Monday, September 8, 2014

DEEP PURPLE: "Live In Graz 1975"

Rating: Live
Label: earMUSIC/Edel 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

This is probably my favorite live recording of the Mark III line-up of the band. Well. At least the first five tracks of "Live In Graz 1975" as you'll find absolutely storming versions of "Burn" (Jon Lord's solo), "Stormbringer" (never sounded better), "The Gypsy", "Lady Double Dealer", and the extra long version of "Mistreated", even if Coverdale goes on and on and there's plenty of extensive and inspired solo parts on this sucker.

Indeed. You're in for a treat if you enjoy Coverdale/Hughes and their vocal treatments on these songs as they are top notch. You can't really tell that Blackmore, during a short break before the last of the planned dates in 75', informed the management about his decision to leave. Thus why they decided to bring in the Rolling Stones mobile recording studio to capture the these final Mark III shows in Graz, Saarbrücken and Paris.

However, the Graz versions of "Smoke on The Water" and "Space Truckin" are perhaps not quite as great? Glenn Hughes goes absolutely bananas during "Smoke on The Water" (many over the top high-pitch screams and wailing) and the inclusion of "Georgia On My Mind" is slightly out of place. "You Fool No One", comes with its solo intact and Blackmore include bits and pieces from songs later found on the Rainbow debut album. The twenty minute or so version of "Space Truckin" is frankly just long and boring enough to have most people including yours truly running for the exit door (the rather short inclusion of Child In Time is interesting though and the same goes for Hughes' bass-work). But, the pure energy of the first five tracks. Excellent.

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