A rare official archive recording from Deep Purple Mk 1's USA debut in 1968 Hip new American label Tetragrammaton (who signed John and Yoko, Tiny Tim and Deep Purple within months of setting up shop) pulled out all the stops to secure Deep Purple a prestigious U.S. live debut in October 1968, opening for Cream on their farewell tour of America at the Forum in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California. Amazingly, many years later, a reel of tape, thrown out when the label closed, was spotted and rescued by a fan. So little evidence of Mk 1's live act remains that this tape - the only surviving recording of the first incarnation of Deep Purple on stage - is of great interest, with the band exhibiting a brash confidence in front of 16,000 Cream fans. As a support act, Deep Purple's set was a little shorter than normal but despite the passing of over forty years, it's still an exciting experience.