Deep Purple: Come Hell or High Water (1994 Video) User Reviews

The way it is

[lundin125 · 8/10 · 12 June 2006]

This is not the best DP concert you can watch but they are still the best band in the world and it is a good concert. I am a DP maniac and I love their music, I have to say that this show is better than the "California Jam" show that sucked, the songs i miss in this movie are hush and speed king. The fact that Ritchie isn't appearing tight at the start is a bit disturbing but you can live with that, but when they rock away in the Black Night they show that they are the best even Blackmore lets loose when he play the riff. All those who say Blackmore isn't active at stage he ruined the concert should remember that he left the band for a reason and he created all those songs that we all head bang to and singalong in. As a final sentence i have to say without Blackmore there wouldn't be a DP and we would never heard the songs: smoke on the water, black night, woman from Tokyo, hush, Hightway star and the rest of them.

A disappointing end to Mark II

[pkwalden · 7/10 · 10 August 2004]

Having owned Deep Purple Made In Japan for many years, my ears had become accustomed to Ritchie Blackmore's gutsy start to Highway Star. To say that I was disappointed in this DVD is an understatement. For what I can say are only egotistical reasons and nothing more, Ritchie's performance on the entire DVD was way short of the mark and a letdown for any Purple fan. Not to mention the disappointment shared by the other members of the band and it shows both in their body language and music. It seems all the way through that Ritchie is playing in one direction and the rest of the band are playing the other although I hasten to add that the other guys do try to bring him into the concert. There are some glimpses of old spattered throughout which is great to see but it doesn't make up for the dismal attitude of a once great guitarist. It was after this leg of the tour that Ritchie left the band for the last time. The professionalism of the other guys showed through in the end to give the crowd at least a performance by a group of well seasoned musicians. Jon tries extremely hard to deliver to the crowd what Ritchie was leaving out. Ian and Roger likewise on drums and bass respectively. For the above reasons, I can only rate this a 7 for finished product in what could have been a sensational concert.

Ritchie had quit for good

[johnvictoroetomo · 7/10 · 16 September 2013]

Blackmore was one hell of a jerk and ruined several songs including Highway Star and Smoke on the Water. Having said that the concert as a whole is great. Sadly enough there is not a large amount of good quality recordings that the band deserves. Thus there are many good parts of the concert that hit their highwater mark too.

My only other Deep Purple mdvd is their 40th anniversary mdvd. The video part is exceptional but the sound really is bad except for 5 or 6 songs. You just could not crank it up loud where you want and like it to be.

Then my new Onkyo TX-NR808 changed all that. The sound was upconverted to 5.1 on most of the songs and suddenly the 40th anniversary Deep Purple was competitive on a Saturday night party. This mdvd has a much better recording quality and does even better on a Saturday night.

Honestly I would rather have Made In Japan on mdvd any day but you cannot always get what you want either. This is, however, one of the few Deep Purple I do not have on cd or digitally remastered cd so it is fresh for me to hear.

Then again my King Biscuit Flower Hour cd would be a wonderful selection for someone to archive and mdvd it. If not then Live in London or Made in Europe.

I did like Blackmore enough to consider buying his Rainbow: Live in Munich 1977 mdvd.

certainly not disappointing ...

[didi-5 · 14 October 2004]

For those of you not in the know, 'Come Hell or High Water' came at the end of a very fraught tour for Deep Purple (reformed Mark II), and after Ritchie Blackmore announced his decision to leave. In the same week as this video was taped, I saw the band at another venue and - musically at least - they were at their sharpest and their best for years. This includes Blackmore, despite reviews here to the contrary.

The disappointment in the band was their singer, Ian Gillan, once a great pair of lungs but by this time a bit of a croaker with no charm or style. A great performer he's not (and still limping along with the band as we speak).

But - this concert is terrific. All the classics are there; Highway Star, Smoke on the Water - as well as newer stuff from their reunion albums. What I could do without is the oh-so-serious sniping about Ritchie B from the other members of the group throughout the video. It's just a band, guys ...

The End That Became the Beginning

[jps38274 · 10/10 · 15 June 2000]

Fascinating concert/documentary of the final days of Deep Purple Mark II. Interview segments with Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover are distributed through out the two hour concert footage. This is Deep Purple at it's second finest hour. Interviews were done before Steve Morse joined the band to usher in a whole new phase of Deep Purple. Although bitter at times and jocular at others, the four remaining members of the band discuss why Ritchie Blackmore left and all the tensions that led up to it. The concert footage is sheer Purple. Blazing through old classics such as Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, Hush, etc., and incorporating songs from the Mark II lineups final album "The Battle Rages On", both video and audio quality are superb. Put it on, crank it up and relive the glory days of Purple Past. Then, put in one of the new ones with Steve Morse and you'll know how the Battle ended!!