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.
IAN GILLAN & ROGER GLOVER – Accidentally on Purpose(1988 Virgin)
Shit LeBrain’s Customers Said
I was playing this album in-store one afternoon in the 90’s. A customer walked up to me and asked what I was playing.
“This is a side project by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover from Deep Purple,” I answered
He responded, “Roger Waters from Pink Floyd?“
What…? No! No! You got just two words of that right: “Roger” and “from”!
Deep Purple’s The House of Blue Light was an incredibly difficult album to make, especially for Ian Gillan. A working vacation was in order, so he and Glover took off for the Caribbean. They settled in to Sir George Martin’s recording studio AIR Montserrat, to record whatever they felt like. The result was the light and tropical Accidentally on Purpose, an album that Gillan says has become the favourite record for a number of his friends. He is very proud of it, especially since it came on the heels of a terrible creative experience in Deep Purple. It would not have been born if not for the gloomy Purple process. Many guests contributed to the jovial sessions, such as Dr. John, George Young, and Andy Newmark.
Jump in your TARDIS, and travel back in time to 1987. Your destination: a tropical island with plenty of rum, beaches and a recording studio. Can you picture it? Can you hear the sounds of the late 80’s in your mind? Then you can imagine what Accidentally on Purpose sounds like.
There are no “Clouds and Rain” in the images in my mind, only boats and surf and sand. Glover plays bass and keyboards, Newmark is on drums, while George Young contributes a light sax solo. This is not for most Deep Purple fans, most assuredly. This is for those who want to open their minds and have a trip into the clouds and sunshine. This is about as light as light rock gets, but there is a quality to it above the pop morass.
Hard hitting electronic drum beats back “Evil Eye”, a much edgier track. Still, don’t expect guitars, solos or Ian Gillan to scream his ass off. If you enjoy the kind of pop rock that Robert Plant was doing in the 80’s, you’re in the right ballpark for this. It’s blatantly commercial compared to Deep Purple, but at the same time it’s not because there are musical challenges to be found here.
“She Took My Breath Away” is a sweet love song, similar musically to the brightness of “Clouds and Rain”, but relying too much on electronics. Then they get goofy on “Dislocated” which sounds like Ian Gillan having a blast. (I recognize one of the keyboard voices on this song from our old Yamaha back in the day!) Glover’s enjoying himself too; he plays some brilliant bass parts, very different from Deep Purple. “Via Miami” ended the first side with an old time rock and roll party! It’s the first significant guitar rocker, and it sounds like something the Honeydrippers could have gotten away with. (In fact Plant would sound brilliant singing this.) Bring on the sax!
There is plenty more guitar on “I Can’t Dance to That”, which unfortunately is not a good song. It is not different enough from Deep Purple rawk, but not good enough for Deep Purple. The old blues classic “I Can’t Believe You Wanna Leave” is incredible, giving Ian a chance to sing something different, and he does it with lung power! Dr. John on the keys lends it that funky N’awleans drawl. If you were to make a mix tape of Ian Gillan’s finest vocal performance, then this song should be on it. The skippable “Lonely Avenue” only has synth to back it; largely forgettable. Synth-rocking to “Telephone Box” is more fun; it’s probably the best rocker on the album. Cool female backing vocals make Gillan sound even more suave. He breaks out his trusted congas on it, and truthfully you could imagine the Deep Purple of today performing a song like this now.
The last tune on the record was “I Thought No”, rocking bluesily along to the end. If you want a drunken, laidback jam session with scads of harmonica to go, then “I Thought No” will deliver the right thrills. Just open a bottle and dive in…but the CD offers three more bonus tracks! The cool rockin’ blues of “I Thought No” is contrasted by the most nauseating track, “Cayman Island”. Ian’s done some kind of Jamaican twist to his accent. Pure synth, with all those keyboard presets I remember from the 80’s, that’s “Cayman Island”! And I love every second of it, as terrible as it is. No matter how much you hate “Cayman Island”, you have to be a real hard hearted bastard if you don’t like “Purple People Eater”. That’s exactly the song you think it is, and who better to do it than the guys from Purple? You want a golden oldie performed by the guy who loves the golden oldies the most? I sure do so fuck off if you don’t! It’s brilliant, and you just gotta dance. The last song is a synth throwaway called “Chet”, which references a boat called the Carrie Lee; Gillan also name-dropped the vessel in Cayman Island.
Accidentally on Purpose probably kept Ian and Roger sane at the time. That has to be why it sounds so gleeful. They needed this. Does a Deep Purple fan “need” this? No. But they’d find some good times here regardless.
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 thePurpendicular 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!
I can’t resist reviewing this golden oldie, the first compilation released by Purple Records in 1975. Purple had not yet broken up — that wouldn’t happen for another year — but most of the members on this record had left the band. It’s rarely a good sign when a band in their final death throes release a compilation album.
This CD is extraordinarily rare in these parts. When I first started managing the Record Store at which I spent most of my years, I put my name in “reserve” for any used copies that may come in. That was April 1996. Here we are in June 2015, and I only just got it on CD. I did get it on vinyl in the late 90’s, even though I have all the songs, because I enjoy having significant greatest hits albums in my collection. (See point 4, “Historical significance”, in Getting More Tale #367.) Unfortunately, as was the case with many CD issues from the late 80’s, the cover art isn’t even near the same colour as the original golden LP. The CD renders it to a dark, pee-stain yellow.
Saucy Aaron, from the KeepsMeAlive, texted me last month from Toronto, in Sonic Boom on Spadina. “Cool Purple comp,” he texted. “Very short though.” He sent me a pic with a $7.99 price tag, and I told him to snag it! That’s the kind of guy he is. He saw a Purple compilation CD and texted me a photo, unsure if I’d even care, on the off-chance that he’d be helping out a fellow collector. And he did! All it needed was a new jewel case.
Because I have all the songs elsewhere, I haven’t played 24 Carat Purple in a long time. It’s interesting that this, their first kinda-official hits album, only focuses on the Ian Gillan years, even though another version of Purple was currently functioning. I suppose that makes sense, from a contemporary point of view.
“Woman From Tokyo” is a great track to get the party started. I’ve only seen Purple once, on the Purpendicular tour. I recall that this was tune that really got the dudes in their mid-40’s bouncing. Now I’m in my mid-40’s, and I’m still bouncing to it. It’s a nice, safe Purple single. Jon Lord’s piano solo is, well, bouncy! I defy you to sit perfectly still with this song playing.
More to my taste is the accelerated blast through the clouds that is “Fireball”. To me, this track has it all — the perfect Purple mixture of adrenaline, speed, musicianship and that organ! The live “Strange Kind of Woman” brings things back to a moderate pace. Most of the time, I would be opposed to a live track substituting a studio version on a “hits” set, but Made in Japan was more popular than many of their studio albums! This live take, complete with Ian laughing through some of the lines, is probably my favourite anyway. Because Purple were as much a live act as an album band, one can easily make arguments for including live tracks of this stature.
“Never Before”, on the other hand, may have been a single but it’s nobody’s favourite Purple song. Of all their singles, perhaps it is the most ordinary. But at 4:00, it was about the right length to squeeze in before “Black Night” on a side of vinyl. “Black Night” was the real treat for fans in 1975, since this was the live version released only as a B-side before. This electric version is a must-own for its ferocity. It was recorded at the final show of the three that were taped for Made in Japan. Feedback-laden and ragged, this version of “Black Night” kills the others.
Side two of the record was devoted to long bombers, with “Speed King” coming in shortest at 5:50. That means this is the full-on version of “Speed King” complete with intro, which was edited off American copies of Deep Purple In Rock. For some listeners, this intro (purely 50 seconds of instrumental guitar-fucking and drum-wailing, followed by a mellow organ passage) would be completely new to them. Normally you would expect a record label to plop on an edited single version.
Made in Japan is the source for the last two tracks, “Smoke on the Water” and “Child in Time”. The mathematically inclined have probably already calculated that this means 24 Carat Purple is actually 57% live! I think that’s OK in the long run. Consider: “Smoke on the Water” in its live incarnation was released as a successful single. The live “Child in Time” contains, according to my friend Uncle Meat, “the greatest guitar solo of all time.” Since he said it, it must be true, and therefore inclusion of these two live versions is forgiven.
I feel like giving this long-deleted album a number rating is kind of meaningless. Yes it was a great listen, but it’s just a compilation from a band that most people agree are an albums band.
DEEP PURPLE – Who Do We Think We Are (1973, 2000 EMI)
Five solid years of work had taken their toll on Deep Purple. Relations between the band members (particularly Gillan and Blackmore) were frayed, especially since all the touring behind Machine Head and Made in Japan. There was all sorts of bad blood, including management disputes and illness (hepatitis for Ian Gillan).
The band settled in Rome with the Rolling (truck) Stones mobile studio, but found that the vehicle could not enter the premises, as the stone arch in the drive was not tall enough for the truck! Several weeks of work in Rome resulted in only one usable track, “Woman From Tokyo” which was released as a single. [See below for a cool 1998 CD reissue of “Woman From Tokyo” (2:56 edit)/”Super Trouper”!] Another song, the excellent “Painted Horse”, was rejected because Blackmore didn’t like it. It wasn’t even released as a B-side.
A few months later the band re-convened in Frankfurt Germany to finish the new record. Perhaps due to sheer fatigue, they settled into a simpler, bluesy sound without the experimentation that marked albums like In Rock and Fireball. The only really progressive moment on the album was a breakneck synthesizer solo on “Rat Bat Blue”.
The resultant album, Who Do We Think We Are, is generally considered the weakest of the original MkII studio quadrilogy. That still makes it better than many bands’ best albums. That aside, it is obvious by listening to it that Deep Purple were not putting as much in, and getting less out.
“Woman From Tokyo” is still a great Deep Purple track, very similar to the direction of Machine Head: straightforward, and slamming. It has a mellow, dreamy bridge before it assails you once more with its inimitable guitar riff.
It’s too bad that a song like “Mary Long” hasn’t been a perennial concert favourite. This scathing attack on two British social campaigners teases the prudish! “When did you lose your virginity, Mary Long? When will you lose your stupidity, Mary Long?” Glover’s bass groove carries the song, a real driving tune. Absolutely monstrous in the car.
“Super Trouper”, less than three minutes long, feels incomplete. It feels like it needed a chorus, although it is still heavy and a Purple sledge. Closing Side One, “Smooth Dancer” is Ian Gillan’s underhanded attack upon Richie Blackmore. Black suede was his favourite clothing:
Black suede, don’t mean you’re good for me Black suede, just brings your mystery I want to be inside of you But you’re black and I don’t know what to do
You’re a smooth dancer But it’s alright, ‘cos I’m a freelancer And you can never break me though you try To make me think you’re magical
Even though Ian’s not fond of Richie at this point, it’s important to hear the line “I want to be inside of you, but you’re black and I don’t know what to do.” Ian would have loved to be able to connect with Richie, but was simply unable to get inside the man in black. Glover too has stated that Ian was frustrated by his inability to connect personally with Richie.
“Rat Bat Blue” (named for Ian Paice’s drum pattern that is the foundation of the song) is a great unsung classic. Funky and hard-hitting, “Rat Bat Blue” could have been a classic had it been released by a band that still wanted to be a band. “Rat Bat Blue” is my favourite on the album! (Note: the first time I bought the original CD at my own store, I ran into a manufacturing flaw – a moment of silence near the end where Ian sings, “Aaaaalright.” The CD with the defect just has “Aaaaaa” and then a second of silence! My boss would not let me exchange it.)
The final two songs (on a seven song record!) are both a bit slow. “Place in Line” has some swinging jamming blues to it, and “Our Lady” has gospel flavors and an incredible organ solo. Neither would be remembered as Deep Purple classics, although “Our Lady” is very special. Notice there’s no guitar solo, either. Jon does all the serious work.
The remastered edition has some cool bonus tracks. There are several 1999 remixes, with Roger Glover assisting at the mixing console. Like prior Deep Purple remixes, you can hear additional guitar and other bits that weren’t there before. They are great companion pieces to the album tracks, particularly the smouldering “Rat Bat Blue”. There are also two snippets from the writing sessions: an unheard bridge from “Woman From Tokyo” and a bit of a deleted intro from “Rat Bat Blue”. An eleven-minute instrumental “first day jam” is interesting because it has no guitar. Roger Glover was late to the session, so that’s Blackmore on bass!
Finally, the rare outtake “Painted Horse” is restored to CD. You could get it previously on the posthumous Power House compilation CD, but once placed on the album, it’s clearly one of the best tunes. Why it was disliked is beyond me. Maybe it’s Ian’s falsetto vocal or harmonica. I think they just serve to make the song more unique. This remastered version sounds loads fuller than the one of Power House. I also love Ian’s lyrics. “Why did the carpenter die?”
For the geeks, I’m sure you will enjoy the fully loaded CD booklet, with another essay by Glover, remembering times good and bad.
I like Who Do We Think We Are enough for a solid rating, but I’m not sure it that accurately reflects how Deep Purple fans at large felt about it. If Machine Head, Fireball and In Rock are all 5/5 stars, then Who Do We Think We Are can be justified at:
Get some Epic Review Time right here for your weekend!
DEEP PURPLE – Slaves and Masters (1990 BMG)
The much ballyhooed Deep Purple MkII reunion came to a crashing halt when Ian Gillan was fired in 1988. Just as the band released their first double live in aeons (Nobody’s Perfect) and a new single (a remake of “Hush”) to celebrate their 20th birthday, Gillan was out again. Except this time he was fired. And this time, Roger Glover did not go with him. Even his friend Glover said to him, “Ian you have gone too far this time.” His drunkeness and anger towards Ritchie Blackmore had gotten the better of him.
Blackmore briefly considered reforming Rainbow, or launching a new Blackmore-Turner Blues Band. He was however reluctant to break up Purple, liking the current chemistry he had with the other musicians. After inviting a singer named Bill Mattson from up-and-comers Tangier to try out for Deep Purple, the band reluctantly gave former Rainbow singer Joe Lynn Turner a shot. They eventually invited him to join. According to Turner, “I had to sit down with the boys in Purple and say, ‘Are we going to be true to Purple? Are we going to have the hard rockin’ blues image come out? I really don’t want to scream.” Turner would get his wish. According to him:
“The guys told me, ‘We’ve never really had a singer.’ I go, ‘Well you had Ian Gillan.’ They go, ‘He’s not a singer’s singer. He’s a stylist.’ I go, ‘Ahh, I see what you mean, a stylist as opposed to a singer — it’s two different things.’ They wanted someone who can really sing and write songs, like what we did on this record, as opposed to The House of Blue Light record, which was no songs and really yielded nothing they could bring to the stage.”
Call it what you like: Deep Rain Snake, Deep Rainbow, or just Deep Purple Mk V. Blackmore, Lord, Paice, and Joe Lynn Turner added a new album to the Purple canon called Slaves and Masters, with Roger Glover once again producing. With most of the music already written by Blackmore, it fell to Turner and Glover to take those riffs and turn them into songs. But what would it sound like? Would it sound like Deep Purple, or Rainbow?
Slaves and Masters is a regal disc, different from everything else in the Purple catalogue, but beautiful in a subtle, understatedly powerful way. The first track and single, “King of Dreams” for example gives you an idea of the what the rest of the album sounds like. It is a rock song, based on the bass guitar groove, but mellow. It’s in the pocket. The power in the song comes from the groove and the soulful and smooth vocal by Turner. The lyrics are a subtle rebuttal to Ian Gillan’s scathing 1973 song “Smooth Dancer”, which was a backhanded attack on Blackmore. “King of Dreams” takes Gillan’s lyrics and turns them on their head:
“I’m a real Smooth Dancer, a fantasy man, master of illusion at the touch of my hand.”
If you think “King of Dreams” is too mellow, fear not. “The Cut Runs Deep” is second up, and after a brief deceptive piano intro, the old Hammond organ kicks in backed by some ferocious riffing by Blackmore. When Ian Paice picks up the pace (a fast “Kickstart My Heart” drum beat), you’re out of breath and beaten. All you can do is submit to it and take the body blows of drums and guitars.
“Fire in the Basement” is acceptable, a blues shuffle that serves its purpose. Most of the album tends to be balanced between groove rockers in the “King of Dreams” mold, and ballads. There are quite a few ballads on this record: “Foretuneteller”, “Truth Hurts”, and “Love Conquers All”, which is fully 1/3 of the record. That is not to say these are bad songs, for all three are actually quite excellent. “Foretunteller” is particularly wonderful, with some beautiful fingerpicked chords as only Ritchie can play. These are not ‘power ballads’; rather these are powerful ballads, dark and moody. After all, this is Ritchie Blackmore; and the man in black himself could never turn in pop trash.
The band were sure to end the album wisely on a 6 1/2 minute jam called “Wicked Ways”. This is pedal to the metal Purple with Turner’s smooth rasp on top. You can hear Blackmore letting loose with his pick scrapes and pyrotechnics, but they are unfortunately too low in the mix to come through. Obviously Purple were going for a radio-friendly sound even on the heavy rockers, because you could remix this one heavy as hell if you had the master tapes!
I remember listening to this album for the first time at the cottage. I had rented the CD (remember that?) from a local video store in Kincardine, and I was recording it. When “Wicked Ways” came on, my dad said, “Who is this group?” Deep Purple, I said. “They are obviously a musician’s band,” he said. Normally he’d come up with one of his wisecracks like, “Why is the singer screaming so much, is he sick?” Not with Deep Purple. Upon “Wicked Ways” he bestowed one of his rare compliments.
There are only two poor tracks on the album: The lame-titled “Breakfast In Bed”, and “Too Much is Not Enough” which was written by Turner and outside writers. Otherwise, this is strong music. It is arguably not a Deep Purple album except only in name, but I think today most Purple fans are also fans of Rainbow. It could have used a ballsier mix.
Regardless of the quality of the album, the tour was a reportedly a bit of a disaster. Having Joe in the group did enable them to play a few rarer tracks, such as “Burn” which was originally sung by Coverdale, but this wasn’t enough to sell tickets or convince fans that Joe was “the singer” for Deep Purple.
The band began work on a second Deep Purple Mk V album, but regardless of any progress made, Gillan came back for The Battle Rages On in 1993, ending this brief era of Deep Purple’s history. But if you like Turner era Purple, there are still a few more rare tracks to be had. They are as follows:
“Slow Down Sister”, a single B-side, which was since reissued on a remastered version of Slaves and Masters. It can also be found on the Shades 1968-1998 box set. It cleverly recycles the riff from “Stormbringer” into a new song with a similar groove, although way more commercial. This does not sound much like Deep Purple at all, and the funky bass does not sound like Roger Glover playing.
“Fire, Ice & Dynamite”. This is apparently from a movie soundtrack called Fire Ice & Dynamite that I have never heard of. I however have it on a Purple DVD called New, Live and Rare (2000). This song is a Blackmore/Turner/Glover original, but Jon Lord did not play on it. I believe Glover plays keyboards, and Paice was also present. It is a pretty straightforward hard rock song, not too different from material on The House of Blue Light. Decent song, and an uber-rarity.
Final note: this album just sounds better on headphones. I don’t know why.
Check out Slaves and Masters for one of those lost Purple platters that, with a few listens, you could grow to love.
Thanks for joining me this week for Purple Week at mikeladano.com. Today is Part 5 and the last album for now. But don’t worry, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Deep Purple around these parts…
DEEP PURPLE – In Concert with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Mann (1999 Eagle Records)
The original Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1969) was Jon Lord’s baby. The rest of the band didn’t care too much for it, and it had only ever been performed twice. The Albert Hall recording became a successful live album, and it was performed once more in Los Angeles. Soon after, the original score was lost, permanently. Even if Deep Purple wanted to (and let’s face it, if Blackmore were in the band he’d probably say no), it could never be performed again without the sheet music.
I’ll let Jon Lord take it from here. From the liner notes to the CD:
“Marco de Goeij, a young Dutch composer…had decided to re-create it by listening to the recording and watching the video. Over and over and over again. A task of mind-bending complexity, dexterity and musicality, which then only left me the far simpler job of filling in what he had been unable to decipher, re-creating what I could remember of my original orchestration, and in part, as those who know the work will hear, re-composing where I felt it needed it.”
Conductor Paul Mann had independently been searching for the original lost manuscript. When Jon informed him of the re-created one, Mann was on board with the London Symphony to do it once more. Deep Purple now had a new guitar player, Steve Morse, who undoubtedly would have to bring his own slant to the guitar solos. For Jon and the fans, it’s the stuff of wishes come true.
Since the Concerto was really Lord’s project, it seems like a fair compromise for each of the members of Deep Purple to also get a moment or two to showcase their solo work. In fact many musicians from those solo works are welcomed to the stage, including the Steve Morse Band, Ronnie James Dio, Mickey Lee Soule (ex-Rainbow and ex-Gillan), Sam Brown, and more. Deep Purple fans are generally open to different styles of music, and this album showcases those styles in a professional, classy format.
Once again at the Albert Hall, the set commences with a disc highlighting the solo careers. Lord’s “Pictured Within” (with Miller Anderson) and “Wait a While” (with Sam Brown) begin the proceedings with a quiet, powerful pair of songs backed by Jon’s piano and dramatic strings. These versions are, dare-I-say-it, superior to the original studio versions.
From there, Roger Glover’s solo career gets a looksee, with “Sitting in a Dream” and the irresistibly bouncy “Love is All”, my favourite. Ronnie James Dio reprises his vocals from the original Butterfly Ball versions, sounding as great as he did nearly 30 years prior! It really is impossible not to like “Love is All”, which of the two is especially fun.
In 1988, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover did a project together called Accidentally on Purpose, a quirky tropical pop rock album. “Via Miami” is one of the more upbeat tracks from that album. Ian’s “That’s Why God is Singing the Blues” features his solo band’s guitarist Steve Morris (not Morse!) Both it and “Via Miami” spark and roll along joyfully.
Steve Morse (not Morris!) is up next with the Dixie Dregs’ “Take it Off The Top”. It’s the Steve Morse Band and the Kick Horns. It’s always a pleasure to listen to Dave LaRue, Van Romaine, and Steve Morse playing together, but to hear them at the Albert Hall? That’s a venue suitable to the genius they wrench from strings and wood. Graham Preskett joins on violin to dual Morse with string acrobatics.
Ian Paice’s spotlight song is a horn-laden jazz version of Purple’s “Wring That Neck”. This is my kinda jazz, the kind with a rock beat you can swing to! The violin solo lends it a bluegrass feel, too. The first CD ends with a powerfully heavy “Pictures From Home”, originally from the immortal Machine Head record, performed by Deep Purple with the London Symphony. It’s a powerful, dramatic song on which for the full Deep Purple to enter.
Disc two features the entire Concerto from start to finish, all three movements, roughly 50 minutes in length. This truly was Lord’s baby, the piece that kept him up nights in 1968 and 1969 writing little black notes on white paper. It made Deep Purple a unique property when it was released on LP 1969, but had not been heard live in 30 years. Purple fans will be in seventh heaven with this de-extinction. Indeed, Morse’s guitar is different, but he hits the right notes at the right time while still playing within his style. Otherwise, I’ll be damned but I can’t tell the difference.
What can I say of the Concerto itself? I think it’s pretty cool, and I’ve always geeked out to stuff like this. Jon envisioned it as “rock band meets orchestra” — at first they say hello, and play around, then they start shouting at each other, and before long it’s all-out war! Speaking of shouting, my favourite is probably Movement II, which has Gillan’s all-too-brief but oh-so-perfect vocal.
The disc concludes with three more (three Morse?) of recent vintage. “Ted The Mechanic” and “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming” are two of the best songs from Purpendicular, and “Watching The Sky” is probably the heaviest song from Abandon. I personally feel that all the Abandon material was better live than on album, and “Watching The Sky” maintains that. Unfortunately none of the Abandon songs were really that great.
Of course, “Smoke On The Water” ends the album with guests returning, including Ronnie James Dio who takes a verse. “What do you think Ronnie!” Then the Elf himself is up at the microphone singing “Smoke on the Water” with Blackmore’s old band Deep Purple. I shouldn’t need to tell you that this is one of my all-time favourite live versions of “Smoke”.
This album, which ended up being one of Lord’s last with Purple, was really a special gift to the fans. It is a beautifully crafted live performance containing some of the rarest of the rare gems in the extended Purple canon. An event like this will never happen again. There is a DVD of this show, but beware, it is only about 2/3 of the set. What a disappointment that DVD version was. You want every moment, but you won’t get it.
If you do hunger for more after this, then you can binge on The Soundboard Series 12 CD boxed set. It consists of 6 shows, two of which featured full live performances of the Concerto, with guests such as (yup!) Ronnie James Dio. There is also Live at the Rotterdam Ahoy which lacks the Concerto portion, but makes up for it with a more extensive set of classic rockers, including Dio’s own “Rainbow In The Dark” and “Fever Dreams”!…But that’s another review.
5/5 stars. For the true fan, and anybody who’s not afraid to expand their listening territory.
Deep Purple were the proverbial candle that was burned at both ends. Their first four studio albums (plus a friggin’ concerto!) were cranked out in a mere two years. Management and record labels pushed the band to stay on the road, only taking precious breaks to write and record new music. Sometimes the pressure worked (Machine Head) and sometimes it didn’t (Who Do We Think We Are). Ian Gillan’s resignation signaled the end of the celebrated Deep Purple Mk II lineup. Though the band successfully carried on with David Coverdale & Glenn Hughes, even those lineups imploded and by 1976, Deep Purple officially ceased to exist.
The absence of Purple created a void that was filled by greatest hits records, live albums, and well-known side projects such as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Gillan, and Whitesnake. Still, there was such a demand for Deep Purple itself that original singer Rod Evans put together his own bogus “Deep Purple” and played several shows in 1980! In his band were a couple guys from Iron Butterfly, but no other former Purple alumni. Just Rod. The guy who didn’t sing “Highway Star”, “Smoke on the Water”, or “Lazy”. Needless to say, Rod Evans’ bogus “Deep Purple” did not last as soon as word got out. The lawyers for the other former Deep Purple members ensured that by running ads in the local papers. “The following members will not be appearing with the band called Deep Purple at [such and such a date and venue] : Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale.” A show in Montreal was particularly horrid, and reportedly the band’s stage act involved one of the members bringing out a chain saw to cut stuff up. They were hit with lawsuits galore and quickly packed it in, but not before recording two new songs for a projected new “Deep Purple” studio album. The two songs, “Blood Blister” and “Brum Doogie”, are thankfully lost. A video of “Smoke on the Water” live in Mexico remains, to remind us why this was not a good idea. [For more on the bogus “Deep Purple”, click here.]
Clearly, lots of profits were to made if the real Deep Purple were ever to reunite. They tried earlier on, but were hung up when Ian Gillan joined Black Sabbath. When Ian’s Sabbath commitments were finished a year later, it finally happened. Jon Lord had freed himself of Whitesnake, and Ritchie, Roger Glover and Ian Paice were all ready willing and able. The reunion was on, for real this time.
The band quickly agreed on creating new music (otherwise, what’s the point of it?), and decided that there had to be a level of quality that served the name Deep Purple. They retreated to the gorgeous Stowe, Vermont and found themselves to be in great spirits and full of ideas. Another wise decision was the use of bassist Glover to produce. After his first stint in Purple, he became quite successful as a producer. He recorded some of the best Nazareth albums, a Judas Priest record (Sin After Sin) , Rainbow, David Coverdale, and countless more. It only made sense to keep production of the new album within the band when you have a guy like Roger in the band!
The album that resulted, Perfect Strangers, was more modern but unmistakably Deep Purple. Taking advantage of modern recording studios resulted in an album with rich instrumental tones. As great as classic Deep Purple albums were sonically, Perfect Strangers has a new richness and clarity. Jon’s organ is deep and gorgeous, but Ian Paice’s drum sound is monstrous.
The opening track “Knocking at Your Back Door” (hah hah hah) commences with ominous keys from Jon, sounding at first like the pipes of doom. Then Roger begins a quick pulse, and Paice crashes that cymbal, and my God, Deep Purple is back! Ritchie and Ian join them for the first Deep Purple epic of the album — and on the first track, no less! “Knocking at Your Back Door” may be a joke lyrically, but it’s dead serious musically. It’s Deep Purple, but streamlined. Extraneous things have been discarded; others are sleeker. The only disappointment about the song is actually the guitar solo, which just slightly does not fit. Glover once said about this album that Ritchie struggles with solos in the studio more so than live. Something about when the red light goes on, he gets cold feet. There’s some incredible playing in this guitar solo, but parts of it feel out of place and overdone.
That one minor complaint is probably the only quibble you’ll read here about Perfect Strangers. The album continues to impress as it plays. “Under the Gun” is a song that would sound so great live today; shame that it hasn’t been played live in 30 years. I can’t imagine why. “Under the Gun” demonstrates the streamlined groove that Purple were going for in the 80’s. Listen to Paicey’s drums. They are relentless and powerful, but he’s also playing it simpler than he used to. This is intentional. When I say “streamlined”, that doesn’t mean there aren’t long solos, because Ritchie’s here is over a minute long (in a 4:34 song)!
“Nobody’s Home” gives Jon Lord a change to stretch out a bit on the synths, but it’s just a feint. This track re-writes “Black Night” for 1984, and ties it all up with a little bow in under four minutes. “Your lights are burnin’ bright, but nobody’s home!” sings Ian, for once not speaking of Blackmore! Jon takes the spotlight with a nice quick solo on the Hammond, a sound not often heard in ’84.
Side one was closed by the nasty little “Mean Streak”. It has one of those quirky Gillan lyrics that I like so much. “She came home last night, rockin’ rollin’ drunk. She talk no sense but she sound good so she thunk.” It’s a cool rock track with a chugging riff; always a deadly combination when wielded by Deep Purple. It boasts one of Ritchie’s coolest solos on the album.
I will never forget seeing this video on MuchMusic, introduced by Bruce Dickinson. Of Deep Purple he said, “Well, they’re very good. But not as good at football as they appear. No. They’re not.” The VJ (Erica Ehm) asked, “Why not?” Dickinson simply responded, “Because they’re not! What a silly question.”
Of all the songs on Perfect Strangers, only one has been consistently played live every tour: the title track. This epic, like its side one counterpart “Knocking at Your Back Door”, opens with Jon’s ominous keys. This time it’s the old trusty Hammond, and then the band crash in with the riff to kill all riffs. I think in some respects, this song has become Deep Purple’s “Kashmir”, especially when played in concert. It has evolved to become more exotic since it was first recorded, though it does contain those flavors here. The lyrics are ambiguously beautiful. Back in the Record Store days, I talked to a guy once who thought the lyrics were about God. I’ll leave it up to you. Blackmore called it his favourite Deep Purple song. It’s a tough call, but Top Five for sure. I cannot survive without this song in my life, period.
Then WHAM! “A Gypsy’s Kiss,” right in the kisser. If any doubters had thoughts that Purple had lost anything in the past decade, this song proved them dead wrong. Blazing pace, blazing Paice, the whole place is ablaze! Again, Ian’s lyrics are awesome, and I love the self-referencing. “Space truckers free and high, Teamsters get ya by and by.” I also really like this verse, because, hey. John Wayne, man.
John Wayne, the Alamo, Crazy Horse, Geronimo, I’ll smoke a piece with you. Mind, Body, Heart and Soul, We got Rock and Roll, And there’s nothing they can do.
A good Deep Purple album rarely has a slow blues buried deep within. “Wasted Sunsets” is the album’s heavy blues track, like “When a Blind Man Cries” was to Machine Head (though it was relegated to a mere B-side). Jon’s organ sets the mood stunningly, and Ritchie absolutely nails it. I get the feeling that Ian is baring his soul in the lyrics, although he doesn’t seem too regretful of all those one night stands.
For self referencing, no lyric on the album beats out “Hungry Daze”:
The mountain’s getting cold and lonely, The trees are bare, We all came out to Montreux, But that’s another song, you’ve heard it all before!
Regrets? Hell no. “Different girls, laughing girls, forever girls and it was loud!” Gillan has a talent for making cheeky lyrics like this work with serious music. “Hungry Daze” has that modern Purple groove with the same kind of chugging exotic riff that powers “Perfect Strangers” — but faster! There’s even backwards tapes (Jon’s organ), a sound unheard on a Deep Purple album since 1969, but back in style in 1984.
Lucky cassette and compact disc buyers got a bonus track: “Not Responsible”. When I first got the album (on cassette) I wondered, “Why is this song a bonus track? It’s one of the best songs!” Good question! (Perhaps because it’s the only song on which Gillan dropped an f-bomb.) I think it closes the album even better than “Hungry Daze” does. Lyrically it’s more drinking and debauchery. “So I’ll raise a glass to you, the foot is on the other shoe.” I consider “Not Responsible” to be of equal value to any of the better tracks on the album proper, so if you only own this on LP, consider getting this song (legally) to complete the picture.
Want more? There’s one more, but you’ll have to do a little research to get it in full. “Son of Aleric” is a killer slow groove 10 minute instrumental, with all the flavor of the album. It was released on the B-side of “Perfect Strangers”. If you bought the 7″ single, you got the 5:28 edit version. If you bought the 12″ single, you got the full Monty at 10:03. The full version was rarely issued on CD. I have it on a compilation CD with the cumbersome title of Knocking at Your Back Door: The Best of Deep Purple in the 80’s. But “Son of Aleric” is only on the UK version! (Other territories just got a live version of “Child in Time” from the live album Nobody’s Perfect. Bummer.) This is the kind of open Deep Purple jam that you just want to melt into. It’s magic.
If you like Deep Purple, but do not own Perfect Strangers, then I advise that you remedy that situation at your earliest convenience. I am no stranger to this album; I have played it hundreds of times, often more than once in the same day. I have never grown tired of it. For that reason, and many more, Perfect Strangers earns the coveted:
When Blackmore quit Purple for the second time, I had written the band off. I wasn’t too keen on the previous studio record The Battle Rages On, and what is Purple without the man in black? I didn’t want to hear a hack Deep Purple, struggling on to pay the bills with some sub-Blackmore player. The first time he left, it shattered the band and they were unable to continue past one record with Tommy Bolin. Then I started reading reviews of live shows with Steve Morse on guitar. Steve Morse? What the hell was that going to sound like? Morse and Ritchie Blackmore — it is hard to imagine two electric guitar players who sound less alike. (Joe Satriani was also briefly in the band to help them finish up touring commitments. Bootlegs of shows with Satriani are well worth checking out.)
When Purple finally released their new studio album Purpendicular, I had to buy it on import. It didn’t even have a North American release. When it was released officially in the US, an extra bonus track was added, so I tracked that down and bought it too. That is how much I really love this record. It had a huge impact on me musically in the mid to late 90’s, and when I saw Purple on this tour, they were smoking!
Kicking off with some of that patented Morse shredding, the oddly titled “Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic” kicks you in the teeth and won’t let go. This was, according to Gillan, done on purpose. It was a statement: “Here is our new guitar player, bitches.” Ian’s lyrics, ranging from bizarre to absurd and back again, are at their absolute peak on this album. (Check out “Somebody Stole My Guitar”.) Clearly, when the man had been freed of Blackmore’s shackles, he had been creatively revitalized. That probably followed in turn for each of the members.
The second track is the melancholy, bass-driven “Loosen My Strings”, a song which wouldn’t sound out of place on Slaves and Masters. From there, the album goes from strength to strength: The powerful progressive epic “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming” (probably the best track on the album) to the bright and positive “A Touch Away”. Every song is backed by Morse’s unmistakable picking, miles away from Blackmore’s style of riffing, or medieval tendencies. That is not an attack against Blackmore, but sometimes a quality change can be refreshing. Morse utilizes pinch harmonics frequently on this album, which is a new sound for Deep Purple. He also utilizes long sustained notes with wide vibrato, a classic Steve Morse sound.
There are very few weak songs on Purpendicular. The plodding “Soon Forgotten” can be skipped. Not all the songs are immediate. Some of them are complex arrangements designed to take a little effort to penetrate. This album must be played a couple times for it to sink in. But when it does, stand back and prepare to be blown away. I wouldn’t want to miss “The Aviator”, a rare acoustic Purple tune. Morse lends it a celtic feel. For folks who prefer the 70’s jamming Deep Purple, check into “Rosa’s Cantina” and give a shout-out to “Hey Cisco”. And if you like it a little more straightforward and rocking, you may prefer catchy rockers like “Somebody Stole My Guitar” and “I’m Not Your Lover Now”.
I mentioned that I re-bought this album for a US bonus track. “Don’t Hold Your Breath” is a bright upbeat rock song, and worth tracking down. It’s not necessarily an album highlight, but why do without? Jon Lord’s organ sounds on this one are particularly enticing.
There was also one outtake from this album, a silly little jam/band intro called “Dick Pimple”. This was put out on a fanclub-only release, and later reissued on Ian Gillan & Tony Iommi’s compilation CD WhoCares. It’s a 10 minute track, giving the fans a rare chance to hear Purple with Morse jam just for shits & giggles. Because it’s Deep Purple, it is a quality jam, and completely unlike anything on Purpendicular.
Purpendicular was a vital record for Deep Purple. If they had blown it, that would have been it. They couldn’t have continued with any credibility if it didn’t kill. Fortunately it did. I am pleased to report that despite the tragic death of Jon Lord, Deep Purple has managed four more great records since, all with Steve Morse on guitar.
Thanks to Amazon, this arrived today. Only a week late, but for free shipping I won’t complain too much. When a parcel comes packaged inside not one but two boxes, you know it’s big. And this sucker is heavy. 5 discs, with two huge books inside. I can’t wait to dig in.
“Rat Bat Blue” (named for Ian Paice’s drum pattern that is the foundation of the song) is a great unsung classic. Funky and hard-hitting, “Rat Bat Blue” could have been a classic had it been released by a band that still wanted to be a band. “Rat Bat Blue” is my favourite on the album! (Note: the first time I bought the original CD at my own store, I ran into a manufacturing flaw – a moment of silence near the end where Ian sings, “Aaaaalright.” The CD with the defect just has “Aaaaaa” and then a second of silence! My boss would not let me exchange it.)
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