My all time Purple fav. Even though Ritchie ham handed his way through the solo... You can see Ritchie glaring at Ian, this was the beginning of the end of that relationship. Ian does a Axl Rose and bonks a security guy on the head with his mike stand! This concert is out on DVD with some In Concert footage. A MUST buy for any Purple fan!
Check out this version from 1993. I would say they kept that song as an opening number for more than a year! The band told Ritchie at the last minute that the concert was going to be video taped (since he was not traveling with the rest of the band anymore, answering phone calls, or coming to the sound checks). He hated Ian Gillan (again), he refused to go on at the last minute, then he threw water at the camera when he did. This was the last show he did with Purple. He still rips out a nice solo!
Ian's voice was roached by 1993, but take a listen to the master in 1972 with Child in Time - nobody can do this. Ian's voice was just killer
) Believe it or don't, Pavarotti became a fan of Ian's after he heard him sing this song and then his work on the original score of Jesus Christ Superstar. Ian performed with Pavarotti on his farewell tour singing Nessun Dorma with him several times.
I saw DP a couple of months ago. Don Airey was surprisingly good in Lord's shoes, but Don has played with some huge acts. Steve Morse could be the human equivalent of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz. Every single solo he played sounded like a technical exercise - no heart in anything. Although he acted like he was some kind of guitar hero..... Like everything I've heard out of him since the Dregs, it was a stale, stale, stale performance. The harmonic wammy dives got old after the first one, much less the 423 that he did throughout the show. Ian has given up attempting the irritating croaking screams he did throughout the late 80's and 90's and is sounding very strong. Ian Paice is one of the greatest drummers of all time.
Just mho!
Jim 8-)
