Deep Purple-Perihelion (2001)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Menu Animation & Audio Featurette-Behind The Scenes Featurette-Interviews (6)
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	102:18
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (74:30)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Kevin Layne Bryan Forti
Studio Distributor	Warner Vision	Starring	Deep Purple
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$24.95	Music	Deep Purple

    Live concert DVDs have come a long way in a short space of time. Obviously, many bands see this as a way of bringing their live shows to their fans, and it also never hurts to make a little extra on the side. For bands like Deep Purple, who have been around since the late 1960's, this isn't such a bad way of showing that the band is still alive and well and kicking. For the most part, even though they have been on tour almost non-stop since the mid-80's, when they had their first revival, the band isn't in the limelight like it once was, so any chance to show off their wares is always a good marketing ploy.

    On the whole this is a fairly satisfying DVD in terms of musical variety. It showcases the band's more signature material, while also including some more recent material, and offering a sample of their stage show. Although not specifically mentioned, this was a concert in Florida sometime in 2001, when Jon Lord was still touring with the band (he has subsequently decided to relax and gone back to private projects for the moment). The venue was fairly small by big concert standards. There appeared to be only a couple of thousand people or so in attendance; there were a few empty seats. Still, for a band that is celebrating over 30 years of hard rock, it was still a joy to hear them belting out the old standards and adding a couple of new numbers to the repertoire.

    For me, the two standout tracks were Ted the Mechanic for its belting rhythm and solid performance, and When a Blind Man Cries because I just love hard rock/blues of this type. Watching the band perform was another matter. One of the biggest shocks was just how old everyone has gotten. Naturally, if I looked in a mirror I could say the same about myself, but heroes never get old, they just fade away and remain youthful forever (except Mick Jagger, who was so ugly to begin with that age has actually mellowed his appearance somewhat... cough). Even so, the music is the same, the sound is the same and if you close your eyes you can still be back at Sunbury in the mid 70s, when the band was in full swing, and almost remember the feeling. It's been a long time since I sat down and watched Purple, in concert, or otherwise, but still, if you are a fan of the band this is a good value for money DVD with some great tracks.

Video

    A fair number of static and mobile cameras were used in the making of this DVD, with varying degrees of quality. Most are excellent and show few problems, but a couple were either badly located (the one atop of Jon Lord's Hammond Organ blooms and breaks up constantly) or weren't properly calibrated. Suffice to say most of the concert looks great, there are the odd bits that are a little poor. The directors of the DVD decided not to stick with any one angle for more than a few seconds. At first this was a little disconcerting, but as the concert progressed the flow is actually enhanced, because every aspect and performer is given time in front of the camera, unlike some other shows I've seen where only the guitarist or singer is highlighted, and the rest become basically irrelevant.

    This was shot in 1.33:1 aspect ratio and isn't 16x9 enhanced.

    Sharpness varies depending on the camera being used, but for the most part there is little blurriness even when fast panning is used. There isn't much shadow detail to be seen for the most part, due to the lighting, and there wouldn't be that much to see anyway, so it was no loss. Backgrounds can be made out, especially in the audience, without difficulty. Grain isn't a big issue and is mostly non-existent in the stage lighting. There aren't many smoke effects used, which helps. No blooming can be seen in the blacks, but at least one camera blooms in the whites, but this is more bad positioning than a transfer error.

    For the most part the colours are dictated by the lighting. Where natural lighting is used colours are excellent with no bleed or chroma noise.

    The only minor problems with film or video artefacts are some moments of aliasing (eg: 1:16 - on a shirt, 4:08 - shimmering on one of the speakers), some moiré effects (eg: 47:45 on a microphone), and some slight pixelisation (eg: 4:55 - along the edge of the stage, 18:36 on keyboard). Just touches here and there mostly, and only if you are looking. Otherwise a pretty solid transfer in all other aspects. No film blemishes were noted.

    There were no subtitles on this disc.

    The layer change occurs at 74:30 at the beginning of Speed King and the disc pauses as Gillan does the introduction. Not too bad, all things considered, since putting the layer change anywhere during a concert is fairly noticeable.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are three basic soundtracks on this disc.

    The first is a Dolby Digital 2.0 track at 224 kilobits per second, of which I sampled only the first track, Woman from Tokyo, by way of comparison. Overall it sounded flat and uninspiring, and was recorded several decibels lower than the other tracks on the disc. When you equalised the volume it was slightly strident but not mortally so. It was a decent track without being anything special.

    The second track is a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack recorded at 448 kilobits per second, recorded slightly lower than the dts track, but slightly higher than the stereo track. Overall it was very smooth and regular with no major problems, but lacking in any of the dynamics that accompanied the dts soundtrack. There was little bass of real note, which was disappointing, but the surround channels were more productive, adding a slightly better envelope to the overall sound and feel of the music. For those who don't have a dts decoder, this was very decent without being exceptional.

   The third soundtrack is easily the track of choice, but it also has a couple of nasty drawbacks. The track is a full bit-rate dts track at 1536 kilobits per second (or 1.536 megabits per second for the pedants) and definitely rules the roost in the use of the subwoofer. Aggressive, powerful, and dominant for the .1 channel. The front channels are also aggressive and powerful to the detriment of the surrounds. They are basically annulled by the sheer ferocity of the front channel sound, reducing this to a virtual 3.1 track. Still, if you hear it, you won't be complaining too loud since the front channels dominate so intensely they manage to provide an enveloping feel all their own.

    No problem with the audio sync or dialogue on this disc.

    For the most part the music is pleasantly in the typical style of the old Deep Purple, with lots of bluesy tracks with that hard core element that makes it so uniquely their own. Jon Lord's eclectic organ playing is at its best on tracks like Lazy and When a Blind Man Cries, which has striking similarities to Child in Time (which was used as a musical overlay for the menus). Although it lacks the guitar work of Richie Blackmore, Steve Morse was an excellent substitute, and does a sterling job on the signature tunes of the band including Highway Star and Smoke on the Water. Overall the music is a good mix of old and new with just the right amount of variety to make it memorable.

    The surround channel usage was very disappointing for the most part. The surround speakers barely makes themselves heard at all on the dts track, being far too passive when compared to the fronts. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is far more pleasing, but they are still too low a volume to be more than passengers for the most part. The problem appears to be that the volume is set far too low to offer more than the most rudimentary immersive effect.

    The subwoofer is aggressively used throughout the concert. The dts track makes the most use of the .1 channel with the Dolby Digital track being much more subdued. Redirection of the bass and drums really give this a solid performance throughout.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu Animation & Audio

Featurette - Behind The Scenes

Featurette

    There doesn't appear to be a Region 1 release of this disc at this time, making the comparison moot.

    For fans of the band, this is a good collectors item with lots of excellent tracks, a decent, if a little overpowering, dts soundtrack, and some good vision. The extras are a little more than normal on discs of this sort, which is an added bonus, and overall it felt like a good package for the price.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall