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Well deserved resurrection of Morse-era Purple

Lots and lots of solos and improvs spread out through the setlist. New transitions, new starts, new middle section jams, new endings. The Contact Lost – guitar solo -> Sometimes I feel Like Screaming -> guitar solo -> The Well Dressed Guitar section was clever, amazing and beautiful.

That one combined with 3 monumental songs from the last record resurrects Morse-era Purple to the attention and glory it deserves.

This was the third time they played Copenhagen and KB Hallen during the Rapture Of The Deep tour. I missed out on the second concert being on tour myself, so this was the first concert in a couple of years for me.

I cannot say which one was the best. But I think last nights concert was as heavy as I have never seen Deep Purple before. Especially Wrong Man and The Battle Rages On.

Can’t wait to see the band again!

01. Highway Star ->
02. Things I Never Said ->
03. Wrong Man
04. Strange Kind Of Woman
05. Rapture Of The Deep
06. Fireball
07. Contact Lost -> guitar solo ->
08. Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming -> guitar solo ->
09. The Well Dressed Guitar
10. Wring That Neck
11. The Battle Rages On
12. Keyboard Solo ->
13. Perfect Strangers
14. Space Truckin’
15. Smoke On The Water
16. Hush incl bass & drum solos
17. Black Night

Anders



35 Comments to “Well deserved resurrection of Morse-era Purple”:

  1. 1
    T says:

    By the time the group comes to a venue around and around again, a concerted effort needs to be made to vary the setlist in favor of more and more Morse-era songs AND/OR unusual numbers (or even numbers from other line-ups). “Wring That Neck” has been around for a while now, but it’s a nice example of that.

    “Highway Star” is a little aged for an opener. “Money Talks” would work for that–or an instrumental “Burn” should Gillan not want to sing it. What about “And the Address” coming in from that quiet rumble into those loud chords?

    “Strange Kind of Woman” is also very worn. If a Fireball number is required, how about “No, No, No” or “Demon’s Eye” instead?

    There are also more versions of “Black Night” than I can count. For an encore, give ’em a surprise. Keep them guessing. “Seventh Heaven”? “Bludsucker”? “Bananas”?

    I am pleased to see the reports of “Lots and lots of solos and improvs spread out through the setlist. New transitions, new starts, new middle section jams, new endings.”

    THAT’S what Deep Purple is ALL ABOUT!

  2. 2
    Kentish Man says:

    Well put T – we do need the variety that so many studio albums can afford them, but I suppose there will always be the need, and rightly so, for 2 or 3 ‘classics’. But as you say, there is now more of a need for more Morse-era songs + surprises + the obligatory classics + improvisation. Could be that the band has even read some of the earlier blogs here that often complain of them just playing Machine Head with a few extras?

    Agree that SKOW is one of those in particular that should be shelved but guess it’s a bit of a breather for IG as it’s not that taxing on the throat. Personally I’d dump BK and Hush as encores as well, but don’t want to start another “lets all do our own setlist” scenario.

    Either way, really looking forward to them arriving in London in November – with hopefully a few more surprises!

    Cheers.

  3. 3
    MoreBlack says:

    If i understand, the band’s repertoire is very small.Let’s play more of mk I and mk III?

  4. 4
    purplepriest1965 says:

    @ 3

    Pun intended?

    I always felt they should and could have done some MK 1
    Ian Gillan said he never listened to BURN and Strongbow?

    Strange man……

    What about Bird has flown , THE PAINTER, Mandrake Root, And The Adress?
    Drop HUSH and pick Rosa s vCantina instead.

    Instead of Into the fire, Black Night, Space…., Lazy, Speed King and Woman From Tokyo…….

    Hardlovin Man, Hey Cisco, 7th Heaven, Silver Tongue,Wasted Sunsets……

    Instead of ROTD…… STRANGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WAYYYYYYYYYYYSSSSSSSSSS

    What about Dead Or Alive, The Unwritten Law—–

    Bad ATTITUDE…..

    Well, gotta go…..

    Enough dreaming for today…..

  5. 5
    james jay says:

    how about some early Gillan Band stuff to throw evryone for a loop.

  6. 6
    Kimmen says:

    @1: When I saw them in Stockholm on the Abandon Tour, they opened with Ted the Mechanic and that worked wonderfully! As far as I remember, they also did five songs from their latest album, which was very pleasing as well

  7. 7
    Kentish Man says:

    Can’t say I’d be enthralled by too much MKIII material (first 3 tracks of Burn aside) but yes, with the amount of material they have at their disposal, continued variety would be great.

  8. 8
    Kimmen says:

    I wouldn’t mind hearing Stormbringer or Lovechild either. Or Rat Bat Blue, for that matter…

  9. 9
    Crimson Ghost says:

    @8

    They woudn’t do them justice, go back and listen to the originals, why witness another butchering?

  10. 10
    Tracy Heyder aka Zero the Hero says:

    It’s quite simple really….

    There are 5 songs that will ALWAYS be a part of the set list…

    Smoke on the Water
    Highway Star
    Woman From Tokyo
    Hush
    Black Night

    These songs are their Known Songs from the dreaded ‘Classic Rock’ radio stations. They would be crazy not to play most of these. It’s what the ‘Non Purple’ concert goers want to hear due to the familiarity. Yes, they are not too pleasing to the Mega Purple Fan, but you must understand, we are a Minority at the box office. Overall, as far as the Concert Audience, these ‘Staple Tunes’ get the largest reaction due to the fact that most in attendance only know Purple from the few songs that get Air Play.

    That being said, they should play at least 15 other songs from the rest of the catalogue of records. Since out of the five, two are from Machine Head, one is from MK1’s Shades of Deep Purple, one is from “Who Do We Think We Are”, and one is a well known B-Side from MK2, they should then go down the remaining album list and pull tracks from each one until they complete at least a 20 song set of a well spread variety….

    At this point, it is obvious and well documented that Gillan will NEVER sing anything from MK3,4, or 5. So, to those whom continue to clamor for this is a waste of time and only shows one’s lack of regard for what is. That being said, I do believe that the rest of the band should do “Owed to G” from ‘Come Taste the Band’. This would give a much overdue tribute to Tommy Bolin and cover a tune from at least the Coverdale/Hughes era without putting Gillan in the precarious position of being ridiculed by the ‘critics’. They could even lead into it with a ‘Riff Parade’ of familiar riffs of MK3, 4, and even 5 songs as they do with non-Purple songs before Smoke on the Water. I’d much rather hear various riff intros from Purple tunes than non-Purple tunes thereby dropping the Riff Parade before ‘SOTW’.

    Here is an example of a set list that I believe would make Everyone happy….

    1. Ted the Mechanic
    2. Seventh Heaven
    3. Sun Goes Down
    4. Rapture of the Deep
    5. Woman from Tokyo
    6. Rosas Cantina
    7. Silver Tongue
    8. “Owed to G” (with MK3,4 and 5 Riff Parade intro)
    9. Spanish Archer
    10. Highway Star
    11. Fools
    12. Flight of the Rat
    13. Things I Never Said
    14. Perfect Strangers
    15. Hush
    16. Evil Louie
    17. Battle Rages On
    18. Black Night

    Encore

    19. Place in Line (long blues jam added)with Contact Lost and Well Dressed Guitar finish
    20. Smoke on the Water

    Tell me this isn’t a well spread, comprehensive set list, which covers the full gambit. Sure, a variety of songs here can be interchanged with other songs from their respective album. That is always going be case, but I believe overall this is a good representation of the Purple Library which would make both, the casual and purest Purple Fan happy.

    Cheers

  11. 11
    purplepriest1965 says:

    Well, I can go along with about 11 tracks, so……….

    Hey Cisco, Strangeways plus Bad Attitude, rat bat blue and mandrake root, purpendicular waltz…. instead of TED, Spanish archer, WFT,hush, Evil Louie

    Personal requests are

    And The Adress
    Bird Has Flown
    The Painter
    Smooth dancer
    Place in Line
    The unwritten law
    Wasted Sunsets

  12. 12
    dave smith says:

    ‘Non Purple’ concert goers?!! What planet are you on!! You mean the 98% of the audience? not the .00005% of people who frequent this site! oh dear…..

  13. 13
    Kimmen says:

    @9 The originals I have already heard. I think DP would be able to come up with versions interesting enough, if they just had felt like doing them. I’ve heard Glenn Hughes and JLT doing the first two mentioned and that was just stunning

  14. 14
    Crimson Ghost says:

    I’d rather listen to Gillan’s ‘Breaking Chains’ and Molly Hatchet’s ‘Flirtin’ With Disatser’ back to back than hear ‘Things I Never Said’ one more time. Think about it, listen to them, the tune is dirrived from those two songs, totally, the riff is ‘Flirtin’ if I ever heard it, and the rhythm and vocal melody are nicked from ‘Chains’ to my ears anyway.

  15. 15
    Kimmen says:

    @9 Correction: I’ve seen Glenn Hughes and HTP (Hughes/Turner Project, not Joe Lynn Turner alone) doing Stormbringer and Lovechild, as well as other MkIII/IV numbers

  16. 16
    Tracy Heyder aka Zero the Hero says:

    Read my last statement regarding the fact that it’s obvious that certain songs can be exchanged for others from the same respective album. It’s not a concrete list, just one that does what I meant to get across….cover the full range of Purple and pleasing not just Us Purple Fanatics, but also the many whom go to see them and need the ‘Familiar Tune Treatment’. As usual here, can’t please everybody. But overall I believe it does a good job of Compromise.

    Yes Priest and Ghost…I too have songs I’D RATHER HEAR TOO. The list is endless. That wasn’t the point here. It was about a set list that should be a great middle ground. Sorry for not picking song that YOU would have picked, though I do agree with your offerings.

    Cheers

  17. 17
    Crimson Ghost says:

    Okay then, whats your point? I said Purple wouldn’t do those numbers justice, so lets just settle on the theory that Ian doesn’t have the chops to cut that material to any degree, besides the fact that the two Coverdale sung numbers aren’t classic Purple as we know them anyway. Unless you just want to hear instrumentals, in which case it would at least be a better idea. I just don’t get how people expect him to sing material that followed his times in Purple, whats next, ‘King Of Dreams’ or something??? It’s all clearly a different ball of wax… ear cleaner anyone? lol!

  18. 18
    T says:

    Re: #10

    Tracy–your point is well made and right on the mark. The band always will be associated with certain songs. I doubt Purple could get away without “Smoke on the Water,” for example. “Space Truckin'” and even a couple of others could be added to the list.

    However, they could be rotated when a venue is used over multiple nights and some could be relegated to encore status.

    Your setlist is well thought out. Certainly, the band needs to concentrate on the Morse-era since that is who they are right NOW.

    An instrumental medley of other Marks would be a nice tribute to the Deep Purple heritage. It could be done as a segue into “Smoke on the Water” at the end in “Riff Raff” fashion.

  19. 19
    Rascal says:

    Im not sure that DP doing a ‘nice tribute’ to other non-Gillan versions is the way to go. We have JLT who does that!

    Ditch most of the Blackmore stuff, and let Morse do his business………………..surely its time?

  20. 20
    Kimmen says:

    @ 19 Surely it’s time!

  21. 21
    purplepriest1965 says:

    Yeah, I agree too.

    IT s about time !!!!!

  22. 22
    Rascal says:

    Finally……..WE AGREE!

  23. 23
    purplepriest1965 says:

    Irony and pun intended.
    What can I say?

  24. 24
    Crimson Ghost says:

    I agree too, but I’m also realisticically inclined as well. I stopped pining for the impossible and now I’m a free man because of that. It only expires the nervous system to repeatedly beat dead horses.(or someone once said)

  25. 25
    Tracy Heyder aka Zero the Hero says:

    As I’ve always stated, since the MK-7 inception……at least HALF of the tunes should be ‘Morse Era’ tunes. The reason for the ‘Bolin Portion’ is due to the fact that ‘Morse’ has been doing Blackmore tunes forever. Gillan won’t sing any MK3, 4 or 5 songs, whereby ‘Morse and now Airey are subjected to only Blackmore Era and present era tunes. I’d love to see the BAND jam on an era that has been TABOO ever since Gillan took over the Helm. And the way in which I suggested, would truly cover that era without involving Mr. Universe, and would definitely appeal to the Masses…..

    Overall, it looks like we All Agree for a change…..

    Cheers

  26. 26
    purplepriest1965 says:

    Didnt we already ages ago?

  27. 27
    Tracy Heyder aka Zero the Hero says:

    Yeah, I guess so….

    too many brews in the Hot Tub may be causing some memory loss….

    Cheers

  28. 28
    purplepriest1965 says:

    I already thought you resembled OZZY a bit, hehehe

  29. 29
    Reidy says:

    Very strange how people’s opinions vary. To me, since they reformed, they’ve always sounded better doing the new stuff. Strangely, that also includes stuff they didn’t do live in the 70’s, eg Pictures of Home (my favourite purple track) which once Morse stopped doing the horrible screeching, sounds great. Having said that, they’ve butchered some, like the middle and end of Fools and When a blind Man Cries, which was a study in simplicity, which is now crashing guitars and Gillan trying to overdo the vocals.

    But a gig full of Rapture, Perfect Strangers, Knocking…, Strangeways, Spanish Archer, Junkyard Blues, Battle Rages On, Ted…, Jack Ruby, Almost Human, Seventh Heaven and stuff like NO NO NO, Demon’s Eye, Flight of the Rat, Fools (played properly), No One Came (I know they’ve done this with Morse and it’s still great). If they put that set list together, I’d go and watch them again.

  30. 30
    purplepriest1965 says:

    Anyone remembering my recent re introduction of a suggestion considering a MEGA RELEASE with Lord and Morse LIVE on 2 or 3 double disc?
    NOBODY CARES???!!!!

  31. 31
    Tracy Heyder aka Zero the Hero says:

    “Nobody’s Home”

  32. 32
    purplepriest1965 says:

    But my belly is achhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnggggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!

  33. 33
    Tracy Heyder aka Zero the Hero says:

    “Your Image is Blown”…………

  34. 34
    purplepriest1965 says:

    But my lights are burnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggg!!!!!!

  35. 35
    Svante Axbacke says:

    Ok, that’s enough. Comments closed.

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