Artist: DEEP PURPLE
Album: NEW LIVE & RARE [LIVE IN EUROPE 1969 - 1971] (CD)

Release date: 2011
Media type: CD

This interesting collection of various one-off live tracks replaces PUR 209 which has been out of print since 2006. The CD, which has been fully authorised by the original management company , is part of an ongoing series of official archive releases (praised in Clinton Heylin's definitive guide to the world of live recordings as an "example of how things should be done") designed for collectors and, while the audio quality is not always of the highest, it has been carefully sourced from  the best surviving tapes. The usual detailed audio restoration work has been done and the tracks feature the group in extraordinarily fine form throughout.

All the material on this release comes from the classic second Deep Purple line up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord and Paice, who recorded the band's most famous trio of albums; Deep Purple In Rock, Fireball and Machine Head. Despite their success on stage little material from the band's live shows was ever released at the time, despite this being the area where the group made their name. The tracks span the years 1969 to 1971 and include several unique performances.

Wring That Neck is a long instrumental from a bootleg of a show in Amsterdam in August 1969, one of the earliest recordings of the famous Mk 2 line-up where they were able to stretch out in proper progressive rock style; Child In Time, the band's anthem in 1970 (originally laid down on the In Rock LP) was recorded live in Manchester in July that year; the version of the single Black Night was specially recorded for TV in September 1970 after becoming a surprise top ten hit; Strange Kind Of Woman comes from a very early American gig at Long Beach Arena in 1971, one of their first there as headliners; Into The Fire and Demon's Eye are live recordings from Germany in 1971, tracks not often played live. The CD concludes with two bonus items, ten minute edits of Wring That Neck and Mandrake Root from Holland in August 1969, which feature some really astonishing playing from the band.

As always the CD includes a booklet with notes and information.

TRACKLIST:

[1] Wring That Neck 15.05
[2] Child In Time 9.35
[3] Black Night 3.08
[4] Strange Kind Of Woman 10.30
[5] Into The Fire 4.07
[6] Demon's Eye 9.03
[7] Wring That Neck (edit) 9.50
[8] Mandrake Root (edit) 10.19