Part Two of a Three Part Series

Part 1:  =1 (the album)
Part 2:  =1 (the live album)
Part 3: =1 Access All Areas (DVD)

 

DEEP PURPLE – =1 Live Album – 10″ Vinyl (2024 Edel)

When you buy a Deep Purple super deluxe, you get a new live album on three 10″ records every time.  These records are each 45 RPM.  This wonderful Deep Purple tradition carries on with this important release, the first live album with Simon McBride to be released.  Let’s have a listen to all six sides.

Record 1 was recorded in Milan 2022, the same gig that yielded the B-sides for the “Pictures of You” single (“When A Blind Man Cries” and “Uncommon Man”), though they are not included here.  This record opens with Machine Head‘s “Pictures of Home”, and Ian Paice beginning the proceedings with his usual drum intro.  Don Airey’s organ dominates the mix, but Simon can be heard doing justice to the original arrangement.  His tasty solo is his own unique composition, combining bluesy playing with shred in a way unheard before in Deep Purple.  Blackmore fans who found Steve Morse to be just too different may prefer Simon McBride.

From 2020’s Whoosh! album comes “No Need to Shout”, one of the more straightforward tracks.  It has a solid “Stormbringer”-like groove, but consider that Deep Purple remain unafraid to play new songs on tour every time.  Simon and Don sneak in these quick licks that add season to the sauce.  The chemistry with McBride is immediately undeniable.

A set highlight is the powerful ballad “Nothing At All”, probably the best song from Whoosh!  Originally this song had a trademark Steve Morse guitar lick, but Simon acquits himself very well in this tricky part.  It’s not identical, but the right notes are played, if in a very slightly different style.  This beautiful song is harder live, with Ian Paice really smoking those drums, and Don Airey hitting his keys with more vigor.

The first record closes with another Machine Head classic, the undeniable “Lazy”, which we have so many live versions of.  I have at least 34 live versions of “Lazy”, with more residing on live albums I have yet to rip to my PC.  This version is the first available with Simon, and the word to use is “refreshing”.  After 52 years, it is nice to have a version with another lead soloist, bringing his own powerful, melodic twist.  Ian Gillan’s vocal is a little laid-back, but this version is a delight!  When Ian starts playing the harmonica, it changes into something more akin to a country jam.

Record 2 was recorded in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2022.  “Strange Kind of Woman” keeps us in classic territory.  Somehow I get the feeling that Airey’s organ isn’t growly enough.  Of course Gillan struggles with the high notes, but that’s old news and nobody should really care anymore.  Simon’s solo is, once again, a fresh twist.  Then they dig back even further with “Hush” from Shades of Deep Purple.  Nothing different here, just the same classic groove and a killer organ solo, followed by a playful tradeoff between Simon and Don.

Side two only has newer material, beginning with “7 and 7 Is” (by Love) from the covers album Turning To Crime.  Including “Hush”, that’s two covers in a row.  It is cool that they were playing Turning To Crime material live, but this is skippable for most people (except Ian Paice fans who will dig the busy drum parts).  More enjoyable is “Throw My Bones” from Whoosh!  Don’s synth on this track is especially fun, and Simon makes it a bit heavier in the guitars.  “Time For Bedlam” from InFinite closes this side.  Ian Gillan struggles with the difficult vocals, which makes it harder to enjoy, though the guitar melodies are just sublime.  This is a very technical track.  Roger Glover holds everything together on bass while the feature players stretch out.

We are back to Milan on the third disc.  Record 3 opens with the biggest surprise:  “Anya” from 1993’s The Cattle Grazes Battle Rages On.  It is no secret that making the album was an unpleasant experience for the band, especially Ian Gillan, but it is really cool to see them reaching back to the early 90s.  This is the first version available with Don or Simon.  Just as “Anya” is the only representation of the 1990s (a decade with four Deep Purple studio albums), “Perfect Strangers” is the only track from the 80s, as it often is.  This is a solid workmanlike version.

The final side closes, of course, with “Smoke on the Water” and “Black Night”, leaving us without a version of “Highway Star” with Simon.  This is a real shame; we hope one will come on future inevitable live albums.  Ian Paice sounds great on these, and Simon’s solo on “Black Night” is bonkers, the same way that Blackers used to be bonkers.

This is a great little late-period live album.  With a band and a back catalogue this extensive, it is natural that they can’t always fit in songs from Purpendicular, Now What, or In Rock.  Newer material is more valuable in a live release such as this.  Still…would have been nice to get “Highway Star”.

4/5 stars