Deep Puple: Welcome Joe.... Live at Expo, Genova, Italy, June22, 1994

In 1980, Rod Evans, along with a group of unknown musicians, toured under the banner of Deep Purple. As the only original member, and one little known to most fans, this band was instantly derided by press and fans as a fraud. The lineup performed concerts in Mexico and the USA before legal action was taken to deny them the use of the name. In retrospect, however tenuous the connection this band had to the name "Deep Purple", it at least kept the name alive and in the media, albeit briefly. More information on this "fake" Deep Purple is available here and here.
However, in April 1984, eight years after the demise of Deep Purple, a full-scale (and legal) reunion happened. It was announced on BBC radio's The Friday Rock Show that the "classic" early 70s line-up of Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, and Paice was reforming and recording new material. The band signed a deal with Polydor in Europe and Mercury in North America. The album Perfect Strangers was released in October 1984, creating a number of favourites (Knockin' At Your Back Door, Under The Gun, Gypsy's Kiss and of course Perfect Strangers). The reunion tour followed, starting in Australia and winding its way across the world into Europe by the following summer. It was a tremendous success. The UK homecoming proved limited, as they elected to play just a single festival show at Knebworth (with main support from the Scorpions). The weather was famously bad but 80,000 turned up anyway.
The line-up recorded and toured The House of Blue Light in 1987, creating a number of modern era classics (Bad Attitude, The Unwritten Law, Dead Or Alive and Hard Lovin' Woman). This was followed by the live album Nobody's Perfect (1988) which was culled from several shows on this tour. In the UK a new version of "Hush" was released to mark 20 years of the band. In 1989, Ian Gillan was fired from the band, as his relations with Blackmore had soured, and their musical differences had widened too far. Gillan's replacement was former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner. This line up recorded just one album, Slaves & Masters in 1990 (One of the favourite albums of Blackmore), and toured in support of it. Despite the renewed excellence of the band during this period, many fans were not pleased with Turner, preferring Gillan.
With the tour done, Turner was forced to go, as Lord, Paice, Glover wanted Gillan back in the fold. Blackmore relented and the classic line-up recorded The Battle Rages On in 1993, creating a number of favourites (Anya, Solitaire, Ramshackle Man and The Battle Rages On). During an artistically successful European tour during the fall of 1993, tensions between Gillan and Blackmore came to a head yet again. Blackmore walked out in November 1993, never to return and leaving the band in a fix. Joe Satriani was drafted in, so the live dates (in Japan) in December could be completed. Satriani stayed on for a European Summer tour in 1994, Satriani was asked to stay permanently but his record contract commitments prevented this. The band unanimously chose Dixie Dregs guitarist Steve Morse to become Blackmore's permanent successor.

Track List: Intro, Highway Star, Ramshackle Man, Maybe I´m a Leo, Fireball, Perfect Strangers, Pictures of Home (J.Lord Solo), Knocking at your Backdoor, Anyones Daughter, Anaya, The Battle rages on, When a blind Man cries, Lazy (DrumSolo), Scatch Boogie, Space Truckin, Woman from Tokyo, Paint it Black, Speed King, Smoke on the Water

20 tracks@192kbps VBR method

Audience DAT or Handycam>silver cds - All of US 29/2 ->CDR>CD-tag

Deep Purple - Live At Expo Genova 22-06-94 CD1 CD2