Morse.. “As a guitarist I try to make him happy…..We got a really good result with him. I worked with him when I was in Kansas…he is a really amazingly efficient and talented producer.”Ezrin lives and breathes classic rock and encourages a very live approach to recording.
Morse is one of the most accomplished jazz fusion and rock guitarists on the planet. He has plenty of awards to vouch for that and a die hard following. But when he plays with Purple, he plays for the song. There is no shortage of amazing technique on display, but it always really suits the material and blends seamlessly with Airey’s keyboards. I asked him about his approach to playing with Purple, especially in terms of getting the balance between the song and the musicianship just right. “A great master mechanic will use his toolbox to work on an engine”, he says…”you have a big choice but leaving out some tools makes you a better mechanic. Working on my own stuff allows me to choose what is best for the song…..it is a wonderful band to play for…..” Morse considers there is no shortage of highlights but one gig stands out in particular. The band was scheduled to play a show in Malaysia, but a severe storm hit. Rain was pouring down and winds were wreaking havoc. They were advised not to play but did so anyway. Morse recalls being especially fascinated by the water bouncing off drummer Ian Paice’s snare every time he hit it. They played until every last bit of equipment failed. It many ways it sums up his hard working ethos. Throughout our chat he keeps reinforcing the need for self responsibility, punctuality and the need to always be aware that you must be a ‘team player’ to get anywhere.
Most people struggle to become accomplished at one thing in their lifetime, but Morse can lay claim to also being a commercial pilot for a while. As most people would imagine this is no easy feat. “My career was very short. It wasn’t what I thought it would be”, he explains. He still flies as often as possible however. But when it comes to forging a career in music he has some advice worth paying attention to. “ Play what you love and spend part of each day working on technique and working on your knowledge”, he says. “Play with another human being as often as you can. Pay attention to what you are doing. If you turn up late to rehearsals what are you saying? Your time is more important than theirs? Sharpen your self critique. Responsibility……you have to build yourself into a strong manager…..” Time and again Morse returns to the ethos of hard work and commitment. He built his reputation with The Dregs – a fusion act that had to work hard over several albums to build their profile. And even with Purple he has had to define his own space relative to the legacy of Ritchie Blackmore. For all his dazzling ability he comes across as a very humble soul, who genuinely enjoys playing Purple’s material. When I praise the new album one final time, he seems genuinely delighted.
Morse’s main guitar is a Music Man signature model that he has been playing for around 3 decades, and it has apparently been re fretted 3 times. He endorses ENGL amps and also has a signature model.