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Rating: Despite the majority of Deep Purple fans, I am one of those who love Mk IV, the lineup with guitarist Tommy Bolin replacing Blackmore. With him, Deep Purple released only one album, the excellent (in my opinion...) "Come Taste The Band," and the subsequent customary tour.
One of the first stops of that tour was precisely the Budokan Hall in Tokyo, where the five recorded a series of four sold-out nights!! (not a small feat considering it's a 15,000-seat auditorium). From those concerts, this vinyl was derived, released however only in 1977, after the lineup had already dissolved. But let's move on to the analysis of this masterpiece.
As soon as I lower the needle, the notes of "Burn" immediately start, a classic piece of the group with the riff performed excellently by Bolin. It is followed by "Love Child" from the new record, a classic Deep Purple song, with a blazing keyboard solo that continues relentlessly into the next "You Keep On Movin'", one of the best pieces from the album, performed even better than the original. Then a surprise, as Bolin grabs the microphone and performs his "Wild Dogs" from his album teaser! The song is a beautiful six-minute ballad accompanied by the excellent Paice as always. Another piece from the new record, the incredibly fast "Lady Luck" is a hard rock gem. The song ends while Coverdale makes a prologue for "Smoke On The Water" which Bolin doesn't ruin at all; in fact, he adds an excellent Clapton-style guitar solo. The seventh track is "Soldier Of Fortune" performed in a very short but splendid version thanks to Coverdale's interpretation.
The last two gems of the album are the instrumental part of "Woman From Tokyo", in a few words a keyboard solo from the masterly Lord as usual, and finally, a beautiful rendition of the classic from mk II, namely "Highway Star" where the audience literally goes wild!
I conclude by saying that it's a magnificent album, that every rock fan in general should own. Personally, it is one of my favorite live records, I recommend it, especially the vinyl, to truly savor the essence of a real Deep Purple concert.
See you soon, BYEEEEEE!
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Burn (06:52)
The sky is red, I don't understand,
Past midnight I still see the land.
People are sayin' the woman is damned,
She makes you burn with a wave of her hand.
The city's a blaze, the town's on fire.
The woman's flames are reaching higher.
We were fools, we called her liar.
All I hear is "Burn!"
I didn't believe she was devil sprung.
She said, "Curse you all, you'll never learn!
When I leave there's no return."
The people laughed till she said, "Burn!"
Warning came, no one cared.
Earth was shakin', we stood and stared.
When it came no one was spared.
Still I hear "Burn!"
You know we had no time,
We could not even try.
You know we had no time.
You know we had no time,
We could not even try.
You know we had no time.
The sky is red, I don't understand,
Past midnight I still see the land.
People are sayin' the woman is damned,
She makes you burn with a wave of her hand.
Warning came, no one cared.
Earth was shakin, we stood and stared.
When it came no one was spared.
Still I hear "Burn!"
03 You Keep on Moving (05:48)
You keep on moving
Far away far away
You keep on moving
Far away far away
Everyday wheels are turning
And the cry still returning
Dawn will soon be breaking
The day has just begun
You put your arms around me
Like a circle 'round the sun
Dance across the seasons
To a place that no one knows
Where angels fear to tread
05 Lady Luck (03:07)
She was a juke-box dancer
A blue eyed gypsy queen
She always had an answer
For what she'd done
And where she'd been
A feathercane Lady Midnight
For all around to see
She spoke with words of wisdom
And this is what she said to me
Lady luck
C'mon give me what I want
Pull me up
Lady luck
If I see you again
I will call you my friend
I have always been a sinner
But then the lady came along
She stole my heart and turned me 'round
'Till I didn't know right from wrong
She whispered words of kindness
I'd never ever heard before
Golden words and silver tongue
Till I really couldn't take no more
Lady luck
C'mon give me what I want
Pull me up
Lady luck
If I see you again
I will call you my friend
C'mon shake me
06 Smoke on the Water (06:22)
We all came out to Montreux
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
To make records with a mobile
We didn't have much time
Frank Zappa and the Mothers
Were at the best place in town
When some stupid with a flare gun
Burned the place to the ground
Smoke on the water
A fire in the sky
Smoke on the water
They burned down the gambling house
It died with an awful sound
Funky Claude was running in and out
Dragging kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
Swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water
A fire in the sky
Smoke on the water
We ended up at the grand hotel
It was empty, cold and bare
And with the rolling truck stones thing just outside
We made our music there
With a few red lights and a few old beds
We made a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know I know we'll never forget
Smoke on the water
A fire in the sky
Smoke on the water
07 Soldier of Fortune (02:22)
I have often told you stories about the way
I lived the life of a drifter waiting for the day
When I'd take your hand and sing you songs
And may be you would say
Come lay with me and love me
And I would surely stay
But I feel I'm growing older
And the songs that I have sung
Echo in the distance
Like the sound
Of a windmill going round
Guess I'll always be
A soldier of fortune.
Many times I've been a traveller
I looked for something new
In days of old when nights were cold
I wandered without you
Those days I thought my eyes
Had seen you standing near
Though blindness is confusing
It shows that you're not here.
Now I feel I'm growing older
And the songs that I have sung
Echo in the distance
Like the sound
Of a windmill going round
Guess I'll always be
A soldier of fortune
Yes, I can hear the sound
of a windmill going round
I guess I'll always be
a soldier of fortune.
I guess I'll always be
a soldier of fortune.
09 Highway Star (06:12)
Yeah---
Nobody gonna take my car, I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car, it's gonna break the speed of sound
Ooh it's a killing machine
It's got everything
Like a driving power, big fat tires and everything
I love it, and I need it, I feed it
Yeah it's a wild hurricane
Alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star
Nobody gonna take my girl, I'm gonna keep her to the end
Nobody gonna have my girl, she stays close on every bend
Ooh she's a killing machine
She's got everything
Like a moving mouth, body control and everything
I love her, I need her, I seed her
Yeah she turns me on
Alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star
Nobody gonna take my head, I got speed inside my brain
Nobody gonna steal my head now that I'm on the road again
Ooh I'm in heaven again
I've got everything
Like a moving ground, an open road and everything
I love it, I need it, I feed it
Eight cylinders all mine
Alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star
Nobody gonna take my car, I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car, it's gonna break the speed of sound
Ooh it's a killing machine
It's got everything
Like a driving power, big fat tires and everything
I love it, and I need it, I feed it
Yeah it's a wild hurricane
Alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star
I'm a highway star
I'm a highway star
12 Stormbringer (10:31)
Comin' out of nowhere
Drivin' like rain
Stormbringer dance
On the thunder again
Dark cloud gathering
Breaking the day
No point running
'Cause it's coming your way
Ride the rainbow
Crack the sky
Stormbringer coming
Time to die
Got to keep running
Stormbringer coming
He's got nothing you need
He's gonna make you bleed
Rainbow shaker
On a stallion twister
Bareback rider
On the eye of the sky
Stormbringer coming down
Meaning to stay
Thunder and lightning
Heading your way
Ride the rainbow
Crack the sky
Stormbringer coming
Time to die
Got to keep running
Stormbringer coming
He's got nothing you need
He's gonna make you bleed
Coming out of nowhere
Drivin' like a-rain
Stormbringer dance
On the thunder again
Dark cloud gathering
Breaking the day
No point running
'Cause it's coming your way
13 Georgia on My Mind (03:13)
Georgia, Georgia, just smile and ease my pain
An old sweet song
Georgia on my mind
Georgia, Georgia, just smile...
An old sweet song, baby
Georgia on my mind
(I love you baby, I love you so )
or...
(You know what I'm talking about)
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