OFF: Deep Purple: Concerto for Group and Orchestra

[Bolts of Ungodly Vision]

>>P.S.  Did anyone go to see the Deep Purple concert in the Royal Albert
>>Hall??  As much of a fan of DP that I am (and have been since I was just
>>able to walk), I'm not really sure that there was a point to doing this rock
>>band w/ orchestra thing ONE MORE TIME!  Haven't the Moody Blues already
>>beaten this to death by now?
>
>I don't know about the Moodys - gave up on them by 7th sojourn, but it
>seems strange to me that DP were revisiting what most people consider to be
>their biggest mistake.

Whether or not it was a mistake is is question best left for other things,
but the original concert did do a great deal to promote the fact that Deep
Purple existed and 2. it had a new lineup and 3. they weren't  doing "Hush"
and Beatles covers anymore.

The biggest difference between the Moody's use of orchestra and DP was the
fat that the Moody Blues just grafted it on to songs the band had cooked
up. The horror of such a practice is all too evident on "Live at Red
Rocks." Remember, the mellotron was the main "symphonic" impetus in Days of
Future Past, not a bonafide symphony.
On the other hand, the Royal Albert Hall Concert was the performance of an
actual piece of music for both rock group and the orchestra written by
Hammondmaster Jon Lord.Classical bigwig Malcolm Arnold did the conducting
for the event then (the Malcolm Arnold website has a good sized page about
the oprccasion, if you're dying to know more about the classical goings on
of the gig)

Being a fan of the Conerto myself, I would have been very interested to
hear how the performance went... specially with Steve Morse in the role of
Strat player (Q: does he play strat only? a la Blackmore? (Although Richie
used to play Gibson on the first 3 DP LPs))

As to whether Mssr. Lord managed to integrate one with the other, ehhh the
verdict safely was "not really."  When the band was allowed to rock out,
they did. When they did a cooool blues section in Movement 2, it was
sufficiently bluesy w/ good Gillan vox (at least back on the original LP).
Movement 3 is the drummers movement, Ian Paice gets his own drum break...
its a fast paced "rocker" of a movement w/ orchestra bouncing along
appropriately.

All in all, being there (then and now) would probably be something very
unique one would remember.  I know the BBC taped the original show for  TV
broadcast, though abridged.  Curious to know whether the same PR effort
went into this incarnation.

That's enough of Deep Purple for now.

Wring That  Neck (from the 1970 "In Concert" CD),
Jason
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"It is only beginning with me that the earth knows great politics."
        -F.Nietzsche, _Ecce Homo_
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