Deep Purple – Live At
Montreux 2006 (DVD-Video set + CD)
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras:
B- Concert: B/B-
Up there with Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Deep Purple is one of the
most popular Classic Rock artists on DVD-Video.
Deep Purple – Live At Montreux 2006 (DVD-Video set + CD) is our
third (fourth if you count as solo release) and is from Eagle Eye, who issued
their Montreux concert from ten years before with bonus footage of a 2000
visit. You can read about the previous
releases as follows:
Classic
Albums: Deep Purple – Machine Head
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1989/Classic+Albums:+Deep+Purple
Deep Purple
– Live At Montreux 1996 (DVD-Video + CD)
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3824/Deep+Purple+-+Live+At+Montreux
Ian
Paice (of Deep Purple) – Not For The Pros
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1058/Ian+Paice+(of+Deep+Purple)+-+Not
They are back playing many of the same songs and though
the main concert is not bad, poor audio fidelity gets in the way. There are 16 tracks on the DVD-Video version,
while the CD could only fit 12 for whatever reason, though the extra tracks on
the DVD are never referred to as bonus.
There is also a bonus DVD Hard
Rock Concert show from London that is not bad, though not as good as the
Montreux performances.
The tracks for each are:
DVD Disc
#1
1) Pictures Of Home
2) Things I Never Said
3) Strange Kind Of Woman
4) Rapture Of The Deep
5) Wrong Man
6) The Well-Dressed Guitar
7) Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
8) When A Blind Man Cries
9) Lazy
10) Keyboard Solo
11) Space Truckin’
12) Highway Star
13) Smoke On The Water
14) Hush
15) Too Much Fun
16) Black Night
DVD Bonus
Disc #2 (Hard Rock)
1) Fireball
2) I Got Your Number
3) Strange Kind Of Woman
4) Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
5) Rapture Of The Deep
6) Wrong Man
7) Lazy
8) Perfect Strangers
9) Highway Star
10) Smoke On The Water
CD Track
Listing
1) Pictures Of Home
2) Things I Never Said
3) Strange Kind Of Woman
4) Rapture Of The Deep
5) Wrong Man
6) Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
7) When A Blind Man Cries
8) Lazy
9) Keyboard Solo
10) Space Truckin’
11) Highway Star
12) Smoke On The Water
This time, the image is anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1
HD video on both concerts versus 1.33 X 1 analog PAL video from the previous
Montreux set. Though both are more
refined, they both have softness issues and even color limits that make it
barely better than the older tapings.
Some shots have some good depth and color, but others are an issue,
though the DVD format may be one of the causes.
This is due for release in HD-DVD and will make for an interesting
comparison.
The sound options are PCM 2.0 16/44.1 for the CD and DVD offers
5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital and 5.1 DTS.
It too is not the like the multi-channel sound on the U.S. DVD-Audio or
import SACD of Machine Head, but is full enough to outdo these options,
though the lead singing seems to be somewhat lost in the mixes in all versions
of the Montreux concert in both formats.
That is not a problem with the DTS or Dolby 5.1 on the Hard Rock Concert, but that material is
not as rich or as full as the Montreux recording.
The extras this time include the Hard Rock Concert, plus an interviews section in PCM 16/48 Stereo
(?) with the band on camera (16 X 9 again) that is more interesting than
expected. Both offer booklets. Though not a home run in these formats, Deep Purple – Live At Montreux
2006 should keep
fans happy.
- Nicholas Sheffo
