December 4th, 2021 - This Fireball Is The Hottest One Yet!

 

Hello and happy Saturday rockers, rollers, and hoppy beer lovers!  The Meista here today rocking out with a pairing of the brilliant "Fireball" album by the legendary Deep Purple and a spicy and bold Limited Release Beer #1: Hottest One Yet Habanero Mango Lager from the fine folks at 2 Row Brewing Company!  Oh yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Deep Purple
• Title: "Fireball"
• Recorded: September 1970 through June 1971 at De Lane Lea Studios and Olympic Studios in London and The Hermitage in Welcombe, North Devon, UK 
• Release date: July 9th, 1971 (5th studio album by Deep Purple)
• Record company: Harvest Records
• Production: Deep Purple
• Album cover art: Barry Plummer and Michael Putland 
• Personnel: Ritchie Blackmore (guitars), Ian Gillan (lead vocals), Roger Glover (bass), Jon Lord (Hammond organ and keyboards), and Ian Paice (drums)
• Musical style: Hard rock, progressive rock, heavy blues rock
• Sound: For me, "Fireball" is one of the most important and influential hard rock albums by one of the most important and influential hard rock bands!  The opening drumming work alone by Ian Paice on the title track is enough to knock you on your ass!  As with any album he touches, Ritchie Blackmore's guitar work is absolutely mesmerizing... breathtaking really!  Jon Lord's Hammond organ/keyboard work is awe-inspiring!  Roger Glover's bass work is straightforward, yet brilliant along with his 25th anniversary remix production!  And vocalist Ian Gillan is quite possibly the greatest hard rock singer of all time!  Although the album recording was rushed, it is performed flawlessly by some of the most wonderfully talented musicians of our time.  In a 1974 interview Gillan said the following of the album: "The reason I liked that so much was because I thought, from a writing point of view, it was really the beginning of tremendous possibilities of expression. And some of the tracks on that album are really, really inventive."  So how influential is this album?  Don't just take my work for it... guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen once stated "it changed everything" for him and King Diamond said it was the first studio album he purchased and has greatly influenced his career as an artist!
• Major themes: Life, trouble, rebellion, sex, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Fireball"
2. "No No No"
   
3. "Demon's Eye"
4. "Anyone's Daughter"
5. "The Mule"
6. "Fools"
7. "No One Came"
8. "Strange Kind Of Woman" (a-side remix '96)
9. "I'm Alone" (single b-side)
10. "Freedom" (album out-take)
11. "Slow Train" (album out-take)
12. "Demon's Eye" (remix '96)
13. "The Noise Abatement Society Tapes"
14. "Fireball" (take 1 - instrumental)
15. "Backwards Piano" (reversed piano solo at the end of "No One Came")
16. "No One Came" (remix '96)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: 2 Row Brewing Company (Murray, Utah)
• Website: https://2rowbrewing.com/
• Brew: Limited Release Beer #1: Hottest One Yet Habanero Mango Lager
• Style: Chili Beer / Fruited Lager
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.7%
• Pour: The Hottest One Yet pours a clear, bright yellow hue with a very thin, bright white head that dissipates very quickly.
• Nose: The nose is peppery, fruity, grainy, and sweet.  There are aromas of mango, guava, habanero peppers, light grains, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose... very spicy, fruity, and sweet.  There are flavors of habanero peppers, sweet mango, guava, light crackery biscuit, and a hint of caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Hottest One Yet is very spicy, slightly sticky, yet smooth with a lingering spicy finish.

Overall pairing: The Limited Release Beer #1: Hottest One Yet Habanero Mango Lager from 2 Row Brewing is a very spicy, fruity, and very flavorful brew... the perfect beer for the heaviness, honesty, and musical prowess of the amazing Deep Purple!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!