•
Rating: Millionth live album by Deep Purple. The question arises spontaneously: is it worth talking about? It depends on your point of view. To those who don't adore them, it probably won't mean anything, after all, it's just another record where you can listen to "Smoke On The Water". For someone like me who has immense affection for this band, this record can only be fundamental. First of all, it's the first official live album of the latest lineup (Gillan-Morse-Glover-Paice-Airey) and that should already be enough. Furthermore, something that fans will greatly appreciate, the live versions of their last stunning album "Rapture Of The Deep" and the unreleased "Things I Never Said" appear, which is truly a beautiful track. Then it's worth mentioning that Deep Purple live are always the best band of these times: great stage presence, timeless tracks, impeccable technique, and even more perfect performances. By now, they have developed a certain routine: they make records to embark on endless tours from one end of the planet to the other.
One of the fruits of this mindset is undoubtedly this live, recorded during the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival last year, a musical event where Deep Purple have always been regular guests (the lyrics of "Smoke On The Water" are proof of that). To begin with, a few words about Don Airey who has the heavy task of replacing the legendary Jon Lord on keyboards. Airey is certainly one of the greatest keyboardists of all time, having worked with the best (Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Colosseum II, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Jethro Tull, and even with Andrew Lloyd Webber [how not to remember "Variations"]) and now with the Purple, he's achieving great success without making Jon Lord too missed. From an emotional point of view, things change, seeing Lord in action is one thing, seeing Airey who is less present and seems not yet perfectly integrated into the group is another. This is demonstrated by the fact that the cross solos between keyboard and guitar we used to see from Lord and Morse (and before him obviously Blackmore) are less "daring", almost cold, essentially shorter.
The setlist doesn't spare the classics, from "Strange Kind Of Woman" to "Lazy", through an intense version of "When A Blind Man Cries" and a rousing "Space Truckin'". New tracks are "Rapture Of The Deep", "Wrong Man", and "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", performed strictly one after the other. The concert opens in the best possible way: "Picture Of Man", one of their best tracks. Compared to the DVD version, several tracks are missing which unfortunately affects the actual value of this live album. Objectively, had there been the entire guitar solo by Steve Morse with "Well Dressed Guitar" (a track performed live and in the "Tour Edition" of "Rapture Of The Deep") instead of a not-so-excellent "Highway Star" due to Gillan's vocal drop (otherwise impeccable), it would have been much better. The fact is that Eagle (the record label) aimed at a product that could satisfy everyone, fans and non-fans, summing it all up in just one CD (there are no encores where they perform the inevitable "Hush" and "Black Night").
The rating is given with reference to the band's last decade, from Steve Morse onwards, because Deep Purple has recorded significantly more historic live albums (what was it? Made In Taiwan? "Made In Japan" there we go). The performance, as I said, is perfect and the individual members of the band are at the peak of their performance. One wonders how Ian Paice, who is no longer a youngster, manages to play drums like he did thirty years ago! There's no lack of improvisation, a trait that always distinguishes Purple from other bands in the sector. It must be said, to better understand the rating, that the group in the past recorded a fantastic live: "Live At The Olympia 1996" where they superbly revisit most of their career, in two CDs. If Eagle had marketed this concert in its entirety, it would have been even better than the one in 96. Too bad, I could have given them the maximum rating. Better the DVD where nothing is missing.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Pictures of Home (03:57)
Somebody's shouting
Up at a mountain
Only my own words return
Nobody's up there
It's a deception
I'm alone here
With emptiness eagles and snow
Unfriendliness chilling my body
And whispering pictures of home
Wondering blindly
How can they find me
Maybe they don't even know
My body is shaking
Anticipating
The call of the black footed crow
I'm alone here
With emptiness eagles and snow
Unfriendliness chilling my body
And whispering pictures of home
Here in this prison
Of my own making
Year after day I have grown
Into a hero
But there's no worship
Where have they hidden my thrown
I'm alone here
With emptiness eagles and snow
Unfriendliness chilling my body
And whispering pictures of home
03 Strange Kind of Woman (05:05)
There once was a woman
A strange kind of woman
The kind that gets written down in history
Her name was Nancy
Her face was nothing fancy
She left a trail of happiness and misery
I loved her
Everybody loved her
She loved everyone and gave them good return
I tried to take her
I even tried to break her
She said, I ain't for takin' won't you ever learn
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
I spent my money as I took my turn
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
Ooh, I got a strange kind of woman, yes I have
She looked like a raver
But I could never please her
On Wednesday mornings boy you can't go far
I couldn't get her
But things got better, she said
Saturday nights from now on, baby, you're my star
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
I spent my money as I took my turn
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
Ooh, I got a strange kind of woman
Ooh, my soul, I love you
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
I spent my money as I took my turn
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
Ooh, I got a strange kind of woman, yes I have
She finally said she loved me
I wed her in a hurry
No more callers and I glow with pride
I'm dreaming
I feel like screaming
I won my woman just before she died
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
I spent my money as I took my turn
I want you, I need you, ha ha ha
Ooh, I had a strange kind of woman, yeah
She was so fat
She was the worst thing you've ever seen
Ooh, my soul, I love you, baby
07 When a Blind Man Cries (03:33)
If you're leaving close the door.
I'm not expecting people anymore.
Hear me grieving, I'm lying on the floor.
Whether I'm drunk or dead I really ain't too sure.
I'm a blind man, I'm a blind man and my world is pale.
When a blind man cries, Lord, you know there ain't no sadder tale.
Had a friend once in a room,
had a good time but it ended much too soon.
In a cold month in that room
we found a reason for the things we had to do.
I'm a blind man, I'm a blind man, now my room is cold.
When a blind man cries, Lord, you know he feels it from his soul.
08 Lazy (07:34)
You're lazy Just stay in bed
You're lazy Just stay in bed
You don't want no money
You don't want no bread
If you're drowning you don't clutch no straw
If you're drowning you don't clutch no straw
You don't want to live you don't want to cry no more
Well my trying ain't done no good
I said my trying ain't done no good
You don't make no effort no not like you should
Lazy you just stay in bed
Lazy you just stay in bed
You don't want no money
You don't want no bread
10 Space Truckin' (04:54)
Well we had a lot of luck on Venus
We always had a ball on Mars
Meeting all the groovy people
We've rocked the Milky Way so far
We danced around with Borealis
We're space truckin' 'round the the stars
Come on let's go Space Truckin'
Come on
Space Truckin'
Remember when we did the moonshot
And Pony Trekker led the way
We'd move to the Canaveral moonstop
And every 'naut would dance and sway
We got music in our solar system
We're space truckin' round the stars
Come on let's go Space Truckin'
The fireball that we rode was moving
But now we've got a new machine
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah the freaks said
Man those cats can really swing
They got music in their solar system
They've rocked around the Milky Way
They've danced around the Borealis
They're Space Truckin' everyday
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Space truckin'
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Space truckin'
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Space truckin'
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Space truckin'
11 Highway Star (08:42)
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 Smoke on the Water (09:11)
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
Loading comments slowly
