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"When a Blind Man Cries" | ||||
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Single by Deep Purple | ||||
A-side | "Never Before" | |||
Released | 17 March 1972 [1] | |||
Recorded | 6–21 December 1971 Montreux, Switzerland | |||
Genre | Blues rock | |||
Length | 3:32 | |||
Label | EMI (U.K.) Warner Bros. (U.S.) | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Deep Purple | |||
Deep Purple singles chronology | ||||
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"When a Blind Man Cries" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, originally only available as the B-side of the single "Never Before", released in 1972. It was recorded during the Machine Head sessions in December 1971.
According to Ian Gillan, "It’s just an example, for example, if you think of the phrase 'if a blind man cries' then it's pretty sad, those who are disadvantaged tend to be less complaining than those who are able-bodied". [2]
Because guitarist Ritchie Blackmore disliked "When a Blind Man Cries", the band never played the song live during his stay with the band, with the exception of one occasion, on 6 April 1972 in Quebec, Canada, when Blackmore was ill, and Randy California from Spirit stood in for him. Ian Gillan performed the song frequently in the early 1990s. [3]
When Joe Satriani replaced Blackmore during The Battle Rages On... tour in November 1993, "When a Blind Man Cries" joined the setlist as early as 5 December 1993. The song has become a staple live performance ever since, and has appeared on most of the live albums the band has released with Steve Morse.
In addition, the song has also been released on the Gillan's Inn CD/DVD by Ian Gillan, featuring blind guitarist Jeff Healey.
In 2023, the song returned to their setlist with new guitarist Simon McBride.
The song was covered by Axel Rudi Pell for the 1991 album Nasty Reputation .
In 1999, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi appeared as a guest musician on a Stuart Smith album Stuart Smith’s Heaven and Earth performing a cover of this song.
Gary Barden covered the song for his 2011 cover album Rock n' Roll My Soul.
Metallica covered the song for Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head . It also appears in the third (bonus) disc of the album Hardwired... to Self-Destruct .
Turbo recorded a cover on the Awatar album. Along with "Neon Knight" they were the only songs sung in English on the album.
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally formed as a psychedelic rock and progressive rock band, they shifted to a heavier sound with their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock. Deep Purple, together with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the globe's loudest band" for a 1972 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre and have sold over 100 million records worldwide.
Machine Head is the sixth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded in December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released on 30 March 1972 by Purple Records. It is the band's third album to feature the Mark II line-up of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.
"Smoke on the Water" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, released on their 1972 studio album Machine Head. The song's lyrics are based on true events, chronicling the 1971 fire at Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland. It is considered the band's signature song and its guitar riff is considered to be one of the most iconic in rock history.
"Highway Star" is a song by the English rock band Deep Purple. It is the opening track on the band's sixth studio album Machine Head (1972) and is the fastest tempo song on the album. It is characterised by long, classically inspired guitar and organ solos.
"Child in Time" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, released on their fourth studio album, Deep Purple in Rock in 1970. It is the longest track on the album, running over ten minutes. The song's lyrics are loosely inspired by the Cold War.
"Space Truckin'" is a song by English hard rock band Deep Purple. It is the seventh and final track on the Machine Head album and its lyrics talk of space travel.
"Lazy" is a song by Deep Purple from their 1972 album Machine Head. A live performance of the song can be found on the album Made in Japan, released later the same year.
The Anthology is a compilation album by the English hard rock band Deep Purple, containing material by Mks I (1968–1969), II (1969–1973), III (1973–1975) and IV (1975–1976) line-ups. It was released as a double vinyl album and double-cassette, and included a few previously unreleased tracks and mixes. The sleeve-notes were written by Chris Charlesworth, author of Deep Purple – The Illustrated Biography.
"Strange Kind of Woman" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple that was originally released as a follow-up single after "Black Night" in early 1971. The song also became a hit, peaking at No. 8 on the UK chart and Germany, and No. 1 in Denmark. The 1996 remix by Roger Glover later appeared on the re-release of the band's 1971 album Fireball, while the original version can be found on various Deep Purple compilations. Although not part of the Fireball recording sessions, "Strange Kind of Woman" was included on the US and Canadian editions of the album, in lieu of the track "Demon's Eye" on the UK edition.
Live at Montreux 2006: They All Came Down to Montreux is the first live release by English hard rock band Deep Purple's mk VIII lineup. This concert was recorded in Montreux, during 2006 Rapture of the Deep tour. Besides a DVD release, the concert film has also been released on HD DVD and Blu-ray. The CD includes four tracks from their most recent album Rapture of the Deep and seven tracks originally from the Mk II line up including six from Machine Head. The twelfth track is a Don Airey keyboard solo.
The Mark II Purple Singles is a compilation album by Deep Purple. The album was released in 1979. It claimed to be Mark II both because it focused solely on the second line-up of the band and because it was intended as a second volume to the previous year's The Deep Purple Singles A's and B's. A version with purple vinyl is also available.
Live at Montreux 1996 is a live album and DVD by English hard rock band Deep Purple, recorded in 1996 and released in 2006.
"The Mule" is a song by English hard rock band Deep Purple, and was originally released on their 1971 album Fireball. The song became famous for its live performance, which would always feature a drum solo by Ian Paice.
Around the World Live is a four-DVD box-set by English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in May 2008.
Funky Junction were an Irish rock band formed in 1972 specifically to record a single album of songs made famous by British band Deep Purple, which was released as Funky Junction Play a Tribute to Deep Purple in January 1973. Among the band's lineup were all three members of the early 1970s incarnation of Thin Lizzy.
The Deep Purple European Tour was a year-long successful concert tour by English hard rock band Deep Purple, lasting from July 1969 until June 1970. The band played mostly United Kingdom shows, also covering West Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium. It was the first tour to feature the classic Deep Purple line-up: Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice. It is considered to be the pre-tour for the In Rock album, as the band mostly played songs from the upcoming album.
Live at Montreux 2011 is a live release by English hard rock band Deep Purple's mk VIII lineup credited as Deep Purple with Orchestra, and performed alongside the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt conducted by Stephen Bentley-Klein. This concert was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival on 16 July 2011. Besides a 2CD release, the concert film has also been released on DVD and Blu-ray. All formats were released on 7 November 2011 by German label Eagle Rock Entertainment. In 2015 a vinyl collector's edition of the album was released for a Record Store Day.
Mark I & II is a 1973 compilation album by Deep Purple, released by EMI's German subsidiary Electrola. It contains material originally released between 1968 and 1973. This double LP was released after Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had left Deep Purple in June 1973. This compilation was mainly a European release, but was also released in various overseas territories, like Australia and New Zealand.
Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head is a 2012 tribute album that features a variety of hard rock and heavy metal bands covering songs written by Deep Purple. Groups on the multi-artist collection include Black Label Society and Iron Maiden among others. Picking up some commercial success, the work hit the #41 slot on Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and additionally received critical praise from publications such as Allmusic.
Live in Verona is a 2014 live album and concert film by English hard rock band Deep Purple's mk VIII lineup credited as Deep Purple with Orchestra, and performed alongside the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt conducted by Stephen Bentley-Klein. It was recorded at the Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheater originally built in 30 AD, on 18 July 2011. It was released as a Blu-ray and DVD on 21 October 2014 by Eagle Rock Entertainment, and as a CD in Japan on 8 October 2014 by Ward Records.