Deep Purple: Made In Europe : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Composed of five extended tracks from three European concerts in early 1975, Made in Europe chronicles the last moments of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's membership in Deep Purple, and the opportunity to glean a few more bucks from Blackmore's currently rising status seems to be the sole reason for its release.

For the most part, the material here lacks the drive and cohesion of Made in Japan, the group's earlier live set. Blackmore's aimless diddling about on "Mistreated" may have been passably interesting live, but it is wasted space here. Jon Lord's fooling around on "You Fool No One," Ian Paice's drum solo and the extended audience reaction which closes the album add to the padded effect. The only interesting moments occur on "Burn," the seven-minute opening cut. It's a well-done, solid rocker, but its fascination stems largely from how hard vocalist David Cover-dale tries to mimic his popular predecessor Ian Gillan.