DEEP PURPLE – Bombay Calling – Bombay Live ’95 (2003 iTunes)
There are very rare circumstances under which I will pay for a download from iTunes. I’ve made my case for physical product here over the years many, many times. When it’s a band that I obsessively collect, like Deep Purple, I make an exception. Bombay Calling is an interesting live release. It says “Official Bootleg” right there on the cover art, but I’m not really sure what constitutes an official bootleg anymore. I look at this as the soundtrack to a DVD that Deep Purple released in 2000, also called Bombay Calling. That’s essentially what this is — the audio to Bombay Calling, the DVD. In contains the entire show.
This concert was recorded on April 18 1995, which eagle-eyed fans will realize is well before the Purpendicular album. Bombay Calling was recorded not long after “the banjo player took a hike” and Purple carried on without Ritchie Blackmore. Joe Satriani stepped in for a short while, but it was Dixie Dregs guitar maestro Steve Morse that took the Man in Black’s place permanently. This concert was recorded at the very start of Morse’s tenure, and features a few songs they would drop from the set a year or two later. It also features a brand new tune they were working on called “Perpendicular Waltz”, later changed to “The Purpendicular Waltz” on the album.
There is one earlier concert available from this period, which is Purple Sunshine in Ft. Lauderdale Florida, exactly two weeks prior. That one is truly is an official bootleg, taken from audience sources and released on the 12 CD box set Collector’s Edition: The Bootleg Series 1984-2000. The setlists are slightly different. When they hit India for this concert, a new song called “Ken the Mechanic” (retitled “Ted the Mechanic”) was dropped, as was “Anyone’s Daughter”. They were replaced by long time favourites “Maybe I’m a Leo” and “Space Truckin'” from Machine Head.
Special treats for the ears on Bombay Calling include Steve Morse’s incendiary soloing on “Anya” (which would be dropped from the set in 1996). His feature solo leading into “Lazy” is also excellent, and of course very different from what Ritchie used to do. Jon Lord’s keyboard solo is among the best I’ve heard, and even features a segue into “Soldier of Fortune” from Stormbringer. The solo segments that Deep Purple did often allowed them to play snippets from songs from the David Coverdale period of the band, and this one was unexpected and brilliant.
I love a good, raw live performance captured on tape, and Deep Purple don’t muck around. This one is kind of special, coming from that transitional period when Steve Morse was just getting his feet wet. Considering how different he is from Ritchie Blackmore, this smooth switcheroo is quite remarkable. The band had changed, but into something just as good. How many other groups can make that claim?
3.5/5 stars
Since you can’t take a picture of a non-physical product, here are pictures of the 2 CD set that I burned from the iTunes download!
mikeladano.com 
I saw Deep Purple in 1985 and they were fantastic. Would love to see them with Morse. I have a solo album of his, though I can’t remember the name, and it’s really good.
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On the other hand, I have only seen them with Morse. Let me tell you it was incredible. I did get to see Jon — RIP!
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I did get to see Jon and he played an amazing keyboard solo. However, most of the soloing was done by Blackmore. Still it was a good show.
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Pickin LeBrains……
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Indeed, guitar pickin!
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I’ve never been as into getting live releases of Morse-era Purple as I have been with the earlier stuff. But this looks like an interesting one. Some cool songs that I’ve not heard Morse do.
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Every good fan though does need at least one live with Morse album. I’m sure you have at least one considering how many there are! And two more double lives are in the September release schedule.
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I’ve got some DVDs but I think they only live CD I’ve got is the Now What live tapes thing.
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That counts as a live album in my books! You’re SAFE in your status as a good fans. Congrats! I will send your badge in the post.
I don’t know how much Purple you “need” in your collection but stuff from this era, when they were still playing Battle Rages On stuff, is pretty cool.
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Haha phew! I do quite like the look of those upcoming ones. Especially the Wacken one. I saw a clip and it had a good vibe about it.
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I’ll add them to the collection, of course. I have to see what the bonus track situation will be.
Incidentally the new Alice Cooper Hollywood Vampires CD will have a Japanese bonus track.
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You come up with the coolest stuff. This sounds really cool. It is impressive that they could get a new axe slinger and carry on as awesome as ever.
Also, I think they missed the boat on the album art. It shoulda been a black and white of Morse, on stage, bent at the waist about to smash a guitar…
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Well dude it’s just a CD that I burned, so technically I could redo the cover art exactly to your specifications!
In fact yesterday I was working on a top secret post* where I was putting people in photos, and…well you’ll have to see ;)
* from our secret bunker in Nunavut
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Thank you Mike for posting this. I was there for this concert on that day in Mumbai. 25 years later seeing this again still gets me going. Wow, what a concert ‘Deep Purple’ rocked us, the crowd went wild and we were stoned on pure rock music which at that time was the first great rock concert in India.
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One of the shows where you are not distracted by people using their mobiles to record or put on the flash and let the group play as natural as they can.
Absolutely brilliant
Missed the concert but have been to their concerts in Dubai
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