By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
British hard rock pioneers Deep Purple will be holding a concert in Seoul next month.
The band, known for hit songs ``Hush,'' ``Smoke on the Water'' and ``Highway Star,'' will be performing at the Olympic Hall, Olympic Park, southern Seoul, May 18.
Deep Purple, generally considered as one of the bands that pioneered heavy metal and hard rock, has sold over 100 million records around the world.
Deep Purple's current line-up is composed of Ian Gillan, vocals, harmonica and congas; Steve Morse, guitar; Roger Glover, bass; Ian Paice, drums and percussion; and Don Airey, organ and keyboards.
The band was formed in 1968 in Hertford, with keyboardist Jon Lord, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Nick Simper, Rod Evans and drummer Paice. They recorded their debut album, ``Shades of Deep Purple,'' which included a cover version of Joe South's ``Hush.'' The song made it big in the U.S., reaching no. 4 on the Billboard charts.
Since its formation, the band has undergone several line-up changes. The second and widely considered as the most successful was the Deep Purple Mark II line-up that featured Gillian, Blackmore, Lord, Glover and Paice. They were active from 1969 to 1973, then again from 1984 to 1989 and again in 1993.
Deep Purple has released 18 albums throughout its 42-year career, including a self-titled 1969 album, ``Deep Purple in Rock'' (1970), ``Machine Head" (1972) and "Fireball" (1971). Their last album, ``Rapture of the Deep,'' was released in 2005.
``Machine Head'' is considered one of the band's most popular albums, with favorites ``Highway Star,'' ``Space Truckin,''' ``Lazy'' and ``Smoke on the Water.''
To prepare fans for the band's world tour, ``Deep Purple: Singles & E.P. Anthology '68-'80'' has just been released by Warner Music. This comprehensive two-disc set includes the non-album singles, B-sides, alternate takes, live versions and songs that have been released in other countries, from 1968 to1980.
The album begins with ``Hush / One More Rainy Day'' released in 1968 and ends with ``You Keep On Moving / Love Child," the final British single in 1980. It also features detailed notes on each of the singles and extended plays, giving fans more insight into Deep Purple's music.
Deep Purple's on-going world tour will even bring them to the Asia-Pacific region. The band is holding concerts in Australia, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok, before arriving in Seoul next month.
The Seoul concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets range from 30,000 to 130,000 won. Call Nine Factory at (02) 3443-9969 (English booking available). Visit ticket.interpark.com (Korean) or ticket.interpark.com/Global (English).