Artist: Deep Purple
Release: DVD Archive Collection: Live in Copenhagen & New York 72/73
Label: Eagle Vision
Date: 10/18/2005
Genre: Hard Rock/Classic Rock
Rating: 9/10
Eagle Vision’s “Deep Purple DVD Archive Collection” begins with this package that includes live material from 1972/73. “Deep Purple: Live in Copenhagen and New York” brings together a complete show from Scandinavia and the band’s performance on American ABC TV’s “In Concert”.
The March 1972 video footage was originally filmed for Denmark’s public broadcasting station and captures DP in a time when bands could get on stage and present their music “as God intended”, with a stack of Marshall amps and a will to impress. There are no lasers, smoke bombs, Diamondtrons or extraneous diversions needed to get the point across. As the only existing visual record of the respected Mark II Deep Purple line up it would be easy to review this DVD as simply a must own artifact for collectors, fortunately this is a great concert as well, with the band in good form and lead singer Ian Gillan in excellent voice. It is clear that the band is relishing the performance of a set of “new” songs, loaded with material from the then as-yet-to-be released “Machine Head” album.
Audio and video quality is excellent considering its vintage, with the black & white Scandinavian show being crisper than the slightly mushy color visuals from California Jam. Keep in mind this is from a time when the filming of live shows was the exception not the norm. It sometimes takes a while for the 1970’s cameramen to find the soloists but there is still plenty of fancy fretwork filmed to keep Ritchie Blackmore fans happy and drummer Ian Paice is well attended to during his drum solo in “The Mule”.
Though the Copenhagen show is the centerpiece of the package, the 1973 New York performance offers us a look at Mk II Purple performing “Smoke On The Water”. This edited for TV version of the DP stalwart is apparently the only version this line up ever filmed. ABC’s early 1970’s “In Concert” show was a pioneering though short-lived attempt to present live rock music in a late night television format. You can see a better understanding of what’s happening on stage in the way this show is filmed. Unfortunately “In Concert’s” multi-band episodes, with commercial breaks, didn’t really suit the extended jam format of many groups of the time. The July 6, ’73 program included Rare Earth, Buddy Miles and Rory Gallagher in addition to Purple, all band’s known for stretching out, therefore each band’s segment underwent some pretty extensive editing. That TV production companies often wiped the master videotapes for reuse is a sad fact of those times.
Extras include an extremely informative and expansive audio commentary that and offers many interesting anecdotes and historical/biographical tidbits about the band. Insert liner notes are thorough as well and, though they mirror much of the information on the commentary, are nice to have on hand for quick reference. The single tune from California Jam (“Burn”) is likely a teaser for the next piece in the DP Archive Collection. If the series continues to show the quality and attention to detail of this DVD they will be welcome additions to any hard rock fan’s collection.
Track Listing:
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
10. Strange King Of Woman (NYC 1973)
11. Smoke On The Water (NYC 1973)
12. Space Truckin’ (NYC 1973)
Official Web site: www.Deep-Purple.com