DVD Review: Deep Purple

This package is massive and is really for the die hard Purple fans out there who need little or no introduction into the history of this band that has been through more line up changes than I’ve had hot dinners.

These four DVDs contain about nine hours of footage, covering gigs from the Steve Morse era, alongside original members Ian Gillan, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Roger Glover. Don Airey is also present as the band pays tribute to Lord in his farewell performance with DP.

Disc 1 is titled Bombay Calling and was filmed in India in 1995 after Steve Morse had recently stepped into the lead guitarist position that had been held very briefly by Joe Satriani. When asked, “How did you feel about stepping into Ritchie Blackmore’s shoes?” Morse replies, “I didn’t. I replaced Joe Satriani who replaced Ritchie Blackmore, so I stepped into his shoes!” Good answer, mate!

Interestingly enough, the disc starts with a band press interview, quite serious in places but with some tongue-in-cheek quips from Ian Gillan, too, before the cameras bring us into the concert hall and Purple flying into "Fireball."

This tour was just prior to the band recording the Purpendicular album released in 1996, Morse’s first with them. It just goes to show Morse’s complete ability to fit in and play off Jon Lord. Morse’s attention to detail in getting Blackmore’s riffs down is amazingly accurate. This first disc is excellent stuff, with the band really cooking and the crowd lapping it up.

The set is a good mix of obvious classics: "Fireball," "Black Night," "Woman from Tokyo," "When a Blind Man Cries," "Perfect Strangers," "Child In Time," "Space Truckin’," "Lazy," "Speed King," "Highway Star" and "Smoke on the Water," mixed with lesser know tracks "Maybe I’m A Leo," "The Battle Rages On," "Purpendicular Waltz," "Pictures Of Home" and "Anya." A bonus live feature shows us the band performing in Seoul, South Korea during the same tour. This is captured with an eight song set, in which Morse really seems to be enjoying himself, with none of the Blackmore moodiness.

Disc 2, titled Total Abandon, is from the Abandon world tour 1999, live in Australia, with a bonus documentary at the end of the full 16 track live set, including three tracks from Purpendicular and three from the Abandon release.

There’s a great mini-documentary on the band included on this disc, starting with an excellent laid back interview with Gillan as he takes time off between dates in Australia. It’s real, genuine one-on-one stuff. There’s other fun stuff too, like an Aussie TV show with a load of guitar wannabes jamming along with Purple to "Smoke On The Water."

I actually watched the interview before the full gig footage. I thought it was too bad that the footage shown over some of the interview didn’t focus on either Lord or Morse during their solos, but drifted across the stage. Watching the full concert, it’s clear that was just one camera’s view. The gig is fantastic, the camera footage excellent!

Gillan’s voice and Morse’s guitar play off one another to perfection. Paice and Glover keep things so solid throughout, and Paice always makes everything look so laid back, like he’s not even trying. It’s stunning! Jon Lord. What can you say about the king of the Hammond rock organ sound?

On to disc 3, Live at The NEC (Birmingham, England) 2002 – Farewell to Jon Lord. There’s a great interview on this disc Glover and Gillan. I really enjoyed that, as I think any fan would. This was Lord’s farewell gig, but it actually features a new member -- the much traveled Don Airey -- for the first part of the gig, so Morse is no longer the new guy (after a mere seven years in the band) when this was recorded.

I have to say that I don’t think Gillan’s voice is up to everything else in this set. Emotions? The fills from Airey are not everything we all know from Lord, but then I guess he’s putting his stamp here. That said, I’ve seen this lineup twice now, and I think Airey is the ONLY appropriate replacement for Lord.

The band is still tight as ever and, let’s face it, their first album was released in 1968. That’s 40 years of history folks, with Paice, Glover, Lord and Gillan having actually been in the band longer than most. I guess one thing that’s strange to me, is the timing of this set’s release now, with the last live gig footage on here being from six years back.

Last disc is Access All Areas – Documentary. Not much space to sum it up, but it’s good. No, it’s VERY good! The candid interviewing of each band member -- all the current band, and Lord addressing everything about his departure very openly -- is excellent. It’s frank as well as funny, all interspersed with moments of performances from each of the earlier discs.

There’s a great piece on this last disc about Purple doing a show in Switzerland in a blizzard and you just have to see it to believe it. And then there’s Gillan, Glover and Morse on Rockline and some guy calls in to ask, “When you wrote Smoke, what came first, the lyrics or the words?”

In every respect, this set is a treat for all Purple fans.

DVD release date: June 17, 2008