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Definite Convert
Deep Purple live at Hard Rock Live (Hollywood, USA 2022-02-10)
All my life, I had only known the radio hits from Deep Purple. But when I saw they were coming to town, I figured “Why not?” I like the older stuff as well as the Purpendicular album. And with all the bands that made real, rocking, driven music from days gone by eventually disappearing, I knew it was time to s**t or get off the pot.
Wow! These guys delivered. The only disappointment was that I hadn’t seen them years ago. If they come back around, I’m there. You could see the life, love, and energy these guys have for what they do and the music they play. Put your doubts aside and go to a DP show. Steve Morse was fantastic. Roger Glover was smiling and moving about with a young man’s energy. And you could see he loved what he was doing. Ian was his usual energetic, on point drumming self. Don Airey, the keyboard aficionado, was the transmission that kept the engine in gear. And of course, Ian Gillan tied it all up nicely on every tune. Truly a legend.
I am a lifelong convert now. What else have I been missing? 🤔
review by Robert Lubbers
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Well, well, well, I have seen them about ten times now, and I can assure you, unfortunately, you have missed a lot. But, better later than never. Be blessed!
February 16th, 2022 at 16:16Glad Robert liked the show. It sounds like he doesn’t know the name of any of the songs, though, or just chose not to comment on the individual tunes. A couple songs I’d like to hear DP do live are “Mad Dog” and “Why Didn’t Rosemary?”.
February 17th, 2022 at 03:20Dear James,
February 17th, 2022 at 20:42I absolutely agree with you, and what would you think about “Place in line”
or “Mitzi Dupree” beeing performed live on stage ?
Or (sounds like a silly idea) “Smooth Dancer” ?
My Purple Brethren & (although rare here) Sistren, old and new:
Can’t we introduce a baptismal font here with purple-colored water for all those ‘Reborn Purple’ites’?” Someone could cite “If you’re drowning, you don’t clutch no straw …” as we dunk them. And once the incense sets in, what could be more fitting than to chant “Smooooke on the Waaaater!”?
_____________
“If you are (well, sort of …) young, the message can be sung:
Tell it to the band who’s power is the sermon on the wall …
Tell it to the band … who says you can misjudge them all!
Tell it till it can be heard above the wailing of the crowd …”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnD5Zjc9C5s
February 17th, 2022 at 23:42James & Bernard, definitely in agreement here. I’d also love to hear them do “Solitaire” and “A Gypsy’s Kiss”, if Big Ian could remember the words. And if there were any way to get Gillan to do a MkIII/MkIV song, I’m sure he’d sound great on Gettin’ Tighter!
February 18th, 2022 at 00:26I saw then two nights later in St. Pete. If I had to list a disappointment it is that they didn’t incorporate And the Address to bridge Caught in the Act with Hush. They recorded that and put it on Whoosh! for a reason but then dropped it.
February 18th, 2022 at 03:34“And if there were any way to get Gillan to do a MkIII/MkIV song, I’m sure he’d sound great on Gettin’ Tighter!”
I’ve heard they’ll do that immediately after Ozzy has incorporated Heaven & Hell as the new standard encore into his live set. It will also be the B-side of Peter Gabriel’s tribute version of Paperlate …
February 18th, 2022 at 12:36@Bernhard Huebl Mitzi Dupree might not work well live, unless Ian drags a showgirl onto the stage with him, which would be interesting. Of course, with COVID that will have to be postponed.
February 18th, 2022 at 22:07They played Mitzi Dupree on stage 18th november 2003,Budapest,Hungary.
February 19th, 2022 at 07:38Mitzi Dupree, the one song I never play when listening to THOBL album. I cannot imagine how boring that would be played live anywhere at anytime. A cliché blues riff, a filler track on the album if ever there was one! Cheers.
February 19th, 2022 at 20:23MacGregor, you darn Antipodean naysayer! : – ) One of the greatest Gillan lyrics ever and delivered with unmistakable charm! When Gillan gushes over a female, he’s charming, perceptive and witty, when DC does it, he’s cringeworthy and clichéd.
DP in their Gillan-fronted version are really the only hard or heavy rock band with sensible lyrics (eschewing the usual escapism of that particular genre: fantasy topics or mindless hedonism) for anyone with a brain. They get way too little credit for it.
PS: Riff-wise, Mitzi Dupree is basically the Demon’s Eye riff extremely slowed down and played up and down. Now Demon’s Eye doesn’t rank as DP’s most original composition either, but I know a lot of people who like it. I actually appreciate the loose, slightly throwaway feel of Mitzi Dupree – Roger said it was a nearly discarded demo track which TMIB refused to rerecord in a proper version, hence no Blackmore solo. The other four, however, liked it. What you hear is the demo with some production salvaging from Roger.
February 20th, 2022 at 19:37@ Bernhard Huebl
I am with you on that one. What a treat it would be! Gettin’ tired of SKOW and the likes.
February 21st, 2022 at 08:12I sure hope they come up with some more new stuff for the European leg of their tour.
And some classics that havn’t been played to death. Yours would be a nice choice in my book… 🙂
Uwe, it isn’t the lyrics of Mitzi Dupree that leave me feeling that the track is boring , it is the music. Gillan is a clever lyricist & a strong writer at times. He is a thinker indeed & yes as you say he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves regarding his prose. It is interesting that Dupree was a ‘throwaway’ track TMIB didn’t like, as it has that feel to it. Demon’s Eye is another ordinary track for DP particularly at that creative period, but I don’t mind it. It does work out ok being on that album. Anyone’s Daughter is the track that doesn’t belong on the Fireball album. Although it is a decent song, it is a similar scenario to that of When A Blind Man Cries being left off Machine Head. It is too different a song for the style of the album they were recording at that time. They would have been better off having Strange Kind of Woman on Fireball, however weren’t they trying to avoid the singles market, like many bands of that era. Black Night being left off In Rock was a good choice also. Easy to say in hindsight though. Cheers.
February 21st, 2022 at 20:39In the late 60ies and early 70ies, putting your single(s) on your album was deemed as a cheap shot since everyone assumed that the fans had already bought the single and now had to dish out for the same song on the album again. That also explains why so many single B-sides never saw the light of day on albums.
That is why so many Beatles, Rolling Stones, T. Rex, Slade and Sweet single hits were never found on any album unless it was either a live recording or a compilation. It used to drive me nuts because I only bought albums.
With the advent of CD, thankfully, we all of the sudden had bonus tracks, that solved the issue.
WABMC was such a strong, emotive track, it was criminal to leave it off MH – and if that had been a reggae album!
February 22nd, 2022 at 21:52@#3 Place in Line. OMG, my spine tingles at the change when Gillan does that scream and the tempo ups. Such a great song.
February 25th, 2022 at 06:14@Robert Lubbers … “What else have I been missing?”
DP, one of the most prolific rockers, you missed a lot. I’ve been into their work since the 60’s – music of my days …:)
If you would like a sample, check out their performance in ’74 at “Cal Jam” which, per the Wikipedia page “The California Jam attracted 300,000–400,000[2] paying music fans. The festival set what were then records for the loudest amplification system ever installed, the highest paid attendance, and highest gross in history”. Unlike today’s ‘concerts’ when a handful of ppl manage to turn it into a riot, just watch DP at Cal Jam, turn virtually half million ppl into total silence during “Child in time” & “Mistreated”. Just think of how you and many of younger generations got robbed of having the privilege of seeing & hearing such paramount social events of our generation. The Purple balladeers turned out some masters future generations are getting screwed our of. And while there, check out Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow masterpieces ….. one which made possible a Chicago – Pasadena (Calif) non-stop, 41 hours, solo drive in a ’77 “Bandit” Pontiac TransAm … 🙂
You might ask your local library to bring any DP recording they can get their hands on! Likewise for Rainbow. You have some serious making up to do on this subject,
Enjoy the great old days, while you still can …. ;(. BTW, the Bios/Family Tree offered on this site (thanks guys/gals) is something you might want to make use of so to check out the ‘off shoots’. Won’t regret it!
February 25th, 2022 at 09:50Right Dan, and Blackmore’s endless solo is 2 die 4.
The whole Who Do We Think We Are album is totally underrated. I KNOW how they were unhappy when they recorded it, but for chrisssakes there is not a single bad track on it. It’s 70ies Mk II’s most mature work and it saw them branching out in sophisticated, even beatlish pop: Our Lady is brilliant. Good tunes abound on all songs.
I know, Burn had more majestic riffs and the newfound double lead vocal prowess of David and Glenn – plus it was a fresh start – but there is nothing to be ashamed of with WDWTWA at all.
February 26th, 2022 at 04:01@ 17 – You are correct there Uwe, WDWTWA & THOBL are two gems that were apparently written & recorded with band member tensions on the edge, so to speak. Well Blackmore not supposedly wanting certain things going a certain way etc. Funny how such great songs can come about when the fires are raging etc. I was only talking about Mary Long the past few days with a chap, in regards to the lyrics of Gillan & Glover. The censorship scenario in England at the time & how things have changed in regards to films etc. The first thing I thought of was the Mary Long song & then the albums songs & music. Two wonderful DP albums to my ears. Cheers.
February 26th, 2022 at 20:53Whenever Blackmore as the chief riff merchant was on the retreat out of sheer stress, divorce or health issues or general disillusionment with his band mates, the main four such albums being
– Fireball (no time due to incessant touring of In Rock),
– Who Do We Think We Are (hepatitis + “I hate Gillan”),
– Stormbringer (“come to think of it: I hate Coverdale and Hughes too”
plus “I’m having a divorce”) and
– The House Of Blue Light (“I had forgotten how much I hate Gillan”),
the rest of Purple showed that they are not just his backing band, rising admirably to the occasion each time. It is no coincidence that these four albums offer the most varied music of the post-Mk I Blackmore era.
Ritchie doesn’t really do varied if he has a choice. Slaves & Masters was a radical departure from the Purple sound that had gone on before, yes, but the album as a piece was relatively samey/one style (I’m not saying it was bad, it wasn’t).
It’s just what Ritchie prefers, he’s no “musical antipasti” guy at all. The albums he likes (In Rock, Machine Head, Burn, Rising, Perfect Strangers & Slaves And Masters) are always in one (mainly his) mo(u)ld.
And Blackmore’s Night carries that to the extreme: very mo(u)lded and extremely castle-mo(u)ldy!
; – )
February 27th, 2022 at 23:38Yes indeed Blackmore still delivered wonderful playing on those DP albums & also the songs he may have had very little to do with. I like the fact a few songs on WDWTWA don’t have the proverbial guitar solo, leave it for Jon Lord to hammer it out, wonderful. Our Lady is a superb song & no solo at all there, it just doesn’t need it. Regarding Deep Rainbow, S&M wasn’t only a misfit with JLT but the overall album suffers from a pedestrian feel to it. A lack of passion & desire if ever there was! The Battle Rages On has more of an attitude to it than S&M ever will. If the Internet was around back then I would have streamed S&M for curiosity & never purchased it. Curiosity did kill this cat in regards to that album. Still, at least a friend of mine now has it & enjoys it more than I ever did. Cheers.
February 28th, 2022 at 22:04