In a new interview with Independent, Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan discussed his times with the band and what caused its break up around 50 years ago.
Gillan discussed their break and said ‘influences and too much money’ was the actual cause for the band’s breakup. He explained:
“In the seventies, we just broke up. Everyone’s seen ‘Spinal Tap’ and that’s pretty much what happens. Outside influences come in, too much money, ‘we’re immortal’, all that rubbish. Then you go off and you try to do things individually and realize it’s the collective effort that really made it work. So you come to your senses and you try to get back together again, by which time everyone’s changed a little bit.”
Gillan also acknowledged that both life and everyone around him changed:
“You all have an experience of coping with life in a different way, you all have families and sorts of things that affect your maturity. You’re all maturing at different rates until you come to your senses and by then it’s too late. To be a 40-year-old rebel… that’s not very rock’n’roll.”
Why Gillan Really Left Deep Purple
By mid-1973, Deep Purple was falling apart. Ian Gillan left the band, and bassist Roger Glover was fired by Ritchie Blackmore. With that, the ‘Mark II’ lineup was done.
The band hit it big when Gillan joined in 1970 with albums like ‘In Rock,’ ‘Fireball,’ and ‘Machine Head.’ However, internal problems led to their breakup.
Jon Lord suggested they might as well end the band. Gillan’s resignation was a blow, and after their June 29, 1973 show in Osaka, Japan, he was gone. They planned to replace Glover with Glenn Hughes, who impressed Lord and Paice. They eventually picked David Coverdale, even though they were unsure about his fashion and mustache.
The ‘Mark III’ lineup had some success with ‘Burn,’ but it didn’t last long. Soon, Blackmore left the band as well.