2008-06-21

Deep Purple - 1977 - Singles A's & B's

Single's A's & B's
Released in 1977
Re-released and expanded in 1993





01. Hush
02. One More Rainy Day
03. Kentucky Woman
04. Emmaretta
05. Bird Has Flown
06. Hallelujah
07. Speed King
08. Black Night
09. Strange Kind of Woman
10. I'm Alone 11. Fireball
12. Demon's Eye
13. Never Before
14. When a Blind Man Cries
15. Smoke on the Water
16. Black Night (Live)
17. Might Just Take Your Life
18. Coronarias Redig
19. You Keep on Moving
20. Love Child

Deep Purple - 1976 - On The Wings Of A Russian Foxbat

On The Wings Of A Russian Foxbat
Live In California
Recorded in 1976, released in 1995


01. Burn
02. Lady Luck
03. Getting Tighter
04. Love Child
05. Smoke On The Water
06. Lazy
07. Homeward Strut
08. This Time Around
09. Stormbringer
10. Highway Star
11. Smoke On The Water*
12. Going Down*
13. Highway Star*

Long Beach Arena, California, USA on February 27. 1976.
Bonus tracks* from Springfield, MA on January 26. 1976.

Deep Purple - 1975 - Last Concert In Japan - This Time Around

Last Concert In Japan / This Time Around
Recorded December 1975 in Tokyo
Released in 1977 as Last Concert In Japan , Re-released in 2001 as This Time Around




Last Concert In Japan


01. Burn
02. Love Child
03. You Keep on Moving
04. Wild Dogs
05. Lady Luck
06. Smoke on the Water
07. Soldier of Fortune
08. Woman From Tokyo
09. Highway Star

This Time Around

01. Burn
02. Lady Luck
03. Love Child
04. Gettin' Tighter
05. Smoke on the water / Georgia on My Mind
06. Wild Dogs
07. I Need Love
08. Soldier of Fortune
09. Jon Lord Solo
10. Lazy / Drum Solo
11. This Time Around
12. Owed to G
13. Tommy Bolin Guitar Solo
14. Drifter
15. You Keep on Moving
16. Stormbringer
17. Highway Star

I always felt I was a little different from the majority of Purple fans, and came out of the closet years ago. You see, I actually like ‘Last Concert In Japan’. I think it's a great album - always have done. OK, the fact that it was my first real Japanese import helped, but here was a chance to listen to the cream of the ‘Come Taste The Band’ tracks in a live setting. I got to know the album intimately. I know every ad-lib, whoop and holler, and could match every scream from both Coverdale and Hughes (although off-key of course!). I ended up picking up a second vinyl copy, and threw £20 over the counter in Tower Records for the import CD a few years back. When I joined the DPAS, my first letter asked if anyone knew if the rest of the ‘Last Concert’ tapes still existed.
Anyway, you all know the story by now. The final date in Japan - at the Budo-Kan in Tokyo on December 15th 1975 - was taped both officially and unofficially (the bootleg first appearing on vinyl under the title 'Get It While It Tastes') and the greatly edited single LP version of the show was released in Japan in March 1977. Now the complete show is available, as it was on the night, with no slight of hand, no dodgy edits and no running order re-arrangements; as with other such DPAS-related releases, what you get is the show as it happened, warts and all, as they say.
The first thing you notice is the preponderance of material aired from ‘Come Taste The Band’. Seven of the album's nine tracks were showcased on the night, a brave move considering the relatively poor sales of the album; by the time the US dates were recorded, the number of new songs had been considerably pared down. The second thing is that if you are familiar with 'Last Concert' you'll see that the bulk of the original album is drawn from the early part of the band's set. So, things get started with David Coverdale's screamed intro and THAT version of 'Burn', before giving way to 'Lady Luck' with its funky little guitar solo, and 'Love Child' which gives Jon Lord room to show off his particular skills.
The first ‘new' track is 'Gettin' Tighter', which at the best part of sixteen or so minutes not only eclipses the version on 'Foxbat' but also has more 'structure' than the American recording, and features more nice keyboard doodling, as well as the Hughes / Bolin interplay plus some fine vocals from the bassist.Up next is 'Smoke On The Water'. On the plus side, Glenn Hughes' 'Georgia..' snippet had been resurrected and reinstated, having being edited off the original vinyl release. But on the minus side... I guess I am the ultimate heretic; I don't really like the song, finding it rather dull. Live, it has a little more merit, but not the way MK.IV played it. In addition, Hughes' howling through 'Georgia..' adds absolutely nothing to 'Smoke..' and I still wonder why anyone actually let him do it in the first place. Still, it gives way to 'Wild Dogs', a classic in its own right and a marvellous showcase of Bolin's talents, both as a singer and a guitarist, as he wrenches out that final solo before the song crashes to an end.
'I Need Love' doesn't really work live, and you can see why it was soon dropped from the live set. Bereft of the classy fretboard overdubs on the studio version, it just plods along before Coverdale delivers what was to become in later years his 'Soldier of Fortune' trademark and Jon Lord embarks on the first of the set's lengthy solos (including the 'Woman From Tokyo' snippet that along with 'Soldier Of Fortune' was tacked to the end of 'Smoke' on the LP). As was the norm, Lord's spots are flawless and 'Lazy', complete with Ian Paice's drum solo; both solo spots are almost effortless in their execution, although as ever they mean more if you were actually there on the night.
Hughes steps up to introduce 'This Time Around / Owed To G', and delivers a superb vocal performance, before Paice thunders in and Bolin cuts loose on the instrumental passage. Things falter as his solo spot takes quite a time to get going, but as he warms up (or the nerves die down) he pulls off some nice touches before plunging effortlessly into 'Drifter'. Coverdale's lead vocals are spot on (Hughes sounds rather off-key in the background!), and by now Bolin is really firing on all eight. After loss of momentum arising from the middle set solos, the band is back in the groove once more. 'You Keep On Moving' was the highlight of 'Last Concert..' for me, and it still has all of its appeal. A beautiful piece with some deft flashes from Bolin, and that terrific solo from Lord, this version never fails to put a shiver up my spine. 'Stormbringer' closes the set proper, this version being very similar to the one on 'Foxbat', together with the extended (and perhaps unnecessary, given the powerful MK.III versions) ending. After such a set, it's a bit of a surprise and a disappointment that the sole encore is the no-frills version of 'Highway Star'.
There you have it. In summary, it you disliked 'Last Concert..' because of the ‘liberties' taken with the set, then this will restore your faith; on the other hand, if you liked the record, then you're going to love this new version. Coverdale is in fine form throughout (a much better performance than is in evidence on 'Foxbat'), Bolin pulls some real magic out of his guitar, Hughes and Paice are nice and tight and Lord is ever reliable, almost a hidden hand directing things from stage left. This to me is vintage Purple.
Niggles? One of the only other gripes is the lack of encores; hearing the material for the first time without a track list I expected more than just the single breakneck rendition of 'Highway Star'. I was still at school in Torquay in 1976; Liverpool and the rest of the Mk.IV dates were a long way from my home town, so I didn't get to see those legendary, shambolic final dates. It's over twenty years since my mates and I sat and wondered how it could all have turned so sour so quickly; now, having played this recording through from start to finish several times now, and still enjoying the class of material and the strength of the performances (both individual and as a whole) which at times crackle with energy, the question remains - how did things go so badly wrong within just three short months? Talk about chucking it all away....

Deep Purple - 1975 - Come Taste The Band

Come Taste The Band
November 1975


01. Comin' Home
02. Lady Luck
03. Gettin' Tighter
04. Dealer
05. I Need Love
06. Drifter
07. Love Child
08. This Time Around / Owed to 'G'
09. You Keep on Moving

Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple's central force since their creation, left the group after Stormbringer to form his own group; this is Deep Purple's first record with new guitarist Tommy Bolin.
The album takes off in the chunky funk-rock style of Purple's last two albums. Distinctions don't develop until the material becomes familiar. Like Blackmore, Bolin establishes tension between Purple's solid rhythm foundation and his own sustained clarity and agitated upper-fret playing. While Blackmore was largely confined by this style, Bolin employs it as only one of many. His more flexible approach to writing and arranging produces a more melodic and dynamic feel. With him, Purple's music has outgrown the predictability of the past. Textures replace a reliance on volume, and changes in tone and pace more frequently contrast and augment each other. There is evidence of give and take that Deep Purple hasn't shown for some time. David Coverdale's emerging songwriting talents combine with Bolin's in "Dealer." Lord's more sophisticated keyboard work surfaces in several tunes.
A visible attempt to experiment has expanded the group's music beyond the heavy-metal trap, and this could lead them to rediscover the progressive style that somehow vanished after In Rock. (review taken from Rolling Stone)
CZECHOSLOVAKIA : Supraphon 1 13 2213 ZD : 1978:
(included a pear shaped poster inside)


ARGENTINA V1 : Purple 8283 : July 1976,sleeve as UK with Spanish title 'Veni Y Proba La Banda' on glass (see photo) : 1977 (This was actually the version I first owned from this album back in 1980 and that converted me into a life long Tommy Bolin fan)

Deep Purple - 1975 - The California Rehearsals (pt1 & 2)

The California Rehearsals
Recorded in June 1975
Released as 2 sepparate cd's in 2000, rereleased as double cd in 2007

Days May Come, Days May Go
The California Rehearsals

1. Owed To "G"
2. If You Love Me Woman
3. The Orange Juice Song
4. I Got Nothing For You
5. Statesboro Blues
6. Dance To The Rock & Roll
7. Drifter (Rehearsal Sequence)
8. Drifter (Version 1)
9. The Last Of The Long Jams

1420 Beachwood Drive
The California Rehearsals Part 2

01. Drifter
02. Sail Away Riff
03. You Keep On Moving
04. Pirate Blues
05. Say You Love Me

Deep Purple - 1975 - Live In Paris

Live In Paris 1975
Recorded in April 1975
Released in April 2004


01. Burn 02. Stormbringer
03. Gypsy
04. Lady Double Dealer
05. Mistreated
06. Smoke on the Water
07. You Fool No One
08. Space Truckin'
09. Going Down/Highway Star

This aural document of Blackmore's last pre-reunion Deep Purple show is an amazing record of an historic event. I freely admit to having a 'soft spot' for this era of Purple as the scrapbook 1975 tour album 'Made In Europe' was an early purchase for me (when I was a mere pimply youth). So what does this 'new' release have to offer?
Well apart from a good half hour of previously unreleased material, the major point of interest on Live In Paris 1975 is the SOUND. Full marks to the restoring engineers as the sound on this one is absolutely awesome: everything is exactly where it should be, with each voice and instrument distinct and yet somehow blending together to make a great Purple whole. With headphones on it's easy to get a minds-eye-view of the stage in Paris. Blackmore prowling in the shadows on the right, Lord making all the right noises on the left, Paicey powering everything wonderfully from the back, Coverdale centre stage and Hughes whooping away to the left of him.
It's great to hear the full set, with in-between song chat (and all, ahem, interpolated bits) restored to their rightful place. Much has been made of Blackmore's mind being elsewhere (over the Rainbow?) at the time of this show, but his playing, whilst perhaps not as fiery as the '74 tour, is still inspired. This is clear from the outset with a very powerful 'Burn' kicking things off. Blackmore is simply on fire for this one, with some great playing, even when he's only playing rhythm behind Lord's solo. Some manic keyboard work leads into 'Stormbringer' with killer solos from both Blackmore and Lord. 'The Gypsy' is next up with good vocals and nice soloing from Blackmore again at the coda. We're then treated to a full-tilt 'Lady Double Dealer' before arguably Mk 3's finest hour 'Mistreated'. If Ritchie Blackmore loses his way a little on the intro to this, he more than makes up for it with the seemingly nonchalant virtuosity of his solo work in the middle, which is simply masterful.
'Smoke On The Water' follows - a nice version, as Mk 3 ones go, prefaced by some casual noodling from Blackmore, which includes the riff of 'Lazy'. 'You Fool No One' begins as it always did in a live setting - with a keyboard solo, and is very much a vehicle to show off the individual talents of the band with Blackmore doing his blitz-&-blues thang, and the whole shebang rounded off with a dose of Paicey magic and a snatch of 'The Mule'. Oh, and there's some pretty good harmonised singing from Coverdale and Hughes in there somewhere too.
'Space Truckin' begins with Glenn getting a bit carried away, before Jon gets things back on track with his '2001' intro. This 20 minute work-out finds Blackmore seemingly a bit subdued, but has some good 'lead' bass work from Glenn Hughes, using the 'twangy' effects pedal that people who saw him on his recent UK tour will recognise. The 'Going Down / Highway Star' encore brings proceedings to a close in fine style with the excellent sound again meaning that everything is clearly audible and showing that the whole band is working hard.

Deep Purple - 1975 - Mark III, The Final Concerts

Mark III - The Final Concerts
Recorded April 1975
Released in 1997


01. Burn (*)
02. Stormbringer (*)
03. Gypsy
04. Lady Double Dealer
05. Mistreated
06. Smoke On The Water
07. You Fool No One
08. Space Truckin' (*)
09. Going Down - Highway Star
10. Mistreated (*)
11. You Fool No One (*)
(*) = recorded at Graz, Austria, April 3rd; rest from Paris, France, April 7th 1975.

Deep Purple - 1975 - Made In Europe

Made In Europe
Recorded at the tail end of the 1975 european tour
Released in 1976


01. Burn
02. Mistreated (interpolating 'Rock Me Baby')
03. Lady Double Dealer
04. You Fool No One
05. Stormbringer
Portuguese cover:

Deep Purple - 1974 - Stormbringer

Stormbringer
November 1974


01. Stormbringer
02. Love Don't Mean a Thing
03. Holy Man
04. Hold On
05. Lady Double Dealer
06. You Can't Do It Right (With the One You Love)
07. High Ball Shooter
08. The Gypsy
09. Soldier of Fortune


SPECIAL COLLECTORS' ITEMS
The album was originally called SILENCE and a sleeve mock-up was made (see photo).
They then changed the title to STORMBRINGER and a new mock-up was made but rejected as too destructive an image! Both these were one-offs and are in the DPAS Archives.
The final sleeve painting was closely based on a famous photograph of a tornado in America.


Deep Purple - 1974 - Perks And Tits

Perks And Tits

Recorded in April 1974

Released in 2003, re-released in 2007 as Live In San Diego



01. Burn
02. Might Just Take Your Life
03. Lay Down, Stay Down
04. Mistreated
05. Smoke on the Water
06. Keyboard Solo


'This is the last gig of our tour, so it's going to be a bastard, ok?' announced David Coverdale. Yes David, we believe you.
Even when only available on hiss and pop filled bootlegs with titles such as 'Perks & Tit',' the recording of the last show of Deep Purple's 1974 US tour still made a huge impression on the lucky fans who came across it.
'This one's not being taped, so we say and do what we want,' says Glenn gleefully at one point, raising ironic chuckles in 2003. Little did he know that the night's soundboard recording (including his comment) would be officially released for fans to enjoy almost thirty years down the line, one of the band's wildest and most downright vicious live recordings. It's rather like being musically (and almost physically) assaulted by the mk3 line-up. The California Jam show, performed only three days earlier, is mild by comparison.
Even the pre-show tuning up offers a strong hint of what is about to ensue, with Blackmore energetically skipping up and down the frets while Paice hyperactively flies around his kit. The build up is longer than on any bootleg version, and the sound quality is clearer and more 'in yer face', while retaining the same slightly odd feel caused by the balance of the instruments. The guitar dominates, and considering that the man is in Strat mangling form throughout....well, great!
Blackmore attacks Burn with such aggression that it seems as if he's about to spontaneously combust on the spot. His guitar is forced into incredible growls and screams, with the feedback usually kept (only just) under control. With the track being dragged along at an improper speed, and nearly coming off the rails entirely at times, the rest of the band are left to just try and keep up and somehow hold it all together.
Glenn is certainly up for the task, and by the time Might Just Take Your Life comes along, the others have caught on and help kick the song violently along for its 4 minute duration.
Lay Down Stay Down continues the charge, and rather than giving any respite, Mistreated is introduced with the most awe inspiring of Blackmore guitar barrages. The San Diego Smoke On The Water only surfaced (in incomplete form) on a vinyl bootleg in the early 80s. It's a tremendous version, with every element of the track pushed to its very limit.
In many mk3 shows what had gone on up to this point was only a foretaste of things to come in You Fool No One & Space Truckin', but here it is very hard to imagine there could possibly be another, even higher gear for the band to slip into. Sadly, as those tracks are lost we only have a foretaste in the shape of Lord's five minute organ introduction, which is every bit as stretched out, manic, unpredictable and thrilling as the rest of this incredible set. To say it leaves you longing for more is a huge understatement. Pardon me while I go and play it all again...

Deep Purple - 1974 - Live In London

Live In London
Recorded in May 1974
Originally released in 1982, rereleased as double cd in 2007



01. Burn
02. Might Just Take Your Life
03. Lay Down Stay Down
04. Mistreated
05. Smoke on the Water
06. You Fool No One
07. Space Truckin'

Deep Purple - 1974 - California Jamming

California Jamming
Recorded at The Ontario Speedway, April 1974
Released 1996


01. Burn
02. Might Just Take Your Life
03. Mistreated
04. Smoke On The Water
05. You Fool No One - The Mule
06. Space Truckin'
Deep Purple's 1974 US tour promoting the Burn album climaxed with this show at the Ontario Motor Speedway in California. The band were well into their stride, they were the highest selling artist in the US in 1973 and were enjoying the rewards and the lifestyle that went with it.
Anyway, Deep Purple co-headlined with ELP. The show has gone down as their most infamous largely due to Ritchie's attempt to burn his hair off. It has been available on video for ages now. The new Sonic Zoom edition sound mix is a vast improvement on the previous effort which to be frank was dreadful. Not only is the sound improved but we also get to hear a 'new' track for the very first time. So what's the craic?
The CD starts with Ritchie's strat feeding back before cranking into the Burn riff. It takes a while to get the sound levels right and as a consequence Ritchie's solo is a little down in the mix. He has developed his playing style since Mk 2 with a much faster right hand evident here and elsewhere on this disc. (In my opinion, Ritchie was at the start of his peak in 1974, lasting into Rising ).
Might Just Take Your Life follows and whilst not an obvious live choice it contains some excellent playing by Jon. It's great to hear the band hitting a groove and just jamming.
Lay Down, Stay Down is the missing track. Until recently the only clue to its existence was the suspicious change in daylight levels on the video. There had to be something chopped out! Worth the wait? Of course! Any new live track from 68-76 is. There is a bit of an aimless preamble from Jon, then they're off, with Paicey all over the kit throughout the song. Ritchie's solo features the fast plectrum work but perhaps lacks real drive or the manic beauty of the Perks version. Still I'm splitting hairs. It's great!
Better still is the underrated take of Mistreated. Without the visuals the track comes to life. Big Dave is on good form throughout and the mix is kinder to him during the climatic screaming bit, aided by Glenn, with some amazing fluid playing from Ritchie. Cool.
Smoke On The Water has a nice little intro from Ritchie before that riff kicks in. It's a good performance again, with the band blasting along, and Jon soloing over the top before Glenn does his thang.You Fool No One is the highlight of the show with Jon's Lazy intro, Paicey setting up the groove as Ritchie riffs then Glenn join in... you know the score. Great vocals from Dave and Glenn. Fantastic first solo from Ritchie, while the second shows off his repertoire with some heavy neck wringing, lightning runs, a beautiful quiet blues, and the funky grooves he sets up. Paicey's solo is quite straightforward - for him that is, before a wonderful Mule ending.
Space Truckin', as was the way with Mk3's take on the number, is a bit stop start but features some beautiful playing from all of the band. The vocals are a bit ropey at times, it's not really their style. Glenn plays the Dance to the Rock and Roll riff, so we can forgive him his "I don't want to see anybody sitting down" line, a little unnecessary as everybody is stood in a field! Ritchie plays an unbelievably quiet Greensleeves prior to hitting the volume and some more amazing playing before the mayhem begins - although unless you are some kind of pervert (Hi Andy) Ritchie's full demolition of everything he owned on the night is a bit taxing without the visuals.
The only edits on the disc appear to be during some of the between song chat - so we lose "I keep swallowing flies up here", but we do gain Glenn's comment about Paicey "...sweating his tit's off..." so it's not all bad news! All in all though, and under the circumstances, a fine show - 8 out of 10.

Deep Purple - 1974 - Burn

Burn
February 1974



01. Burn
02. Might Just Take Your Life
03. Lay Down, Stay Down
04. Sail Away
05. You Fool No One
06. What's Going on Here
07. Mistreated
08. "A" 200
09. Coronarias Redig (Single B-Side) [2004 Remix]
10. Burn [2004 Remix]
11. Mistreated [2004 Remix]
12. You Fool No One [2004 Remix]
13. Sail Away [2004 Remix]

2008-05-18

Deep Purple - 1977 - Powerhouse

Powerhouse
December 1977



01. Painted horse
02. Hush
03. Wring that neck
04. Child in time
05. Black night
06. Cry free

A rarities compilation containing (at the time) previously unreleased Mk IIa material.

Track 1: Leftover track from the Who Do We Think We Are sessions in 1972
Tracks 2-4 recorded live at Albert Hall September 24, 1969
Track 5: Live version recorded in Japan 1972
Track 6: Leftover track from the In Rock sessions in 1969/1970

Deep Purple - 1973 - Who Do We Think We Are

Who Do We Think We Are
January 1973



01. Woman from Tokyo
02. Mary Long
03. Super trouper
04. Smooth dancer
05. Rat bat blue
06. Place in line
07. Our lady
08. Woman from Tokyo ('99 remix)
09. Woman from Tokyo (alternate bridge)
10. Painted horse (Studio outtake)
11. Our lady ('99 remix)
12. Rat bat blue (Excerpts from the writing sessions)
13. Rat bat blue ('99 remix)
14. First day jam (Instrumental)

Recorded during the fall of 1972 in Italy using the Rolling Stones Mobile Unit. Engineered by Martin Birch; assisted by Jeremy Gee and Nick Watterton. Mixed by Ian Paice and Roger Glover.
Produced by Deep Purple.

Deep Purple - 1972 - Live In Japan

Live in Japan
1993



CD 1 : "Good Morning"
Recorded in Osaka on 15 August 1972
1. Highway star
2. Child in time
3. The mule
4. Strange kind of woman
5. Lazy
6. Space truckin'
7. Black night (The 2nd encore appears at the end of the third CD)

CD 2 : "Next week, we're turning professional"
Recorded in Osaka on 16 August 1972
8. Highway star
9. Smoke on the water
10. Child in time
11. The mule
12. Strange kind of woman
13. Lazy
14. Space truckin'

CD 3 : "Can we have evrything louder than everything else?"
Recorded in Tokyo on 17 August 1972
15. Highway star
16. Smoke on the water
17. Child in time
18. Strange kind of woman
19. Lazy
20. Space truckin'
21. Speed king (recorded on the 15th)


Recorded live during 15-17 August 1972 in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan. Original recording engineered by Martin Birch. Mixed at Abbey Road in London by Darron Godwin; assisted by Simon Robinson during July 1993. Tapes edited, cleaned and mastered at Abbey Road in London by Peter Mew during September 1993.
Album co-ordinated by Tim Chacksfield and compiled/researched by Simon Robinson.
This 3CD set contains almost three full concerts; the same three gigs that supplied the contents to the classic Made in Japan 1972. Two of the tracks included there ("Smoke on the Water" from the 15th and "The Mule" from the 17th) have not been included on this release. In addition, neither encore from the 16th ("Black Night" & "Lucille") is included, nor are the encores from the 17th ("Black Night" & "Speed King"); the first of which is available on a variety of singles, EPs and compilations. Both encores from the 15th are included.

Deep Purple - 1972 - Made In Japan

Made in Japan
December 1972



01. Highway star (August 16th, 1972 - Osaka)
02. Child in time (August 16th, 1972 - Osaka.
03. Smoke on the water (August 15th - Osaka)
04. The mule (August 17th - Tokyo)
05. Strange kind of woman (August 16th, 1972 - Osaka)
06. Lazy (August 17th - Tokyo)
07. Space truckin' (August 16th, 1972 - Osaka)
08. Black night (August 17th - Tokyo)
09. Speed king (August 17th - Tokyo)
10. Lucille (August 16th, 1972 - Osaka)



Recorded live during 15-17 August 1972 in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan. Engineered by Martin Birch. Mixed by Roger Glover and Ian Paice.
Produced by Deep Purple.
The remastered anniversary edition, issued in 1998, came with some extra tracks not included before. Note, however, that there exist two dofferent versions of the anniversary edition: one for the world and one for the Spanish fans. The latter contains extra bonus tracks.

The same three gigs that formed the basis for this classic live album have later been released almost in full in the 3CD set Live in Japan 1993.

Deep Purple - 1972 - Deep Purple In Concert 1972

Deep Purple in Concert 1972
November 1980



Highway star
Strange kind of woman
Maybe I'm a Leo
Never before
Lazy
Space truckin'
Smoke on the water
Lucille

Contains two BBC shows. The first was recorded on 19th February 1970 at the BBC Studios for The Sunday Show (engineered by Tony Wilson). The second show was recorded on 9th March 1972 at the Paris Theatre in London for BBC Sounds Of The Seventies (engineered by Adrian Revill). Mono reproduced for stereo (1970), remixed from 8 track (1972) and editing by Nick Tauber.
Produced by Jeff Griffin (1970) and Pete Dauncey (1972).
All pre-1992 releases lack two tracks from the second gig, while most releases from 1992 onwards contain complete gigs with all the radio host introductions and interviews

Deep Purple - 1972 - Live In Denmark

Live In Denmark 1972
2007


01. Highway Star
02. Strange Kind of Woman
03. Child in Time
04. The Mule
05. Lazy
06. Space Truckin'
07. Fireball
08. Lucille
09. Black Night

Recorded March 1, 1972 in Denmark, released in 2007.

The album is the Copenhagen video soundtrack of the Live in Concert 72/73 DVD.

This is one of five Deep Purple concerts released from the tours in 1972, and the only one to feature "Fireball", which was substituted with "Smoke on the Water" one week later (see Deep Purple in Concert).


I've been familiar with the Denmark 72 set for some time, having played Scandinavian Nights to death (the video version, that is) and then having scored a copy of the soundtrack of the Japanese laserdisk which was much crisper and LOUDER than the video but had a couple of audio flaws in there too. So what we have here is the earliest official live recording of what was to form the core of the set until the demise of MkII.

Kicking off with "Highway Star", I still love the bit where Gillan stops singing to chastise an overzealous bouncer-Wierd to think that, over 30 years later at both Plymouth and Birmingham on the September 2002 tour, he was still waggling his finger at security and TV cameras (and the band are still performing 5 of the 9 tracks on offer on this set), time really does stand still! Back to the actual music, well "Highway Star" has the slightly chaotic freshness that made the track such an exhilarating live tune. powered along on a wall of bass guitar and thundering drums and, before you know it, they're into "Strange Kind Of Woman", chugging along nicely. Apparently, they're "just doing the one tonight" according to Mr Gillan, so what's all that about then?!

Next up, a stunning version of "Child In Time", and after spending so much time listening to recent bootlegs it's amazing to recall just how much more powerful Ian's voice was back then, his controlled articulation in the quiet parts as sublime as his pitched screams are, well, ridiculously upfront. Odd again, to lurch from the first chorus into a keyboard solo you can actually hear before Blackers takes over. I've always been an advocate of the Morse-era band, but listening to stuff like this serves to remind me why some consider that the subtlety of the keyboard work these days is buried beneath punishingly loud guitar/bass work. Here, though, Blackers backs off, just the bass maintaining a hypnotic rumble while Jon doodles over the top. Weighing in at nearly 17 and a half minutes, you get alot of music for your song here. I've not listened to anything much from `72 for quite some time and it's definitely goosebumps time as the volume gets rolled off to expose the delicate rhythm work and measured (rather than full on) approach of the protaganists.

Before you know it, we're into Disc 2 and "Lazy" (one thing you can't accuse Jon of being during the intro), some truly marvellous, dischordant keyboard droning, a quick rock of the Hammond to set the Leslie speakers exploding and then it's into the familiar groove which has had me tapping my feet to the tune for the last 25 years, Ritchie sparring with Jon before the riff kicks in, tentatively picking away at the riff and teasing us before the band launch into the song proper, again shuffling along on the rhythm section. Spolit these days as we are by better mixing desks and live sound, Ian Paice's snare and bass drums sound like a cornflake box and tea chest respectively (as they do on pretty much all recordings from this era), but with no multitracks to work from, what can we possibly expect?! Jon really lets fly on his solo here, Roger going up and down the scale until he threatens to run out of frets before it's back into the main riff and Ian waggling a tambourine into the mic before finally ripping the harmonica passage. Magic.

"Space Truckin" is another drawn out version, 24 minutes bits of Kachatturian's Sabre Dance (I think that's how you spell the name!) being crafted in, almost dropped in effortlessly, by Jon before things get taken down a notch for a few minutes of serious Strat abuse and general trem waggling. Possibly one of the best versions of the song I've heard, with the obvious bonus of the sound laying bare the more quiet parts of Ritchie and Jon's work which are normally inaudible or drowned out by moronic drunkards on boots of the era.

So we get "Fireball" live by Mk II, too - faltering into the song with guitar problems, the track eventually picks up impetus and gets going properly in a full flurry again carried along by Roger's often underacknowledged bass work. The version itself is taken at a fair pace that leaves you thinking the band are on the verge of collapse, before winding down into "Lucille", again faster than the BBC In Concert version-Perhaps motivated by the "proper" live environment? An off-key "Black Night" (Blackmore's strat seems never to have quite recovered from th abuse of Space Truckin) finishes off the double CD set, the track being quite close to the made In Japan versions in structure and pace. Again, it's nice to hear this now after so much time concentrating on the live versions of the last few years.

2008-05-17

Deep Purple - 1972 - Machine Head

Machine Head
March 1972



1997 Remixes

01. Highway star (Remixed version)
02. Maybe I'm a Leo (Remixed version with a slightly new guitar solo)
03. Pictures of home (Remixed version with an original drum intro)
04. Never before (Remixed version)
05. Smoke on the water (Remixed version with a different guitar solo)
06. Lazy (Remixed version with slightly different vocals)
07. Space truckin' (Remixed version)
08. When a blind man cries (Remixed version)
09. Highway star (Remastered)
10. Maybe I'm a Leo (Remastered)
11. Pictures of home (Remastered)
12. Never before (Remastered)
13. Smoke on the water (Remastered)
14. Lazy (Remastered)
15. Space truckin' (Remastered)
16. When a blind man cries (Remastered)
17. Maybe I'm a Leo (Quadrophonic mix)
18. Lazy (Quadrophonic mix)

Recorded between 6th and 21st December 1971 at the Grand Hotel in Montreux using the Rolling Stones Mobile Unit. Engineered by Martin Birch; assisted by Jeremy (Bear) Gee. Technician: Nick [Watterton].
Album devised and produced by Deep Purple for Edwards Coletta Productions.
There's also a rockumentary (DVD/VHS) describing the making of this album.

Deep Purple - 1971 - Fireball

Fireball
May 1971


01. Fireball
02. No no no
03. Demon's eye
04. Anyone's daughter
05. The mule
06. Fools
07. No one came
08. Strange kind of woman (remix '96)
09. I'm alone (B side of the original "Strange Kind Of Woman" single)
10. Freedom (remix '96, original on Anthology album)
11. Slow train (previously unreleased)
12. Demon's eye (remix '96)
13. The Noise Abatement Society Tapes
14. Fireball - Take 1 (instrumental)
15. Backwards piano
16. No one came (remix '96)

Recorded from September 1970 to June 1971 at De Lane Lea Studios and the Olympic Studios in London, as well as The Hermitage in Welcombe, North Devon. Engineered by Martin Birch, Lou Austin and Alan O'Duffy.
Album devised and produced by Deep Purple for Edwards Coletta Productions.

Deep Purple - 1970 - Gemeni Suite Live

Gemini Suite Live
1993




01. First movement: guitar/organ
02. Second movement: voice/bass
03. Third movement: drums/finale

Deep Purple and The Orchestra of the Light Music Society conducted by Malcolm Arnold
Recorded live on 17th September 1970 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Tapes transfered at Pegasus Studio. Digital sound restoration made at SRT Studios.

Throughout Jon Lord's long and varied musical career, his love of orchestral music has never been far from the surface. While he worked hard to integrate his organ playing into a rock context, from time to time the desire to work with an orchestra manifested itself.

When Lord mentioned to Purple's management an idea of staging a show with a rock group and orchestra they promptly booked the Royal Philharmonic and the Albert Hall, along with conductor Malcolm Arnold. The result was the writing and performance of Concerto For Group & Orchestra in September 1969, an evening which brought the band a lot of publicity, though in the end it caused more problems than it solved, as Lord later remembered: "It drew attention to us at a time when we needed it, but we weren't expecting to be labelled as a group that plays with an orchestra." Jon Lord had been commissioned to write a second orchestral / rock piece, but it was agreed that it would be the last venture of this sort to be performed as Deep Purple.

He decided to write a piece which took as its theme the five members of Deep Purple. There would be five solo movements, each written to reflect the style of the particular member and named after their star-sign. By the time it was finished in the autumn of 1970, "Deep Purple In Rock" and the single, "Black Night", had charted. Against this background, Purple took the stage of the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank on the evening of September 17th 1970 with the Orchestra of the Light Music Society, to perform Jon Lord's "Gemini Suite", conducted once more by Malcolm Arnold.

Ritchie Blackmore's segment came first. He turned his volume down, bowed his head and put together guitar passages of stunning beauty, echoed by quiet and sympathetic orchestral backing. Ian Gillan too turned in a breathtaking performance. Ian Paice's movement became a drum battle with the orchestra's percussion players, and proved popular with the crowd. Lord was in fine form while Roger Glover adopted a casual approach, to inject a little humour into proceedings. The work showed promise and was a lot more forward looking than the "Concerto", relying more heavily on individual performances.

The live recording of the show was shelved. Almost exactly a year later a studio recording of "Gemini Suite" did appear as a Jon Lord solo project, with Albert Lee, Tony Ashton and Yvonne Elliman replacing Blackmore and Gillan. The live recording disappeared until the DPAS made contact with a fan who had taped it on an old reel to reel at the time. In 1992 the tape was located and cleaned up, and then fully restored. Pictures taken on the day of the show were discovered, and the whole package was put together for a release on RPM Records the following year.

This edition was deleted during 1998 and the material has now been repackaged for the Purple Records label. The original inlay has been replaced by a 12 page booklet, which includes a new section discussing the music, as well as the original notes. A fascinating sideline to the history of Deep Purple, this release forms one of a number of Jon Lord related titles on the label.





Deep Purple - 1970 - Live In Stockholm


01. Introduction
02. Speed King
03. Into the Fire
04. Child in Time
05. Wring That Neck
06. Paint It Black
07. Mandrake Root
08. Black Night

Recorded in the capital of Sweden on November 12 1970, at Stockholm Konserthus and recorded by Swedish "Tonkraft" (a radio show).

This concert was originally released in 1988 as Scandinavian Nights in Europe and as Live and Rare in the USA. The original mastertapes were later discovered and are remixed for this release.


Additionally, the Scandinavian Nights 2CD had the same running-order as the vinyl release, the set being adjusted to fit the timing-restrictions of vinyl. For Live in Stockholm the correct order was restored and this, together with the improved sound-quality, makes it the definitive release of this recording.

Songs on the album are from the Deep Purple in Rock album, and long instrumentals from earlier albums. The two songs "Mandrake Root" and "Wring that Neck" took up half the concert in the early days, until the Fireball tour.


It's just astonishingly intense in places. The balance takes a little while to settle down at the start of 'Speed King' but once they're over that hurdle, the band members just seem to be pushing all the time. I found myself totally wrapped up in the first verse of 'Child In Time', just concentrating hard, trying to take it all in. It was like being at a live gig.

Instrumentally it just pulls the listener in as they get harder and heavier. I began asking myself whether this was the best section of live Deep Purple I'd ever heard on disc (I suppose there must be a 'best' version of all their tracks - maybe we should discuss). Before I could decide, I began to be sucked into the twenty plus minute version of 'Wring That Neck', and once more the band just absolutely pile into it. I had to give up after that, and will try the rest tomorrow. It's always been one of my very favourite tapes, ever since the first bootlegs turned up, but the new studio work gives it an added clarity and power which in places made it seem like listening to a new show. Were I to try and decide between this and 'Made In Japan', well - I just hope I never have to!" Simon Robinson

Deep Purple - 1970 - Live In Aachen 1970

Space Vols 1 & 2
2001 (re-released in 2006 as Live In Aachen 1970)


Recorded live on 11th July 1970 at the Reiterstadion in Aachen, Germany.
This was originally printed and distributed as a vinyl bootleg in the early 1970s. This CD release has been remixed/remastered from that.


01. Wring that neck 20.36
02. Black night 6.00
03. Paint it black 11.42
04. Mandrake root 33.37

I know Aachen 1970 quite well, but throughout the opening few minutes of 'Wring That Neck' alone, I can pick out so much more of Jon's deft organ work that it might as well be a completely different show.

Jon and Ritchie are really battling throughout this. Jon's second solo is a lengthy affair, the usual expected combination of classic / humorous snippets, where the audience can be detected in the background applauding wildly. Blackmore's second solo then follows another burst of the riff, and again you can detect stuff that was clearly inaudible (hey, my first oxymoron!) on the original boots (to my cloth ears). And then, before you know it, it's over. Twenty minutes or so over in the blink of an eye.

'Black Night' next, pumping with energy and enthusiasm, then 'Paint It Black' shambles in, the chaotic, almost anarchic beginning we're used to from this era quickly sharpening up, before Paice starts beating seven shades out of his drum kit.

Closer 'Mandrake Root' is a diabolically rude blast of sheer power, the vocals overloaded (as they are throughout the set), but when the musical performance is this good and the quality this unexpectedly sharp, you just have to sit back and let it all down to your knees. Clocking in at over 33 minutes, it's the expected musical tour de force that anyone with other recordings from the era will be familiar with, Ritchie exercising a restraint over his backing where you feel he is plotting to unleash something spectacular when he gets the chance, and eventually when his tremolo arm does come in for some heavy abuse, coupled with the thundering bass and pounding drums, signalling the beginning of the end. Things really do reach a caustic peak, willing you to visualize it in your mind's eye (and I can). A quick "thank you " and that's your lot.

Breathtaking! As soon as Ian Gillan starts to speak, you know that you're in for a good one. Clear, crisp and completely unmuffled, the sound restoration alone makes the purchase essential. I have six different boots of this show and wasn't expecting anything amazing, but I have to say that I'd arrest anyone on sight who claimed they were a Purple fan and didn't own a copy of this. Amazing, essential, brilliant. "Do you feel alright?". Most certainly!

In 1970 bootlegging was still a relatively new phenomena in rock music. With the often imperfect PA systems and the limitations of tape machines, many recordings from the era are of poor quality. However, Aachen is in a different league altogether. History has it that the tapes were taken direct from a feed on the stage and recorded on a basic stereo machine hidden inside a Volkswagen camper van (which certainly accounts for the overloaded vocals). In some places the sound is actually panned from one channel to another, so they may even have mixed it live.

Deep Purple - 1970 - Deep Purple In Concert 1970

Deep Purple in Concert
November 1980



01. Speed king
02. Wring that neck
03. Child in time
04. Mandrake root

Contains two BBC shows. The first was recorded on 19th February 1970 at the BBC Studios for The Sunday Show (engineered by Tony Wilson). The second show was recorded on 9th March 1972 at the Paris Theatre in London for BBC Sounds Of The Seventies (engineered by Adrian Revill). Mono reproduced for stereo (1970), remixed from 8 track (1972) and editing by Nick Tauber.
Produced by Jeff Griffin (1970) and Pete Dauncey (1972).
All pre-1992 releases lack two tracks from the second gig, while most releases from 1992 onwards contain complete gigs.

Deep Purple - 1970 - Deep Purple In Rock

Deep Purple in Rock
June 1970


01. Speed king
02. Bloodsucker
03. Child in time
04. Flight of the rat
05. Into the fire
06. Living wreck
07. Hard lovin' man
08. Black night (Original single edit version)
09. Studio chat
10. Speed king (Demo version with piano)
11. Studio chat
12. Cry free (Roger Glover's remix)
13. Studio chat
14. Jam stew (Previously unreleased instrumental)
15. Studio chat
16. Flight of the rat (Roger Glover's remix)
17. Studio chat
18. Speed king (Roger Glover's remix)
19. Studio chat
20. Black night (Roger Glover's unedited remix)

Recorded from October 1969 to April 1970 at the IBC Studio (engineered by Andy Knight), De Lane Lea Studios (engineered by Martin Birch) and Abbey Road Studios (engineered by Philip McDonald), all in London.
Album devised and arranged by Deep Purple. Produced by Deep Purple for Edwards Coletta Productions.
A remixed and extended anniversary edition was first issued with a slaughtered version of "Living wreck" and a prematurely cut-off version of "Hard lovin' man". This was soon corrected though. In case of doubt, according to Simon Robinson (in DTB 48:7), one way to tell a corrected release from a faulty one is by reading the shiny side of the actual disc: the faulty one says "EMI Swindon" while the corrected one says "EMI Uden". We are told by fans that discs printed with "EMI UK" also are faulty. Happy hunting!

Deep Purple - 1969 - Live In Montreux 1969

Recorded October 4, 1969 in Montreux, released in 2006.



It featured some of the first performances of "Speed King" and "Child in Time", which were released on Deep Purple in Rock eight months later. The live version of "Kentucky Woman" is the only known surviving MkII performance of the song. The album features no songs from the band's latest recorded album at the time, Deep Purple, because it wasn't released in Europe. Live performances of the songs from the album can rarely be found.

Live in Montreux 69 was first issued under the title Kneel & Pray in 2004.



01. Kneel & Pray (Speed King)
02. Hush
03. Child in Time
04. Wring That Neck
05. Paint It Black
06. Mandrake Root
07. Kentucky Woman

The set starts with the extended swell of Hammer horror-esque Hammond, ebbing and flowing for nigh on 45 seconds until the familiar lurching intro of what we now know as Speed King kicks in...

Some of the lyrical structures are familiar, as is the music (the references to Miss Molly, Lucille etc are there) but there's no "chorus" as such lyrically, and the break after the chorus is much more deft, rolling away with none of the crashing power that later developed to carry the chorus into the following verses. Gillan screams through much of the second verse (no lyrics), then the middle section is upon us, "you've got to kneel down, turn around, tell me what you found" being a familiar strain to those owners of the Paradiso `69 boots floating around. (check www.purplemash.demon.co.uk for details of known vinyl and CD bootleg titles from the era) . Much of the construction is closer to the BBC studios version, still way off from the final brutal onslaught of the In Rock version but the ending is an exercise in controlled power; tight and to the point. Ian Gillan actually credits the track as Kneel And Pray after the embryonic song, still developing into the fully-fledged bruiser which the band are still kicking about thirty years after this was laid down onto copper oxide.

Wring That Neck was, by this time a well established and lengthy staple of the Deep Purple set, never perfunctory but certainly way more polished than the opener. Blackmore and Lord (as ever in those days) spar for supremacy and in turn vying to outdo each other, flicking the switch between effortless jazz chords, particularly Ritchie's simple rhythmic work here, and then disappearing off with stratospheric roaring solos. You can only guess at the excitement at being witness first hand to this, the recording eerily laying bare the band without the intrusion of an audience to which those of us who explore the Purple legacy through the bootleg medium have come to become accustomed. At just under 6 minutes in the track, everybody backs off and Paicey's shuffle and Roger's throbbing basswork underpin some nice noodling from Ritchie before the accelerator (or should that be volume pedal?) is applied again, some truly electrifying guitar work building to one of the many crescendos of the song. My fingers hurt just imagining how this sort of stuff can be played by one set of hands alone.

Eventually though, Blackmore backs off and it's Jon's turn to work, unaccompanied on one of his classically inspired outings, darting metaphorically off all over the place while tying together the loose ends with various musical themes with the occasional assistance of Roger and little Ian, before the reigns are handed back to the man in black for his solo spot. It's reminiscent of his work for the band's pre Concerto set, which had taken place just a couple of weeks or so prior to this set. None of the nervous picking here though. Free of the pressures of TV cameras, Ritchie winds it up all the way before the band crash out in a frenetic, full-on finale to the track.

Next up, some light relief from the musical bombardment as the band launch into Hush, attacked with some more vigour than their attempt at the abovementioned Concerto. Jon and Ritchie again spar, as little Ian tackles a hypnotic drum backing to the instrumental section, drawn out and again featuring some excellent keyboard work which seems to go on and on, Ritchie's chopping guitar accompaniment again ranging from measured picking to almost hacking in intensity, as Jon's lengthy solo rises to it's intense peak before the song is closed out by the re-entry of Ian Gillan.

"Let that man out immediately" cries Gillan in response to something I can't quite make out from elsewhere on the stage as the band slow things down for Child In Time, again sound fresh, crisp and assured. As the song has been played and played over the years, some of the dynamics and atmosphere on display here have sadly been lost in favour of a more obvious suckerpunch, but back in `69 Gillan could still scream and the dynamics were controlled rather than overwhelmingly elevated by the use of overloaded guitars and sheer brute force volume. Here we have what could be considered definitive Deep Purple, displaying on the one hand a measured calm and confidence towards their music and then that "teetering on the precipice" sensation as they pound away at the middle section of the song, crackling with energy until the familiar run of triplets heralds the abrupt termination and return to near-silence, Jon continuing almost as if in a world of his own for a few bars after everyone else has stopped, before switching gear down to begin the final section of the song.

Paint It Black starts off with some gusto, I don't know why, but the sound of this recording lends itself much more to allowing the ear to concentrate on each of the instruments in turn. The brief nod in the direction of the Stones original melody is quickly blown away as Paicey bashes the skins for nigh-on eight minutes before reprising the riff, Jon carrying the tune while Ritchie abuses the trem with little or no regard for it's well-being.

Closing out the main body of the set is the second lengthy (mainly!) instrumental Mandrake Root, again similar in feel to many of the known bootlegs from the `69/'70 period. Once established, the song changed little until it metamorphosed into the instrumental sections of Space Truckin in 1972 but here, again, there's a freshness to the bobbling bass and drum work, with parts of Jon's keyboard work nodding a hint of The Mule and Grabsplatter... or is it just my imagination. This one just keeps going and going, freeform work held up on an at times imponderably thin and subtle layer of rhythm work, Ritchie idly picking away in the background while Jon doodles away with seemingly no desire to stop before taking the volume (but not energy) level down a few bars, everyone winding off the volume to take the song into a more deliberated direction, before pumping up the volume to allow for Mr B. to take centre stage for some further trem abuse. His use of eastern sounding (as in Egypt, not Cromer) scales takes things up a further notch. I know the triplet I'm expecting here, but Ritchie teases and teases, returning time and time again to inflict the sort of abuse on his poor guitar that leaves my ears not able to believe the noises generated from the groaning Marshalls without the guitar having been broken into a thousand pieces. Eventually he relents and Jon takes over briefly, presumably the guitar having been kicked about around the floor and now requiring to be returned around it's owner's neck for the final few seconds of the song and then that's it, "thank you very much and good night", all over bar the obligatory curtain call.

But what's this, it says Kentucky Woman is the encore. Nah?? Bloody hell, it really IS Kentucky Woman! Close to the original album version, the vocals here are particularly overloaded, and instrumentally Jon is all over his keyboard as everyone else pounds away relentlessly. Ritchie's solo is an especially fine example of guitar strangulation, not quite the bizarrely off-kilter affair of the studio take, but sticking to the spirit. Jon's keyboard solo has, I'm quite sure, been used by him to introduce Lazy on their more recent tours, where it comes from I cannot claim to know, but the musical familiarity doesn't last long as his hands slide ever onward up the keys to give the familiar swell before we're back into the final verse and chorus. Fun, interesting and historically important, the first (and probably last) known take of this song featuring Roger and Ian G.

Deep Purple - 1969 - Concerto For Group And Orchestra

Concerto for Group and Orchestra
December 1969



01. Intr0
02. Hush
03. Wring that neck
04. Child in time
05. First movement: moderato allegro
06. Second movement: andante
07. Third movement: vivace presto
08. Encore - Third Movement (part)

Recorded live on 24th September 1969 at the Albert Hall in London using the De Lane Lea Recording Studios Mobile Unit. Engineered by Dave Siddle and Martin Birch.
The entire event was aired live by the BBC and later released on video. The actual Concerto was preceded by three DP tracks and a modern-classics composition by Malcolm Arnold.

Deep Purple - 1969 - Deep Purple

Deep Purple
June 1969


01. Chasing shadows (Lord/Paice) 5.34
02. Blind (Lord) 5.26
03. Lalena (Leitch) 5.05
04. Fault line (Blackmore/Simper/Lord/Paice) 1.46
05. The painter (Blackmore/Evans/Lord/Paice) 3.51
06. Why didn't Rosemary? (Lord/Evans/Simper/Blackmore) 5.04
07. Bird has flown (Lord/Evans/Blackmore) 5.36
08. April (Blackmore/Lord) 12.10
09. The bird has flown (Lord/Evans/Blackmore) 2.54
Alternate single version.
10. Emmaretta (Lord/Evans/Blackmore) 3.00
Previously released on single.
11. Emmaretta (Lord/Evans/Blackmore) 3.09
Live track recorded for the BBC show "Top Gear", January 1969.
12. Lalena (Leitch) 3.33
Live track recorded for some BBC radio show in June 1969.
13. The painter (Blackmore/Simper/Lord/Paice) 2.18
Live track recorded for some BBC radio show in June 1969.

Recorded during February/March 1969 at De Lane Lea Studios in London. Engineered by Barry Ainsworth.
Album devised and arranged by Deep Purple. Produced by Derek Lawrence for Edwards Coletta Ltd.

Deep Purple - 1968 - Book Of Taliesyn

Book of Taliesyn
December 1968



01. Listen, learn, read on (Blackmore/Evans/Lord/Paice) 4.05
02. Wring that neck (Blackmore/Simper/Lord/Paice) 5.13
03. Kentucky woman (Diamond) 4.44
04. Medley 7.07
Exposition (Blackmore/Simper/Lord/Paice)
We can work it out (Lennon/McCartney)
05. Shield (Blackmore/Evans/Lord) 6.06
06. Anthem (Lord/Evans) 6.31
07. River deep, mountain high (Barry/Spector/Greenwich) 10.12
08. Oh no no no (Russell/Leander) 4.25
Studio outtake.
09. It's all over (unknown) 4.14
Recorded live for the BBC show "Top Gear", January 1969.
10. Hey bop a re bop (Blackmore/Evans/Lord/Paice) 3.31
Early version of "The Painter". Recorded live for the BBC show "Top Gear", January 1969.
11. Wring that neck (Blackmore/Simper/Lord/Paice) 4.42
Recorded live for the BBC show "Top Gear", January 1969.
12. Playground (Blackmore/Simper/Lord/Paice) 4.29
Instrumental studio jam (remixed) recorded August 1968.

Recorded from August to October 1968 at De Lane Lea Studios in London. Engineered by Barry Ainsworth.
Produced by Derek Lawrence.

Deep Purple - 1968 - Live At Inglewood




Recorded in Los Angeles on October 18, 1968, as the supporting band for Cream, at their Farewell Tour. One of the very few live recordings featuring the Mark I lineup, it was re-released in 2002 on Purple Records.

01 Hush (Joe South) - 4:44
02 Kentucky Woman (Neil Diamond) - 5:01
03 Mandrake Root (Rod Evans, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord) - 10:10
04 Help! (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 6:19
05 Wring That Neck (Blackmore, Nick Simper, Lord, Ian Paice) - 6:40
06 River Deep, Mountain High (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) - 9:44
07 Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) - 7:57

Tetragrammaton pulled out all the stops to secure Deep Purple a prestigious U.S. live debut on October 18th 1968, opening for Cream on their farewell tour of America at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

For Deep Purple's first live show on American soil they also made a rough black & white video recording to analyse the band's stage performance. Maybe they were was also there to check another recent acquisition, the world's first production-line 'home' video-tape recorder and portable video camera, both introduced by Sony in 1967. The results captured through the camera (equipped only with an awkward turret lens to zoom in) were not at all impressive. Tetragrammaton played back Purple's 50 minute support performance to the group soon afterwards, and no-one could really have learnt much from it. The picture was just a grey fog, with the figures of the band just about visible through the gloom. Whenever they moved the primitive tube technology of the camera caused 'ghosting', which made things even worse.

The good news was that the accompanying audio recording turned out well and that the fifty minute support set also fitted neatly onto a reel of 0.5 inch videotape. Effectively even the audio was still just a superior audience recording however, so when Warners took over Tetragrammaton in 1970, the tape went into the dumpster.. Fortuitously it was rescued, and eventually reached the hands of the DPAS. A poor quality copy also leaked out on a Japanese bootleg cd, but we still had to wait to hear the tape at its best.

Now, the audio track has been cleaned up from the original transfer, and released as the second of the 'Sonic Zoom' series of Deep Purple live archive releases. So little evidence of Mk 1's live act remains that the recording is of real historical significance.Regarding the actual sound quality, Purple Records' site mentions that "you soon get used to the ambience, with just a little distortion in the second number and someone in the audience heard near the microphone at one or two quiet moments." It's true enough, and the sound is certainly markedly better than on the bootleg. The hiss has gone (not counting the buzzing of the amps), and there is a sharpness to the recording that was buried on the bootleg. (Being able to hear Ian Paice's cymbal taps counting in the first crashing chord of Hush for starters!) The qualty is easily good enough to make for a pleasurable (and fascinating) listen, great news for anyone who can enjoy a good, clear vintage audience recording of Deep Purple. But if you're expecting hi-fi stereo, or even a miracle clean-up, it would be best to approach with caution.
David Browne

Deep Purple 'Inglewood' is on sale exclusively from the dpas online store.

I think by now most avid Deep Purple fans will be aware of the existence of this tape, many too will have picked up the bootleg cd 'Inglewood 10.18.68' (details can be found in Martin's bootleg guide at www.purplemash.demon. co.uk) to see exactly what Mk I sounded like and how well (or otherwise) Simper and Evans fitted in.

Hush heralds the entry of the band, very close to the album version but performed with some vigour and energy, the sound really benefiting from the clean-up afforded to the release. Kentucky Woman is vocally overloaded, Rod Evans struggling to hit the chorus at the end, though the song is well received by the audience. The applause is cut short as the band plow headlong into a slightly discordant Mandrake Root. Rod certainly sounds well out of place with his crooning voice. Definitely odd after years of living with Gillan's powerful assault. It's extended from the studio cut, though still nowhere near the lengthy excesses of the MkII versions. The track in itself forms an interesting work in progress document, with some close similarities already there with the sections which eventually found their way into Space Truckin'.

Help is musically tight and energetic though it does again suffer vocally. This is more than counterbalanced by the instrumental assault, Jon letting fly in the middle followed by a pretty truly awful solo by Blackers. The track sounds less tentative than on 'Shades.....', taken faster it is again well received by the crowd who are again cut short in their appreciation by an initially somewhat perfunctory run through of Wring That Neck. Blackers really begins to let fly here, bending the strings all over the place and keeping everything just the right side of total chaos. Paicey is, as ever, the stalwart. This guy has been so consistantly blowing away every other drummer for aeons, and his physical abuse of the drum kit in `68 is still no less restrained these days. Here, though, he drives everything along, holding together the tentative approaches of Ritchie, Jon and Nicky to draw things tighter.

River Deep, Mountain High musically sticks fairly closely to the original. It includes the 2001 theme, though with a distinctly harder edge, lending more weight and leaning further away from the poppier sound of the Book Of Taliesyn original . Rounding the set off is Hey Joe, again it's all there musically, though the sound is a bit thin. Rod really seems out of place here, his chicken in a basket style not gelling at all with the rest of the band.

Historically, then, a great artefact and a crucial piece of the live jigsaw. Not a classic Purple performance by any stretch of the imagination, but a unique insight (so far) into the abilities of the band at this stage of it's development.

Deep Purple - 1968 - Shades Of Deep Purple

Shades Of Deep Purple
September 1968


01. And the address (Blackmore/Lord) 4.38
02. Hush (South) 4.24
03. One more rainy day (Lord/Evans) 3.40
04. Medley 7.19
Prelude: happiness (Lord/Evans/Simper/Blackmore)
I'm so glad (Skip James)
05. Mandrake root (Blackmore/Evans) 6.09
06. Help (Lennon/McCartney) 6.01
07. Love help me (Blackmore/Evans) 3.49
08. Hey Joe (Roberts) 7.33
09. Shadows (Lord/Evans/Simper/Blackmore) 3.38
Album outtake.
10. Love help me (Blackmore/Evans) 3.29
Instrumental version.
11. Help (Lennon/McCartney) 5.23
Alternate take.
12. Hey Joe (Roberts) 4.05
Recorded live for BBC show "Top Gear", January 1969.
13. Hush (South) 3.53
Recorded live for US TV during 1968.

Recorded during a weekend in May 1968 at Pye Studios in London. Engineered by Barry Ainsworth.
Album dedicated to Bobby, Chris, Dave and Ravel. Produced by Derek Lawrence.