Deep Purple - Live In London 1974/MKIII The Final Concerts (Eagle Records)

After Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left Deep Purple, the band didn't waste much time. They quickly hired Glenn Hughes on bass and vocals, and introduced a rather unknown David Coverdale on vocals. The so called Deep Purple Mark III quickly made a lot of noise with "Burn" and the furious performance at the California Jam.

"Live in London 1974" shows Deep Purple at their best. The new line up was quickly accepted by the fan base, and continued to release quality material. Here we find them in a top notch shape. This album was originally released back in 1982, and was only available as a single disc. Obviously it was not the full show. This reissue expands it into a double CD format, making the concert complete. Deep Purple delivers a very powerful concert mixing the tracks from the freshly released "Burn," and some older classics.

"MK III The Final Concerts" finds the same line up at the end of their road in 1975. The band didn't stop of course, but Ritchie Blackmore announced his desire to leave the band and pursue a project which later became Rainbow. Even at the very end of their road Deep Purple was firing on all cylinders. The material is dominated by songs from "Burn," and "Stormbringer," with "Smoke On The Water," and "Highway Star" thrown in as teasers. Once again, Deep Purple delivers the goods, and takes no prisoners. The band of course continued with Tommy Bolin on guitar with more or less success. Here we have them playing their heart out with Blackmore in command, and what a lineup it was.

There are several versions of Deep Purple. The band of course is continuing to this day, and is doing quite well. Everyone has their favorites, and there is a lot to choose from. One common denominator for all stays the same, they are a dangerous band on stage.

Mark Kadzielawa