12. Darker Than Blue, the DPAS and Simon Robinson: Master of the Purple Back Catalogue
Who Do We Think They Are? - Deep Purple and Metal Studies - Andy R. Brown
Andy R. Brown [+]
Independent Scholar
Description
The final chapter in the book is one that gestures back to its origins as traceable to an interview that the author conducted with Simon Robinson, the founder of the UK fan club, the Deep Purple Appreciation Society and editor of its fanzine Darker Than Blue, over twenty years ago. The aim of that project was to explore how the global fandom tapped into and nurtured by Robinson and his ‘mail order’ fanzine, fruitfully coincided with the recognition and development, by major labels and copyright holders, of a lucrative market of digitally remastered classic rock albums. While this market was fully exploited by the major labels, the quality of the Purple reissues stand out from the majority because of the added tracks, which were unreleased recordings made at the time of the album sessions, as well as alternate takes of classic tracks, alternative guitar solos, outtakes of incomplete versions of songs and studio jams, backed up with Robinson’s expansive and informative sleeve notes, artwork and archive photos. But the retrieval of these classic albums and bonus tracks was not just down to good detective work in tracking down the original studio Master tapes but informed by the fan-knowledge of Darker Than Blue, which over the years and via collaboration with other fan activists and groups, was able to identify the tracks that did not make it on to the 40 min. maximum space possible on a vinyl LP. This fan-knowledge was reflective of a global international network, which preceded the internet by a number of years and was sustained by fanzines and fan mail, that had already resulted in the release of legendary ‘live’ bootleg Purple vinyl LPs. However, the main body of the chapter seeks to re-examine the history of the DPAS, Robinson’s rise to ‘elite/executive’ fan status through his role in developing the subscription-based magazine and its international fans base. But most importantly it documents the pivotal role of Robinson in calling for a coherent release and reissue programme of Purple classic albums and archived official and unofficial ‘live’ recordings, as well as putting himself forward as a graphic designer and researcher able to supervise such projects, first with small and medium sized record labels, and then with majors, such as EMI. The chapter then concludes with an examination of the fan conflicts and divisions that have been played out in the pages of Darker Than Blue magazine, particularly those concerning the departure of lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple Mk3 and then his even more dramatic ‘on stage’ departure from the reformed Mk2 line-up, which divided both fans and the editor, and appeared to presage the decline of the magazine itself.