Concerto for Group and Orchestra
Concerto for Group and Orchestra is a live album that teams Deep Purple with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Malcolm Arnold. It was recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall in September 1969 and released in 1969, with a US release on Tetragrammaton Records in December that year. The piece at its heart is a concerto composed by keyboard player Jon Lord, with lyrics by singer Ian Gillan.
It comes from the band's early days, between their self-titled third album of 1969 and Deep Purple in Rock in 1970. It is a bold meeting of rock band and classical orchestra, and it is worth hearing for that ambition alone: a group best known for heavy riffs, taking on a full orchestra in one of London's grandest halls, with Lord's writing at the centre.
Concerto for Group and Orchestra: tracklist, credits and charts
4 tracks · 54:15Tracklist
- 1Concerto for Group and Orchestra: First Movement: Andante / Allegro / VivaceJon Lord19:12
- 2Concerto for Group and Orchestra: Second Movement, Part 1: AndanteJon Lord and Ian Gillan6:39
- 3Concerto for Group and Orchestra: Second Movement, Part 2Jon Lord and Ian Gillan12:38
- 4Concerto for Group and Orchestra: Third MovementJon Lord15:46
- Produced by
- Deep Purple
- Recorded at
- Royal Albert Hall
- Recorded
- 24 September 1969
- Labels
- Tetragrammaton Records, Tetragrammaton (US), Harvest (UK), Polydor (Canada)
- Length
- 54:15
Line-up
- Ritchie Blackmore · electric guitar
- Roger Glover · electric bass guitar
- Jon Lord · Hammond organ
- Ian Paice · drums (drum set)
- Ian Gillan · lead vocals · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1969–1970 | 26 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1969–1970 | 149 |
| German Albums · 1969–1970 | 22 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1969–1970 | 50 |
| Swiss Albums · 1999–2000 | 65 |
| Dutch Albums · 1999–2000 | 86 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
More from Deep Purple
Full discography →The best of 1969
All of 1969 →More on Tetragrammaton Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date only month precision available
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | December 1969 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | December 1969 | |
| Wikidata | December 1969 | |
| US release | December 1969 | earliest US date |
14 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1969 | US | Tetragrammaton Records | original | |
| 1970 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| January 1970 | GB | Harvest | other | |
| 1990 | GB | EMI | 0077779488629 | other |
| 1990 | JP | Warner Bros. Records | 4988014740166 | other |
| 2002 | XE | Harvest | 724349294196 | other |
| 2002 | XE | Harvest | 724354100628 | other |
| 2002 | GB | EMI | 724354100925 | other |
| 2002 | XW | Parlophone | 0724354100659 | other |
| 30 September 2002 | XE | Harvest | 724354100628 | other |
| 12 August 2003 | US | Rhino | 081227392796 | other |
| 22 February 2006 | JP | Warner Bros. Records | 4943674061389 | other |
| 17 September 2008 | JP | Warner Bros. Records | 4943674083190 | other |
| 2012 | XW | Rhino | other |
Cover art sources
fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| fanarttv ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| coverartarchive | 594×599 | upscaled |