Deep Purple – Graz 1975 (2014 Double-LP)

On April 3, 1975 the Mark III line-up of Purple – guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, frontman David Coverdale, bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, keyboard player Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice – played a concert at the Liebenauer ice rink, located on the outskirts of mountain-cradled Graz, Austria’s second largest city after Vienna. Enthused by Purple’s arrival in town, the local press dubbed the concert ‘das Rockereignis des Jahres [the rock event of the year]’. And it was – in more ways than one. 

After Graz, Purple would play just two more shows – in Saarbrücken, Germany and Paris, France – before a disenchanted and disgruntled Blackmore left to form his new band, Rainbow. The remaining Purple members would regroup quickly with American guitarist Tommy Bolin in tow, in place of Blackmore. But that’s another story... 

In order to preserve Blackmore’s final run of Mark III concerts for posterity, Purple’s managers had brought the Rolling Stones mobile recording studio over to mainland Europe It was a difficult time for the band which would seem to indicate that Purple’s Graz performance was a duffer. A dull, flaccid affair with the band going through the motions and a sense of total disconnect between the five members. Wrong of all counts. Graz 1975 is absolutely electrifying. Indeed, it has long been regarded as the holy grail of concert recordings among Mark III connoisseurs. A performance that has never been available in its entirety until now.

Track Listing

Side One

1. Burn
2. Stormbringer
3. The Gypsy

Side Two

1. Lady Double Dealer
2. Mistreated

Side Three

1. Smoke On The Water
2. You Fool No One

Side Four

1. Space Truckin’

Format: Vinyl / 12” Album

No of Discs: 2

Label: earMUSIC

Catalogue No: 209624ERE

Barcode: 4029759096245

Release Date: 15 Sep 2014