Family Rock Trees - Deep Purple

Charting the tempestuous history of one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time.
In the early seventies, Deep Purple could claim to be the biggest band in the world in terms of record sales and the size of their live audiences. Yet tensions between the five members were never far from the surface and the history of the band is littered with splits. One of the many stories tells of the events which led to the singer Ian Gillan leaving Deep Purple in 1973, an event which keyboard player Jon Lord describes as 'the biggest shame in rock 'n' roll'. Members of Deep Purple and offshoots such as Rainbow, Whitesnake and Gillan describe with remarkable frankness the highs and lows of three decades of life in the music business.

[@BritishBeachcomber]

For me, the 1970 Mark II band of Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice was the ultimate Deep Purple line-up.

[@onazram1]

Absolutely!

[@jgsrhythm100]

Agree MK2 quintessential but Tommy Bolin( RIP) is my favorite 🎸 'Come Taste the Band" ( 75) 🔥 Check track " Dealer"

[@jogischulz2576]

...yes MK II, I was 1971 on their concert Deep Purple in Rock tour in Berlin, never forget this !

[@FuturePast2019]

Best band ever... Mk2

[@nickcastings1568]

Absolutely!

[@kevinkiso4579]

"Glenn was singing like Stevie Wonder more and more as the days went on..." Absolutely fckn hilarious.

[@Nissardpertugiu]

In Trapeze he sang more rough

[@janiterinadrum1627]

I hung out with John Lord and Roger Glover at spirit sports bar in Altamont Springs Florida for about four hours by and John drinks and listen to stories about the band. It was so awesome… since they were my favorite band. What a great guy.

[@Fuxerz]

RIP Jon Douglas Lord 😢

[@Jgeneraledger23]

"If you get a chance, you take it, with both hands." --Ian Paice

[@humbleopinion1499]

This documentary did miss out an important part of Ian Gillan's career. From 1975 to 1977 he lead the "Ian Gillan Band" - a jazz/rock band. I think this was the most creative and exciting music to come from Ian Gillan - who drew together quite a bunch of great musicians. Three albums with critical but little commercial success, saw him turn toward back to heavy metal with a band called simply, Gillan.

[@gregorycolodub485]

Indeed, the first three IGB albums were a nice contrast to DP

[@Bibbi-ey8jh]

Old documentary. The music industry is basically dead. In all aspects. So thank for the memories.

[@jeffsimon9594]

Exactly right. But music & audio schools are pretending it is all still fine so they can continue raking in the cash.

[@uv77mc85]

It is not dead just unrecognisable to those of us who remember what it was. There is such a huge amount of songs released daily now (it's in the millions) and there is nothing really new or fresh sounding that very little sticks out and if it does it's mostly image and marketting. Also the fact everything ever recorded is just a click away and seems much more disposable has ruined it too. When you think about it recorded music is not really natural anyway. For 1000s of years music could only be heard as it was being performed until the last few decades.

[@user-eo2oz2tf4q]

When it waz live, a double album came out it waz Special.

[@63Kafka]

Who wants music to be an industry? We want poor struggling artists...like my band! It's difficult shunning the bright lights, the women...the money...oh shit!

[@zainimohamad-vr6uo]

In the 70's , still in my teenage, it was the sound of deep purple great music that accompany my late nite school revision..soldier of fortune, burn, women from tokyo, highway star, black nite... child in time...

[@Malegys]

"Perfect Strangers" was such a killer come-back album, even in the midst of a completely different metal landscape at that time.

[@garyhighley9022]

Best album they ever made.

[@Malegys]

@@garyhighley9022 quite possibly.

[@1e0s]

Very noble of Lord & Paice to come clean about their part in the dynamics. We have all done this.

[@xwhite2020]

Paice is blameless as he was really just along for the ride in a band run by an out of control Richie Blackmore.

[@JupiterThunder]

@@xwhite2020 Paice was just a kid, he was only 20 in 1968. Blackers did all the chopping, Paice & Lord were too weak to resist.

[@JupiterThunder]

@@xwhite2020 He got the other end of it in 1981 when David Coverdale fired him from Whitesnake.

[@Nissardpertugiu]

​@@JupiterThunder he left

[@peterbland7227]

We used to say being a rock star risked prolonged adolescence. Deep Purple clearly illustrates that risk.

[@JupiterThunder]

Indeed. By about 60 years in this case.

[@fortiterinresuaviterinmodo5549]

Deep Purple mark2 è stata la migliore hard rock band di tutti i tempi

[@barrylamb2407]

i saw them in 1972 awesome

[@steveangell7724]

Seen this doc about 200 times! The original airing had graphics for everyone with an update on what they were doing. Including the fact that not long after recording, Cozy Powell died in a car crash. Sad end to a great talent. Love this telling of the first band I became obsessed with!

[@jcdova29]

That was brave of them to do a concerto with an orchestra. But it was a great piece they left for us. Not to mention the popular composer at the time.

[@goaheadmakemyday9859]

I know as times change so do the style of things all around but music today is just noise, but back then that was and will always be music.

[@stephenord3403]

Mr Lord, pure genius

[@user-eo2oz2tf4q]

On made in Japan.

[@rageyb]

OMG How gorgeous was Ian in Episode 6 😍 those dimples.

[@gosadrams]

I sure wish, as a huge Tommy Bolin fan, he wouldn't have had a drug addiction. It's sad. This was an excellent documentary. I learned a lot that I didn't know about one of my all time favorite rock bands.

[@DrRichardRagle]

Tommy Bolin was an amazing guitarist and a great guy. And so sad that addiction took its toll on him and ended his life.

[@jgsrhythm100]

Loved MK2 Purple growing up , but as I got hip to early Funk I am far more in the Bolin camp. No one plays that greasy. No one. Not in any style

[@sparenovations7176]

Peel, Lord, Powell, Marsden, Ashton Dio, Bolin all gone

[@janiterinadrum1627]

The first record I bought with my own money when I was 12 was Machine Head and I’ve been a fan ever since.. I even got to meet the band on several occasions in Altamonte Springs Florida well they were recording in 1990 or maybe it was 1991

[@jcdova29]

It’s hilarious that David Coverdale calls Richie Ricardo.🤣🤣 It sounds funny with the Brit accent. Ricardo!

[@jamiewarriorwarlordmccallu5712]

classic doco on deep purple classic band. one of the first metal bands. us brits always had the best metal bands. and this is a great rock family tree doco.

[@1958marky]

Jamie Warrior Warlord McCallum You are right -- and I've always wished I was brit for this reason alone, my friend!

[@jamiewarriorwarlordmccallu5712]

Mark Norris welcome dude. yes just my opinion. but hey you american dudes have some real cool metal bands.

[@westerling8436]

Not metal though, hard prog rock and roll

[@glorigargoglou]

To call it 'metal' is an insult

[@user-zv1nm6kp1x]

Love this song smoke on the water is a brilliant idea of n roll in a few hours album covers steady rythim and live music in the background have always listened to everything the band ever wrote love Lorrie

[@stephenord3403]

Our band supported Trapeze. They were very nice blokes

[@user-eo2oz2tf4q]

Saw them at the Round house in chalk farm along side Bugie both bands should have got more credit.. Stray were a good outfit.

[@ThinPicks]

Memories... Black Night was the one that "woke me up" and made me want to put my hands on a guitar!🎸

[@user-eo2oz2tf4q]

I use to play this in my art room when I waz 12. Everybody else into Glam rock, not me...i think the B/side waz hush or that might have been on Fireball not sure.

[@ThinPicks]

@@user-eo2oz2tf4q B side was Speed King, from the album Deep Purple In Rock.

[@user-eo2oz2tf4q]

Speed king on made in Japan what a great album.

[@charlesnolan7602]

I liked the Mark I and II Deep Purple ...

[@user-eo2oz2tf4q]

Agree, tell the others wil you,ffs.

[@johnburns3703]

Thanks to Ian Gillan for doing World of Wheels that bike shop made a lot of memories for me and solid friends.

[@antrygis1]

Thanks for the post. I like this Family Tree thing. Tempestuous, tumultuous, explosive. When they were on they were great. Overblown in America for a while. Sabbath, Purple, Heep. All the stoners afraid to express themselves but wanted to be hip as these bands played. Ahh, had to be there. But the Deep Purple that broke it with Machine Head kept rock fans riveted throughout their different incarnations. Poor Tommy Bolin.

[@AllSpace]

Blackmore, would of had to been strange, only child in the family, blacksheep

[@JokersWild70]

Love Ian Paice. What a great drummer and seems like a great guy. Jon Lord as well. What a class act he was and so talented. Tommy Bolin is very underrated, and I know for a fact that Ritchie admired his talent and thought that he was a good fit for Purple, music wise.

[@JT-bl2so]

deep purple ...best band in rock history. no matter what line-up

[@tubetea]

I got to see a Deep Purple concert in B'ham, Al back in 1976, Nazareth opened and they were great, Deep Purple came on and it was so freakin' loud it sounded like a 90 minute buzz, I was up in my girlfriend's ear screaming and she still couldn't hear me, some people were going out into the lobby because their ears were hurting so bad, I don't know whether the show was good or not because it was just too loud. Flash forward to 2001 in Houston, Texas and Nazareth again opened for Deep Purple, I mainly wanted to see my favorite band Nazareth again so we all went to the show. Nazareth again, was fantastic and now it's time for Deep Purple to play. I couldn't believe it, it was still really loud but it was the most crystal clear sound system I'd ever heard, that may have been the best rock show I've ever been to , Steve Morse was the guitarist and every note they played was perfect, when ever I tell someone about the best show I've seen I always have to mention that the Deep Purple show in Houston, how fantastic that show was.

[@michaeljoseph9722]

That's really cool, full length and better quality!!!

[@dettigs]

41:16...........a rare ritchie blackmore smile!!!

[@DrRichardRagle]

The only Ritchie Blackmore smile I've ever seen...

[@hamishanderson6738]

Ikr - scary! 😱 😅

[@JerzyBorowski-ot3ie]

DEEP PURPLE GENIUSZ GENIUSZ GENIUSZ nad GENIUSZAMI KOSMOS KOCHANI na zawsze dziękuję BOGU za wszystko dziękuję BARDZO

[@antoniocarlosantunesantune3217]

My favorite band ever ! Deep Purple is fantastic band of genius of the music.

[@colonelparcoeur]

Every era of Deep Purple was interesting but obviously mark 2 was the best one ❤

[@mvunit3]

Holy crap . . . Made in Tokyo recording was done under "duress" and is now one of the best Live recorded album in Rock history. Amazing but sad that we wouldn't see that line-up till "Perfect Strangers".

[@billzfan34]

Wrong one. Made in Japan is the great one, with Gillan.

[@policyjunkie3312]

Gillan actually killed it in sabbath especially live I like how he made some of the songs his own like Black Sabbath he made it super scary

[@Bibbi-ey8jh]

True. He did have some qualities live. But in the broader scheme of things back then in that era, he was miscast, And imo those Sabbath albums with Ian Gillan and Tony Martin are their worst. As i said, great live performances but.. When Geezer and Iommi together with Vinnie Appice formed Heaven and Hell with DIO back on vocals again years and years later the gears clicked in place again. Its the past and the best thing is, is that we got the amazing music. Out of everyone concerned

[@DarksaberForce]

Originally Ian and the Sabbath members were supposed to make a "supergroup" but the label made them use the Black Sabbath name. Same with the Glenn Hughes album. That's why it was titled "Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi".

[@carlosgaspar8447]

@@Bibbi-ey8jh that album grows on you. a huge departure in lyrics and singing for sure, but probably the heaviest black sabbath album out there.

[@chriskroll4166]

​@@Bibbi-ey8jhthose albums with Ian Gillian and Tony Martin are excellent. You don't know what the hell you're talking about because you're not a musician. So they go right over your head . Shame 😮

[@xwhite2020]

​@@chriskroll4166Born Agains downfall is the muddy mix/production. Word is it's getting polished up as we speak and is nearly ready to be rereleased.

[@alex59ba]

Thought I know all about DP, RB, WS and everything in between but this vid proof me dead wrong. On other hand I’m not quite sure if I still respect DP Mk2 members the way I did so but c’est la vie. Thanks for posting this vid.

[@kevinkiso4579]

I had Peter Frame's Rock n Roll Family Tree book when I was 11-12 years old and I devoured everything in that book. That book and Tony Fletcher's book Moon, and the life of Keith Moon are the best music books I've ever owned or read.

[@IronSikh44]

It seems a byproduct of the all time great bands is there is a point where some members can’t co-exist. The Beatles, Eagles, Floyd, Sabbath, The Stones, Journey etc all went through these awkward transitions. Some continued to have success but it was never the same. It’s emotional to see a reunion show when members set aside their differences and come back. The magic is noticeable! I believe the tension is where the great songs come from but obviously this isn’t a sustainable (or healthy) method.

[@olly3700]

Great documentary

[@LorraineHinchliffe-vg5cb]

999 subscribers? I had to sub, not least because this is a great upload. I love John peels narration.... he had a great sense of humour.

[@MrMjp58]

An unusual choice of narrator for this documentary (John Ravenscroft), who by then, seemed to despise most of the rock music that had transpired before the great ‘punk/new wave disaster’. I suppose it was really a soap opera/gossipy thing, rather than a musical appreciation, which probably pleased him more. Having said that, he did do a good job of it.

[@JMoruzzi]

I'm pretty sure that his only contribution to the script was reading it out.

[@ThinPicks]

It was John Peel.

[@MrCtsSteve]

1985 Flint Michigan Perfect Strangers tour. They kicked ass

[@HarpoSpoke]

Great doc, but do wish they would have mentioned the Steve Morse stuff more. (and interviewed Steve)

[@DefLeppardVanHalen]

Steve had just joined the band at the time and had not recorded anything yet. The documentary came out in 1995.

[@pathfinder1273]

Oh, my God!! Could you imagine if they had brought on Rory Gallagher?!? The greatest guitarist in the world in the greatest band in the world?! Musical heaven!!

[@user-xp7fb3md9x]

As long as anybody in was good for the Brand it was ok 👌 but some Member (Still Ian & Ian & Glover) is the ''Back" of it and keep it alive till now😊

[@AlexAlexon3897]

One error - Slide It In was the Whitesnake album that was remixed at Geffen's insistence. Apart from that, this is really well done. I remember laughing at some points and feeling sad at others in '95 when this was first shown.

[@tjflash60]

Thanks for the series.

[@drums632]

Hi Andrew, im new to your channel and just wanted to thank you for keeping the flame alive for the true greats of hard rock drumming. I saw Ian on the Burn tour, and many tours after, and what a show it was. Ian left a permanent impression on my young mind, 14yrs old at the time, and only my 3rd concert ever. I also got to see the other great ones...Bonham 75, Bill Ward, late 70s. But there was always something special about Ian Paice to me. I think its because of his jazz influence and how he incorporated that into rock, as well as many other drummers from that era were heavily influencedby jazz. The big 3 to me Ian, Bonham, and Ward. We cant forget Cozy Powell but there are just too many amazing drummers to mention here. I look forward to watching more of your videos and thanks again.

[@justmadeit2]

The third album with the mark 1 lineup was great

[@StuartHanson-fo7iw]

God almighty that song is killer

[@jeremiasnovaisteodoro9809]

Perfect band 👏👏👏

[@1e0s]

Coverdale has a beautiful speaking voice as well as singing

[@flynnlizzy5469]

'Posh' ?

[@blueyestu7950]

As much as I loved watching this it was very clear that Ritchie had recently left the band and the rest were very happy to throw him under the bus for all that went wrong. Happily Jon was able to mellow his opinion of the man in black before he died.

[@jo.s7993]

Maybe, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much of genius guitarist Blackmore is/was. When you are such a massive bellend, that you repeatedly derail a legendary band like Purple, it counts for sweet FA.

[@hamishanderson6738]

Richie Blackmood.

[@marcdewey1242]

I remember reading about Gillans band in Hit Parade magazine in the seventies,and as a Deep Purple fan I looked for albums by them but never found any.

[@flynnlizzy5469]

Wha ... ??

[@marcdewey1242]

Can you not read?

[@panzer501xx]

super

[@jgsrhythm100]

Tommy Bolin ( RIP) Numero Uno

[@StuartHanson-fo7iw]

Grass isn’t always greener,

[@baronoflivonia.3512]

I saw Rainbow with Dio on Vocals, that was definitive version.

[@vasantiago3038]

So Tony Ashton did some early stage dives. .

[@trv411]

One mention of JLT and none of Dio makes this vastly incomplete.

[@Alessandro-B]

I think it is because Ronnie was never a part of Deep Purple, in fact, only Cozy Powell (R.I.P.) from Rainbow got a few words in.

[@kevinohara99]

nice one😃

[@widesen]

Great documentary. I just wonder why the documentarist have wrecked the 4:3 footage by malforming it to 16:9. The fear of black bars is stupid. Show the historic clips CORRECTLY!!!

[@riftwytch]

I was surprised that one of the deciding factors that led to the reunion and Perfect Strangers album in the 80s wasn't mentioned: the fake 'Deep Purple' that drew in Rod Evans and resulted in legal action to maintain ownership of the band's name.

[@jeffsimon9594]

When is this from? I am thinking mid/late '90s.

[@jimmycampbell78]

Early-mid 90s I think. I remember first seeing this when I was at school.

[@randystarcher2358]

That there's a hell of a good drummer 2

[@viamilitaris011]

Sleazy moves by sleazy people. Fans live with their songs...they dream ... they cry... And these ,drunk, fit the words into two or three chords ...Someone grandmother is to"blame" for the name Deep Purple .Black Night could have been Yellow Day...😢

[@peterdent2019]

Ian Gillan was very pretty!

[@Retroscoop]

Shoeshine music :0))) Ritchie Ritchie.... I don't mind all the changes in the lineup, it made it quite interesting to compare... Morse is no Blackmore, and I don't have any problem with that. Blackmore left and made some great records with Rainbow, so, in stead of one great band we all of a sudden could enjoy AND Purple AND Rainbow AND Paice Ashton Lord AND Whitesnake etc. ...I'm not complaining ! Well.... Until Whitesnake went to the States and Coverdale apparantly ran into a rugby player who kicked him in the soft spot you know where, that is.

[@kristerlund8845]

The concerto album sounds more like a film score or a musical.

[@ALong-fo5so]

The definitive version of Deep Purple was the one with Gillan and Glover.

[@steveludwig4200]

Coverdale's replacements for Blackmore: 1. Jeff Beck. 2. Rory Gallagher 3. Tommy Bolin. Just shows how GREAT Rory Gallagher was because he was also offered the job replacing Mick Taylor in the Stones.

[@tizmawpux]

What's the music at the intro to the video?

[@garyhighley9022]

How dare they leave RJD out of the story!

[@user-bk7dw2gu3q]

🙏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@briangallagher2236]

The first record with Gillian and Glover was the single “Hallelujah “. One of the first on the brand-new Harvest label. Should’ve been a hit, but wasn’t. Still great to my ears.

[@policyjunkie3312]

It’s funny Ritchie fired Roger glover but he hired him twice

[@StuartHanson-fo7iw]

God zeppelin seem chilled by comparison

[@AlexAlexon3897]

Funnily enough, Blackmore and Coverdale now get on very well!🙂

[@steveludwig4200]

Never any issue with those two. Blackmore didnt much care for Hughes and his "girls" voice or his coke habit though.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

@@steveludwig4200: No issue? They had a literal fight at a Rainbow show in 1980!

[@steveludwig4200]

@@AlexAlexon3897 What was Coverdale doing at a Rainbow show?

[@highwaystar3780]

@steveludwig4200 I don't know what He was doing there...curiosity perhaps? But I do know this. Apparently He made this remark about the performance....."This is the worst load of Shit I've ever seen"! And that's what set Ritchie Off, and rightfully So!

[@steveludwig4200]

@@highwaystar3780 Coverdale was probably telling the truth because looking back...Whitesnake was a FAR superior band compared with Rainbow. Blackmore was the guy that SHOULD have stuck it out with MK2 of Purple for at least two or three more albums and they should have never released that garbage "Who Do We Think We Are" LP.

[@tonyb9735]

Coverdale is no Gillan, is he? At lest, not in DP.

[@per-arnemoa103]

Did you want a Gillan copy?

[@5150Lupo]

I love how they gloss over the Mk V lineup with JLT 😂

[@MrCtsSteve]

Should've kept Ian and booted Ritchie

[@IronSikh44]

Someone said it in this doc. Maybe Ritchie can’t handle his genius. And can’t relate to others. I think of Lennon vs Best, Jagger vs Jones, Frey vs Felder, Waters vs Gilmour, Perry vs Schon, Roth vs Van Halen brothers. The list goes on and on. It’s sad because the fans feel hurt.

[@gary637]

Was David Coverdale too famous to look at the camera at the end?

[@snakedriver]

Blackmore was obviously too busy pumping Candice

[@SubTroppo]

Sweet Child in Time used for all the "emotion" in this documentary and for me that was it with Deep Purple; it just could not be topped. There were a few notable tracks afterwards but nothing to compare.

[@randystarcher2358]

Does even come close sounded like Deep Purple

[@arno-luyendijk4798]

Blackmore will remain a double-ended sword in my musical inspiration. He is a great musician, no doubt about it, but the enormous piece of egocentricity that he exhales makes it hard to like him as a person.

[@thegreatriffs2552]

Unless you've been in a band, you don't know what hate really is.

[@westerling8436]

I've been married, twice

[@dannykrinkle4726]

Michael Bolton on drums. Not THAT Michael Bolton…THAT Michael Bolton.

[@billyshane3804]

Tommy Bolin !!!!

[@donnamccoy9119]

Your still rocking Ritchie Blackmore God bless you and we all miss you

[@jo.s7993]

No we don't, he's an arsehole.

[@lstarrtna4288]

RICARDO AND I

[@ericcurry-pitcher5493]

Rod Evans did not have good luck when it came to the band he was in making it right after he was gone.

[@StuartHanson-fo7iw]

So to sum up is it Blackmore who’s the trouble?

[@1610austin]

one of the GREATEST rock bands of ALL time , so ya get paice and gilmour doin a gig with mccartney .....aww no big deal ..................are you kidding ????, if i were in the company of some of them cats .... i,d have to ware depends .

[@batyrmalsag5515]

Where is opinion of Ritchie about this story? Whithout his opinion it is not a thrue story.

[@tomy8339]

Lol, there were more twists and turns of Deep Purple than a game of snakes and ladders. 😅

[@janiterinadrum1627]

Ian Gillan seems to forget, sometimes in interviews,, that Richie Blackmore changed his life forever,, he could still be playing pubs in a no name town in England if not, for Richie Blackmore

[@genabourassa7962]

I know that you need a lead guitar but you can't get any better than Ian Gillan as a singer, I prefer him over any singer i have heard live. He might have had problems with Ritchie but even if Ian was to blame because of his temperment clashing with Ritchie I would always rather have Ian in Deep Purple than Ritchie @@darrenclapson9200