Everyone knows Deep Purple!
At least the classic song 'Smoke on the Water' should be familiar to all. Countless guitarists have twisted their fingers on that riff in their early days. Besides this song, the English legend has many other classics in store that anyone interested in rock music should take a closer look at.
Together with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple is considered the unholy trinity that paved the way for metal. Many stylistic elements of the band can be found in the metal bands of the 80s, whether it's the guitar riffing, the high screeching vocal passages, the drumming style, or the influence of classical and church music.
This live album features the legendary MK2 lineup and showcases the band at the peak of their creative powers. During a BBC show, the audience was presented exclusively with new material from the soon-to-be-released album 'Machine Head'. Only 'Strange Kind of Women' and the Little Richard cover 'Lucille' are exceptions.
The album was previously released in 1980, but this time the original tapes have been remixed and remastered. Additionally, this is the uncut version.
It's a real pleasure to listen to the band play. They are in a flow from the very beginning, something that is often missing in most bands today. Plus, there's that killer groove and those ecstatic jams. The sound of the record is raw and organic. It's pure 70s sound. The instruments are recorded dry, without effects, and here and there there's charming distortion.
It starts with a brief announcement from Mike Harding of the BBC before Deep Purple kicks off with 'Highway Star'. Wow, what a fireworks display right from the start. Raw energy. I particularly want to highlight Ian Gillan's passionate vocal performance and the rhythm section, driving and lively yet precise like a Swiss watch. Wonderful, those fast rolls from Ian Paice. In the middle section, John Lord then enters with a magnificent organ solo before Ritchie Blackmore adds his virtuosic guitar solo. A very cool rendition of the song, which sounds a bit tamer in the studio version.
Someone in the audience apparently just came out of the bathtub and brought their rubber duck, which will accompany the recording between songs until the end. Whether it was a reference to Ian Gillan's squeaky vocals remains speculation. ;)
Next up is 'Strange Kind of Women'. A story about a man who conquers a terribly awful woman, marries her, and then she dies three days after the wedding. The song is a bluesy shuffle, very rhythmic and grooving nicely. In the middle section, the guitar presents a melody and the vocals try to repeat it.
Then comes 'Maybe I'm a Leo'. Rhythm blues, nothing special.
After that, 'Smoke on the Water' is performed. The song is presented here for the first time. Okay, the intro is a bit shaky, and the song isn't quite as tight and powerful as one knows it, but it gets really great when the band jams a bit at the end of the song.
'Never Before' is a catchy and upbeat number, with simple melodies. I really like the transition into the slow middle section. Then it continues with 'Lazy', which John Lord introduces with a magical organ intro, where you can almost feel the calm in the room, before the rhythm kicks in and Blackmore plays the well-known single-note riff, delivering a virtuosic solo fireworks with Lord.
While the song with over 9 minutes of playtime was already quite lengthy, the frantic 'Space Truckin'' at 22 minutes breaks all records. The wild chorus, where Ian Gillan takes the listener on a crazy trip with his high, screaming voice, leads into a trance-like space jam. If you let yourself get into it, you are mentally far away in that moment.
As an encore, Little Richard's 'Lucille' is performed, and as a bonus, there's the soundcheck version of 'Maybe I'm A Leo'.
The record is a must-buy not only for fans of the band. Even the average music fan will enjoy it. While the recording doesn't quite reach the class of the reference work 'Made in Japan', it can certainly hold its own.
The only point of criticism is the packaging. I don't like the cover at all. It looks too much like a cheap item, which the CD definitely is not.
So if you like classic rock, get to it! ;)
