Category Archives: Live Wembley 17th December 1982
GILLAN Live Wembley 17th December 1982
At over 70 minutes you get your money’s worth here with a mix of Gillan and Deep Purple material. The band was on form with classics belting out like ‘Black Night’, ‘M.A.D.’ (where Colin Towns and Janick Gers let fly)and the Beatles cover ‘Helter Skelter’ (who remembers Vow Wow’s version of this?).
Of course ‘Smoke On The Water’ is here and it’s time for Gillan to employ a series of bizarre vocal sounds! Interesting to speculate what the band would have done had Gillan not disbanded the group.
Worthy addition to a Gillan/Purple fans collection, with good sound quality throughout plus extensive sleeve notes. Rating ****
Jason Ritchie, get ready to ROCK! (January 2004)
An excellent live recording from the last days of Gillan, 15 tracks that see the band pushing the realms of Heavy Metal so far into the future that Gillan’s own imminent departure for Black Sabbath (and the reformed Deep Purple) remains a sore point for everyone who believed his band was worth much more than either.
Jo-Ann Greene, Goldmine (February 2004)
…this is an essential purchase…the band were as loud and energy-driven as any around…here is a band that could and should have done more…definitely one for the collection
Feedback (March 2004)
…an energetic and committed performance. Covers of the two Deep Purple classics…make the most immediate impact…
Kevin Bryan (March 2004)
Well recorded, a major part in the history of the band released for the first time. Will be of interest to follower of all things Purple.
Alistair Flynn, Classic Rock Society (March 2004)
…it captures perfectly the spirit of the band which helped catapult the Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan back into the affections of the heavy metal masses…
Peter French, Hartlepool Mail (March 2004)
This show, their last ever concert (at Wembley, with a bang), shows how much magic the band still had. And what makes this live set so good, is the amount of material from their last two albums that’s not on any other live set…Perhaps Gillan’s most complete set-list, packed with extensive sleevenotes too, this is an essential piece of history…
Joe Geesin, Record Collector (April 2004)
This is an important historical document for fans of the band, and noteworthy for lives renditions of a number of songs, previously unreleased in live form, including Black Night, only performed on this final tour, as was the surprise inclusion of the Beatles’ Helter Skelter.
More Black Than Purple (May 2004)
…sixteen thunderous rock songs…one of the band’s best performances…a piece of history…Fabuloso.
Lister, Modern Dance (August 2004)