If Life Was Easy
If Life Was Easy is the fifth solo album by Deep Purple's bass player Roger Glover released by earMusic/edel on July 11, 2011. The album was recorded in 2007 but due to personal reasons it wasn't released until 2011. Like its predecessor, Snapshot (2002), it features The Guilty Party which includes Randall Bramblett and Gillian Glover. Guest appearances are from Nazareth's Dan McCafferty and Pete Agnew as well as Walther Gallay and Sahaj Ticotin.
Few songs off the album were performed live on April 28, 2012 at a Roger Glover and Tolo Marton concert in Mestro, Italy.
Track list
Written By Roger Glover, except noted
- "Don't Look Now (Everything Has Changed)" (Roger Glover/Randall Bramblett)
- "Box Of Tricks"
- "Moonlight"
- "The Car Won't Start"
- "The Dream I Had"
- "Stand Together" (Glover/Bramblett)
- "If Life Was Easy"
- "Welcome To The Moon"
- "Set Your Imagination Free" (Glover/Gillian Glover)
- "When Life Gets To The Bone"
- "When The Day Is Done"
- "Staring Into Space"
- "Get Away (Can't Let You)" (Glover/Glover)
- "The Ghost Of Your Smile"
- "Cruel World"
- "Feel Like A King"
Roger Glover notes about the album
This hodgepodge collection of songs reveals or obscures a range of emotions over a turbulent decade; separation, divorce, injustice, uncertainty, new love, escape, fatherhood, grand-fatherhood, emigration, touring and losing my mother are some of the extreme highs and lows during this storm-tossed period. All were written wherever I was living – on a MacPro with ProTools and a few instruments and gadgets – extra musicians were added in the studio as needed. By the way, I know that it should be If Life Were Easy – it’s a subtle irony.
I am most grateful to The Guilty Party, my collaborators, whose patience and talent has graced these humble efforts; Joe Bonadio – musical director, Randall Bramblett, Oz Noy, Nicky Moroch, Joe Mennonna. My guests; Gillian Glover, Dan Cafferty, Pete Agnew, Walther Gallay, Mickey Lee Soule, Sahaj Ticotin, Sim Jones, Don Airey, Eliot Denenberg, Harvey Jones.
- Roger Glover, May 2011
In Memory of my dear mother, Brenda, who loved the song "If Life Was Easy" ("It should be a hit!"). Dedicated to Lucinda, Xavier, Myriam, Gillian, and...
Personnel
- Roger Glover – bass, vocals, baglama, guitar, piano, programming, percussion, harmonica, synthesizer
- Randall Bramblett – vocals, keyboards, saxophone
- Joe Bonadio – drums, percussion, electric drill
- Oz Noy – guitars
- Harvey Jones – synthesizers
- Eliot Denenberg – drums, guitar atmosphere
- Joe Mennonna – horns, horn arrangement
- Nick Moroch – guitar
- Dan McCafferty – vocals
- Pete Agnew – vocals
- Gillian Glover – vocals
- Walther Gallay – vocals
- Mickey Lee Soule – vocals
- Sahaj Ticotin – vocals
- Sim Jones – strings, string arrangement
- Don Airey – pianet
Production notes
- Produced by Roger Glover and Peter Denenberg.
- Pre-production recording by Roger Glover.
- Recorded and mixed by Peter Denenberg at Acme Studios, Mamaroneck, New York.
- Assisted by Jonathan Jetter and Michael Messier.
- Cover art; front photograph by Roger Glover, finessed by Travis Porter, portrait by Myriam Freitag.