DEEP PURPLE, QUEEN Classics Celebrated In UK's "Bagrock"
November 30, 2008, 15 years ago
The following story is courtesy of Timesonline.co.uk:
For fans of traditional music, it is the biggest battle of the bands. In one corner is the ROYAL SCOTS DRAGOON GUARDS, whose rousing renditions of classics such as 'Amazing Grace' have already topped the charts. In the other is the RED HOT CHILLI PIPERS, the 2007 winners of the BBC's When Will I Be Famous? talent show and the closest thing the piping world has to pin-ups. Today the big beasts of piping go head-to-head when they release albums for the Christmas market.
Although each camp insists that the rivalry is friendly, the event will be a significant test of whether the public prefers classical or contemporary piping. Even diehard enthusiasts are unlikely to include both CDs on their festive wish lists.
On offer from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, teaming bagpipes with electric guitars and keyboards to found “bagrock”, is Blast Live!, their second album. Recorded at a Glasgow concert, it features versions of DEEP PURPLE's 'Smoke On The Water' and QUEEN's 'We Will Rock You', in which the bagpipes sound uncannily like saxophones. The album includes more conventional piping tunes, but nothing older that the 20-something band members.
Read more here.
