Ezzino Milonga career

[ezzinomilonga]

I ended my tournament at Wolf's Fang with a score of -33. 2 strokes too much to win some pro mark, but i wasted too many chances to have a better score, so there's nothing to complain about.

Sadly, i was also forced to quit the ride at Tantallon Castle, cause i'm suffering for a stupid glitch that, randomly, it messes up some course's terrain and plants in a way so enormous, that some hole is just impossibile to play.
It's a double shame,cause i liked a lot this course and, in all the holes well working,i scored always really good. Considering the final scores and standings, i think i could perform very well here. But obviously, is stupid to think too much about this.

The worst part of the story is that on this week's course, at Lakewood, i'm suffering the same glitch. Just a LOT worst. I'm looking for a solution (i asked to Keith and other guys in the hb forum and i'm waiting for some help...but honestly i'm not too optimistic. Nobody seems to have an idea about this thing. Or just a solution) but, until i'll find a way to solve this thing, i just can't play this tour anymore. Is...so sad..This tour is the real main reason why i love this game. Without this competition, everything sounds just...sad. I can't find a better word.

The only thing i can do, meanwhile, is to continue the work on my list, trying at least to be useful and helpful for some other guy here. And to hope that some of the random solution i'm looking for, finally will work and then i can solve this fu@%$d silly absurd problem. How much frustration...

[ezzinomilonga]

The issue with the game is not solved at all. But at least it not affected the courses of the past two weeks tournaments. But I played awfully both of them, screwing up my tournament in the first rounds, so I played the remaining rounds with zero attention and simply to avoid the demotion mark.
I was very happy, anyway, cause today starts the promotion event and, checking the course, it seems to work perfectly, but in the first par 3 hole, I have a tree exactly in front of me, 5-7 yard from my nose, placed in a way that makes simply impossible to cross it, no matter what club or strategy I can use.
I was waiting for this tournament from the start of my experience here, cause it was the greatest chance to get some promotion. But if I accept to play it and every round I have to recover a +7 (between the tee and the hole there is just water), is simply stupid to try. Funny thing is that despite that +7 and another bogey, I ended my round -2.
Obviously, about this absurd glitch no one has answers. Is also pretty clear that no one give a sh!t, here or elsewhere, cause it seems i'm the only one with this issue, but considering my PC specifics( I mean my motherboard, processor and graphic card) are pretty new and common, I can bet I'm not the only one with this problem.
And if I can understand the lack of interest here, conversely the silence from hb after I explained very well in their forum what it happens to me and what i tried, to solve my issue, is just disgusting. I could forgive this sh!tty attitude only if I should discover that a new game will be published on the next two months, or anyway very soon.
Otherwise it would be true what a good number of people thinks about their "take the money and run" policy.
Anyway..f@ck off. I'll do the only thing I can do. I'll continue to play..at least in those courses where it will be possible to play.
And I'll simply quit those courses where this glitch it appears. For sure I'll not suicide me cause a game don't works well. But this is just sad and delusional.
Now I'll check this week's course on cc, hoping it will works. I need three promotion marks to be promoted and I still want it.
But I have also to admit that, after the discover that a huge number of players use the flick swing technique (it works in such a way that your shot stays always straight, even if is totally crooked), exploiting shamelessly another glitch of this game and the fact that the API can't reveal it, my initial enthusiasm about this tournament is considerably diminished. When you understand that a good number of the strongest players we have (included a major winner, at least) are playing in this miserable way, I can't avoid to ask how much people uses or soon or later will use the same way to play? What credibility can have all this tournaments system?
The most ridiculous thing, in all this, is that a lot of those guys are also swearing here and there that they are playing "just cause they loves the game". Muhahahahahah sad coward puppets. At least it would be a bit better if they could admit that the only thing that matters for them is TO WIN, no matters how. And this is the saddest thing to discover here, cause this sport, the game we're mocking here, is ALL made about honor and honesty and sportmaship.
But again, f@ck off. I don't care. I'll play the way this game is intended to be played..and if I should ever improve enough to win, I'll be simply doubly happy. Even to see a bunch of those cheaters behind my a$$.

[ezzinomilonga]

Another wasted week. -11, -5, -6, -13 for a -35 total, 3 strokes short for a promo mark.
The worst (or good, point of view maybe) part is that from tee to green I played some very solid golf. 94% both on FIR & GIR,my first ace on the tour, but an unreal amount of missed putt. Easy putts. Or, in any case, really short putts (3-5 meters, but I missed also at least two putts from less than 2 meters). And all of them missed for a slice from left to right that affects also my swing on my short game (mainly chip shots).
The fact is that rebuilding my swing to menage my new controller, I found a pretty good solution for my swing from tee to green, but the way I use to grab the controller creates issues on putting. So i need to work on a different way to grab my controller for my short game and putt, but is not so easy.
Anyway, my improvement from tee to green is evident and I'm happy about it. But there's still a lot of work to do.

Meanwhile, I started another list. This one is about the real courses still missing in the game. Just for fun I'm listing these courses indicating also the architect and the date both for opening and renovation works. Is just a stupid way to learn something more about architecture of golf courses. I'm really enjoying this work.

About something different from golf, I'm creating a new rock band in these days. I'm really happy. I need to play bass and to create music. Now I'll fight to find the time to do everything, but I'm full of enthusiasm right now. Obviously, it will depends on how much seriously the guys will work with me on this project.
I learned on my skin that, sadly, a lot of guys are not able to do sacrifice to find the time and/or to have results. But nothing can be realized with no sacrifice and time and energy invested in a project like this. We'll see..but I love the feeling I have when I can hear the bass notes walking on the ground and caressing my feet and reaching my stomach. There's nothing like this. Music is everything. Always.

[ezzinomilonga]

And so, i collected another dnp caused by the glitch. A shame, cause this course seemed to be pretty interesting. But I don't care. Oh well, is just useless to complain to much about something no one can't fix. I have just to accept the fact I can't compete on every course, so I have just to try to be ready to exploit every chance to score well when I can play a course. At least I should be able to play, this week, cause I already checked this week's course and if I remember well it works fine. I'll try to do my best as always, then we'll see.

Meanwhile i'm still working on my lists. Yesterday I created a separated list for the real courses. It's an extremely complete list, cause I reunited a bunch of lists I found here and there, also with those courses I reported on my paper sheet. They are more than 400 courses, but I suppose that when I'll check all of them, excluding the fictional courses with just a name of a real course, the lookalike courses, the courses too poorly sculpted and a bunch in fact not existing in game, they will be around 300, probably.
It is..and it will be a huge work, but I like this kind of research.
Not counting the fact that I'm learning a lot of interesting things about architects, architecture, great courses I don't knew..i'm quite happy with this.
Soon or later I'll publish it.
Maybe?

[ezzinomilonga]

So Royal Portrush, this week. I'm pretty sure it will be a constantly windy journey
Actually i don't like too much to play links on the tour (I really enjoy them only when I play with no scout cam), but I really wish to play well here, because considering the huge amount of courses I can't play, I need to exploit every chance I have to gain the promo mark I want.
I played two practice round using first round's conditions, until now. The first with my usual clubs, scoring -1. The second, after some club's change (to fit well with the long par 3s of the course) and playing a bit more seriously, I scored a -6, with two really avoidable bogeys.
I was a bit scared, looking the scoreboard (the scores seems to be unusually high, for a first round), but now i know that is really possible to score some -7/-8, in the first round, with no need to do something special but simply playing well those holes in which a more or less easy (or at least short) approach is available for a birdie, then saving par when is the only thing to do. But I'm pretty sure that every guy who already started the tourney was thinking the same
As always there's an ocean, between intentions and results. We'll see.

Meanwhile I continue to check real courses for the list, but i'm proceeding a bit slowly cause between work and playing bass, my time is not enough. Today if I have the time I wish to check Austin and Augusta. To be honest, I still have not played Augusta in this game cause for me is a course that you must "deserve" to play..and I'm still no titled enough to play here. But I'll do an exception and I'll check all the versions we have ( there's a lidar version but, if I understand well, is a fake).

[ezzinomilonga]

This week's tournament was a major flavored one, played at the Royal Portrush, in the same course (but from a different designer) played also by the PGA tour for the Open.
It has been a really interesting and tough experience, playing constantly in the wind, on a course not too difficult, but little forgiving on approaches and with pin positions that rarely offers a good chance for birdie. I sincerely enjoyed every shot of this tournament, from the start.

Looking at the bright sides of my game, I can say that my swing in this week is always better. Almost always really straight. Also the judgement of the wind speed and direction is always better. This allowed me to end the tournament with the 100% of FIR...and the 100% of GIR on my last round (and something around the 80% of total GIR, I think). What I still miss a bit too often is a more precise reading of bounce & roll of the ball in my approaches on the greens. Nothing dramatic, but is exactly this that makes the difference between the chance to putt from 2-3 meters or from 6-7.

About the "dark" side of my game, my weaknesses are substantially two : my short game (mainly chips) and, as always, my putt.

But, if about my chips there's not so much to say (I struggle to keep a straight line and to judge the strength on the shortest chips. Not always, but it happens), about my putt is also true that I'm putting always better. They are really just a pair for tournament, the putts severely missed. And almost every missed putt passes over the cup by inches. And the strength is almost always pretty good even when I putt from over 7-10 meters. In this way, my bogeys caused by triple putts (an awful habit, until some week ago) are almost disappeared.

Shortly, I can be optimistic.

And, above all this, I gained my third promo mark (10th place overall), despite a final score not exceptional (-22). A real surprise, cause I played all the tournament without follow the standings and I was absolutely sure I could have no chance.
Making some calculations, actually I gained 3 promo mark on 6 tournaments I played (not counting my q-school and my first cc tournament, played with master clubs at Hazeltine as a PGA qualifying). If only I could play the tournaments I was forced to WD cause the glitch, I could have some chance more to gain a promotion before the end of the season.

But for sure I'll try until the end.
Now I'll check this week's course, hoping it will be flawless..and meanwhile I'll continue to work on my three lists. And to practice.

[ezzinomilonga]

This week's course is Bourg-en-Bresse. This is one of those courses that, for some reason, seems to fit perfectly with my skills and wishes.
I enjoyed it from the first shot. Is a course built in a way that forces you to deal with the strategic part of the game. A great number of holes can be played in 2/3 different ways, depending on wind and on how much you want to risk.

After 3 rounds I scored -25 (-9, -4, -12), that put me in 10th place, 4 shots from the leader. Is a shame cause with a slightly better second round I should play my 4th round playing for my first win. It would be great.

I don't know how things will ends, but in any case, reading my old posts here, is almost unbelievable how much I improved. First of all on my swing, now really straight. And this is absolutely important, cause it means that my idea to switch to master clubs now is not just a too ambitious plan, but something I can deal with being competitive.
Even my putt is now really improved. I still miss too many putts (even from minimal distances), but I read distances and slopes always pretty correctly, so even the missed putts are always missed by inches. The plague of three putts who ruined my rounds is almost completely disappeared. And the work on my swing on putts it starts to give results, the sliced putts are now just a few, mainly on the greatest distances.
So my short chip shots stays the main problem. But I hope that slowly I'll improve also this part of my game.
For sure now I'm a really better player than I was three months ago. And this was my goal.

After Royal Portrush it seems we gain a double prize, so if I don't screw anything in my fourth round, I could win my first promotion. And considering that this is my goal from the start, it could be a fantastic achievement. It stays a sad thing that I was forced to wd the promo event, but all considering, I like this slow ride.

We'll se how it will ends. I really love this game and this tournament, anyway. Is not perfect, i know it, but is a great fun.

I'm also discovering a great number of real courses really good to play and I'm starting to understand a bit better how architecture works on a golf course. There is some real magic, in all this thing.

[ezzinomilonga]

For my 4th round, I decided to use an extreme strategy with my clubs. Considering that the longest par 3 was reachable at worst with a club around 180-190 meters against the wind, I decide to keep in my bag just a 2 wood (trying to reach in two at least the first par 5 and to reach a distance for a flop in the others three), then to leave my usual hybrid 2 and 5, to pick an hybrid 4 and an iron 4.
This move created an hole of almost 40 meters in the distances I could reach (from the 188 meters of the 4H to the 223 meters of the 2W) but it was a wise move, cause I birdied almost every par 3 with no issues on other holes.

Then my final score is a stunning -14. Is simply crazy, but I knew that I could score at least a -10 (that was my goal), if my putt would be a little less awful than usual. I don't know how many putts I spent, probably 22 but I'm not sure. I birdied also 8 holes of the back nine, with some approach of great quality.
If only I should score something better in that second round, a win was absolutely possible.
But the greatest satisfaction is that is by a pair of weeks that I see my game really improved. And is beautiful to see some results for the efforts I'm trying to put in my game.

Now I need just to continue to practice and to improve.
Ah..and to sleep a bit.

[ezzinomilonga]

Unbelievably, my -39 in the end has been enough not only to gain my last promo mark to switch to cc-b, but also to win my first tournament!!
I'm still pretty sure that -39 should be a not so good score to win a tournament, also considering that actually this course is not so incredibly tough...and that has been played in all 4 rounds with conditions absolutely affordable.

Anyway..who wins has always reason, as it said..and to win my first tournament after just 9 total tournaments is something really incredible for me. I can't explain how much charge this thing is giving to me. Now i want to demonstrate to myself that I can compete and win also in cc-b, the flight in which, almost surely, I'll start next season.

This new experience will start in The Shire of Cambridge. The course seems to works flawlessly on my PC (at least with first set of pins, but usually I can see immediately when there's something wrong, so I'm really optimistic) and, after 9 holes of my usual practice round with tournament's conditions, I think is another great selection made by our schedulers. The first 5-6 holes requires often a long approach cause they're played mainly against high wind blowing from west, but when the wind turns it can be a good idea sometimes to use the 2w from the tee. In my fast practice round to check the course, I birdied from the 8 to the 16 hole, now I want to check if actually the second nine with these conditions are a bit easier than the first nine.
The course is also really looking good (although the autumn theme has always something strange that I can't explain exactly, maybe the colors? I don't know..) and offers a lot of water hazards and trees near the tees that requires really attention.
What i can say right now is that I really like this course and is also one of those courses in which, if i play focused and keeping straight my swing, depending on how good or awfully my putt works, i could score again something really interesting. I think/hope that something near -36 could be possible. I should to score a -9 every round. Is possible. (in my first fast round I scored 10 birdies and one bogey, now, playing more "seriously/wisely" I'm -5 after 9 holes, with at least 2 easy putts missed).
We will see. Is a shame that this season is almost finished..with only 4 tournaments still to play and an increased concurrency, honestly is really hard to reach soon the cc-a (also considering that I suppose that when the tour will restart, every promo/demo mark will disappears..) Obviously I'll try until the end (hoping that I can play all the others 3 left tournaments), but the most important thing is continue to improve and to work on my weak spots.

[ezzinomilonga]

Then a third place in my first cc-b tournament. Playing on a course I liked really a lot. Extremely various and full of water hazards, trees in some way in play, some interesting strategic decision to make. My final -41 is actually my best result in my career, so I couldn't be more happy about my improvements. Even with my putt and chip shots I feel more comfortable (just a three putt bogey in last 8 rounds, if I remember well).
My hard work is paying some dividend and this feeling is priceless, above standings and results, I mean.
Sadly my season is virtually ended last week, cause with just 4 tournaments left, I had no chance to fight for another promotion. And I'm not particularly interested in my money list position, or in my wgr.
But well..i'll try with all I have to win another tournament. I already tried, starting this tournament exactly with thus idea in my mind, but my first round in -8 obviously was not enough to pretend a serious chance to fight really for this ambitious goal.

Then I scored -10, -12 and -11.
The winner scored -44, but there was a guy who don't completed his 4th round who could easily win the tournament (he was just 8 strokes behind the winner, if I remember well). I feel bad for him.

So said, sadly the glitch strikes again and it affects this week's course, a really interesting link course, that offers some pretty good par 3 and really interesting challenges on every shot.
I'm very sad to quit the competition this week. It was another chance to compete on a kind of course not exactly in my cords, as like Royal Portrush, that it stays maybe the harder challenge I faced on this tour, until now..and this course was very promising, looking this side of the story.

But well..i was already aware that this can happens. And to complain or cry about it will change exactly nothing. I'll spend this week checking real courses for the list and playing my bass. I'll survive

[ezzinomilonga]

Back in action after the forced week of inactivity with a -12 in the first round at Horseshoe Bay.
What a course..it fits exactly with my tastes and this helps a lot when i need to practice and to work on the nuances, trying to obtain the best I can from my golf.
The second round will be tougher, cause the strong wind creates a long stretch of holes quite long and that requires extreme precision and some wise decision from the tee and if my swing will don't work as expected it will be hard. We will see.

To testify my special feeling with this course, in practice I also scored a -17. I'm not sure if I ever scored before this kind of scores, but for sure I never birdied before 17 holes on 18.
Strictly about my game, is almost unbelievable how much confident sometimes I can feel myself on my game, now. And when it happens, when my swing works, I can see that ball going exactly where It should go. Even my putt and my short game is improved, not in an absurd way, and slowly..but I can see it.
And honestly i couldn't be more satisfied.

The thing I like the most is that is not so automatic. Is never "easy". Probably I would be tired to play if it should ever be "easy". What I like is that, depending the moment, sometimes it seems like if I couldn't miss a straight line..and sometimes, without a reason, my swing starts to kick to the right. And then I need to stop and wait. Or just try to adjust it, understanding why it happens.
There's always to improve. Always to work about some detail. Is the reason why I love so much this game.
I was used to have this kind of feeling only playing rfactor, when I spent hours..days..tweaking details in my car looking for the best balance between drag, speed, mechanic grip, everything.
And the feeling when you see your work pays dividends is exactly the same.
So now an approach that dies a pair of meters from the cup gives to me the same emotion of a lap at Sonoma ended with some other 0.3 second gained on my laptime. Then try to repeat it. And then again.
Well..actually it could sounds a bit like a symptom of some kind of obsessive-compulsive syndrome..and probably it could helps but...well

Other news, now I'm a ranger. I already was scouting courses, in fact, by the start, but I like the idea to do something for the community..and this it can be a simple way to do it.

I don't know how this season will ends. I know simply that I'll do my best to finish it in the best way i can...and that I can't wait for the next season.

[ezzinomilonga]

-9 in a second round played with some strong wind blowing. A round that has been all but perfect.. about both my swing and my putt, but stupid errors and great/lucky saves in the end makes the score the one I deserved. Nothing to complain about.
After two rounds (and my last check to the scoreboard), I should to recover at least 6 strokes if I really want a chance to win. It will be tough. For sure.
Even cause my practice round with the conditions and the pin positions for the third round, showed me that even with low wind, between some hole pretty long and (mainly!) some pin position absolutely smart if not diabolical, to gain a great score I'll need to be perfect.
Is almost unbelievable how much, with more or less the same conditions of the first round (just greens and fairways softened), but with different pin positions, the difficulty level is absolutely different.
To be honest, for me this course is providing a challenge that I'm loving beyond every possible expectations. Most notably, there are a pair of pins that, (especially playing with pro clubs as I do) requires a choice never easy : Or to play safe over the pin, being sure that then the putt will be from at least 7-8 meters, possibly downhill..or to risk to stay short to the green, aiming the rough just behind the green. And doing this, you can't be sure in every case where the ball will die after the bounces. And this thing it happens at least in two par 3s and 2 par 4s.
And, for absurd, the moderate firmness of fairways and greens became an enemy exactly for this reason.
In short..is a fantastic challenge.
And the only thing i know, is that I'll do all I can, to gain the chance to play my fourth round for the win.

As other news, even if is still not complete, I'm giving the last touch to my lists cause I want to publish them..is stupid to wait..i'll continue to work on it after the publishing.
Now I'm checking some other course for gain data to put in, also a good excuse to check if today my swing works..then is time to embrace this great challenge.

We'll see

[ezzinomilonga]

Tournament ended with a -41 (-12 -8 last two rounds), 5 strokes from the leader (6 considering that, for the tiebraker, I would be in any case second, cause he scored a stunning 4th round, better than a my eventual -13 to equalize his score. I think I could go mad, if something like this should ever happen ), at the moment I should be 4th, but it change not so much.
Obviously is satisfying to end my first two tournaments on cc-b with two consecutive -41 (my best scores ever)and with a 3rd and a 4th place, but sadly is not so useful. Is too late, simply.

Anyway..even in this last round i don't played particularly bad, but it was simply needed something exceptional, to win this tournament..and I played simply pretty good.
But I'm really, really happy, cause I'm starting to show a consistency almost unbelievable just a month ago or so (when, for example, I screwed up two consecutive tournaments scoring two awful first rounds), but above all I can feel some kind of improvement in every aspect of my game, slow but continuous. A new consciousness about what I should to do every time. Is a great feeling, when everything works.
And yes..it stays a bit a shame cause I can't fight for another promotion, for this season. But only cause a promotion could change every perspective for the next season. And this simply cause, following my plan, reaching for the end of this season the cc-a, I could leave definitely the pro clubs and concentrate my game only on master clubs, for the new season.
Starting from the cc-b, I need to think about pro and cons, accordingly. And why I could ever change a plan that is working pretty good?
But these are details, after all. Is great just the simple fact to think, about this kind of situation.

On another side..i published tonight my list of RCRs. I'm quite happy for this work..and I'll continue to work on it, but at least without the obsession that I have to publish it.

Is a good moment here, definitely. I know people I like, trying to be involved... and is a strange feeling, considering my habits. But well, I'm really happy about a lot of things so..in short..i can't wait for the next season.

Now I must check this week's course, hoping that the glitch don't strikes again. I really hope my season is not ended today. Will see...

[ezzinomilonga]

Season ended with no more glory, a mediocre tournament in -31 with -11, -6, -8, -6. Is true that I played fast and with no practice after first round cause I was for some reason convinced I couldn't win in every case, but honestly I was also a bit stressed up, too many things to do..to little time...old story. Not so much to say.

Anyway..i'll start this new season with the goal to be promoted in cc-a ASAP and then, following the initial plan, to switch to Master Clubs and from that point starting a "new career", in some way.

Meanwhile I released my list of real courses..a good work I think. And today I'll release also my new (and last, I swear!! ) list about the most important (aka used in the most important tournaments and/or listed in the top standings of world and/or continental golf courses) missing real courses in the game.
(I'm also saving a copy that I'll fill later with ALL the most important courses, to be used when a new game will coming out).

While I recharge batteries, I was thinking about the fact that this blog misses some "color".
And there is nothing more colorful than music..so I decided to start some kind of rubric, here, exactly about this. About the songs and groups that are (ore that has been) my life.
I still need to decide what will be the first group. I have a pair of ideas..but probably the right thing to do is to proceed in "chronological" order, looking the first cds I bought in my life and when a group entered into (and changed) my life.

[ezzinomilonga]

Well. A bit of back story. In 1997 I was 17 years old. Here in Italy was the age for the medical and psychological visit for the Army. And I was living in a little town really in the heart of Sicily..and the visit it was in Palermo.
For almost everyone, this was the chance to have some prohibited fun like try drugs, lose virginity with some b!tch..stuff like this. For me..it was the opportunity to visit the biggest music store of the Sicily to buy my first CD (i mean..CDs were already a common thing everywhere, but my family don't gives a sh!t about music, movies or stuff like this..and i was happy with tapes and my walkman, so I was always the last to have the newest things. And actually i still am).
At that time I was in love with The Doors (I'll talk about them, soon or later, but not now) and I mean that I simply was disliking every other music. Little stupid guy I was..
Anyway..when i finally was in that store..after a pair of hours being like a kid in a Luna park..finally I bought two CDs. My first two CDs:

1) Concerto for group and Orchestra by the Deep Purple.
2) Stand Up by the Jethro Tull.

So..this is why i'll talk about the deep purple, as the first group of this new deal on this little my space.
Before to buy that CD, actually i already knew Deep Purple. A friend of mine was crazy about them and he was trying by months to make me understand why I could..why i should..to love them. But..Well..you have to consider a pair of things. Around me, the "trend" music was the Grunge. Every kid was earing Nirvana, mainly. How much i was hating those guys..but my despise was not about their music, it was caused exactly by the fact that they were the "trend" (is not a case if, years later, finally Grunge becomes "mine" too. Alice In Chains and Soundgarden were..really important, at some point in my life. And still they are. And Layne Stanley..but well..this is another story. For another time).
And, most important and true thing, shortly, my mind was closed and stretched as an anus after a good breathing of popper, right? Right.

But those guys..the deep purple..slowly opened a breach. And from that breach, everything chanced in my life. And if now i'm who am i..a sponge unable to refuse..almost everything about music and knowledge..probably every credit goes to some great writer and to guys like these. Luckily, they are an Army, now..but the first were them. And is for this reason that, although they're not at my first place in order of time or importance for me today..i can't start from another group different from

DEEP PURPLE

Is  hard to talk in words about these guys. The band formed in 1968 and they changed often the band, but the most famous are the three "marks". In short we could say that three pairs or singers and bassists changed around a nucleus always the same :

John Lord (Organ)
Ritchie Blackmore (Guitar)
Ian Paice (Drums)

The "Mark I" was completed by

Nick Simper (Bass)
Rod Evans (Singer)

and this mark was active until more or less the middle of 1969, with three albums released (Shades Of / The Book Of Taliesin / Deep Purple). Three albums pretty good, that betrayed a strong influence from the style of Beatles (just take a look at their hair and dresses...) and the blues. In Shades Of, we can find a song, Mandrake Roots, that became one of their trademarks, in concert. The song is clearly inspired by the riff of Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix..and, especially live, it will be used (with Wring That Neck and Space Truckin', mainly) as a "platform" upon they could create their flaw and release their magic. Hush, it was the song probably most famous of this time, the song that launched them even in USA. But is in the second half of 1969 that everything changes. Simper and Evans are replaced by

Roger Glover (Bass)
Ian Gillan (Voice)

and the "Mark II", the legendary one, is born. The revolution starts with a discover, first, then with a move made by Jon Lord. The discover is the work of the Led Zeppelin. That wall of sound, hard, sweet, unbreakable, annihilating. They decided that this was the sound they wish to create.
Then the move, made by Lord, it was to try to connect is Hammond organ to the wall of Marshall amplifiers used by the guitarist. According his words, he required two years to "fully dominate the beast"..but the result was..is..well..you'll ear it.

Their first work with this new Mark it was exactly the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, written by Lord (a guy with years spent on conservatory) and executed with the Royal philharmonic Orchestra. Three movements in which their music is beautifully surrounded by the orchestra, with moments of fusion simply astonishing. But the real explosion, the magic years, happens with their next albums (In Rock / Fireball / Machine Head / Who Do You Think We Are), with In Rock that probably stays as their perfect manifesto, in studio, at least.
Because the music of Deep Purple, is a tiger in the cage, in studio. That can be released only on stage.
As I'm going to show you.
I hope you have some time to spend.
What I wish to make clear is that, for me, they changed my mind completely just because, being just a stupid kid who barely started to play the bass, I had this stupid idea that what they were doing was simply to show their skills. I was looking for the "soul" of the music and then my idea was that their music was "artifacted". Not genuine. They (and the first albums of Pink Floyd and Grateful Dead) opened my eyes. And suddenly has been clear that what they were doing was simply to open my skull and shake my brain. Taking me away. This simple thing changed..everything in my life. And is the reason why music can do..and to be..everything I need.

What it makes these guys so special, is their complete control and domain on their instruments. As a first thing, here's a sample of what Ritchie Blackmore can do on Guitar. As a guitarist..and as a "guitarapist". Honestly, i still have never seen someone who can control noises and distorsions as he can do (Jimi is not on any standings or standard. Is obvious. I'm talking simply about humans). You can also appreciate Jon Lord who plays in some "different way" with his organ, at some point...

But, obviously, to be fair, now take a look at what Jon Lord can do with his organ. In detail




In all this, i hope is clear how much great is the work of Ian Paice on drums (and also Glover on bass, of course)..to create a locomotor always here, immovable, never invading..never a flaw. A swiss clock. A beast. And when he's free to play..well..this is what it happens :





Sadly, everything ends at some point, so Gillan was forced to leave (he suffered a lot of surgeries to his vocal chords..) but, really bigger and common issue, the EGO of so great musicians started to create conflicts and various problems. Blackmore was the main problem. In every case..even the mark III worked greatly (albums like Burn or Stormbringer are simply fantastic), but that apex probably stays untouched.
I should to talk about dozen and dozen of great songs, but decided to give you just these "little" pieces, just to taste the band. What they can do for you.

As a side note..something really strange is that, a pair of years later, Deep Purple and Jethro Tull were the main event for my first great music concert of my life, an event called "Pistoia Blues". The Jethro Tull were simply amazing..i was on mushrooms and mdma and..other things and I can't forget how fantastic it was..everything, while they performed Aqualung and their cover of the Bach's "Bouree". Deep Purple were fantastic too..but it has been a bit too sad cause, for their reunion, Ritchie Blackmore was still missing..and Steve Morse was on the guitar. And I like him..but the way he sounds guitar, honestly for me has nothing to do with the sound of Deep Purple.
But..anyway..that's it. And I can say simply..Come Taste The Band!