I’m back on vacation, this time disease-free and making the most of it on the sandy beaches of Jamaica, so album analysis and the final arc of Flower King records will wait until I’m home next week. I thought about another playlist of recent listening but, uh…it’s almost exclusively been the last few Deep Purple records. After initially being lukewarm on their new album =1, the first to feature Simon McBride on guitar, I fell hard for it and subsequently fell even harder for the last few with Steve Morse. You don’t want an hour of that, believe me (maybe you do).

Good thing I’ve been on a rampage lately with new music. Sure, it’s mainly progressive rock, jazz, fusion and – yeah – Deep Purple, but at least it’s not ALL Deep Purple, right? Right?

• Dead Kennedys – “Take This Job And Shove It”
• Ritual – “Chichikov Bogd”
• Causa Sui – “Sorcerer’s Disciple”
• John McLaughlin – “Are You The One? Are You The One?”
• Al Di Meola – “Suite: Golden Dawn”

I still remember being slightly afraid the first time I saw a Dead Kennedys album in the record rack as a kid. When I finally heard the ruckus Biafra and the boys were instigating I was immediately hooked. And while I’d love to find great copies of the original pressings they are few and far between, so when my local shop had a new reissue of Bedtime for Democracy I jumped at it. Plus this opening track pretty much sums up my feeling on work, so…Ritual is a Swedish progressive rock band I never heard of and hadn’t released an album in 17 years. But they’re on the excellent Karisma Records so I gave the album a shot when the promo came across the Nine Circles desk. Surprise: this might be my prog album of the year. Incredible vocal melodies and a true concept record with a complete narrative. Warning: the chorus is an absolute earworm…Another new discovery was the music of Causa Sui, a Danish four-piece that specializes in a blend of progressive psychedelic stoner instrumental jams that just exude a warm fuzz all over. I took a shot at their latest album From The Source and was not disappointed.

From the new to the old with a pair of jazz fusion classics finally nabbed for a song on vinyl. John McLaughlin and Mahavishnu Orchestra was an early gateway into jazz for me, and his various solo albums and side projects have been a source of delight for decades. Electric Guitarist is a great showcase for many of his playing styles, and I love the loose, funky bass showcase “Are You The One? Are You The One?” featuring the legendary Jack Bruce on bass…Speaking of incredible guitarists who were a huge influence on my musical education, Al Di Meola was right there too, first with his work in Return To Forever and then with his solo work and insane acoustic excursions with McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia. His debut from 1976 Land Of The Midnight Sun is a killer showcase for his extremely articulate playing, and the epic nine-minute “Suite: Golden Dawn” runs the gamut of styles, with no less than Jaco Pastorius handling bass duties.

• Yes – “Machine Messiah”
• Genesis – “The Musical Box”
• Wand – “Curtain Call”
• Deep Purple – “A Bit On The Side”
• Ainigma – “Predjudice”

I’m starting to realize I pick a lot of opening tracks for these playlists, but I think those tracks are a great showcase for the kind of music you can expect if you’re new to a band or album. That doesn’t stop with my next two offerings. I think too many people give the Trevor Horn/Geoff Downes iteration of Yes. Drama is a great album, and the metallic sheen that adorns opening track “Machine Messiah” shows both a willingness to explore new ground while also loading on the incredible playing and vocal gymnastics the classic iteration of the band was known for. If you’re only familiar with the early classic albums, do yourself a favor and check this one out…Likewise a lot of folks start their classic Genesis run with Foxtrot, which to be fair is an amazing album with another amazing opening track. But don’t count out 1971’s Nursery Cryme; “The Musical Box” is not only a monster opening track, but also acts as the introduction to the two most vital artists of the “classic” Genesis lineup. Yeah, I said it: Steve Hackett and Phil Collins were more vital for me than Peter Gabriel’s admittedly phenomenal presence. Maybe that’s why A Trick Of The Tail remains my favorite Genesis (though Selling England By The Pound is right behind it, with TLLDOB… nipping at its heels)…

We’ll jump back to the present for a bit before wrapping up in the past (a common place for my musical tastes). Like many of my new favorite things, I discovered Wand via Ty Segall and his many, many projects. But the band, led by Cory Hanson, really forges their own path, treading heavily in psychedelia and fuzzy garage rock that has a sweet progressive warmth that often eludes other bands. Their new album Vertigo is a small, more intimate affair than the expansive Laughing Matter from 2019, and “Curtain Call” nails the vibe that I love most from the outfit…Sorry, but we’re not going to completely ignore how much I’ve been listening to Deep Purple. I spoke about how much I enjoy the Mark III version of the band in my review of The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time, and that enjoyment definitely carries over into the band’s post-Blackmore work. =1 is the band’s latest album and like Uriah Heep there’s a really fun and energetic vibe to the whole band, most of whom are in their 70s. McBride might be the baby of the bunch at a brisk 45, but he fits right in and has a bombastic playing style that fits right in on this rocker…Finally we again leave Zappa behind for the one-off underground hard rock of Ainigma, a German trio whose sole recording, 1971’s Diluvium brings the heavy down hard, with fuzzed out guitars and plenty of organ. Folks looking to get that photo-metal fix but tired of the same old perpetrators should definitely seek this one out.

Be safe, and see you next week.