Why Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy supergroup didn’t take off

Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy supergroup Baby Face went nowhere because Phil Lynott wasn’t a good enough bass player, says drummer Ian Paice.

He and Lynott formed the band with Ritchie Blackmore in 1972 and got as far as a brief rehearsal session before the idea was abandoned.


Paice and Purple tour manager Colin Hart tell the story in Classic Rock Magazine No.176, on sale now.



Blackmore and Paice approached Lynott with the idea of forming a band that would let them flex their muscles outside their increasingly strained confines of Deep Purple. Lynott had come to the guitarist‘s attention after he heared Lizzy’s self-titled 1971 debut album.

“Ritchie used to love his singing,” says Hart. “Kind of like a young rod Stewart or Paul Rodgers.”

With Thin Lizzy yet to make a breakthrough, Lynott took Blackmore and Paice up on their offer. Settling on the name Baby Face, the guitarist instructed Hart to arrange an impromptu session.

“They did a couple of covers,” says Hart, who was in the studio with them. “It was only a short session, two or three songs, then it was out with the equipment and off home. I don’t think they did anything original. It did sound great together, the three of them.”

Paice recalls: “It was meant to be a free-flowing kind of thing. It never got off the ground mainly because Phil wasn’t really a good enough bassist yet.

“He had the voice, but learning to play bass well takes time. And for a thing like that to work, all three players need to be at a certain level. Phil just wasn’t there yet.”

The name Baby Face would end up being used as a title on Lizzy’s next album, and the Irish band would record a Deep Purple tribute album in 1972 under the name Funky Junction, with vocals provided by Benny White of Irish group Elmer Fudd.

But, for a brief moment, the prospect of an early-70s supergroup was tantalisingly close.

“Phil was bowled over by Blackmore,” Lizzy drummer Brian Downey later said. “That was the first time I’d ever seen him hesitate about anything.”

Deep Purple’s classic 1972 album Machine Head is set for a 40th anniversary re-release in five-disc deluxe format. Meanwhile, bands including Metallica and Iron Maiden have contributed tracks to Re-Machined, the band’s official tribute album. It’s available with exclusive bonus track in a Classic Rock Fan Pack. Read the full Deep Purple feature in Classic Rock 176, on sale now. Get it on your iPad and iPhone here: http://goo.gl/z4Yhu (in the UK) or here http://goo.gl/YUnR9 (for the US).

source: classicrockmagazine.com

Newsbites: Dio planned retirement call

Ronnie James Dio would have decided whether to retire yesterday had he not died of cancer in 2010, says bandmate Geezer Butler. Speaking on what would have been the singer’s 70th birthday, the bassist said: “Ronnie should have been celebrating and probably would have been if he’d had his health checked regularly. I once asked him if he’s ever thought about retiring. He said he would make that decision on his 70th birthday. That is why today is so poignant. I think I know what his decision would have been.”

The new Thin Lizzy album will not follow Phil Lynott’s last music footsteps, says guitarist Damon Johnson. He reports: “Towards the original end they made Thunder and Lightning. That album was so heavy – it seemed Phil wanted to go down a heavy metal route for a while. That’s not what the new album will be. There are some big, fat classic riffs. We all know it’s going to be under the microscope. We know there will be pundits who criticise it, but pundits aren’t necessarily fans.” Of frontman Ricky Warwick Johnson says: “The guy is a class songwriter, and that’s what Scott Gorham and Brian Downey needed to make another Thin Lizzy record.” [Gibson]

Troubled comedy actor Charlie Sheen made fun of Guns n’Roses frontman Axl Rose when he unveiled guitarist Slash’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame yesterday. Sheen said: “It’s quite fitting the Slash is getting a star on the very street Axl will one day be sleeping on. This star is going to be stepped on more than the coke we did in the eighties.” [Rolling Stone]

Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith is considering the release of an instrumental album he recorded a few years ago. Smith says: “It’s still in the can, as they say, but that was interesting. A lot of fun to do. I like so many different types of music. I’m probably going to do something with it in the future.” [BraveWords]

Green Day will launch two documentaries to coincide with their upcoming three-part album releases. The first movie covers the making of discs Uno, Dos and Tre, which appear in September, November and January respectively. The second film features the band’s early days. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong says: “It’s not going to be the sitting down, headshot of going, ‘We started out blah blah blah.’ We wanted to get into lifestyles of rock’n'roll, and letting the story tell itself rather than be revisionist.”

Serj Tankian doesn’t believe some of the anti-consumerist material on new solo album Harakiri was created on his iPad. “If you’re looking for irony you can find it anywhere,” he says. “Utilising an iPad to write a song is no different from using acoustic guitar or piano. As a songwriter you always want to change and progress. While I’m not endorsing the Apple corporation in any way, it is a useful tool. Consumerism is part of our life – there’s blind consumerism and then there’s consumer awareness. They are very different things.” [Noisecreep]

Stone Gossard’s attitude to Pearl Jam‘s live setlists has changed over the years. The guitarist explains: “When we started out I wold have been one of those people that thought, ‘Let’s just play the hits – why play anything other?’ But as you get more songs we work them in. It’s given us so much more room because the fans now expect something different each night. Even if you fuck something up, the fact that you’re trying songs you haven’t played before… it’s good to have that challenge.” [MusicRadar]

Radiohead paid tribute to tragic drum tech Scott Johnson, who died when the band’s stage collapsed in Canada last month. At the end of their concert in Nimes, the first since the accident which is still under investigation, they performed their track Reckoner as a third encore. Frontman Thom Yorke dedicated it to “our friend Scott” and a picture of Johnson was displayed on video screens.

Courtney Love‘s former assistant Jessica LaBrie has filed a lawsuit against the Hole singer in Los Angeles. The PA says Love tried to make her forge legal documents and hire a computer hacker, then withheld wages because she refused to “commit fraudulent, unlawful and unethical acts”. LaBrie says she had to quit after 13 months because she was not receiving her salary. [TMZ]

source: classicrockmagazine.com