•
Rating: Being masters of a genre like rock means holding the secret spark, that spark capable of making some music great, and others mere cliché.
The DP of "Made in Europe" are now in the gotha of rock, rich and famous, but with a changed line-up: Gillan "steel throat" and Glover have given way to two almost unknown guys, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, but, on the other hand, not at all "clones" of those who left.
This concert, in reality a skillful collage by producer Martin Birch, immediately makes it clear that the newcomers are not just two extras, but they innovate and enrich the group's live sound especially in the vocal part: the "main" voice is the bluesy Coverdale supported, however, by the gifted Hughes, who certainly does not limit himself to backing vocals! And here is the opening with "Burn", fast blues with an obvious neoclassical escape on the pattern of "Highway star", which rightly enters among the best of the Purple, six minutes of power, speed, and taste in which Blackmore and Lord are truly amazing with their solos. Let's all bow, however, before "Mistreated", from the solemn and warm riff, as only Blackmore can do, on which Coverdale's bluesy voice reigns supreme, especially in the "Rock my baby" insert, making it immediately clear that Purple fans may not have to miss Gillan's mannerisms because the sound has acquired a new depth and richness (modernity?).
The third track is "Lay down, stay down", a fast piece with an engaging and direct guitar: very fast blues with an interesting use of echo effect. But it is only the preparation for the best piece of this live, which is the nervous and very fast "You fool no one" where the whole group travels to the limit without any smudging, with the two voices in unison on Paice's monumental drums, not just a simple accompanist but a creator of real "drum riffs" (remember "The mule"?) which in this piece displays a terrifying power and technique: listen to believe. The classic "Stormbringer", predominantly sung by Coverdale, but with excellent contributions from Hughes, is one of the hardest and most epic tracks, with a Ritchie solo that preludes the sounds that he would soon develop with the Rainbow.
Even decades later, the authenticity of the Deep Purple rock icon oozes from the grooves of this record, enveloped by that mysterious energy, unreachable for many craftsmen of today's rock scene, leaving us with the most important feeling for a rock concert: that "something happened" on stage.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Burn (07:17)
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!"
02 Mistreated (11:35)
I've been mistreated, I've been abused.
I've been struck downhearted, baby, I've been confused
'Cause I know, yes, I know I've been mistreated.
Since my baby left me I've been losing my mind, you know I have.
I've been lonely, I've been cold.
I've been looking for a woman to have and hold
'Cause I know, yes, I know I've been mistreated.
Since my baby left me I've been losing, I've been losing,
I've been losing my mind, baby baby babe.
I've been mistreated, I've been abused.
I've been looking for a woman, yeh, I've been confused
'Cause I know, yes, I know I've been mistreated, ooh o-o-oh.
Since my baby left me I've been losing, losing,
I've been losing my mind, baby baby babe.
Oh oh oh, oh woman, oh woman, oh woman.
I've been losing my mind.
05 Stormbringer (04:50)
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
08 Smoke on the Water (10:15)
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
Other reviews
By NAP700
"That rock funk... that grabs you and warms you up.. it stirs your soul... that unashamed and arrogant way... almost music for delinquents."
"Beautiful 'Mistreated'... slow.. warm... sensual.. hard and raw... music that gets into your veins... makes you want to break and smash everything... or be in the company of warm and lonely women."
