Reviewing The Concerto is a very hard mission for me since I know the piece by heart - every single part of it the whole arrangemnt/ I saw the original concert as ateenager and flew all the way from Israel to London to see the 30th anniversary concert last september.
After Listening to the new cd I only have one question in mind: "Why?"
I know Jon and Roger Personaly - I've interviewd them during the last 20 years about 20 times for an Israely important evening newspaper' and got to know the, better when they toured Israel in 1991 and had a vacation here after the end of the tour.
Well, I don't understand why the guy's cose to put on Cd the recording of the second night (the 25th of September) The first concert was far better. Thogh the solos are shorter the combination between the orchestra and the band felt more natural. There are fewer mistakes and the guys. Specialy Jon and Morse play with more confidence.
The bigest disapointment for me was the singing of Mr. Gillan that sounds at time a bit out of tune and lacking inthusiasm.
Morse was as a whole far better on the first Night, his playing fittet the Concerto oposed to the official recording where he mainly hits on the lawer strings and trys to be bluesier that ever.
At times things simply get bout of hand - the "jewish" Clarinet solo in the end of the first movement goes to places where jon never intendid it to go and Ian Paices drumming on the second Vocal piece ("how shell I know") seems to loose its original direction - where did the famous ta dam da da dam fill disapear?)
Jon's Oragan solo's are full of mistakes, he even forgets one bar on the section previes to the second song, and on the endsolo of the second section the guy seems to be in total panic.
But - anybody that will take time to go to the third section will find himeself in car race. Somebody disided to speed up the tempo to a rate the turnes the whole section into a musical nightmare/ the orchestra sounds as if somebody gave them a hint - ok guys weve made out point lets rap things up and g home abd the mmembers of the band sounds as if the police are chasing them in fast cars…
Luckely two days after I returned hoome from London a Finish Deep Purple Fan sent me a bootleg copy of the first Night. The guy sat very clost to the stage and recorded the whole thing on dat (superb qulity). Most of the faults I've manchend do not apear and infect the superb piece. As I said earlyer - the solos are shorter but sound very good and in place. Ian sings almost as he did 30 years ago and Jon is very close to what he did on the fantastic night in 1969. Ah yes, paicy didn't forget the ta da da dam fill.
As amusic producer in the past I know that its an Iron rull to record a "security recording" when recording a concert for an official CD or radio broadcast - I'm shure Eagle records have recorded the first Night too so here again im taking the liberty to ask "why?"
I know that it's a criminal act to promote bootlegs and do not aprove of bootleging that distroys the music indostry but it this case - who ever can get hold of the bootleg copies of the firstnight will do himself a great favour.
Befor ending this review one more coment on the arragements of the Deep Purple classics briought in the end of this Cd. Whoever took time to read my review about the Live concert written a couple of days after I returned to my country will fins that Im pointing out the the band playd so loud shadowing the whole orchestra - well who ever mixed the cd also didn't think that a full range symphony orchestra playing there hearts out is important enough….
You hear Purple but not the the orchestra and on the few seconds you hear the LSO they sound, thanx to to enginner and the producer no more or less than a chep sampler…
Hope to see you on the 40th anniversary to hear an official CD of the first night as a colector item (this is writen as a personal apeal to the Eagle records people)

Yours

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