GLENN HUGHES Is Ready To Rock On Next Solo Album

Peter Hodgson of IHeartGuitarBlog.com recently conducted an interview with legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, TRAPEZE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

IHeartGuitarBlog.com: [Late DEEP PURPLE guitarist] Tommy Bolin what was it like to work with him?

Hughes: Here's the deal, Peter, with Tommy. When he got into the band, before he played a note with the band I said this to him, because he had the green and yellow and red hair. I said, "I don't care if you get the gig or not, you're coming home with me." Because he looked so cool. And also, unbeknownst to me, I wanted to have a relationship in the band with somebody I could drink with and get high with. Tommy was that guy. We were both born in the same month of the same year, both Leos, both with the same kind of composure and nature. Two very working-class boys. We hit it off, and he lived at my home for three months when he joined the band. In fact the night he got the gig he just moved right on in! When we lost Tommy 18 months later, it was really beyond sad for me. To bury a 25-year-old friend from this hopeless addiction

IHeartGuitarBlog.com: There's a BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION [concert DVD] on the way.

Hughes: We set about on our tour in May or June this year in America and did ten shows, then we went to Europe and did 26 shows. We knew going into the European tour that we were going to film three concerts in Germany: Hamberg, Munich and Berlin. Three different sets, one being a very large club and the next two being outdoor. Three different kinds of venues. We wanted to show the different hues and colors of the way we play our stuff. What it is is, there's no smoke and mirrors. There's no "Wizard Of Oz", there's no fake singing, there are no overdubs. It's all real, raw, organic, just like the way "Machine Head" was done in 1972 and the way "Frampton Comes Alive" was done. I'm talking about big, big live albums. I'm hoping you get to see this because when you see it, Peter, I want you to remember these words. It's raw, real, I don't think there are any mistakes on there but what I'm trying to tell you is it's not glossed with any lip synching and tomfoolery and autotuning. It's very, very raw and I hope the fan and the critic will get the pleasure of that.

IHeartGuitarBlog.com: I wanted to ask when you would get back to your solo stuff. I have "F.U.N.K." and "Soul Mover" and they're great albums.

Hughes: Yeah man! I'm going to give you an exclusive. People are going to read this and go, "Wow!" I'm thinking about doing a solo thing. I haven't really gone public and said it but you asked me the question and I told you I would tell you the truth. I'm really thinking about making a Glenn album early next year. It's been four years since I entered the studio for "F.U.N.K.", but my hat now has been very much thrown into the rock ring. What I will do, Peter, on the next Glenn album, is portray the image of the Glenn Hughes on the BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION albums. Because it's the same Glenn that was in DEEP PURPLE, really. The classic rock iconic Glenn that, let's be clear, the majority of the fans want. The "F.U.N.K." album was very well recorded and I love the songs, but that's for a cultured audience and a different kind of audience. It's more of a cult audience, if you will. But my audience now with BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION and a lot of my fans are rockers, man, so it's time to rock. So the next album, Peter, will be a rock record.

Read the entire interview from IHeartGuitarBlog.com.