Product Description

Studio: Bmg Special Products Release Date: 06/26/2001 Run time: 120 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44702 in DVD
• Brand: Bmg
• Released on: 2001-05-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Live, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 124 minutes

Amazon.com
"It works extremely well or it doesn't work at all," says Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice on this concert DVD, reflecting on DP's 25th anniversary reunion tour. This great-sounding disc (filmed in Birmingham, England, on November 9, 1993) finds the band working extremely well indeed. Legendary lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left the band after the tour's European leg, so the Birmingham concert has, in retrospect, the sense of capturing lightning in a bottle, providing (in keyboardist Jon Lord's words) "a wonderful combination of improvisation and discipline." Blackmore is conspicuously absent in the interview clips, but the remaining "Mark II" lineup (vocalist Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, Paice, and Lord) speaks eloquently on the band's behalf, never masking their resentment toward Blackmore's sullen decision to quit. It's no wonder, because this is no withering nostalgia act. With Blackmore in top form (eyes down, emotionless, fully involved), the band is tight and mighty, and despite a few faltering moments (particularly in Gillan's otherwise laudable vocals), this DVD never disappoints.

Lord's blues-rock wizardry is consistently astounding, and with a set list that spans the band's illustrious history, everyone gets a chance to shine. Gillan can't reach the highest highs like he did in the early '70s, but he never hits a sour note, either. Paice cuts loose with a "Space Truckin'" solo (don't you dare call these guys dinosaurs), and, surprisingly, the show's highlight turns the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" into a transcendent jam. So what of their post-Blackmore era with replacement axman Steve Morse? This DVD offers ample proof that DP would thrive, come hell or high water. --Jeff Shannon

From the Back Cover
No one who has heard Deep Purple kick off a show with "Highway Star" will ever forget it... This concert--filmed at the Birmingham NEC, UK, on 9th November 1993--captures the five members of Deep Purple's most famous "Mark II" lineup regrouped to celebrate their 25th anniversary with a full world tour. Blackmore's decision not to accompany the band on Japanese dates after the European leg had been completed, only serves to make Come Hell or High Water an all the more valuable item. With Come Hell or High Water, Deep Purple are alive and kicking again. Times may have changed in 25 years, but Deep Purple have lost nothing. Their musical finesse, their unique capacity for improvisation and their short-fuse volatility (the darker side of that much-vouched chemistry) have all remained intact. --Neil Jeffries, Kerrang!

Song list: Highway Star, Black Night, Talk About Love, Twist in the Tale, Perfect Strangers, Beethoven, Knocking at Your Back Door, Anyone's Daughter, Child in Time, Anya, The Battle Rages On, Lazy, Space Truckin', Woman from Tokyo, Paint It Black, Smoke on the Water. 120 minutes.

Customer Reviews

The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times
Anytime Deep Purple does something, one has to ask, "O.K. which lineup is it this time?". Well "this time" it is the classic MK II lineup of Gillian, Lord, Glover, Paice and Blackmore. This will always be the real Deep Purple and any other lineup is second rate. After watching 2 hours of music, it is again clear that this lineup will always be the most powerful and its most unstable.

Tempers and attitudes are hot and so is the music. Ritchie is well, Ritchie and after he decides to show up, he proves why he is who he is and Deep Purple is always the better for it. Ritchie's playing is fierce and percussive. As good as Steve Morse is, he will never have the one thing that makes Ritchie burn, HIS EGO! As the interviews state, Ritchie is a nightmare to work with and is disruptive in everyway. But, it translates on stage to nothing less than a nuclear war as he and the rest of the band prove that they still have the goods and we the listener benefit greatly!

The set list is impressive and the sound quality is outstanding. Gillian and Lord are wonderful and Ian Paice is well, the best. Age has tamed them a little as will happen but they were so good to start with that even a slowed down Purple is better than most.

So the struggle plays out before our eyes, the Band vs. Blackmore. Back and forth, hook and jab! It is clearly the worst of times for the band but it turns out to be the best of times for us!

Enjoy this classic concert and remember the power and the attitude because they never regained it after this! I very much enjoy the Morse stuff, but it can't touch Deep Purple with Ritchie Balckmore.

See Ritchie pout!!
If you ever wanted to see the inner-workings of a hard rock band, the DVD of Deep Purple's "Come Hell or High Water" is a great place to start. For anyone who's followed this band since their 70s hayday, this should be pretty fasinating viewing. The song selection is solid, and the sound and picture are what you would expect from a DVD. Ironically (and somewhat unfortunately), the most captivating aspect - for me anyway - is watching the interaction (or lack of it) between Ritchie Blackmore and his other Purple bandmates. Filmed on the 1993 tour, this is the DP line-up most fans consider to be the strongest of its many incarnations. It is evident from the start however, that Mr. Blackmore would rather be doing something else. As the concert begins with Highway Star, Blackmore is nowhere to be seen - at least on camera. About 2/3 of the way into the song, he appears with great fanfare (and a somewhat derisive bow from Ian Gillian), plays a short solo, hits a few bum notes and goes into a petulant frenzy - shoving crew members and throwing water on one of the cameras. And this is only a few minutes into the show! Off camera interviews with Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Roger Glover give the impression that Ritchie's little tantrums have more than worn out their welcome. Lord talks honestly about having to take up Blackmore's slack, and Glover sums it up nicely when he states he felt both furious and sad for Blackmore. All in all, this is really a decent concert video, with Lord, Paice and Glover more than making up for Blackmore's choice to just go through the motions. Gillian is in good form, hitting most of the notes he reached so easily 20 years earlier. At 120 minutes, any Purple fan will be pleased with the generosity of songs chosen. The tracks are split fairly evenly between 70s favorites and stronger cuts from the line-up's early 90s reunion. I still prefer this to the recent "Albert Hall/Concerto" DVD, but at least Steve Morse comes to play every night, and saves his tantrums for off camera. It's pretty obvious from watching this why Blackmore left soon after it was filmed. It's also pretty obvious that DP is better off without him.

Outstanding...
Fans of Jon Lord will treasure this DVD. He steals the show with his considerable keyboard talents and his enthusiasm. This chap obviously loves his job. The performance level is fabulous, as is the sound quality of this disk. Ian Paice han't lost his chops, and pulls of an impressive drum solo. Blackmore is crisp and intense in his playing...he makes every note count. There is no doubt in my mind that he is one of the greatest (underrated) guitar players around. Unfortunately, his sullen demeanour is apparent from the opening tune (Highway Star). Not only does he choose to delay his entrance (till part way through the song), he throws a temper tantrum right off the bat. Unfortunate. The rest of the band members do not soft peddle their feelings towards Blackmore, expressed in insightful comments between the tunes.

The weak link here is the obvious toll that time has taken on Ian Gillan's voice. One of the most distinctive and powerful voices in Rock music has lost much of that power and range. There are moments where his pitch is off as well.

However, the band is tight...their musicianship and improvisation is better than I have ever heard (I am a long time Purple fan), and the selection of tunes is great. The sound and picture quality are excellent.

A "must buy" for Purple fans.