(Classic Rock, Hard Rock) Deep Purple - The Official Overseas Live Series: Copenhagen 1972 (2 CD, Remaster 2013), Paris 1975 (2CD, Remaster 2012), MP3, 320 kbps

1. Highway Star
2. Strange Kind Of Woman
3. Child In Time
4. The Mule
5. Lazy
6. Space Truckin’

1. Fireball
2. Lucille
3. Black Night
4. Strange Kind Of Woman (Live in New York 1973) – BONUS
5. Smoke On The Water (Live in New York 1973) – BONUS
6. Space Truckin’ (Live in New York 1973) – BONUS
7. 1971 Australian Interview – BONUS

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Deep Purple - Live In Denmark'72
[click on the red titles in the review to hear real-audio sound clips]

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 Kachachurian'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.

Packaging-wise, it follows the same broad style of previous Sonic Zoom releases, a good inner to read whilst your listening to the tracks and a bootleg-type "feel" to the packaging without it seeming cheap or shoddy-Just an ad on the cover from the original show for Purple at K.B.Hallen in Copenhagen. So, overall, well worth grabbing-Another great slice of Mk II and a pretty much essential addition to the catalogue. As it's only 9.30am, I'll raise my mug of coffee to Sonic Zoom for bringing this to my door..... Cheers!

review: Martin Ashberry

Ritchie Blackmore: guitar
Ian Gillan: vocals, congas, maracas
Roger Glover: bass,
Jon Lord: organ, keyboards
Ian Paice: drums

01. Burn - 8:37
02. Stormbringer - 5:15
03. The Gypsy - 6:08
04. Lady Double Dealer - 4:26
05. Mistreated - 12:57
06. Smoke On The Water - 10:23
07. You Fool No One - 19:27

01. Space Truckin' - 21:24
02. Going Down - 5:17
03. Highway Star - 11:35
04. Interview With Coverdale, Hughes & Paice (Bonus Track) - 23:19

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By Wesley Britton | Monday, January 28, 2013 Filed under: Music, Reviews music
Tags: burn, David Coverdale, Deep Purple, glenn hughes, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Live in Paris 1975, Machinehead, Richie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Stormbringer

On one episode of VH1′s That Metal Show, host Eddie Trunk made one of his many complaints that Deep Purple hadn’t yet been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bassist/singer Glenn Hughes, serving as musical guest for the show, chimed in, “Yea, what did I do?”

I had to smile for a minute. When I think of the Deep Purple line-up wrongfully excluded from the Hall of Fame, I think of the Mark II band of Ian Gillan (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (keyboards), Ian Paice (drums), and Roger Glover (bass). But, to be fair, any honors due to the band would have to include the original singer and bassist, Rod Evans and Nick Semper, as well as the (Mark III era) replacements for Gillan and Glover, namely David Coverdale singing lead and Hughes on bass and backing vocals.

If any evidence is needed of how worthy the Mark III era is for Hall of Fame inclusion, Live in Paris 1975 says it all. Recorded in Paris on April 17, 1975 at Palais des Sports, the concert was a milestone in Purple history. For one matter, having already turned his attention to his new Rainbow project, this was Blackmore’s last gig with the band until the Deep Purple reformation in 1984.

While the concert was previously released on Purple Records in 2001, the new two-disc version is a bit historic itself. The tracks have been digitally remixed and remastered from the original multi-track recordings, and the results are simply spectacular. Five talents are perfectly placed and spread around individually in the soundscape, and the blend of these five instrumentalists and singers is vibrant, dramatic, and as powerful as Purple at its best could be.

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the material draws from Mk III’s albums Burn and Stormbringer, including the title tracks for each. Reportedly, the show featured the last performances of “The Gypsy,” “Lady Double Dealer,” “Mistreated” and “You Fool No One.” Versions of songs from Machinehead, the ubiquitous “Smoke on the Water,” “Space Truckin’” and “Highway Star” show up as jams, with Lord in particular stretching them out with quotes from other Purple classics like “Lazy.” In fact, Lord’s keyboard playing is rather different from his previous work as he pumps out many riffs on a very untypical synthesizer. This is most evident on disc two, which includes both “Truckin’” and “Star” as well as another jam, an extended workout on Don Nix’s “Going Down.”

Still, the trinity of Lord, Paice, and Blackmore is essentially what you’d expect, although Blackmore sometimes seems to be more noodling than in the groove. One serious delight is Coverdale really working the crowd, calling out for everyone to get physical, putting more emphasis on audience interaction than I recall (previous singer) Gillan doing. The dual singing of Coverdale and Hughes also elevates the concert experience from simply making studio material more exciting live. Both vocalists are energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate, with Hughes serving as a bluesy anchor to Coverdale’s fiery reaches to the top of his vocal range.

A very cool bonus on disc two is a previously unreleased half-hour interview recorded back in the day with Coverdale, Hughes, and Paice. Not only do the three share stories about the origins of songs on both Burn and Stormbringer, we hear generous samples of the songs being described.

Perhaps the best news is that this release is but the first of what is coming in 2013. We’re told the band has a new album coming at the end of April and 10 classic recordings from the Deep Purple vaults will see new re-issues as well.

What could be better? Well, a triumphal entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If voting members have the time to check out Live in Paris 1975, perhaps they’ll recognize the time is long, long, long, long overdue. Hey Glenn, I’m pullin’ for ya.

Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
David Coverdale – lead vocals
Glenn Hughes – bass, backing vocals
Jon Lord – organ, keyboards
Ian Paice – drums, percussion