Designed for those who’d rather not bother with the classical side of Jon Lord’s towering imagination, a loud and proud Celebrating Jon Lord: The Rock Legend focuses on the rest of an all-star tribute concert held on April 4, 2014 at Royal Albert Hall.
This two-disc set, issued this week via Eagle Records and earMusic, culminates with a muscular seven-item set from his old band, as Deep Purple storms through songs that once featured the late Lord (like “Black Night,” “Perfect Strangers” and “Hush”) as well as newer music that seemed to speak to their feelings on his untimely passing (“Uncommon Man” and “Above and Beyond”). The most pleasant surprises — likely because Deep Purple has continued the aggressive globe-trotting concert schedule that ultimately sent Lord into partial retirement in 2002 — come from the evening’s one-of-a-kind combinations of acolytes and fans, however.
There’s Glenn Hughes, from the often-overlooked mid-1970s Deep Purple era, joining Bruce Dickinson, Rick Wakeman and Purple’s Ian Paice and Don Airey on a scorching version of “Burn.” Dickinson, quite frankly, is the Deep Purple frontman that never was, the equal in every way of Ian Gillan in terms of power and range, and a stunning combination with the still gumptive Hughes.
Then there was Paul Weller, playing neither the Jam punk or the Style Council smoothie. Instead, he took a deep dive into the R&B-soaked sounds of Lord’s pre-Purple band Artwoods. Elsewhere, Steve Balsamo — a member of Lord’s band, he was featured on the organist’s final orchestral release — displays grit on “Soldier of Fortune.” Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody, of Whitesnake fame, also appear on several cuts.
Some might quibble with the tracklisting — “Soldier of Fortune” still feels like a thrillingly offbeat choice; wait, no “Smoke on the Water”? — but not with the thrumming emotion heard throughout. Happily, a sense of import was shared by everyone on this bill, and that gives Celebrating Jon Lord: The Rock Legend a transportive feel.
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