Deep Purple

Black Bart said:
Sorry for the lateness, I thought I was following the thread.

The House of Blue Light is one of the first DP album I have had (on a copied tape then), back when I got into hard rock (1993). As opposed to albums that sound like being recorded with a certain unity of feel and sound, THOTBL sounds more like a collection of songs and performances: each song is at least ok and every member is excellent of course (though I think Jon Lord was much more common-sounding when he used keyboards instead of organs) but it is much less a band effort than other albums, to such extent that the whole album doesn't flow very well.

The inspiration and effort of unity of Perfect Strangers had worn thin. For instance, the guitar on most of "Mitzi Dupree" was recorded by Roger Glover because Ritchie Blackmore did not want to push this song pas the demo stage.

The video clip for "Call of the Wild" sums up where the band was at then pretty well. The intro and outro shots of the band are bittersweet: as much as they are intended to be funny, they pretty much correspond to the members' sense of involvement as being part of a band back then: none of them was hungry at that moment, hence a pretty tame group effort and probably DP's worst album ever.

The disappointing live Nobody's Perfect (featuring a useless and uninspired re-recording of "Hush" - at least Maiden did not put "Prowler '88" and "Charlotte the Harlot '88" on a LP, hopefully) did nothing to hold the band's reputation high, while Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, with Accidentally on Purpose, experienced first hand the weight of the tag "from Deep Purple" and the album flopped although it could have appealed to mainstream audiences had it been recorded by someone else.

All in all, the years 1987-1989 saw Deep Purple and its members going through the motions and that is when the band started finding its relevance only as a nostalgia act for most of the general audience -becoming an "old band" for good- , an image they have never really managed to break ever since despite the rejuvenation that the release of Purpendicular brought.

This period of transition in the band's image proved fatal to the relationship between Ian Gillan (who -according to his autobiography- felt relief upon being fired at the end of the tour) and Ritchie Blackmore who couldn't stand the singer's repeated vocal weakness on stage, and The Battle Rages On was pretty much a repetition of this album: a great assembly of musicians but no magic any more.

My favorite songs: "The Unwritten Law", "The Spanish Archer", "Dead or Alive"
The ones I like the least: "Hard Lovin' Woman", "Black and White"
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As always, good write up and insights Black Bart. Pretty much agree with you that the band was going through the motions here- and not only that, also starting to let trends dictate their music more and more. Still, House of Blue Light is a solid album,just not, as you say, a group effort.
 
@Forostar , I don't think Maiden would ever accept the award and HOF business knows it. Or they would send two guys to pick it up. Harris would not be there 101%.
 
They would go ... the Hall of Fame is a farce on many levels, but it gets a lot of press and is good exposure
 
Interesting you mention Harris specifically. Wasn't Bruce mostly slamming this award?

@SixesAlltheway and others? No comment on the Deep Purple ceremony and the absence of Blackmore? I'd say it is a shame he wasn't there. Couldn't he just show up and forgot eveything that happened for one day?
 
Yea, they'd all be there. It would be a similar situation as Rush, not much worth put into the HoF itself but reverence for the fans who got them there.
 
I did not expect Blackmore to show up ... Purple said they were cool with him there and maybe being a part of a Smoke on the Water jam .. but you see this all the time with bands. Guns and Roses (no Axl), Van Halen (no Van Halens), Kiss pulled the plug on playing, but they showed up. Maiden is much more drama free .. if they got inducted it would probably be the current band and maybe Di'anno and Burr
 
Forostar said:
Interesting you mention Harris specifically. Wasn't Bruce mostly slamming this award?

@SixesAlltheway and others? No comment on the Deep Purple ceremony and the absence of Blackmore? I'd say it is a shame he wasn't there. Couldn't he just show up and forgot eveything that happened for one day?
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I just got done watching the interview videos actually :) I like how Paice put it when all three of them were asked about Ritchie. Yes, it's a shame he wasn't there but from what I can understand Ritchie is not really a people person and it's probably not because he hates the other guys he just wants no part in showing up doing a thing like the Hall of Fame..

Two interesting videos from interviews with Dio where he talks about his time in Ranbow and with Ritchie, gives you a picture of how Ritchie could/can be...


 
When Deep Purple was promoting THOBL, Ian Gillan & Roger were on Rockline. I called in, got through, got to talk to them and asked these 3 questions:
1. The bonus track Not Responsible was on the cassette & CD, but even though both print the lyrics to the songs, Not Responsible is not printed in the CD packaging, only the cassette? Why? Their response: "Wasn't aware of that. You might be right. Just an oversight. Really like that song"
2. Where did the name of the LP THOBL come from? Their response: "The first line of the song Speed King"
3. Specifically which members contribute lyrics as opposed to music? Their response: Ian & Roger write the lyrics, music is from various members, especially Ritchie, Jon, & Roger.

Because I got through, I also won tickets to see the tour...but they cancelled the rest of the tour because Ritchie broke his finger.
 
SixesAlltheway said:
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Perfect Strangers (1984)

When Deep Purple dissolved after "Come Taste the Band", in a mess of ego trips and musical squabbles, it was the right time for the band to hang it up and for it's members to pursue other musical ventures and it seemed Deep Purple would be gone for good. But by 1984, Blackmore's Rainbow had reached the end of the road with the Joe Lynn Turner fronted "Bent out of Shape" and Ian Gillan had stepped out of Black Sabbath after his small stint with the band on the "Born Again" album and tour and when Lord and Paice were both available after jobs in Whitesnake and Gary Moore respectively it suddenly started to look possible, and also very profitable, for Deep Purple to get together, hit the studio and attempt to recreate some of that old MKII magic - And so after eight long years Deep Purple were back with Perfect Strangers.

The albums starts out on a high note, the alluring "Knocking At Your Back Door", with it's mysterious stabbing cello synths. The whole band then falls into a riff that leaves no doubt about who we're dealing with. Blackmore again proving his talent for writing memorable riffs and with the impeccable rhythm section of Glover/Paice and Blackmore doing his thing, particularly towards the end of the song, its a sure highlight of the album. The only real blemish on this is the lyrics, which are pretty god damn awful, truth be told, but hey - when were Deep Purple ever known for writing great lyrics? Next up is "Under The Gun" which is extremely hard and heavy. Deep Purple fully embracing the harder edge of the 80s rock/metal scene here. Blackmore is on fire in his solos and it's great to hear a song being driven so much by the Hammond organ again after the almost total absence of Hammond on the two albums before the Purple split. Great song, not a dull moment. "Nobody's Home" is another rocker with good energy but the song goes a bit stale in the end, it's somewhat saved though by a sweet organ ride in the mid-section by Lord. The title track is one of the better songs here with the Hammond intro and hypnotic guitar and synth lines scattered throughout. Not sure i understand all of the meaning behind the lyrics but at least in this case they're not too cheesy or lame, the same cannot be said for "A Gypsy's Kiss", which has utter nonsense lyrics - but on the other hand features some classic Deep Purple interplay between Lord and Blackmore! I'm still on the fence when it comes to "Wasted Sunsets"...the bad news is that we've heard it all before, it's a pretty typical power ballad of that day and age but yet, there's something to be found there in the deep of the song and the piano/organ playing of Lord -so it's not completely "wasted" - also, am I the only one hearing a little bit of "Out of the Shadows" here?

Overall this is a good reunion album. The band manages to be unmistakably Deep Purple while tapping into the 80s metal and hard rock scene and carving their own place. Not easy for a legendary group whose members at this time were nearing their 40s. Some of the tracks do tend to become a little bit too run of the mill hard rock but the album is lifted by some very strong cuts.

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I read in an interview with Roger (promoting Perfect Strangers) that the title track is about reincarnation. The song Hungry Daze he said was about the reunion.
 
SixesAlltheway said:
I just got done watching the interview videos actually :) I like how Paice put it when all three of them were asked about Ritchie. Yes, it's a shame he wasn't there but from what I can understand Ritchie is not really a people person and it's probably not because he hates the other guys he just wants no part in showing up doing a thing like the Hall of Fame..

Two interesting videos from interviews with Dio where he talks about his time in Ranbow and with Ritchie, gives you a picture of how Ritchie could/can be...


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Makes me curious what Blackmore did to Tony Carey. And if Richie was such an asshole, how come he didn't (dare to) do such things in Purple? Or at least, I am not aware of it. He didn't dare to fuck with the Lord, I say. John Lord that is.
 
Forostar said:
Makes me curious what Blackmore did to Tony Carey. And if Richie was such an asshole, how come he didn't (dare to) do such things in Purple? Or at least, I am not aware of it. He didn't dare to fuck with the Lord, I say. John Lord that is.
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I don't know how he acted in Purple but he would often (as has been mentioned in this tread several times) refuse to work on songs if he didn't like them and it's a known fact that him and Gillan never really got a long and had a very strained relationship. Some of those tensions fired the band up on stage but I'm sure were also a factor in "burning out" Gillan and his resignation from the band. That's just a speculation though.

 
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Deep Purple - Slaves And Masters (1990)

With Gillan gone (AGAIN) it was decided to bring in former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner for the band's 13th album, Slaves and Masters. Turner was most likely brought in because of his past involvement with both Glover and Ritchie in Rainbow. So it was probably more a case of knowing the guy and just getting down to making music and/or an attempt at trying to hit the same commercial success the three had found in Rainbow. I can't really boast of too much knowledge of Turner era Rainbow but he has a good, well rounded voice, even while pushing around 40 at this time in his life. Bit odd to hear Purple with an American accent. And when the poppy, devoid of any really interesting sections, opening track "King of Dreams" opens up you would think Turner is a straight crooner. He surprises however with his versatility on "Fire in The Basement" that delivers both sharp singing, snarls and attitude while at the same time reveals itself to be one of the better Lord/Blackmore pieces on the album (and perhaps in recent times too) in which they both deliver some lengthy arrangements. I didn't like "Breakfast In Bed" at all...but over multiple listens I've warmed up to it. At first I just found it silly...but the roomy/casual feel of the song that allows Turner to bring in his personality is appealing in some way..while still being very, very commercial though.

Ballad of the album, "Love Conquers All"... I had to warm up to this one as well..but I've come to like it a lot actually. It has some sweet orchestral arrangements and it is is genuinely very touching and catchy.

Wicked Ways brings back more of Turner singing some very assertive, insistent verses before the band breaks into an almost middle eastern blues break with Arabic guitar licks and pompous arrangements from the rest of the band. A great end to the album.

Overall. I liked this album a lot more than I thought I would... but again it sees Purple balancing between the AOR-like songs that have been sharpened to the absolute minimum of arrangements, yet still played precision perfect...And then the more well, old style Purple tracks where you get more instrumental work, more dynamics, more stuff going on in general. This album seems to get mostly negative reviews but I wonder if it's because people are turned off by the "singles"......

This would be the only album with Tuner at the helm before Gillan was invited back, at the pressure of the record label.

 
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SixesAlltheway said:
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Deep Purple - Slaves And Masters (1990)

With Gillan gone (AGAIN) it was decided to bring in former Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner for the band's 13th album, Slaves and Masters. Turner was most likely brought in because of his past involvement with both Glover and Ritchie in Rainbow. So it was probably more a case of knowing the guy and just getting down to making music and/or an attempt at trying to hit the same commercial success the three had found in Rainbow. I can't really boast of too much knowledge of Turner era Rainbow but he has a good, well rounded voice, even while pushing around 40 at this time in his life. Bit odd to hear Purple with an American accent. And when the poppy, devoid of any really interesting sections, opening track "King of Dreams" opens up you would think Turner is a straight crooner. He surprises however with his versatility on "Fire in The Basement" that delivers both sharp singing, snarls and attitude while at the same time reveals itself to be one of the better Lord/Blackmore pieces on the album (and perhaps in recent times too) in which they both deliver some lengthy arrangements. I didn't like "Breakfast In Bed" at all...but over multiple listens I've warmed up to it. At first I just found it silly...but the roomy/casual feel of the song that allows Turner to bring in his personality is appealing in some way..while still being very, very commercial though.

Ballad of the album, "Love Conquers All"... I had to warm up to this one as well..but I've come to like it a lot actually. It has some sweet orchestral arrangements and it is is genuinely very touching and catchy.

Wicked Ways brings back more of Turner singing some very assertive, insistent verses before the band breaks into an almost middle eastern blues break with Arabic guitar licks and pompous arrangements from the rest of the band. A great end to the album.

Overall. I liked this album a lot more than I thought I would... but again it sees Purple balancing between the AOR-like songs that have been sharpened to the absolute minimum of arrangements, yet still played precision perfect...And then the more well, old style Purple tracks where you get more instrumental work, more dynamics, more stuff going on in general. This album seems to get mostly negative reviews but I wonder if it's because the more polished tracks outshines or leaves too much of a an impression that listeners do not dig deeper....

This would be the only album with Tuner at the helm before Gillan was invited back, at the pressure of the record label.

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Wicked ways is 1 of my favorite Purple rockers. Had tix to see this tour, but they cancelled the rest of the us tour before they got to my city (this was the 2nd tour in a row Purple did this!):mad:
 
Good album, though as "unPurple" as Come Taste The Band. "Too Much Is Not Enough" is the only song I don't like on it. Interestingly enough, this is a song written by Turner and his former collaborators. 8 songs might have been too few for them to release on the then new media that the CD was.

The setlist for that tour had the merit to include songs from almost all eras ("Burn", "Hey Joe" and "Hush" for example). http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/deep-purple/1991/hammersmith-odeon-london-england-3d759cb.html

My favorites: "King of Dreams" (what a chorus!), "The Cut Runs Deep" and "Fortuneteller".
 
Great setlist really for an early 90s Purple tour...

I forgot to mention much from "The Cut Runs Deep" but I love that track as well...very dynamic track overall that opens up for both Blackmore/Lord as well as giving Turner room to navigate the arrangements...Very catchy song.

King of Dreams is not a favorite of mine...but one of the prime examples IMO of the polished Deep Purple at the time. They're not flashy..but the riffs and segments they do play are still extremely tight and on point! .I can understand how older fans might think they've changed too much without checking out the entire album ... Also how late 80s is that video...:D

 
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Expect an update shortly on this! Had a bit of a break here but looking forward to continuing on with the next Deep Purple album. Aptly titled, I guess, The Battle Rages On!

Stay tuned.
 
Sorry @SixesAlltheway for taking over for this one but it seems that I had nothing better to do. ;)

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For the record, The Battle Rages On was an album intended for Joe Lynn Turner to sing on it but the record company insisted on having Gillan back into the fold (though it took an audition with Roger Glover for him to be reinstated).

As far as I'm concerned, it is a mixed bag of good and forgettable songs. Of course, "Twist in the Tale" is reminiscent of "Spotlight Kid" and "Anya" brings "Stranded" back to mind. Yet, having heard them before discovering Rainbow (my brother bought TBRO just when it was released), the "quotations" don't bother me so much.

I also like the title track and "Solitaire" and "Time to Kill" a lot, though I gather that the latter often comes across as unpopular. In the category "Misheard lyrics", since I couldn't speak or understand much English back then (I was only 12), I remember hearing "a time for love and for Whitesnake"... an antithesis which probably made sense :D ! In my defence, the way the vocals are produced on this album is particularly peculiar to say the least ;) .

"Lick It Up", "Talk About Love" and "Ramshackle Man" are a bit too generic for my taste, but listenable. The worst ones are probably "A Nasty Piece of Work" and "One Man's Meat" in my opinion, for the same reason, except that I don't find them inspired at all (I'm mentally picturing Jon Lord sighing all through the recording of those numbers). Coincidentally, MK2 studio periods always seem to end on less than average songs ("Our Lady" and "One Man's Meat"... "Dead or Alive" being a bit better but still not great).

All in all, as for MK2 releases, I find TBRO slightly better than THOBL since it actually contains very good songs but it is not an album I would advise a casual listener to listen to.

Oh, and the sleeve cover belongs to DP's top 5, all MKs combined.

Come Hell or High Water is -like many people's- my first exposure to a full DP concert. I don't think it "flows" very well but it has its moments: "Anyone's Daughter" and "Beethoven" are above the rest, but I also like the renditions of "Knocking at Your Backdoor", "Perfect Strangers", the transition from "Child in Time" to "Anya", and the final kind of medley before "Smoke on the Water".



In late November 1993, Ritchie Blackmore left the band for good and was replaced by Joe Satriani on a temporary basis (he declined to become a permanent member the following year so as to focus on his solo career).
The setlist changed a little. Here is an example:
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/deep-purple/1994/saarlandhalle-saarbrucken-germany-6bd2a2a6.html

 
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