Roger Glover And Guests The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast (1974)

Of all the multitudinous highways and byways down which the enterprising Deep Purple collector can travel, none, perhaps, is so surprising as The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast, Purple bassist Roger Glover's first "solo" album, and – almost incidentally – one of the most delightful children's records ever made. Yes, a children's record. In 1973, Glover was approached about creating a musical adaptation of artist Alan Aldridge and poet William Plomer's book of the same name – a commission that surprised him, but which he nevertheless accepted…

The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast is a concept album and subsequent live rock opera appearing in 1974 and 1975 respectively, based on the children's book of the same title (The album cover design is from Alan Aldridge's design for the book).
It was originally conceived as a solo vehicle for Jon Lord and to be produced by Roger Glover who had recently left Deep Purple, but Lord proved too busy with Deep Purple and Glover took up the reins on his own. Using his connections, Glover recruited a large cast of noted rock musicians to perform on it, with a different vocalist for each track including David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes…

The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast is a concept album and subsequent live rock opera appearing in 1974 and 1975 respectively, based on the children's poem of a similar title. The album cover design is from Alan Aldridge's design for a 1973 book based on the poem. The work was originally conceived as a solo vehicle for Jon Lord to be produced by Roger Glover who had recently left Deep Purple. However, Lord proved too busy with Deep Purple and Glover took up the reins on his own. Using his connections, Glover recruited a large cast of noted rock musicians to perform on it, with a different vocalist for each character, including David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. The single "Love Is All", with vocals from Ronnie James Dio, made a minor impression in the UK but reached number one in The Netherlands.

Roger Glover, Ronnie James Dio, Jon Lord, David Coverdale, Tony Ashton, Glenn Hughes, Ray Fenwick, Eddie Hardin, John Lawton, and many many more… Deep Purple have always been known for their contributions to the hard rock genre. Despite this heavy reputation, the individual members have all worked outside the rock field from time to time on solo material or sessions, exploring different and often seemingly unlikely musical avenues. This two-disc set brings two such projects together for the first time. Butterfly Ball, masterminded by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover shortly after he had left the band, forms the first half of the set and features appearances from many well known rock musicians. Glover also turns up on The Wizard's Convention, which forms the rest of this package. Eddie Hardin brought Glover together with the then current Deep Purple members Jon Lord, Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale and numerous other guests. Side by side this material forms a fascinating side line to the Deep Purple story.

Roger Glover, Ronnie James Dio, Jon Lord, David Coverdale, Tony Ashton, Glenn Hughes, Ray Fenwick, Eddie Hardin, John Lawton, and many many more… Deep Purple have always been known for their contributions to the hard rock genre. Despite this heavy reputation, the individual members have all worked outside the rock field from time to time on solo material or sessions, exploring different and often seemingly unlikely musical avenues. This two-disc set brings two such projects together for the first time. Butterfly Ball, masterminded by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover shortly after he had left the band, forms the first half of the set and features appearances from many well known rock musicians. Glover also turns up on The Wizard's Convention, which forms the rest of this package. Eddie Hardin brought Glover together with the then current Deep Purple members Jon Lord, Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale and numerous other guests. Side by side this material forms a fascinating side line to the Deep Purple story.