DEEP PURPLE — Live At The NEC 1993 (review)

DEEP PURPLE — Live At The NEC 1993 album cover Live album · 2007 · Hard Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Pekka
This Deep Purple live release is particularly infamous for Ian Gillan's press comments in which he encouraged fans to leave it in the shops, as he considered this performance one of their worst ever. It has some obvious flaws given the circumstances, but also a lot of really good high energy performance.

In short: Ritchie Blackmore had agreed to let the concert be filmed on the condition that there are no cameramen on stage, but when the show time came and he went on, the first thing he saw was a cameraman, so back to the dressing room he went. The rest of the band started Highway Star without him, which as a result sounds extremely hollow, with some really forced Ian Gillan falsetto screams to boot. Ritchie returned to play the solo for the song, but stopped midway through to soak the aforementioned cameraman, who had now moved to the other side of the stage, with a glass of water. Black Night is somewhat hampered too by Ritchie's absent mind, but when he finally gets down to business it's much better, with creative riff variations and improvisation here and there.

The only problem left is Ian Gillan's voice, which has lost a lot of its reach and edge since the golden days 20 years previously. Child in Time is a pale ghost of its original form, but singing in his natural voice he's still handling his duties finely. If he remembers the lyrics that is, which doesn't seem to be the case with the Paint It, Black cover version. But when Blackmore is absent or absent minded and/or Gillan is struggling with his throat, the package is always kept together by the tight core that is Ian Paice, Roger Glover and Jon Lord. Especially the latter's work I enjoy thoroughly, even the keyboard solo is rather amusing. The drum solo following the frantic Lazy is kept short enough as well.

Apparently this individual release is nowadays deleted, thanks to Mr. Gillan, but it can still be found in the Live in Europe 1993 box set, and parts of the concert in the Come Hell or High Water live album. An interesting piece of history, a recording of a classic lineup during its last days.
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