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Deep Purple on VH1 Classic
VH1 Classic in North America is airing a show called Seven Ages of Rock (which was co-produced together with the BBC). The fourth episode Never Say Die is about hasrd rock and heavy metal and features Deep Purple along with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica. The Purple part is mostly about Smoke On The Water. It had clips of the band miming to Black Night, Copenhagen’72, Hofstra University’73 plus casino burning down, interspersed with Gillan and Glover interview bits.
If you didn’t catch it on cable, here’s the relevant piece of the show from youtube (while it’s still there):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZmnFOs0jdk
Thanks to Brad DeMoranville for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
I hate that bald guy who is invited to every show about music :/ He knows jack shit about music from 70s and 80s
July 14th, 2008 at 11:54Don´t be too harsh on Rob Halford
July 14th, 2008 at 13:18It was refreshing to hear Gillan speak positively of Blackmore. Mark II one more time? Nah; I’ll stick with the current line-up!
July 14th, 2008 at 15:24Deep purple were not miming on that version of Black Night, period.
It was recorded live, just listen to Ian’s extended vocal fades, and Ritchies soling, it’s completely different from the demo and final studio version.
Had it been recorded years later or something, it would be clearer to catch, but it was 1970 when they performed it, soundilng like themselves was not a stretch to speak of… as I said, it was live.
This is also why the audio is officially released, why else would it be… otherwise it would not be titled “TOTP live” it would not even need to be on that archive release, they would just use one of the two single versions available if that were the case… fact!
Anyone who has the clip should be able to tell that it wasn’t mimed.
This segment was originally titled, History Of Heavy Metal.
July 14th, 2008 at 19:23The whole series was a let down in my opinion, although the extras were Roger spoke about the lyrics to Black Night was pretty comical.
July 14th, 2008 at 22:23After watching the clips on here I will still watch it on VH1, just wish they would use something other than Smoke. Thats why here in the US they are considered to be nothing more than a classics band (to the casual fan and most radio stations) and sadly nothing else. Fortunately for all here we do know better. Cheers
July 15th, 2008 at 02:07No wonder lots of outsiders think we are bonkers.
It’s always Smoke…….here………….Smoke there………..
And that’s not all.
You know what?
We think we are sane enough to talk about setlists and so on.
We think we are on the same level as our Gods.
Blimey!
July 15th, 2008 at 23:26That tremolo arm on the white and black Strat is thick as a crowbar. Can’t blame him–they are easy to break. I’ve broken one into the block myself! 🙂
It’s a magic tremolo arm, too… It works without Blackmore even touching it (time index :52-:57). Then again, maybe he’s just that good!
This is of course mimed. Blackmore was never good at miming because he doesn’t remember his own solos. His fingering doesn’t come close to what he’s “playing”.
This version is a BBC session from September 23, 1970.
“In Rock” was much more influential than “Machine Head.” The remaster could pass for something new even today.
July 16th, 2008 at 07:51I guess you didn’t read my post T, or perhaps I’ll tell it more like it really was… they often recorded these things prior to performing them, for technical purposes, so yes, it is mimed, but not to the studio version, listen to Jon’s organ sound, it’s a fact they often did this, so the audio is live, I guarantee it. I said listen, not look. It’s easier to tell if you have the clip, especially the digital recording of the re-broadcast in 2005. Stunning!
I also have this entire show on DVD, nothing special at all.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:48A case of misunderstanding, then.
They’re definitely miming…but to the 23.9.70 take. Interesting how close it is to the official studio version. It couldn’t have been done too much later.
July 16th, 2008 at 11:23Too many smokers
July 16th, 2008 at 13:14Blackmore also tended to purposely come off like he was miming all the time, the best example is during the Fireball mime when at the outro he turns his guitar over and acts like he’s strumming the back side of it, brilliant!
July 16th, 2008 at 16:15Crimson Ghost said, “Deep purple were not miming on that version of Black Night, period.”
Footnote: *Yes, they were–miming to a previously recorded live version. The LIVE performance is the one at time index 1:03.
“Miming” is a term used to describe a performance in which musicians only “act” like they are playing and singing.
July 17th, 2008 at 04:12But the confusion to most is that this was mimed to either the deomo or the final stuido single recording, which was what I was on about in the first place, if you think I don’t know what “miming” is then you leaping to ridiculous conclusions, and if you want to hash recording facts with me “T” this isn’t the place for it, try doing it on one of my websites where you will find significance there of much more interest concerning recordings.
July 17th, 2008 at 20:04I have had a lot of experience with recording and editing. That really isn’t an issue. That you didn’t recognize this version is also okay. It is a little obscure.
You were so emphatic that is was not a mime (“Deep purple were not miming on that version of Black Night, period”) when it obviously is.
The fact that this example is a live recording changes nothing. It’s still a mime. Miming was common practice for a long time and people still do it, although it’s frowned upon today. Remember the Britney Spears thing a while back?
It’s okay…Gillan did such a great job at lip-synching and you can only barely tell Ian Paice is miming that it’s an honest mistake. It’s far better to just let it go than to double-talk around it.
Not a big deal. 🙂
July 18th, 2008 at 02:22I think all the people, even the those interviewed were miming, especially the bald dude…he he he,
Actually, in all honesty, they were actually playing live, but the sound from a different “Live Studio” performance was dubbed in…..
July 18th, 2008 at 23:40Very likely.
July 19th, 2008 at 16:08I should have reiterated before posting in the first place, that it’s live and often mistaken for one of the studio recordings, among avid collectors, and to put things your way T, collectors are people who collect things, usually of rare nature… not to confuse this with being rare to the average collector, as it’s not, but once was considered to be.(“a little obscure?” to you perhaps)
I’ve had this piece for many years, it’s nothing new to me, and the sound track is actually officially released, so more people are finding out that it actually was live, otherwise no need to release it, so it’s considered live more so than mimed, because most consumers own the audio, not the video… so it really depends on who you’re talking to. Live is live, and mimed is mimed, so it’s both, and miming usually isn’t done to live tape, except on a few shows in Europe in those days, and TOTP was one of them, but not all the time, the usual practice was miming to your latest studio hit single.
Tracy, this one was recorded in that same TV studio, then performed lyp synched, as they sometimes did in those days for technical purposes.
July 22nd, 2008 at 04:12That’s a given. TOTP was hit or miss on whether or not you would actually see something “live” or “mimed Live”. Either way, the audio is definately a live studio version that they recorded for this show.
July 22nd, 2008 at 16:46TOTP’s was generally a ‘bag of shite’
July 25th, 2008 at 15:21You are correct Rascal….but there were a few moments though as in the clip above, and I just came across one of Gillan miming to “Livin’ for the City” back in ’82. Pretty cool shots of the band, McCoy, Townes, Jers, and Underwood.
Cheers
July 26th, 2008 at 00:01Those were the days!!
July 28th, 2008 at 09:05ACTUALLY, I’M MIMING RIGHT NOW. THERE! I DID IT AGAIN! THERE AGAIN! WAIT A MINUTE I FEEL ANOTHER ONE COMING………YEP THERE IT IS. I’M NOT DOING IT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I’M WAITING FOR THE TAPE TO CATCH UP.
August 1st, 2008 at 03:48I am not a math major nor musician. I leave this debate to the above. JLT rocks.
December 31st, 2008 at 15:27