1265. Deep Purple / Total Abandon: Australia '99. 1999. 5/5

Deep Purple’s relationship with Australia has waxed and waned over the years. In the early 1970’s they made some memorable trips down under, one resulting in wild crowd scenes on the stage and heated arguments with other bands, famously with a young brash AC/DC. There was then a long period where the band was on hiatus, before their highly publicised reformation in 1984 of the Mark II lineup, which resulted in the hit album “Perfect Strangers”. To kick off the world tour to promote their coming back together and their new album, the band started in Australia, where they met with the acclaim that the returning heroes would have wanted. And then... they disappeared again, once again forgoing the southern nation as they continued to fight amongst each other and tour the territories that were close to their residencies.
The band went through their changes, and eventually jettisoned Ritchie Blackmore as guitarist and chief instigator, completing the final sessions of the Mark II lineup. In his place came Steve Morse, and the more settled band then moved forward, rebuilding itself with the mid-1990's albums “Purpendicular” and “Abandon”. And as the decade and millennium began to wind down, the band decided to once again tour the shores of Australia for the first time in 15 years. And much excitement ensued, especially from those of us who had waited a lifetime to see the band live.
Now Deep Purple had not been reticent when it came to releasing live albums, something that continued well into the next decade. And now, for Australian audiences, they decided to record their show in Melbourne on April 20th, 1999, and then six months later they released a live DVD and a double live album of the entire show performed on that night. And what was even more amazing at that time was that it was ONLY released in Australia, so for a short space of time, only Australians were able to listen to and purchase this album. Eventually it was opened up to mail orders, and as with all things, it was eventually released worldwide. But if you are from Australia, and you bought the album when it was released, then like me you have one of the rare original release copies of this album. Which, I won’t deny, is a little special.

By the time Deep Purple came around to this tour, they had locked into their new style, one which they had been slowly morphing into even before Blackmore had left the band. They were no longer spring chickens, but they knew what their fans wanted to see. Ian Gillan had become the cool version of himself, Roger Glover continued to groove away on his bass guitar, Ian Paice could still play his way around his drumkit, Jon Lord didn’t almost tip his Hammond organ over anymore, but he was still playing it as hard as ever. And new boy Steve Morse showcased his wares without the over-the-top flair and pomposity that Blackmore had, but with a smile and a laugh and a whole lot of skill and talent. The overt energy and antics may have gone, but this band still knew how to give it all on stage to give the songs they played the majesty that they deserved.
And this meant no loss or lack of skill and expertise. Ian Gillan introduces every song in his inimitable style, and he could still hit those high notes at this stage, as is showcased here during the last verse of “Bloodsucker” in particular. The setlist contained a mix of the band’s newer tracks alongside the great old songs that they will always have to play. Showcasing their newer material in this setlist were songs such as “Ted the Mechanic”, “Almost Human”, “Watching the Sky” and “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming”. Each of them sound terrific here, especially “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming”, a modern day classic that provides the perfect example of where the band was heading with its newer music, a more contemporary sound but still with the ability to create a heavier sound when required but also be able to ride the emotions of the track. The live version here is superb.
Mixed in with this are the great songs of the band, the majority from that Mark II era, both pre and post reunion. “Bloodsucker”, “Strange Kind of Woman”, “Woman From Tokyo” and “Fireball”, alongside “Black Night” and “Speed King’ still all packed an enormous punch, and glow and sparkle in the live setting. “Perfect Strangers” with that wonderous Hammond organ opening from Jon Lord is still magnificent, and then the “Machine Head” specials such as “Pictures of Home”, one of the most underrated songs of their career, the awesome “Highway Star” which closes out the gig, and of course “Smoke on the Water”, which has an introduction guitar piece from Steve Morse where he also plays some of the great guitar riffs of all time as a part of his solo piece on stage. Overall, the set list and thus this album gives a great mixture of the old and the new from that time, and is a terrific snapshot of this line up and what they had to offer on stage.

My friends and I had waited pretty much from the time Deep Purple had toured Australia in 1984 for the time they would tour again. We missed that tour by a couple of years when it comes to listening to the band and also being old enough to find our way to a gig, so we patiently waited (well, not really) for their next tour. And waited. And waited. So when they finally made it to our shores, we were there lining up for tickets. We ended up seeing them in Sydney the night after this CD concert was recorded, so I can confirm that it is faithful to what the band played on that tour. And the best part of that was that the next day the band put up a secret show for sale, that was played at a much smaller and more intimate venue called Selina’s out at Bondi, for four days later on April 25th, Anzac Day in Australia. Fortunately, one of my best mates worked around the corner from a Ticketek office, and having sweet talked the girl at the front counter, he went in the following morning and was allowed in a couple of minutes early , and was able to purchase tickets for this gig precisely at 9.00am when they went on sale.
Perhaps the best part of that was that another of our best mates, my brother-in-law, had not been able to see Deep Purple at that first gig, and so we were able to get him the chance to see them. We DID make it a surprise, telling him that we were taking him to see the support band from Deep Purple, and not Deep Purple themselves. He finally clued in when we lined up to go in (after many schooners in the bar beforehand) and saw posters advertising Deep Purple playing there that night. And it was amazing, standing so close to these legendary musicians as they played all the hits all over again. The other memory of this concert and our best mates group was my heavy metal music dealer constantly asking when we were going to get some songs off “Burn” and “Stormbringer” and “Slaves and Masters”. Surprisingly enough, Ian Gillan was not forthcoming with any of them.
So yes, this double CD of the entire Melbourne concert of April 1999is a terrific listen. It mightn’t have the fire and power of “Made in Japan” for instance, but it has great tracks performed brilliantly by one of the great bands that has ever walked the earth. I’ve had it on again while composing this episode, and it brought back great memories again, as it always does. Whatever you may feel about the material the band produced in the second half of its career, I think you’ll find something worth listening to on this album.