Greg Prato, reporting for Ultimate-Guitar.com:

Nearing six decades since the band's official formation in 1968, Deep Purple has gone through so many stylistic and lineup changes, with Ian Paice remaining the sole original member today. But no matter the era or the lineup, all musicians in Deep Purple were nothing short of impressive. Their newest addition is Simon McBride, who replaced longtime member Steve Morse and is now officially present on the band's upcoming studio album. =1, which is being released on July 19.

While waiting for the record, we chatted with Simon and discussed some guitar-related Deep Purple stuff. Among other things, he reflected on the band's original guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, and some of the challenging aspects of playing his music.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: What is the most difficult Ritchie Blackmore part to play?

Simon McBride: "Most of it is actually not too bad. There's one little lick which annoyed me for a long, long time, it's in 'Lazy'. I don't play the same solo he plays in 'Lazy,' but 'Lazy' is one of those songs where I feel I can just improvise a bit more and just have a bit more fun with it.

"But there's this one lick he does in it, and I said, 'I have to play that.' And it's a bitch of a lick. It's not ultrafast. It's just there's a lot of chromatic stuff in it and slides in a very tight space, within three or four frets, and that's it. So that, to me, is the hardest thing about playing Purple."

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Deep Purple recently released their new single, "Lazy Sod", following their previous singles "Portable Door" and "Pictures Of You" from the upcoming studio album, =1. The band then released the video below, which captures the magic in the studio:

"Lazy Sod" is now available for streaming and as instant gratification track with all digital download pre-orders for =1. Stream/download the single here, and watch the music video below.

A recent update from Deep Purple states: "Thank you very much for the fantastic responses to the new song and video for 'Lazy Sod'! We can hardly wait for you to hear the full album =1 soon. Get an exclusive glimpse behind-the-scenes! Be among the first to view the brand-new photos from the 'Lazy Sod' video shoot."

Photos below by Timo Jäger:

Asked about the song’s inspiration, frontman Ian Gillan told Rocks magazine: "Recently, a young journalist asked me how many songs I had written in my life. I replied that the last time my assistant counted, twenty years ago, it was over 500. I felt quite accomplished until she pointed out Dolly Parton's 5,000 songs, calling me a lazy sod. I couldn't help but agree and wrote down the exchange in my notebook."

The enigmatic album title =1 encapsulates the band’s philosophy of unity amidst complexity, promising an album that resonates deeply with their five decades spanning hard rock legacy.

In a recent interview regarding the sonic direction of their upcoming album, Simon McBride shared insights, saying: “The new album will reflect what the five of us create in the rehearsal room. Many of the songs, like ‘Portable Door’, were written in the first sessions and literally came together in 5 or 10 minutes. It all was so easy and natural.”

Ian Gillan, highlighting the organic nature of Deep Purple’s song writing, added: “Throughout Deep Purple’s history, our best songs have always been those that were written in no time at all. We’ve played what felt good and developed songs as we have always done.”

The title =1 symbolizes the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one. Its full meaning will be revealed in the coming weeks, with the artwork also playing its part. Fans have already been speculating after mysterious equations and depictions of multiverses appeared in London, Paris, and Berlin in recent days.

With three consecutive No.1 albums in their back pocket, this is Deep Purple at their pinnacle. Now WHAT?! (2013), inFinite (2017), and Whoosh! (2020) have sold over one million copies worldwide, making Deep Purple one of the most successful rock bands currently active. The latest studio album, Whoosh!, reached #1 on the album charts in 7 countries and charted in the top 10 in another 12.

Taking the US by storm this summer Deep Purple will be shaking the walls of arenas, with an explosive lineup of unforgettable hits taken from their repertoire of rock spanning over half a century.

=1 will be released on July 19 via earMUSIC as Ltd. CD+DVD (Digipak), CD (Jewelcase), 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g), Ltd. Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g), Ltd. Crystal Clear 2LP (180g) and Ltd. Box Set (CD+DVD Digipak, 2LP black Gatefold, 3x exclusive 10” vinyl editions feat. live recordings from Deep Purple’s 2022 tour, exclusive Collector’s T-shirt, 2x exclusive guitar picks, 1x exclusive art print, 1x exclusive lanyard, and the chance to win a Golden Ticket giving access to all shows on the Deep Purple =1 More Time tour).

All LPs include a rich 12-page vinyl sized booklet. The bonus DVD features the approx. 60min documentary ‘Access All Areas’ joining Deep Purple backstage on tour and providing an exclusive look behind the scenes.

Further exclusive items are available via the official album store (here): Ltd. 2LP Picture Disc, Ltd. Cassette, strictly limited canvas signed by all band members - limited to 50 items only and various other merchandise items.

Tracklisting:

"Show Me"
"A Bit On The Side"
"Sharp Shooter"
"Portable Door"
"Old-Fangled Thing"
"If I Were You"
"Pictures Of You"
"I’m Saying Nothin’"
"Lazy Sod"
"Now You’re Talkin’"
"No Money To Burn"
"I’ll Catch You"
"Bleeding Obvious"

"Pictures Of You" video:

"Portable Door" video:

=1 More Time tour dates:

August
14 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live
15 - Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Event Center
17 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
18 - Durant, OK - Choctaw Casino - Grand Theater
19 - Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
21 - Cincinnati, OH - PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
22 - Sterling Heights, MI - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
23 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
25 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
27 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
28 - Gilford, NH - BankNH Pavilion
30 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
31 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

September
1 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
3 - Bridgeport, CT - Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
4 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Broadview Stage at SPAC
6 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
7 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
8 - Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain

Tickets are available at deeppurple.com.