The holy grail for Deep Purple fans is finally here. Eagle Vision has released on DVD the famous and only known full concert from the MK2 line-up of Deep Purple, recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark back in 1972. In addition to that full show, three songs from a 1973 gig at Hofstra University in New York are included, as is "Burn" from the 1974 California Jam set, featuring the MK3 line-up. Needless to say, this is over 2 hours of essential viewing for the Deep Purple afficionado.
The Copenhagen set, thanks to the lackluster camera work and the fact that it was filmed in black & white, looks rather dated, but the performance of the band that night was incredible. You will find yourself quickly getting aggravated by camera's staying on Ian Paice while Ritchie Blackmore is soloing (the guitarist is seldom on camera for whatever reason) or focusing on Ian Gillan playing percussion during "Child In Time" for moments on end while Jon Lord is whipping up a frenzied Hammond organ passage. In the days of multi-camera shoots and stylish post production techniques, this video will seem rather primitive, but man did this band crank out the goods sonically. Epic versions of "Highway Star", "Child In Time", "Space Truckin'" and a kick ass rendition of "Black Night" are just a few of the tunes covered, and viewing this show really tells the tale of how different the 70's were from any other era. This was all about experimentation, lengthy songs, plenty of solos and lengthy jams. Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, and Lord were great showman, and getting to watch Ian Paice, one of the most underrated hard rock drummers ever, up close for much of the show is a real treat.
The three songs from the Hofstra show were shot in color, in front of a rabid audience, and the classic "Smoke on the Water" is included, although in edited format, as is "Space Truckin'" and the bluesy "Strange Kind of Woman". You can feel the tensions between Blackmore and Gillan while watching this set. It's well known that the two were at odds around this time and could barely stand each other (Gillan and Glover would leave the band shortly after the time that this show was filmed), and you could see the two barely looking in each others direction on stage. Even during their little "call and answer" part on "Strange Kind of Woman", the two seem to have no patience with each other, and sarcastically interact with one another. A snippet from the 1974 California Jam is included as a bonus, where the band brought in David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. "Burn" is one of the best songs from the band during the MK3 era, and seeing them play in front of the huge crowd at California Jam is a neat added extra. Hopefully that full show becomes available at some point.
There is a commentary track that you can listen to while viewing the music, which explains the history of the band, the background of the recordings of the shows, and what was going on with the band at the time. It's pretty interesting narrative, and worth checking out after you have viewed the full DVD. In summary, for Purple and hard rock fans, this is a mandatory addition to your DVD collection.
Song Listing
Copenhagen 1972
1) Highway Star
2) Strange Kind of Woman
3) Child In Time
4) The Mule
5) Lazy
6) Space Truckin'
7) Fireball
8) Lucille
9) Black Night
New York 1973
1) Strange Kind of Woman
2) Smoke on the Water
3) Space Truckin'
California Jam 1974
1) Burn
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