Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers Live DVD Review

Written by General Jabbo

While every band seems to reunite these days, the 1984 reunion of Deep Purple's famed Mk II lineup was a major event in the music world. Rock and roll still dominated the charts and, after 11 years apart, fans welcomed the "Smoke On The Water" lineup of the band with open arms. During their time apart, Deep Purple briefly continued on with David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes handling vocals, singer Ian Gillan had a solo career along with a stint in Black Sabbath and Ritchie Blackmore had great success with Rainbow. Still, Mk II's chemistry was undeniable and, after 11 years and some soul searching, the band managed to heal old wounds to release a new album and tour behind it.

The album, Perfect Strangers, was a blockbuster for the band, going platinum and spawning two legitimate Purple classics in "Perfect Strangers" and "Knocking At Your Back Door." Still, live concerts are where the band built its reputation and the Perfect Strangers tour was no exception. Sadly, very little footage of the band's reunion has ever been made available, until now. The tour began in Australia and the band had the cameras rolling, resulting in the DVD Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers Live.

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Deep Purple - NOW What?! CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

For NOW What?!, their first studio album since 2005, the legendary Deep Purple decided to enlist the services of an equally legendary producer. Bob Ezrin, who helmed classic albums by groups such as Kiss, Pink Floyd and Alice Cooper, is working with Deep Purple for the first time. The results are a strong album that mixes familiar Purple elements with modern production touches.

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Jon Lord - Concerto For Group And Orchestra CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

After the breakup of Deep Purple’s original lineup, the band took a bold next step. Out were bassist Nick Simper and singer Rod Evans and in were Roger Glover and Ian Gillan in their place. While this newly minted Mk II lineup of the band would become its definitive one, its first release was a puzzling one for the band’s fans. In September 1969, the band was joined onstage by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform a composition written by organist Jon Lord. This became Concerto For Group And Orchestra and was groundbreaking in that a live melding of rock and roll with an orchestra had never really been attempted before.

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Re-Machined - A Tribute To Deep Purple's Machine Head CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Deep Purple’s Machine Head has long been considered one of the high water marks for hard rock and heavy metal music. Now, to celebrate the album’s 40th anniversary, an all-star group of musicians has come together to pay tribute to this legendary release with Re-Machined – A Tribute To Deep Purple’s Machine Head.

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Ian Gillan & Tony Iommi - WhoCares CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

In 2011, Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan reunited with his old Black Sabbath band mate, Tony Iommi, to record a charity single to benefit a music school in Armenia that was destroyed in the 1988 earthquake that devastated the region. The pair recruited a number of A-list musicians for the lead track, “Out Of My Mind,” including Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain on drums, Jason Newsted on bass and the late Jon Lord on keyboards. That track, along with its B-side, “Holy Water,” is included in the two-CD compilation album, WhoCares, the profits of which will further aid the charity.

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Deep Purple - Total Abandon: Australia '99 CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Replacing a guitar legend is never an easy task, but by the 1999 tour for Abandon, Steve Morse’s second album with Deep Purple (and Jon Lord’s last), the guitarist had firmly entrenched himself in the band, a position he has not relinquished. Total Abandon: Australia ’99 finds the Mark VII lineup (which is the Mark II lineup with Morse replacing Ritchie Blackmore) as vital as ever, delivering a blistering live performance.

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Roger Glover And The Guilty Party - If Life Was Easy CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Nine years after their first release, Roger Glover and the Guilty Party are back with If Life Was Easy, an eclectic collection of songs from the legendary Deep Purple bassist. Fans expecting the bombastic hard rock of Glover's main group may be disappointed, but fans with an open mind will find a fine collection of songs.

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Deep Purple - Phoenix Rising DVD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Deep Purple is a band with an often volatile history, none more so than its ill-fated Mk. IV lineup. Guitar god Ritchie Blackmore was out and American axe-slinger Tommy Bolin was in. Their history is documented in Deep Purple: Phoenix Rising.

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Deep Purple - Deep Purple CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Deep Purple's third and final release from their original lineup was a self-titled affair. Unlike their first two albums, Deep Purple primarily features originals with only one cover song, showing the band's artistic growth. The album has been rereleased on CD with a number of bonus tracks.

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Deep Purple - The Book Of Taliesyn CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

After Deep Purple's success with Shades Of Deep Purple, the band did not stray far from its formula for their second album The Book Of Taliesyn. Like its predecessor, The Book Of Taliesyn is roughly half cover songs and half originals and it is being rereleased on CD along with all of the other Mk. I albums with a number of bonus tracks.

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Deep Purple - Shades Of Deep Purple CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Before the bombast of such classics as "Smoke On The Water" or "Highway Star," there was Deep Purple Mk. I. The original band released three albums between 1968 and 1969 and featured Rod Evans on vocals and Nick Simper on bass. This incarnation was more psychedelic and pop-oriented than the hard rock sound the band would come to be known for. Now, all three of these albums are being rereleased with bonus tracks.

Deep Purple's first album, Shades Of Deep Purple, had a fair amount of success — particularly in the U.S. — including a top-5 hit with their cover of the Joe South-written "Hush." The song remains a staple of classic rock radio to this day and is the best-known version of the song. The band thought highly enough of it to rerecord it with Mk. II singer, Ian Gillan, for an album celebrating their 20th anniversary.

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Deep Purple - History, Hits & Highlights '68-'76 DVD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Few bands have managed to have as much success with as many lineups as Deep Purple. From the frilly shirts and swinging ‘60s vibe of the MK I lineup to the proto-metal MK II version to the more soulful MK III and IV lineups, Deep Purple has always been an exciting and interesting band, especially live. The band’s essential first period from 1968-1976 is covered on the two-DVD set, Deep Purple – History, Hits & Highlights ’68-’76.

Disc one opens with a short documentary of the band, showing highlights from 1968-1976 before going into a rare promo video of MK I’s cover of the Beatles “Help!” A performance of “Hush” from Playboy After Dark follows along with some studio footage of “Mandrake Root.” While the video quality is excellent, the PAD footage is oddly edited, with part of it on disc two and the disc one footage beginning at the end of a Jon Lord interview that is started on disc two. A minor quibble in an excellent set, but a strange oversight nonetheless.

Not surprisingly, the legendary MK II version with Ian Gillan on vocals and Roger Glover on bass gets the most coverage on the set with more than 20 songs. Highlights include killer performances of “Demon’s Eye,” “No No No,” and a version of “Highway Star” with different lyrics. The band’s signature song, “Smoke on the Water,” is, of course, included, though it seems a better version could have been chosen. While Gillan sounds fine, Ritchie Blackmore starts the song out of tune and appears disinterested. This wasn’t long before Gillan left the band, so tension on Blackmore’s part was likely. Disc two includes some rare rehearsal footage of “No No No” from the Beat Club that shows off Purple’s live prowess. These clips are mistakenly labeled as being from Rockpalast on the DVD sleeve.

When Gillan and Glover left, they were replaced by then-unknown David Coverdale on vocals and Glenn Hughes on bass. This lineup represented a bluesier, more soulful version of Deep Purple and they recorded two albums before Blackmore tired of their direction and quit his own band. “Burn” from the Leeds Polytech Student project in 1974 and “Mistreated” from the California Jam (the entire show of which is available on DVD) document this period of the band. For whatever reason, the same performance of “Burn” is repeated on disc two.

After Blackmore, came Tommy Bolin, who recorded one album with the band before their split in 1976. Bolin was hooked on heroin and later overdosed and his live shows were erratic at best. Still, “Love Child” and “You Keep on Moving” make an appearance here.

The DVD includes a fine book that reads like a scrapbook, with photos and newspaper clippings from all lineups of the band. Disc one fails to mention where any of the performances are from which, along with some of the other sloppy editing, keeps this from being a perfect Deep Purple collection. However the positives greatly outweigh the negatives, the footage is in great condition and the two DVDs contain nearly five hours of prime-era Deep Purple, making this a must-own for any fan of the band.