Customer Reviews

Live at Inglewood 1968

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the first Deep Purple show released on an official full length CD with the MK 1 line up featuring Rod Evans and Nick Simper.
The concert was recorded in 1968 when they opened up for Cream on their Farewell Tour.

Sound quality isn't great because of the age of the recording but this is a must have for Deep Purple fans!

"Hush" (Joe South) - 4:44
"Kentucky Woman" (Neil Diamond) - 5:01
"Mandrake Root" (Rod Evans, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord) - 10:10
"Help!" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 6:19
"Wring That Neck" (Blackmore, Nick Simper, Lord, Ian Paice) - 6:40
"River Deep, Mountain High" (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) - 9:44
"Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) - 7:57

I love DP, and Mark I is my favorite DP lineup. I have to admire the 'cajones' of the Deep Purple Appreciation Society for putting this from-video production together. Early DP was arguably as much keyboard-centered as guitar-centered unit, and Ritchie may be attempting to be a bit more explosive here live, than on the Shapes of Deep Purple debut album (where he is notoriously understated), but its hard to tell...the sound does not come through. If you are good at using your imagination, this talent might help you to piece together what the band really sounded like that night. Rod Evans, who I loved as a vocalist on the first three albums displays some of the limitations which made him unsuitable as Ritchie started to crank things up later in the band's career, and, Ian Gillan did fit the new style better. Therefore I got the answer to why Rod Evans got the 'heave-ho' in 1970. If you are doing very, very well financially, and LOVE Mark I DP, buy this album. Otherwise, it would behoove you to just buy the first three DP albums (Shades, Taliesyn and Deep Purple), which are very fine remasters (all three will cost you about he same as this release...if you paid 'list' price). I also recommend 'Live at Aachen 1970' for a well-recorded early DP show (also from DP Appreciation Society)

This is a great CD. I don't understand putting Blackmore down as his playing is really quite good. The sound isn't fantastic but performance is very good. This is the only live Mark I there is and I recommend getting it as it is really good. Everyone sounds good remember this is 1968. And the audience reaction to each song is tremendous. Why would they cheer and clap so loud if they didn't like them? Buy it.

Sound quality isn't perfect, but quite acceptable (especially for live album fans) as this was a show where the (then) new band Deep Purple opened for Cream of their Farewell Tour. Know I had this show as a bootleg several years ago - with different artwork. Didn't know until here recently it was given a legit pressing. REMEMBER: this was when 'original' vocalist Rod Evans was still their frontman. Tunes I simply couldn't get enough of were their first big hit "Hush", Neil Diamond's "Kentucky Woman", their jamming "Mandrake Root" and the Leave's counter-culture standard "Hey Joe". A definite should-have.

This is the only known live recording of the Rod Evans Era Deep Purple.It was recorded during their supporting slot on the 1968 Cream Farewell Tour. As far as sound quality goes,this is a bootleg; it is easily the least listenable of the archival live Deep Purple releases so far. But it is worth having simply because it is a decent companion to the first three Purple LPs that feature Rod Evans as lead singer. Musically,it is easy to see why Blackmore sacked Evans from the band: he sounded great on the band's psychedelic/prog studio albums but was unable to properly front the live sonic aggressive/metal assault that they were fast becoming.This concert is only an hour long.All of the songs are,(by Deep Purple standards,)fairly short with the exception of Mandrake Root and River Deep Mountain High which run almost 10 minutes each. The best players here are Jon Lord,Ian Paice and Nick Simper; Evans sings well and Ritchie Blackmore simply sucks.He has always been a hot or cold player and here he is simply frozen.He sounds like he has no idea where to take this music; his only moment of redemption is the soloing in Wring That Neck. Jon Lord sounds like a true revelation,his classical training is upfront on several of his solos,especially during Mandrake Root and in the 2001 Space Odyssey opening to River Deep Mountain High. Ian Paice is always a joy and seems totally unable to play badly. Indeed,if you can get past the boiler room sound quality of this disk there is much here to be enjoyed. The Mark 1 Deep Purple has always been my favourite and it's nice to see that they could cut it in concert even at this embryonic stage in their career.

This CD is for hard-core fans and completists only. I had actually seen Deep Purple around this time. In fact, the handbill just above the word Purple on the front of the CD insert is from the gig I saw. I had high hopes for this CD. The concert I saw sounded great, but this CD sounds awful. The source is actually a video tape from a primitive video camera that someone from Tetragrammaton had brought to the show. The CD insert says the tape is unwatchable. I say the sound is unlistenable.

A great effort by Rod Evens & Mk1 line up. Richie B. at his best, love it. Must have had sound troubles ay the time of recording.