MK III - The Final Concerts (Live)

This double-disc set (also released in America with different packaging as Archive Alive!) is taken from the same three concerts as Made in Europe — Ritchie Blackmore's last three shows with the band before he left to form Rainbow — but is made up entirely of different performances. It's a more complete document of the tour, featuring versions of all the songs on Made in Europe plus "Gypsy," a cover of "Going Down," and three songs from the repertoire of the previous edition of Purple. All three are better heard in recordings by that earlier version of the band (and to his credit, Coverdale sings "Smoke on the Water" in the third person: "They all came out to Montreux"). Some of the other performances here aren't as good as those on Made in Europe, either (Blackmore blows the intro to the first version of "Mistreated" here), but this album is helped by better sound. Blackmore does have some fine moments, letting it rip in the second version of "You Fool No One" here and ending both versions by quoting the great riff from "The Mule." As always, the involvement of the Deep Purple Appreciation Society in this release means excellent packaging, photos, and liner notes.