Paice Ashton Lord was a short-lived but spectacular moment in the
history of rock n roll. It was August 1976 when Paice Ashton Lord
emerged amidst much fanfare in the music press. It was big news that
drummer Ian Paice and organist Jon Lord were forming a new band together
after the messy demise of
Deep Purple. Having worked together
before, Tony Ashton was on top of Jon Lords musicians wish list and
became the singer, pianist and front man of the band.
They put out an
advert in the music papers, did castings and in the end Bernie Marsden
(Guitar) and Paul Martinez (Bass) completed the band together with
additional backing singers and a brass section. One album release, a
messed-up TV appearance, a tour and a never finished second album later
the story of PAL ended in 1978. Bernie, Jon and then Ian joined
Whitesnake, while Paice Ashton Lord faded into history. A history not
only worth remembering but being celebrated again with this release.
Malice In Wonderland is the only album of the band. Influenced by Jon
Lord and Tony Ashtons previous collaborations it merged rock with big
band Swing, Rhythm n Blues and Funk. The one thing they didnt want to
end up being was laid-back. And they didnt. Malice in Wonderland is
driving and swinging feel good rock at its finest.
- Ian Paice - drums, percussion
- Tony Ashton - vocals, keyboards
- Jon Lord - keyboards, synthesizer
- Paul Martinez - bass
- Bernie Marsden - guitar, backing vocals
- "Ghost Story" — 5:47
- "Remember the Good Times" (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord, Bernie Marsden, Paul Martinez) — 5:48
- "Arabella (Oh Tell Me)" (Tony Ashton) — 4:06
- "Silas & Jerome" — 3:25
- "Dance with Me Baby" (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord, Bernie Marsden, Paul Martinez) — 3:20
- "On the Road Again, Again" (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord, Bernie Marsden) — 3:58
- "Sneaky Private Lee" (Ian Paice, Tony Ashton, Jon Lord, Bernie Marsden) — 6:10
- "I'm Gonna Stop Drinking" — 5:15
- "Malice in Wonderland" — 6:06
Bonus: eight additional tracks from PAL's unfinished second album
- "Steamroller Blues"
- "Nasty Clavinet"
- "Black and White"
- "Moonburn"
- "Dance Coming"
- "Goodbye Hello LA"
- "Untitled Two"
- "Ballad of Mr. Giver"
