Latest DVD releases reviewed

ENRICO CARUSO
Voice of the Century RCA 82876 58240-9
****

This release consists of a DVD and bonus CD. The DVD contains a video biography together with a copy of My Cousin, the silent film made by the singer in 1918. Video footage of Caruso's life is scarce, and this alone would make the disc welcome. However, the biography is also interesting in its own right and gives a balanced account of the singer's life. His warm personality and sense of fun comes across in the footage, while the film gives an indication of what he must have been like on stage. The CD contains some 14 tracks of his singing, accompanied by some of his great contemporaries. Caruso was the greatest of all tenors to record their art, and this release is a desirable document of his life and achievement. www.bmgclassics.com

Colman Morrissey

DEEP PURPLE
Live in Concert 1972/73 EMI
**

Whoa! The hair, the elephant loon pants, the picky guitar solos, the wailing vocals - but that's enough about Devendra Banhart. Released as part of the Deep Purple DVD Archive collection, this pairing of concerts back in the early 1970s features the line-up that many hard rock fans consider to be the best of the many DP versions: Ian Gillan (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Roger Glover (bass), Jon Lord (keyboards), and Ian Paice (drums). Black and white footage from Copenhagen constitutes the major part of the disc - here, you can see the band in full flight, delivering tracks from their acclaimed Machine Head album (including Highway Star, Space Truckin'). Colour footage from New York sees the same line-up performing the rock classic Smoke on the Water. Ever so slightly Spinal Tap-esque images abound, notably Gillan screeching during Child in Time. We will never see their likes again. www.deep-purple.net

Tony Clayton-Lea