Live At The Olympia 96 is a live album by Deep Purple with Steve Morse on guitar promoting the Purpendicular album in 1996.
It was tough enough following the changes in personnel in Deep Purple in the late sixties and seventies when they were one of the biggest and most successful rock groups in the world. I lost track of what was going on afterwards.
Deep Purple Live At The Olympia 96
Very positive reviews encouraged me to buy this album featuring Mark II Purple except that Ritchie Blackmore has been replaced by Steve Morse.
Live At The Olympia 96 Set List
Disc 1
- Fireball – 5:01 (originally from the album Fireball)
- Maybe I’m a Leo – 5:53 (Machine Head)
- Ted the Mechanic – 5:06 (Purpendicular)
- Pictures of Home – 5:58 (Machine Head)
- Black Night – 7:33 (single)
- Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover – 11:04 (Purpendicular)
- Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming – 7:24 (Purpendicular)
- Woman from Tokyo – 6:29 (Who Do We Think We Are)
- No One Came – 5:53 (Fireball)
- The Purpendicular Waltz – 5:11 (Purpendicular)
Disc 2
- Rosa’s Cantina – 6:18 (Purpendicular)
- Smoke on the Water – 9:24 (Machine Head)
- When a Blind Man Cries – 7:17 (a late bonus on Machine Head)
- Speed King – 11:45 (In Rock)
- Perfect Strangers – 6:43 (Perfect Strangers)
- Hey Cisco – 7:27 (Purpendicular)
- Highway Star – 8:08 (Machine Head)
Six songs from Purpendicular may be a couple too many but it’s great to see five from Machine Head if you include When a Blind Man Cries and it doesn’t include Lazy or Space Truckin’ which are on Made In Japan in their extended glory.
Sure it’s got Smoke On The Water and Highway Star but this version of Deep Purple sounds fresh and exciting.
Ritchie Blackmore is a great guitarist but I understand that genius causes its own troubles. I suspect that the group was a much happier entity without him.
What Other People Say About This Live Album
Made In Japan gets most of the praise when it comes to live albums by Deep Purple because it’s a terrific performance at the perfect time for the Mark 2 version of the band.
Don’t ignore the merits of this album because Steve Morse is a great guitarist and it has in Ian Gillan, the authentic voice of Deep Purple.
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Buying Deep Purple Live At The Olympia
It is available from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk – iTunes – eBay
These links will help you get to the albums quickly and easily but I recommend that you still search for the best deal.
What Do You Think About Live At The Olympia 96
I’d like to know what you think about this album and whether Steve Morse is a good replacement for Ritchie Blackmore.
Do you like hearing some of the more unusual older songs from Machine Head?
Is it the best live album by Deep Purple?

Let me know by leaving a comment.
You may also be interested in a poll looking at the live albums by the Main Deep Purple members outside the main group.
What Are The Best Live Albums Ever?
Please help me find the bet live albums by voting in the readers polls.
best live albums by heavy metal groups

Because there are so many great hard rock and heavy metal live albums I have split the poll into two and you may find some of your favourites in the second division. Albums will be promoted when they get enough votes.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.You may be interested in other hard rock artist polls – AC/DC – Aerosmith – Alice Cooper – Black Sabbath – Blue Oyster Cult – Deep Purple – Dream Theater – Gary Moore – Iron Maiden – Jimi Hendrix – Judas Priest – Led Zeppelin – Mott The Hoople – Ronnie James Dio – Rush – Ted Nugent – The Rolling Stones – Thin Lizzy – The Who –