Nomomo wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 8:06 am
Can anyone help me out on a description of the vocals influence here? It is definitely Doors influenced instrumentally/compositionally, yet nothing like the Doors at all vocally.
My classic rock renaissance as a teenager didn't really get into Deep Purple though The Doors was on heavy rotation my senior year of high school. When I listened to this I thought it didn't sound like either what I considered Deep Purple's sound not did it really sound like The Doors to me. The Hammond organ was a signature part of Deep Purple's sound compared to Ray's dual keyboard sound with The Doors.
I think what feels like a Doors-ey vibe is the intro (a less elaborate This us the End) but that really disappears as soon as the song moves into the verse, and from minute 3:00 onward it sounds more like a pop song played by a rock band. I'd agree the shift from ballad to hard chorus and soaring guitar feels a bit Pink Floyd, but I'm not sure if that would be realistic as an influence in 1968 or a manifestation of converging musical trends in that era. Don't know.
So I went digging because I hadn't heard this before, liked it, recognized I didn't know much about Derp Purple's influences and background, and found it interesting. From what I gathered the lead singer here, Rob Evans, suggested doing this cover which actually earned him a spot as the vocalist since they still testing various singers out. So this song is apparently central to Deep Purple forming that year (1968). Unfortunately for Evans, his voice didn't fit the heavier direction the founding members wanted to move and they dropped him. That answered some questions I had regarding the sound not aligning with what I thought of as Deep Purple's heavier rock style.
In terms of Evans' vocals, I don't think it's too far off from Lennon or Mccartney without the full harmonies and slowed down to a ballad and rather than the snappy pace of the original. If I had to plug a sound I thought it verged on, it'd be tapping the vein of popular rock with John Lord juicing the Hammond organ into it to make it theirs...but not quite what it would become. Listening to the Yardbirds again ( it's been too long) I think Evans' style is representative of where radio playable music was at.
https://youtu.be/G5IqXi0rnfQ
