Published on Mar 28, 2000
In 1969, Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord premiered a
composition he wrote, “Concerto For Group And Orchestra”. The album
featuring that work is either seen as one of the most collectable
items in Deep Purple’s discography or a throat-clearing
embarassment that some would prefer to forget ever happened.
Although the original manuscript of Lord’s work has been lost to
time, the dedication of Lord and a diehard fan from Holland who
helped to re-create the work has allowed this piece of modern
classical music to breathe again. Add the London Symphony
Orchestra, as well as a plethora of guest musicians and singers to
it, and you have the latest Deep Purple release,
In Concert With The London Symphony Orchestra. Pompous? A
bit. Beautiful? At times. A must own? We’ll get to that in a
minute.
If you’re looking for all of the hits from Deep Purple, you’re
going to be somewhat disappointed. Only three “classics” are
included in the 16 tracks on this CD, though hearing an orchestral
version of “Wring That Neck” is rather intriguing (if not a tad
disappointing that Steve Morse doesn’t allow himself to go to full
shred). “Pictures Of Home” and “Smoke On The Water” round out the
familiar material.
Otherwise, Ian Gillan and crew choose to pull material from the
band’s last two studio efforts,
Purpendicular and
Abandon, for songs like “Ted The Mechanic” and “Sometimes I
Feel Like Screaming”. While these aren’t instantly recognizable, it
does give Deep Purple the freedom to break out of the traditional
musical mold they’re cast in and allows them to lay down a rather
funky groove. In the end, it’s kinda fun.
But here’s the rub – you don’t get to hear the full band for
some time. Instead, you have mood pieces like “Pictured Within”
(beautifully sung by Miller Anderson), “Wait A While” and “Sitting
In A Dream”. Ronnie James Dio even comes on board to sing on two
tracks, “Sitting In A Dream” (which really shows his vocal powers
without the banshee wailing) and “Love Is All” (well, so much for
the absence of the wailing). If my ear picks it up right, he also
takes over a verse on “Smoke On The Water”… interesting.
While the diehard fans might cringe at the opening pieces, they
do properly set the mood for this show, and they are undeniably
beautiful pieces to listen to. Give them a chance, and let them
grow on you – it doesn’t take long at all.
The heart of
In Concert With The London Symphony Orchestra, of course, is
“Concerto For Group And Orchestra,” a piece that, admittedly, isn’t
the most approachable piece of music. Still, Lord does a good job
moving the ghosts of classical into the modern age, and makes sure
not to tread on the toes of either side. I’m fully willing to admit
I need to spend more time with this piece in order to appreciate it
– here’s hoping the casual listener will be willing to do the
same.
If you want the typical Deep Purple live experience, this is not
the album you want to pick up. Go spend some time with
Made In Japan – and then come back to this set. If, however,
you want to hear a decent collaboration between electric rock band
and symphony orchestra, then Deep Purple do a fair to middling job
on
In Concert With The London Symphony Orchestra. The only
caveat? Be willing to spend some time with this disc. After all,
like a fine wine, music such as this is meant to be savored, not
cannonballed in one sitting.