Recorded in Paris on April 7, 1975, this double CD documents -- in its entirety -- the final concert given by what the liner notes refer to as the "Mk 3" version of the band: Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, David Coverdale, and Glenn Hughes. You've got to be a deep Deep Purple fan to plumb for this set, as this juncture of the band's career was already well-represented by the 1976 album Made in Europe and the longer archival CD release Mk III the Final Concerts. How's Live in Paris 1975 different from those? It's a little technical and dry to lay out the full explanation, but Made in Europe, which was taken from their last three shows during this European tour, was drawn mostly from their April 5, 1975, concert in Saarbrucken, Germany. Mk III the Final Concerts, with a more extensive though similar track listing, was also taken from these three shows. Live in Paris 1975, naturally, is taken only from the Paris show, and though only three of the nine tracks (the liner notes do not state exactly which ones) were previously unissued, all the tapes have been remixed from 16-track masters. Even Deep Purple fans who've kept up with all these concert releases from Mk 3's final days might find this redundant as all nine of the songs have appeared on the previous live releases taken from this tour, whether performed at Paris or one of the other nights at which the band was taped. More general followers of the band will likely find it notably inferior to what most agree is their best live recording, 1972's Made in Japan. And as a less collector-oriented observation, there's just too much overlong wanking going on, particularly in a 19-minute "You Fool No One" and the entirety of disc two, whose 38 minutes are solely occupied by "Space Trucking" and "Going Down/Highway Star." The CD format does ensure that all 107 minutes or so can be comfortably accommodated into a two-disc set without any sound problems, though, and the 12-page booklet gives a thorough account of the Mk 3 era. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide