DEEP PURPLE IN CONCERT

My first Deep Purple review..dedicated to Gminer, the ultimate Blackmore fanatic, who got me to look past Machine Head and see that early Deep Purple was quite progressive several years ago. I had pulled this out earlier and was curious to see how it had been reviewed Wow! Surprised this hadn't been added yet considered I'm at best a casual Deep Purple fan. Anyway.. it's added ...and what a complement to Made in Japan this album is.

The album is a double CD set of over 2 hours of Deep Purple mk 2 in concert from BBC radio broadcasts in 1970 four months before their 'breakthrough' album 'In Rock' . The second album was also a BBC broadcast, now of course Deep Purple were one of rock biggest acts. Both as you expect of radio broadcasts are of very high quality.

The first show recorded early in the life of Mk. 2 when the set list still consisted of Mk. 1 warhorses is the real gem here. The Hammond and guitar duels between Lord and Blackmore are worth the price of the whole set alone, and a view into the prog nature of the group during the period of the late 60's before Lord was usurped as primary musical leader by Blackmore. My favorite of the two disks for the shear progressive nature of the music.

The second show is a nice companion of sorts to all of us who, like the good rock fans that wer are, all have a copy of Made in Japan. The performances are less frantic yet more tight. This album is noteworthy for having live versions of two Machine Head songs which were done only for this one show's occasion live. Maybe I'm a Leo and Never Before. As the first disk sound qualty is excellent ...the performances incredible yet different in subtle ways from the well known Made in Japan album. A fabulous show from a group on top of the world and playing before a home crowd in London's Paris Theater. Having taken a break from a headlining U.S. tour. Highly highly recommended.

As far as rating these.. one of the easier ones I've rated. 5 stars for me.. some GREAT instrumental interplay and fabulous solos..

for the site... 4 stars as well since there seems to be a school of thought that Deep Purple is not prog . This album may help those ...see the error of their ways...

Michael (aka micky)

Contains two BBC shows. The first was recorded in 1970 at the BBC Studios for the John Peel sessions and concentrates on "In Rock" and Mark I period. The second CD is from the show recorded on 9th March 1972 at the Paris Theatre in London. It covers almost the entirety of "Machine Head". The CD release will come with two bonus tracks : "Maybe I'm a Leo" and "Never Before". "Speed King" 's fabulous intro is cut here, which is a pain (this will be the case most of the time during their concerts). This live rendition is weaker than the studio album : less hard (although most of the time the Purple was very loud and hard on stage - I've seen them four times so far). Second track is "Child In Time" : Jon is a bit hesitant in the intro; but boy, this must be the best live version ever recorded (far more superior that on MIJ). Ritchie is as gorgious as usual in his anthology solo. Gillan is at his best in this difficult vocal effort. Fantastic. Next two tracks are from the Mark I era and shorter than they will use to be (although each is over seventeen minutes) and therefore sound more interesting than their usual versions clocking at more than thirty minutes versions. Both are rageous psychedelic numbers (à la Vanilla Fudge).

During the intro of the concert, the speaker will introduce the band as "old friends". It opens with "Highway Star" and is almost exclusively "Machine Head" oriented, which is normal at the time of recording (March 72) since Machine Head was about to be released. "Highway Star" will be an opener for lots of years. By now, it is more a closing number. This version is excellent (also superior to MIJ). Quite heavy, with very strong bass playing from Roger. Keyboard and guitar soli are a bit more extended than usual, which is quite interesting. It shows that, at this time (we are a few weeks ahead of the official release) the Purple haven't yet finalized the live version for it. "Strange Kind of Woman" has the MIJ lenght and brio between Gillan and Blackmore (what a complicity !). The recording quality is superb. The next two tracks are rare live performances : "Maybe I'm a Leo" and "Never Before" had not been released live elsewhere (at least to my knowledge). If the first one is not a memorable song, the latter is very good (Ian Paice will break a piece of his drum kit during the speaker's announcement - he will point this out in his introduction saying that this band was making so much money that they will afford to replace this piece : I guess he was right !). "Never Before" will be the first single issued from "Machine Head" and the only one to chart (Nr. 35 in the UK). Then "Lazy". A remarkable song, which was the perfect occasion to highlight Jon's fantastic talent : great organ impro (but was it really an impro ? - I guess it was more a well prepared and rehearsed section). This bluesy song will be a highlight of their concerts (MIJ era) and will return to their setlist ages after that period.

Can you imagine the luck of the audience attending this show ? Discovering almost the entire "Machine Head" tracklist BEFORE its release. I can not figure out the shock it must have been ! I have never understood why "Space Truckin' " needed to be extended to this lenght (it averaged between seventeen and over thirty minutes). It is one of the very few (with "Maybe I'm a Leo") average track from "Machine Head"; so what's the point of expanding five times longer than the original ? They had such a great repertoire than they could have spared this to the audience / fans. Anyway, it's there. Interesting to see how they integrated an extract of "The Mule" in here (around minute twelve or so). Then one thinks the track is finished after the band stops completely (around minute sixteen), but no : they start again for another five frenetic minutes of the hardest and loudiest rock. The public announcer tells us the story around the emblematic "Smoke On The Water" (at that time unknown). But we all know the story by now. This version is less heavy than on MIJ but rocks harder than the studio version. Last number is a cover for "Lucille" from Little Richard. This track will be a favourite encore during the MIJ tour. For me it is very simple. Each track of this two CD set is better than any other live rendition of the Purple (and I do have all of them - at least the official ones). So, five stars are for me legitimate.

This is actually a better set than _Made In Japan_. A 2 CD set this one, It contains one show from 1970 and another which sounds like an album release party for Machine Head. Simply put, if you'd like to hear the Purps with warts and all, this is your bag. There's great banter between both band and studio host as well as intimate crowd participation. Both shows are recorded at Deep Purple in their prime periods. Disc 1 is from _In Rock_ and as mentioned, Disc 2 from the _Machine Head_ period. Both members Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore trade off some wonderful duals, on par with Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea's keyboard wars in the Miles Davis electric live albums. The difference is between a heavily distorted Hammond B-3 and a Fender Strat. Truly astonishing! Sound quality is superb. A wonderful bottom end on the powerful rhythm section of Roger Glover and Ian Paice. Ian Gillan is in top silver throated form. Recommended.

Oh man, what a timeline nightmare. Released in 1980, documenting Purple's 1970 and 1972 shows (from before the Made in Japan shows, no less), reissued and expanded in 2001. So naturally I stick it right after Made in Japan in my CD rack. Whatever.

Actually, there is a method to my madness, namely that this acts as a fine companion piece to Japan. The first disc is taken from a 1970 BBC session with John Peel, showing an underground jam band that hadn't yet released In Rock, while the second is taken from a 1972 session done a month or so before the release of Machine Head, showing a well-established band promoting a fabulous album. In addition to friggin' marvelous renditions of "Speed King" and "Child in Time" (the latter of which has an interesting moment where Gillan almost falters in the high-pitched wails, only to effortlessly pull back into his normal range long enough to collect himself and nail the screams), the first disc also features 18 minutes of "Wring that Neck" and 17 minutes of "Mandrake Root." Truth be told, I start to droop a bit around the 10-minute marks of each of these, as there's really only so much of this kind of jam that I can take at one time, but that's definitely not to say they're totally unenjoyable. They each kick a good deal of booty for a very solid while, after all.

Disc 2 is a bit more interesting to me as a whole, mainly because it gives a chance to hear prime DP play MH numbers in a bit of a different way than on Japan. The emphasis is much less on "Let's see just how fast and insane we can make these numbers without falling apart" and more on "Let's just make sure these numbers kick a lot of ass," but that's sure not a bad thing. Six of the seven Machine Head numbers are done here ("Pictures of Home" is left out), in addition to "Strange Kind of Woman" and an awesome cover of "Lucille" by Little Richard, and while they may not be as otherworldly at times as Japan, they nevertheless chug along as unstoppable crunchy machines. Heck, I'd definitely say that this is my favorite version of "Lazy" that I've thus far heard, perhaps because of the clarity of the sound, and "Never Before" reveals a potential to me that I didn't really see before. And needless to say, the other tracks rock me into the ground, just as always.

For some reason, I put off getting this for a good while, but that was silly of me. It's not quite as revelatory perhaps as Japan, but it's still a rip-rolling good time for the prime DP consumer that I am. If that's you, you should swipe this up faster than Ritchie's "Highway Star" solo.

Deep Purple - Deep Purple in Concert (1980) * (recorded in 1970 & 1972)

First of all, I'm reviewing the original 1980 double vinyl which has quite some differences from the later 2cd release. Mainly the jams are a bit shorter and Meybe I'm a Leo isn't printed on the vinyl.

Deep Purple is British hard-rock band that with it's guts and brilliant musicianship entered progressive rock territories by accident. The band's improvisational skills on stage are unmatched even today and the solo performances of some of the band-members are really experimental. The song-writing is that of an almost too intelligent rock'n roll band, that stayed loyal to it's rockin' principles.

This double album features two concerts of perhaps the most fertile period of the band. The second line-up of Blackmore, Gillan, Lord, Paice and Glover is perceived by many as 'the classic' Deep Purple line-up. I can't deny I'm one of those. Furthermore, it's nice to read that Simon Robinson (who wrote a story for the back of the record) called Deep Purple "one of the top progressive rock groups in the country", referring to Deep Purple '70 - '72. Well, no- one can disturb are party now!

On the first record we get to listen to a gig, recorded February 1970 at the BBC studios. The band's in the mood of 'In Rock' its explicit guitar experimentation, heavy sound and legendary energy. Speed King has a nice psychedelic intro and is played with much energy. Ritchie Blackmore, a guitarist which I rate as one of the highest of rock-history, does a brilliant job and vocalist Ian Gillan is as rough as on the album. His vocal performances, with the recognizable high pitched screams that remind us of how serious, theatrical an affair hard rock can be. I'm overjoyed by finally having a good live version of the instrumental 'Wring that Neck', a great hard rock'roll track that shows how great these musicians were. The long solo section on the end with some interesting progressive solo performances of Jon Lord on (distorted) organ and Blackmore on the great sounding stratocaster guitar. The version of Child in Time is great, but less essential due it's already great registration for the Made in Japan live album. Mandrake Root is a great hard rock tune, well played. My only complaint is that the song-writing/composition of this last song of the set is not as original as that of the other tracks.

On the second record we take a leap of time towards March 1972 at the Paris Theater London. This set has more in common with before mentioned Made In Japan record. Only Never Before (a good rocker) and Lucille (originally written by Little Richard) are new songs. Other tracks like Highway Star, Lazy and Space Truckin' are played very well and Strange Kind of Woman even has a vocal-guitar battle in it. A great gig by one of the best live acts ever, but not as refreshing as that of the BBC studios.

Conclusion. This is indeed an excellent addition to any rock, prog or whatever-you-have collection. Deep Purple is a great live-band and it's rough experimental mood makes this an attractive record for collectors of progressive music. This live-album has much in common with Made in Japan, but the first record has great recordings of 'In Rock'-era Deep Purple that I would want to miss! Furthermore, the band doesn't just play it's songs - the versions of the songs are recognizably different from that of MIJ. Four very bright stars!

If there's one Deep Purple live album that any classic rock fanatic should own, it's this one.

Featuring two complete BBC shows from the Mark II era, it shows the depth, talent and unrelenting energy of the band's live performances in a better manner than any other live recording of their's I've heard, even (dare I say it) "Made In Japan".

The second show, from 1972, features a setlist that includes most of the songs from "Machine Head" and therefore has a strong overlap with "Made In Japan". "Highway Star" and "Strange Kind of Woman" are both roughly comparable to the Japanese versions. It's with the next two tracks that the perks of owning this album become apparent. "Maybe I'm A Leo" and "Never Before" are both Machine Head numbers that were seldom included in live sets and the versions here do them both great justice, with strong jamming on both. Another upside for "Never Before" is the radio announcer's funny introduction to "Lazy", "Here's another track from Machine Head, this is called Lazy, which might mean it's a slow one...probably isn't...it's not...".

"Lazy" then promptly kicks off and from the get-go it already proves itself superior to the "Made In Japan" version with Jon Lord's organ intro alone. His playing is much more in accordance with the beauty, atmosphere and depth of the studio recording, unlike the Made In Japan version which sounds much more like R2-D2 having a seizure. My only complaint about this rendition is that the harmonica being played over Ritchie Blackmore's soloing is quite distracting but it's still a great song. The show carries on with "Space Truckin'" and "Smoke On The Water", which are both similar to their Japanese counterparts. This version of "Space Truckin'" has a slight edge for me just because of Jon Lord's funky organ intro before the main riff starts as opposed to Ian Paice's hi- hat solo from Japan, however both versions lose out on their length, with the lengthy jam section wearing out its welcome prematurely. The set ends with an energetic cover of Little Richard's "Lucille", a fun, strong end to an overall great show.

The first disc strays away into less explored territory. Taken from 1970, it opens with two numbers from "In Rock": "Speed King", which is fast and loud in classic Deep Purple fashion, and one of the group's more progressive pieces, "Child In Time". As with many of the other "Made In Japan" tracks, this version of the song is just as strong, powerful and thrilling to listen to. The band then ends with two extended jam songs from the Mark I days, the instrumental "Wring That Neck" and "Mandrake Root". "Wring That Neck" is probably the masterpiece of both shows. A hard rocking minor key blues, it shows off some of both Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord's finest neoclassical, blues and hard rock jamming abilities. It stretches on for 19 minutes, which is the ideal length for the song as it allows enough time to fully expand on all the musical ideas its template allows for while not stretching on too long as with some other versions I've heard. "Mandrake Root" finishes off the show with some jamming that's not unlike that in "Space Truckin'", though some jazz elements protrude.

The production of both shows is good for live recordings of the time, just slightly under par of "Made In Japan" as the drums can be a bit loud in the mix. In short, "In Concert" offers all of the excitement, talent and spectacle that has made "Made In Japan" one of the premiere live albums of all time, plus a little more. An excellent addition to a heavy prog collection.