In a new interview with Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz, Ian Paice talked about what Simon McBride brought to Deep Purple after replacing Steve Morse.
When asked whether their upcoming album ‘=1’ was easy to make, the drummer responded:
“Any record is easy to make if you have the ideas for the tunes. Anybody can sing an Elton John song but writing an Elton John song, you need Elton John. It’s a little more difficult. We had a great deal of fun going into the first writing session, which we did just before Christmas 2022. And it was the first time we’d been in that situation with the new guy, Simon McBride.”
He reflected more on working with McBride:
“It was exciting because he was bringing different ideas in. Working with Steve Morse was lovely but obviously, whenever you bring in new blood, it’s going to take you in different directions. So that was fun. We had this slightly different and probably more classic in terms of Purple’s music direction from the riffs that Simon was bringing to us.”
What Does McBride Think About Joining Deep Purple?
Steve Morse had been part of Deep Purple since 1994 before departing in 2022. He decided to step back from performing to care for his wife, Janine, who was fighting cancer. McBride took his place as the band’s new guitarist. In an April 2023 interview, McBride talked about joining Deep Purple and why he felt he was a good fit:
“I played with them all but never at the same time, but so yeah, and I get on very well, I know, you know, unfortunate circumstances, but I think I was kind of the natural fit for the band because, as you know I know Don [Airey] and played with him and played with [Ian] Gillan, and I know the rest of the guys so we all get on very well and but yeah it was still when I got a call to do it I was like it’s just a bizarre feeling I’ve never you know I was I think I was jumping for joy.”
‘=1’ will be Deep Purple’s first album with McBride. The album will arrive this week on July 19. It will include 13 new original tracks from the group.
You can watch the full interview below.