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Category:    Home > Reviews > Concert > Rock > Hard Rock > Classic Rock > Deep Purple - Live At Montreux 1996 (DTS)

Deep Purple – Live At Montreux 1996 (DVD-Video + CD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B     Extras: C     Concert: B-

 

 

There were so many great British bands from the original wave of 1960s invasions that never returned for a later career that it is no wonder Rock suffered irreparable damage in the 1980s.  Not having had a major hit album since 1974, Deep Purple stunned the industry with a pair of comeback albums with Perfect Strangers ten years later, followed by The House Of Blue Light in 1987.  They had not lost their touch or skill, all of which carried over into two appearances at Montreux in 1996 and 2000.

 

Eagle Eye/Eagle Vision and Eagle Records have issued a new DVD and CD of the 1996 concert, both offering something different in the way of bonus tracks.  The standard DVD-Video offers 11 songs from the 1996 concert, including classics like Smoke On The Water and they have it more than many of their peers still playing now.  Ian Gillan may have a rougher voice, but it was always rough and is still distinctive.  The DVD has one track more from the 1996 set (Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover Now) than the CD, but both retain the same set order.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is shot on analog PAL video that shows its age somewhat, but is not bad otherwise.  The sound options are PCM 2.0 16bit Stereo on both discs (CD at 44.1kHz versus 48kHz on the DVD) that are full enough, while the DVD adds 5.1 Dolby Digital and 5.1 DTS that is the best option among both discs.  It 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.

 

The extras on both discs are from their 2000 return to Montreux, with Fools and Sometimes I feel Like Screaming on the CD, and Sixty-Nine, Perfect Strangers, When A Blind Man Cries, Lazy and Highway Star on the DVD.  The bonus video is letterboxed 1.78 X 1 with a slightly washed-out look throughout.  Why it was not anamorphic is odd, but the band could still play and that is what counts.  Diehard fans will likely want both releases, which are sold separately.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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