Some people have dedicated their lives in following the career and life of Deep Purple and the related bands that were spawned after or parallel with them. One of those people is Jerry Bloom whose name is highly appreciated by the fans of the band and he is more or less an authoritative figure in all things Purple. So, it was almost a no brainer that we would buy his new book considering that it focuses on the glorious 1968-1976 period.
“The Road of Golden Dust” depicts a crystal clear image of a time when one of the best rock bands was born in the spring of 1968, evolved into a live juggernaut and eventually broke up in the midst of a turmoil caused by drugs, alcohol and why not the absence of the Man in Black. In this time frame Deep Purple managed to release no less than 10 studio albums, a live masterpiece and a groundbreaking live recording that brought together rock and classical music. Quite impressive, isn’t it?
Jerry Bloom succeeds in taking you right into the heart of all those mesmerizing episodes that catapulted Deep Purple on top of the rock world. He sheds light to the early days of MK I line-up and he doesn’t fail to bring forth interesting elements and characteristics of the personalities of the members and the dynamics within the band. Of notice is Bloom’s emphasis on various side or parallel projects (eg. Blackmore’s short-lived collaboration with Phil Lynott and Ian Paice) and all these via a text that flows naturally thus making you wanna read the whole book (226 pages) almost in one day!
Last but certainly not least, it would be an omission if we didn’t mention that in the end we can find a detailed index of the Deep Purple catalogue and all the related recordings (1968-1976). “The Road Of Gloden Dust” is a must have and a must read for all the Deep Purple aficionados out there!
