Official Deep Purple (Overseas) Live Series

REVIEW: Deep Purple – Copenhagen 1972 (2013)

Scan_20160103DEEP PURPLE – Copenhagen 1972 (2013 Edel)

How many live albums are there from the Machine Head tour in ’72?  I lost count, and I don’t really care.  I’ll buy ’em all!  Copenhagen 1972 represents Purple at their best, in their prime, playing their best songs.  The difference is (there always is a difference) is that this is a particularly pummelling Purple potluck.  As awesome as they were in ’72, it’s rare to hear them play as ferociously as you will here!  This set was previously released by Sonic Zoom as Live in Denmark ’72 in 2002, but technology is constantly improving and it has been given a subtle sonic upgrade.  With restored master tapes, the 2013 release is the definitive one, not to mention it has four bonus tracks over the previous Live in Denmark ’72.  These Sonic Zoom discs seem to be re-released periodically, but these versions from the Deep Purple (Overseas) Live Series are in all cases the ones to own.

“We got the telly here tonight, so we got to be good.”  That explains how this show was recorded so well.  The clown prince Ian Gillan is a dry unorthodox frontman when it comes to banter, and that’s why we love him so.  “Highway Star” herein is one of the best versions of the song you will ever find.  The non-album single “Strange Kind of Woman” follows, extended with Blackmore and Gillan’s interplay.  Behind them, a constant presence, is the growl of Jon Lord’s Hammond.  What a beast!  Lord always tended to improvise on his intro to “Child In Time”, lending it different flavours every time it was played.  The Copenhagen ’72 version has its own personality.  There is a delightful quieter middle section where Jon gets to have some jazzy fun.  Drummer Ian Paice gets his moment on “The Mule”, one of Purple’s most progressive rock moments from 1971’s Fireball.  Paice, being outstanding through the whole concert, dominates this one into submission.  It is remarkable how well recorded these drums are.  Glover’s bass too, which has a shining spot in the mix.  “Lazy” smokes just as hot, but it is “Space Truckin'” that has the honour of being stretched out for over 20 minutes.  With the many live versions of “Space Truckin'” out there, I wonder how many sheer hours of this song that I own?  This one is unique in its own right.

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The show continues on CD 2, with “a little bit of fun” called “Fireball”.  With an extended intro I haven’t heard anywhere else before, this version of “Fireball” kills it.  It’s immediately followed by “Lucille” which was a periodic Deep Purple encore back then.  Simply incendiary, over the top, and blazing fast.  The last song of the show is the old single “Black Night”:  that’s right, no “Smoke on the Water”!  I guess they just didn’t play it that night.  Machine Head wouldn’t be out for another three weeks.

CD 2 has four bonus tracks on top of this.  The aforementioned “Smoke” along with more versions of “Strange Kind of Woman” and “Space Truckin'” are included, from New York in ’73.  This version of “Strange Kind of Woman” is unusually funky; more like the Deep Purple Mk III that would emerge in 1974.  “Smoke” is still fresh, but “Space Truckin'” surprises by being only half the length of the version on CD 1.  It’s interesting to hear how the songs evolve from year to year.

The final bonus track is a brief 1971 interview done in Australia.  There is not much here; it’s just an add-on.  It’s fun to hear them talking about the forthcoming new album, Machine Head.

4/5 stars

REVIEW: Deep Purple – Live in Stockholm 1970 (2 CD/1 DVD)

EPIC REVIEW TIME!

DEEP PURPLE – Live in Stockholm 1970 (2014 Edel, 2 CD 1 DVD set)

This is the second time I’ve bought this live album.  Hopefully, this edition from the Official Deep Purple (Overseas) Live Series, with its bonus tracks and DVD represents the last time I need to shell out.  The first was a cheap looking 2 CD set called Live and Rare (1992).  There was also a more official version called Scandinavian Nights.  They’re all pretty much the same, a set of early long long bombers by Deep Purple recorded for radio in 1970.  This remixed (from the master tapes) edition has the set list restored to the correct order, and two bonus tracks from Paris the same year.  It also has a Jon Lord interview and a DVD for a TV special called Doing Their Thing.

The TV broadcast weirdly begins right in the middle of “Speed King”.  Full colour and in stereo, this is some fantastic footage.   It’s shot and edited for excitement.  Ritchie Blackmore assaults his weapon, but with precision.  For a guy who is so technically capable, it’s amazing how physical and visual he gets.  “Child in Time” gives Ian Gillan a chance to both sing and scream.  Strangely there are two small bored looking boys in the audience, right by Roger Glover, and they couldn’t look any less thrilled to be at this taping.  Who are they?  Why are they there?   Who knows!  This is the full unedited “Child in Time” complete with solos.

You get ample closeups on Jon, Ritchie and Roger and it’s amazing to see them play so fast, so perfectly.  You can study Jon’s hands and try to figure out what he’s doing.  Ian Paice is in the back, tiny frame creating a huge sound.  The instrumental “Wring that Neck” is soloriffic, and Blackmore is surprisingly friendly with the cameras.  This is very rare for the man in black.  The audience politely clap at his playful solo, and he keeps them guessing to the end.  A rare delight, to see him in such a good mood on stage.  The final track on the DVD is “Mandrake Root”, another song that was really only in the set for them to jam to.   They are in sync, and being able to watch Deep Purple at their peak jamming in this clarity, well that’s really something.  Too bad most of the songs are edited down.

As for the 2 CD set, it has always been a bit of a slog to get to the end.   There are two tracks at 30 minutes a piece.  There is one at 18.  There are three in the 10-12 minute range.  Of all the Deep Purple live albums out there, Stockholm is probably the one that requires the most patience.  This is, however, my first time hearing it freshly mixed and restored for today.

Set commencing with “Speed King” again, this time it’s the full-on 12 minute jam.  Barely hanging together, Purple blast it out with extra heavy energy.  Gillan sounds as if he’s about to burst a blood vessel in his neck.  The audio has more depth than previously releases, but Ian’s voice sounds a bit too low in the mix.  “Do you know what a Speed King is?  A Speed King is somebody who sing at a hundred miles an hour,” sings Ian, not really enlightening us.  “Everybody’s a Speed King when you wanna be,” he adds, confusing things more.  Things quiet down, turn jazzy, and then explode once more.  Not the greatest version of “Speed King” ever recorded, but definitely one of the most frantic.

“Into the Fire” is a rare shot of brevity.   Assailing the skull nonetheless, after “Into the Fire” the band take it back a bit with “Child in Time”.  This full-on 18 minute version is far longer than the better known one from Made in Japan.  The cool thing about Purple is that no two versions of any song are exactly the same, and if you’ve heard “Child in Time” before…you still haven’t heard the 18 minute version from Stockholm.  With all due respect to the Japan version, this one has its own diamonds of brilliance.  How the hell do they keep playing with that rapidity?

Better pee now, because a jazzy “Wring that Neck” is next, over 30 minutes.  Loaded with playing that’ll stop your heart, but not as interesting as the definitive version on Concerto for Group and Orchestra.  This contains a showcase for Jon Lord’s keyboard solos.  Ritchie’s playing is always sublime, and so is Jon’s, but…30 minutes…that’s a lot of jamming.  Like too much crème brûlée.  Ritchie again plays with the audience, teasing out melodies from songs such as “Jingle Bells” and “I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover”. If that wasn’t enough, Deep Purple’s 10 minute cover of the Stones’ “Paint it, Black” is really just an excuse for a long drum solo by Ian Paice!  Gillan took off, making the song an instrumental, which they only stick to for a minute before letting Paice go nuts.

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Flip over to CD 2, and get ready for another 30 minute long bomber.  “A thing you can jump around to,” says Ian.  It’s “Mandrake Root” and it’s bouncy.  This is a well-known version of the song, and it even appears on Deep Purple comprehensive box set Listen, Learn, Read On in its complete length.  You can clearly hear Gillan on the congas during the long instrumental break.  You can also hear them quoting the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me Now”.  This jam generates more interest than “Wring that Neck”, but it’s still a chore to finish.  And you get to hear “Mandrake Root” and “Wring that Neck” three times each in this package.

The final song (of a mere seven!) for Stockholm is a reasonably brief one:  “Black Night”.  After so much jammin’ it’s nice to have a single, with a set structure, and more than just occasional lead vocals!  It raises the energy a bit after a very draining concert set.  But you’d better refuel with some coffee, because you’re not finished yet.

The two bonus tracks from Paris sound as if they were recorded in a smaller venue.  They are sonically superior to the Stockholm recordings, but damn, I am all jammed out!  Thankfully, this version of “Wring that Neck” is delightful and unique.  It’s hotter and way, way jazzier.  Blackmore also teases out a bit of a preview of a forthcoming song.  You can hear a teeny bit of the guitar melody to 1971’s “The Mule” in his solo.  He even plays a bit of “God Saves the Queen”, in Paris!  Then on to “Mandrake Root” again, 14 minutes this time, half the length of the last one.  Jon’s solo is incredible, but aren’t they all?  This one has some nice rhythmic choppy bits that are so fun to air-keyboard along to.  The track eventually descends into chaos and noise, as all good Deep Purple jams do.

Finally we have the 1971 Jon Lord interview.  This 11 minute track discusses how Jon joined the band, the early days, the Concerto, and In Rock. The title is misleading however, since the track also contains a few bits with Ian Gillan.  Fun stuff but ultimately nothing here that the fan doesn’t already know.

3/5 stars, simply because I know from experience that this set won’t get much repeat play in your home.

3.5/5 stars when you take the bonus DVD into consideration.

REVIEW: Deep Purple – Long Beach 1971 (2015)

DEEP PURPLE – Long Beach 1971 (2015 Edel)

This CD is over 70 minutes long.  It has four tracks.  The shortest one is 11:05.  The longest is 27:18.  We just needed to be upfront with you, about what you are about to read, in case you felt like turning back now.  This would be the time to do so.

Still with us?  Great!

This live album was recorded during a period in Deep Purple where their setlist was in a state of flux.  Their first heavy rock album and first serious bonafide smash hit, Deep Purple In Rock, was still dominating the set.  The mid-term single, “Strange King of Woman”, had been included on the new album Fireball in the US, but it’s the only new song here.  Even though the show was well recorded for radio, this set has never been released before officially.

A energetically ragged “Speed King” opens affairs.  “A Speed King is somebody who moves very quickly from one place to another, and always gets there first,” says Ian Gillan during the long middle solo section.  When it’s Blackmore’s turn to play, he’s smooth with just enough rough edges.  Everybody shines; live in 1971, Deep Purple were a well-oiled machine running on the fuel of pure creativity.  Ian and the others liked to have a drink now and then, but they were never a drug band until other members joined and brought their troubles with them.  When a band as talented and unfettered and uninhibited by chemicals hit the stage, this is what can happen.  “Speed King” is a mind-breakingly enjoyable version, both in spite of and because of its length!

The new single goes down a storm, and Blackmore’s solo is inspired.  Then “Child in Time”, the old standby since late ’69, begins delicately with Ian in prime voice.  Deep Purple at full power doing “Child in Time” complete with screams?  Jazzy shuffle right in the middle?  Always nice to have.  The last half-hour of the set is dedicated to “Mandrake Root”, an unremarkable song from the first LP that operated in concert as the forum for their “big” jam, the one that descends into madness and chaos by the end.  Brilliant stuff, but a bit much for those who just wanna rock.

If four songs loaded with solos are not your cup of java, that’s fine.  There are plenty more Deep Purple live albums to be had.  In the 80’s, the soloing was de-emphasized in favour of playing more songs.  Those albums, featuring the exact same lineup, may be more your speed if this doesn’t sound like your kinda deal.

3.5/5 stars

#361: LeBrain Goes to Toronto (Video)

RECORD STORE TALES MkII: Getting More Tale
#361: LeBrain Goes to Toronto

Went to Toronto yesterday to visit Mrs. LeBrain at the hospital, and also visited Sonic Boom music at 215 Spadina while I was in town.  I’m tired, so all I had the energy for was this quick & dirty 4 minute video.  Hope you like it.  You know I found music to buy…

Road tunes:

  1. Deep Purple – Slaves and Masters
  2. Ted Nugent – Shutup & Jam!
  3. Whitesnake – Snakebite
  4. Whitesnake – Saints An’ Sinners

REVIEW: Deep Purple – Live in Graz 1975 (2014)

NEW-ish RELEASE

DEEP PURPLE – Live in Graz 1975 (2014 Edel)

Any time there is an official Deep Purple archival release coming out, diehards have to pay attention.  The current library of vintage live CDs is the Official Deep Purple (Overseas) Live Series.  A mouthful.  Live in Paris was the first in the series, followed by Copenhagen 1972 (which I missed but have to catch up on).  Graz 1975 is the third, and it has a long history of incomplete releases going all the way back to 1976!  Some songs were used on the single LP Made in Europe in that year.   In 1996, five songs were remixed and included on Mk III: The Final Concerts.  Now the entire April 3 show in Graz, Austria has been remixed again and released in its completion.

As a guy who owns virtually every single official Deep Purple release and catching up on the rest, I’m amazed at how crisp and fucking essential this new mix of “Burn” is.  The liner notes call it “surely the best version of this song, ever.” Paice and Blackmore both play with an excitement and energy that is even above their standards.  Lord too, but my God are Ian and Ritchie fueled up, laying down fill after fill that were of that moment.  Ritchie was on the verge of leaving — he was gone after only two more shows.  Even if you’ve heard this exact same recording of “Burn” from Mk III: The Final Concerts before, you haven’t heard it like this.  This new mix kills the prior ones, rendering them almost obsolete.  Ditto with “Stormbringer”, which captures all the energy that that was missing from Made in Europe.

I’m always pleased to hear “The Gypsy” from Stormbringer, an underrated track from an underrated album.  Glenn Hughes’ young pipes are achingly powerful, drowning out David Coverdale.  An unreleased “Lady Double Dealer” is the last short song before the show progresses on to long 10 minute or more jams.  Ritchie’s manic pick scrapes are deliciously perfect.  This usually isn’t one of my go-to Deep Purple songs, but this absolutely smokes any version I’ve heard before.

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The first long bomber is Ritchie’s blues centerpiece, “Mistreated”.  I confess I usually snooze through this one.  This version will be familiar as one of the “bonus tracks” on Mk III: The Final Concerts.  Ritchie is the main focus of “Mistreated”, and he stretches out far and wide, using bits from “Lazy”, “Sail Away” and classical melodies.  Coverdale is much stronger vocally than he tends to be on this song.  A ramshackle “Smoke on the Water” is also dull by comparison with the first part of the set.  Its highlight is a long, building and breaking Jon Lord organ solo, which leads into “With a Little Help from my Friends”.  “You Fool No One” is over 10 minutes, and it gives Ian Paice a chance to strut his stuff.  Paice is one of those drummers that it pays off to focus on and really listen to, because he is always doing something interesting.  All of this is outshined by a 20 minute “Space Truckin'”. Richard Strauss’ “Thus Spake Zarathustra” is a suitably bombastic segue, for a band of Deep Purple’s stature.  They also detour into “Child in Time”.  If you’re not wiped out by now, you will be by the end.

Gotta say that those responsible do a great job with these Deep Purple products. Absolutely no qualms about this release at all.  Not essential to anyone but fans of Deep Purple Mk III.

3.5/5 stars