Deep Purple formed in 1968 and 52 years later after 21 studio albums several changes in line ups, changes in musical direction and changes in receding hairlines they are still touring. There’s every chance, by my reckoning, that the next time the band appear in Glasgow, this will be Deep Purple Version 8.
It is commonly accepted that Deep Purple in their prime, and at their best was the second version which consisted of Jon Lord (Keyboards), Ian Paice (Drums), Ian Gillan (Vocals), Roger Glover (Bass) and Richie Blackmore(Lead Guitar).
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This line up gave us the studio albums Deep Purple in Rock, Fireball, Machine Head, Who Do We Think We Are and the live album Made in Japan.
From the studio albums of this incarnation of the group, we were blessed with tracks such as Child in Time, Highway Star, Strange Kinda Woman and the unmistakable Smoke on the Water.
All of these appeared on the 1972 live album Made in Japan recorded over 3 nights in Osaka and Tokyo in August 1972. That album was my first entrée into their music and despite attendance at Deep Purple concerts over the decades at the Glasgow Apollo, Armadillo and The Hydro, no subsequent rendition of those songs and others came close to re- creating the intensity of the live album recorded in Japan.
Cue Deeper Purple.
Deeper Purple consists of five members whose sole aim is to recreate the music from the Made in Japan album alongside other tracks from this creative peak.
They also include songs from the albums Burn and Stormbringer – Deep Purple version 3 when vocalist and bass player Ian Gillan and Roger Glover
were replaced by David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.
For this Purple aficionado it was mission accomplished, surrounded by rock memorabilia in the Hard Rock Cafe Glasgow on Buchanan Street.
The band were a delight from start to encore. Last time I saw Deep Purple was just over a year ago at The Hydro and with all due respect; Ian Gillan can’t deliver the strength and intensity of vocals he did 50 years ago to match the magnitude of the music.
Luka Revase, Deeper Purple’s Spanish lead singer excelled in doing so. His voice whilst not similar to that of Ian Gillan or David Coverdale carried the songs in such a way that you didn’t hanker for Gillan or Coverdale to be on the stage.
The Hard Rock Café in March 2020 – just under 48 years after Made
in Japan was recorded became those nights in Osaka and Tokyo in 1972. Who needs a TARDIS.
The two and a half hour set – how’s that for value for money? – left those in attendance looking for more – and not for Blackmore, something the crowd at the Apollo in the mid 70s did when Richie Blackmore had been replaced by Tommy Bolin….
Any Purple fans or rock fans reading this review please make note of Deeper Purple and check their website to make sure you catch them next time they come to town. I certainly will be checking.
In just over six month’s time Deep Purple are scheduled to play The Hydro. I hope to be there and that the gig is able to go ahead, as part of the group’s final, final farewell tour. I was at the last one.
Gillan, Paice, Glover, Morse and Airey should have the chance to perform songs from their new album Whoosh! and serve up some classic tracks to satisfy the demand from their army of fans.
It’s a measure of how good I think Deeper Purple were on a much smaller local stage that I don’t expect their performance to be outdone by the group they pay tribute to. The Hard Rock Cafe knows how to stay true to rock n roll.
