In a recent chat with American Songwriter, Ian Paice said Simon McBride has the confidence to perform Ritchie Blackmore’s solos.
Deep Purple’s new album is the first with McBride, who replaced Steve Morse in 2022. Paice said working with McBride has been special and easy. Paice also noted that McBride respects the band’s classic songs:
“Part of [original Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie [Blackmore’s] solos in some of the real old songs, they’re part of the composition. They’re not just a solo. The set-ups and the get-outs, they’re sacrosanct. You’ve got to play ’em. And Simon understood that straight away. But he has the courage and the belief in himself to stand on his own two feet and say, ‘This is me.’”
Paice’s Other Statements On McBride
In another recent interview, the drummer discussed McBride’s impact on Deep Purple after replacing Steve Morse. When asked if their upcoming album ‘=1’ was easy to make, Ian replied:
“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.”
Paice further detailed how it was to work with Paice:
“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.”
Another Deep Purple member, Ian Gillan, also praised McBride. The singer said the guitarist has brought a refreshing change to the band, improving their rhythm and fitting well with their style. He noted McBride’s natural rhythm playing and skilled approach to guitar work.