Legendary hard rock act Deep Purple toured the world in 2011 backed by an orchestra for the first time in many years, and as luck would have it also appeared at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the site of the story behind their classic song "Smoke on the Water", and a festival they've appeared at before. Eagle Rock once again delivers the goods with this terrific looking and sounding Blu-ray of Purple's set filmed in high definition at Monreux. If you didn't get a chance to catch the band on tour this year with the orchestra, now's the perfect opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds in the comfort of your own home.
For a bunch of old timers, the band show they still have it here, and then some. The setlist is jam packed with hits and deep album cuts. Opening up with the favorite "Highway Star" and then launching into the heavy "Hard Loving Man", Purple go for the juggular right off the bat, before settling into the more bluesy & funky "Maybe I'm a Leo". The band is in fine form, with Ian Paice and Roger Glover locked in while Steve Morse's guitar licks and Don Airey's Hammond organ take up the main riffs and solo spots. Vocalist Ian Gillan, while certainly somewhat of a shell of his past glories, still can do an admirable job on these songs, though the days of his "Child in Time" histrionics are long gone. The orchestra really adds some bombastic flair to "Rapture of the Deep", "Black Night", "Perfect Strangers", "Smoke on the Water", and "Knocking at Your Back Door", but the real pleasers for fans are the band digging into the great "No One Came" from Fireball, the soulful "When a Blind Man Cries" (featuring a spot on vocal from Gillan), and the Morse rave-up "The Well Dressed Guitar". In addition, it wouldn't be a Purple gig without the fun "Hush" and staples like "Woman From Tokyo", "Space Truckin' ", and "Strange Kind of Woman".
The video quality is superb here, the high-definition so crystal clear you will feel like you are on stage with the band, and the audio perfect for turning up the volume on your home theater system. Special features include interviews with all five band members as they talk about the event, playing with an orchestra, and the career of the band, with Gillan's being the most informative and enjoyable. It all adds up to another winner from Eagle Rock, and proof that Deep Purple still have plenty of gas in the tank.
And, for those who will want to be able to take this show with them wherever they go, a 2 CD set is also available from Eagle Rock of the entire concert, which serves as a great addition to their already strong collection of live albums from throughout their career.
Track Listing
- Orchestral Intro
- Highway Star
- Hard Loving Man
- Maybe I'm A Leo
- Strage Kind Of Woman
- Rapture Of The Deep
- Woman From Tokyo
- Contact Lost
- When A Blind Man Cries
- The Well Dressed Guitar
- Knocking At Your Back Door
- Lazy
- No One Came
- Don Airey Solo
- Perfect Strangers
- Space Truckin'
- Smoke On The Water
- Hush
- Black Night
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