DEEP PURPLE – Scandinavian Nights / In Concert 1970-1972 / Live in London / MK III: The Final Concerts [Reissue]

The original formations of Deep Purple were active for a paltry eight years, although in that time they produced ten of the most riveting and captivating albums in the history of Hard Rock. In addition to the studio albums, the band toured constantly. Many of their live performances were recorded throughout the early years, which brought forth a slew of Deep Purple live album releases in the late 70s and early 80s. Even today, many of their lost classic performances are still dusted off, remastered, and made into a formidable live albums. The four live albums presented here give a wide variety of material and style, and the intent is to present some of the finest on stage work from two very different Deep Purple lineups.

Scandinavian Nights – Live In Stockholm 1970

This album was originally released back in 1988, four years after the Mk. II lineup reunited. The show was originally recorded by Swedish National Radio. This was a very early recording by the Mk. II lineup, which was touring in support of their 1970 release In Rock. This is about as raw of a performance as you will get from Deep Purple. The album starts with a volatile 35-minute rendition of “Wring That Neck”. All the songs are extremely excessive in length, which makes this album a very difficult listen. Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore both take off on many wild tangents with their instruments, which ultimately become extremely hard to follow.

In Concert 1970 – 1972

This is actually a collection of two separate concerts originally recorded by the BBC. The album was originally released in 1980. Since disc 1 was recorded in 1970, again the songs are excessively long. Although scaled back somewhat for a promotional radio performance, the band does generally stay within the conventional themes of each song. The 1972 concert on disc 2 was recorded just weeks before the release of Machine Head, and contains six tracks from that album. This is quite a highlight to hear Deep Purple perform such venerated songs such as “Highway Star”, “Space Truckin”, and “Smoke On The Water” before they were even released.

Live In London

The Mk III lineup featuring David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes is showcased on this album, which was recorded in 1974 and released in 1982. Of the seven total tracks on this collection, five of them are from the Burn album. Coverdale and Hughes brought a whole new essence to the band, therefore they shine when performing the new material. However, during the Mk. II songs, they ultimately sound lost. Blackmore noticeably stepped up his game as well. By this point in his Purple career, he stands firm as one of the premier guitarists, and guides each song with amazing tenacity. The highlight is Blackmore’s out of this world performance of “Mistreated”.

MK III – The Final Concerts

This album was recorded during the band’s 1975 tour in support of Stormbringer. Blackmore had already voiced his decision to management that he was leaving the band, however the rest of the band was unaware. The managers decided to record the last four shows thinking they might be the final Deep Purple performances of all time. As a result, Blackmore is at his peak, playing the finest he had ever played. There is extreme energy and confidence from Blackmore, which in turn rubs off on the rest of the band. To exemplify this, there are two different versions of Blackmore’s signature opus “Mistreated”, and both are magnificent.

This collection of live albums is full of highlights and lowlights. However, it becomes very evident how much growth the band goes through in such a short amount of time. Live performances are an important metric of a bands success, and Deep Purple certainly became a much better live band as the years progressed.