Deep Purple - A.BanD.On (Full album 1998)

“Abandon” is the sixteenth studio album by the British hard rock band Deep Purple, released in the Spring of 1998. It was Deep Purple's second album with Steve Morse on guitar and the last album to feature founding member Jon Lord prior to his departure in 2002.
The album was followed by a successful 1998/1999 world tour which brought Deep Purple to Australia for the first time in 15 years. In 1999 a live album and DVD “Total Abandon: Australia '99” recorded in Melbourne on 20 April 1999 was released.
The album title is actually a pun from Ian Gillan – "A Band On" – and the album was followed by the "A Band on Tour". Uniquely for a Deep Purple studio album, it features a reworking of a previously recorded song – "Bloodsucker" from “Deep Purple in Rock” (here re-titled "Bludsucker"). "Don't Make Me Happy" was mistakenly mastered in mono, and not amended on the final release. One of the two versions of the song released on promo single was, however, mastered in stereo.

“Abandon” este al saisprezecelea album de studio al trupei britanice de hard rock Deep Purple, lansat in primavara lui 1998. A fost al doilea album de la Deep Purple cu chitaristul Steve Morse si ultimul pe care apare membrul fondator Jon Lord, anterior plecarii lui in 2002.
Albumul a fost urmat de de un turneu mondial dde succes, care i-a adus pe Deep Purple in Australia dupa 15 ani. In 1999 au fost lansate un album live si DVD-ul “Total Abandon:Australia ‘99”, inregistrat la Melbourne pe 20 aprilie 1999.
Titlul albumului este de fapt o gluma a lui Ian Gillan –“A Band On” (Abandon) –si albumul este urmat de “A Band on Tour”. Unic, pentru un album de studio Deep Purple, este faptul ca este prezentat un cantec reprelucrat de pe “Deep Purple in Rock, “Bloodsucker”, aici intitulat “Bludsucker”. “Don’t Make Me Happy” a fost reimbunatatit in mono, din greseala, si lasat asa la lansare. Una din cele doua versiuni de single a fost, totusi, in varianta stereo.

List of tracks

1.       "Any Fule Kno That"       4:29

2.       "Almost Human"              4:26

3.       "Don't Make Me Happy"  4:56

4.       "Seventh Heaven"           5:25

5.       "Watching the Sky"         5:26

6.       "Fingers to the Bone"      4:47

7.       "Jack Ruby"                     3:48

8.       "She Was"                       4:19

9.       "Whatsername"               4:26

10.      "'69"                                 4:59

11.      "Evil Louie"                     4:56

12.      "Bludsucker" (Ritchie Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice) 4:27

Personnel

Deep Purple

Ian Gillan – vocals

Steve Morse – guitar

Jon Lord – keyboards

Roger Glover – bass

Ian Paice – drums

Production notes

Recorded at Greg Rike Studios, Altamonte Springs, Florida, 1997/1998

Produced by Deep Purple and Roger Glover

Engineered by Darren Schneider

Additional engineering by Keith Andrews

Mixed at Platinum Post Studios, Orlando, Florida by Darren Schneider

Assistant engineer – Kent Huffnagle with Shannon Brady

Mastered at Masterdisk, New York by Greg Calb