{"id":16825,"date":"2017-01-25T07:00:36","date_gmt":"2017-01-25T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=16825"},"modified":"2022-01-06T19:38:03","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T00:38:03","slug":"the-album-by-album-challenge-deep-purple-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=16825","title":{"rendered":"The Album by Album Challenge: Deep Purple (Part II)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Welcome back and here were with Part II (or MK II?) of the Deep Purple Album by Album Challenge. For this final installment we will pick up with Deep Purple\u2019s comeback album, Perfect Strangers, the one off album with Joe Lynn Turner, the Steve Morse era, and the effect of the departure of long time keyboardist\/songwriter Jon Lord for the band\u2019s last three albums. How did these albums do? Well, read on and you\u2019ll find out. Thoughts?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Perfect Strangers<br \/>\nThe Good: Knockin\u2019 At Your Back Door, Under the Gun, Nobody\u2019s Home, Mean Streak, Perfect Strangers, Gypsy\u2019s Kiss, Hungry Daze, Not Responsible, Son of Alerik<br \/>\nThe Bad:<br \/>\nThe Indifferent:<\/p>\n<p>Now this is the kind of album I expect to hear when I hear the word, \u201ccomeback.\u201d My god this album is, in my opinion, the essential comeback album. 10 years since playing with Blackmore and 9 years since Come Taste the Band, Perfect Strangers has Deep Purple sounding youthful, full of fire, and more inspired that I\u2019ve ever heard them. Blackmore\u2019s playing is without a doubt some of his best work and Gillan sounds better than ever. \u201cPerfect Strangers\u201d has to be one of the most badass songs ever but the shining moment on this one for me is \u201cWasted Sunsets.\u201d \u201cOne too many wasted sunsets. One too many for the road.\u201d What a lyric! I love that they closed it out with a signature instrumental, this one called \u201cSon of Alerik.\u201d This shit sounds like it could\u2019ve been on a Rod Evans era album. So good.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BNZa7wWjmFw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sure I may get some shit from many Deep Purple purists but I have to say that Perfect Strangers just may be my favorite Gillan era Purple album. It\u2019s so full of fire and it sounds like a band that still has so much prove. They play with so much youthful energy that it\u2019s hard to believe that this is a band of \u201cold dudes.\u201d Perfect Strangers\u2026 yeah. You need this in your life for sure!<\/p>\n<p>========================================<\/p>\n<p>The House of Blue Light<br \/>\nThe Good: Hard Lovin&#8217; Woman, The Spanish Archer<br \/>\nThe Bad: Call of the Wild, Mad Dog, Mitzi Dupree<br \/>\nThe Indifferent: Bad Attitude, The Unwritten Law, Black and White, Strange Ways,<\/p>\n<p>Whoa Nellie! Time out. What in fuck\u2019s name happened here? Here I was, getting my face melted off by the stellar Perfect Strangers and then all of the sudden we get this thing? I really don\u2019t know what happened. This album is just so bad. If the songs aren\u2019t \u201cok\u201d, they\u2019re flat out horrible. It\u2019s musically unexciting, rushed, and leftover sounding. Lyrically it has some pretty classic Purple in there but the overall delivery of the songs just makes it a painful listen.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tDA7rdrcA3Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m curious to hear what the more diehard DP fans think of this album but I can\u2019t imagine that they find very many redeeming qualities to this album. Songs like \u201cThe Spanish Archer\u201d and \u201cHard Luck Woman\u201d come very close to being great but it\u2019s like they were almost there but just gave up. All in all, even the ones marked good are just that; good. Not great and not even remotely memorable. This album is a flop. Skip over this one completely.<\/p>\n<p>========================================<\/p>\n<p>Slaves and Masters<br \/>\nThe Good: Fire in the Basement, Fortuneteller<br \/>\nThe Bad: The Cut Runs Deep, Breakfast in Bed, Too Much is Not Enough, Slow Down Sister<br \/>\nThe Indifferent: King of Dreams, Truth Hurts, Love Conquers All, Wicked Ways,<\/p>\n<p>Remember that moment when Deep Purple put out an album that sounded like Foreigner trying to sound like a cock rock band? You don\u2019t? Well then either you\u2019re luck by never hearing Slaves and Masters or it was so fucking band that you literally blocked out the memory. In all honesty, it\u2019s not so much that these songs are all flat out horrible. They\u2019re just horrible Deep Purple songs. For instance, \u201cLove Conquers All\u201d would be a great Bon Jovi song but it\u2019s a not so good DP song. \u201cFire in the Basement\u201d is literally the only song that sounds anything like Deep Purple. \u201cFortuneteller\u201d is actually a cool song but I totally hear Dio era Rainbow in this one. Not a bad track but only worth stealing if anything.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d17_zeBxWZc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I also figured out that I fucking hate Joe Lynn Turner. It\u2019s like, why was he in bands like Rainbow and DP? He\u2019s got this cock rock voice and his lyrics for the most part are just well written glam rock lyrics. Again, it\u2019s not so much that it\u2019s terrible; it\u2019s just terrible for Deep Purple. That\u2019s about all I have to say about that.<\/p>\n<p>========================================<\/p>\n<p>The Battle Rages On<br \/>\nThe Good: The Battle Rages On, Anya, Ramshackle Man,<br \/>\nThe Bad:<br \/>\nThe Indifferent: Lick it Up, Talk About Love, Time to Kill, A Twist in the Tale, Nasty Piece of Work, Solitaire, One Man\u2019s Meat<\/p>\n<p>So after they realized that Joe Lynn Turner just wasn\u2019t cutting the mustard, they screamed for Ian Gillan to come back. While this album is a slight improvement from Slaves and Masters, this album just sounds really off to me. None of the songs really stand out in particular. The opening track reminds me of something that we could\u2019ve heard in Gillan era Sabbath while \u201cAnya\u201d is a really good tune. \u201cRamshackle Man\u201d is probably the closest to classic sounding Purple but again, it\u2019s close but no cigar.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qMd7fRbMw9M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Even though there are a few \u201cgood\u201d tracks, again, they\u2019re no more than just good. Nothing really flat out sucks but The Battle Rages On is just a totally drab album. One of the things I love about this album is that Gillan\u2019s voice is just killing it and lyrically, it sounds like Purple. Musically, however, the band sounds absolutely bored stiff. This is just a really boring, unexciting, and forgettable album that just leave me saying, \u201cmeh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>========================================<\/p>\n<p>Purpendicular<br \/>\nThe Good: Loosen My Strings, The Aviator,<br \/>\nThe Bad: Soon Forgotten, A Castle Full of Rascals,<br \/>\nThe Indifferent: Ted the Mechanic, I Feel Like Screaming, I\u2019m Not Your Lover Now, Rosa\u2019s Cantina, A Touch Away, Hey Cisco, Somebody Stole My Guitar, Purpendicular Waltz<\/p>\n<p>So this is the Deep Purple everyone warned me about. Well, I can kind of see why. First off, let me just get this out of the way. Could these guys not find someone other than Steve Morse that wanted this gig? I mean, Morse is obviously an amazing player but the guy plays with zero feel. His playing on this album actually annoyed the hell out of me. All those pinch harmonics&#8230; it&#8217;s like Zakk Wylde&#8217;s stepdad or something. Song wise, the songs are all just completely forgettable. \u201cLoosen My Strings\u201d is a pretty great fucking song as is \u201cThe Aviator\u201d but once again, it\u2019s another album chockfull of forgettable songs.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VPclIqCU7j0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I also have found myself a bit confused as Deep Purple seems to have completely shed their identity. The only reason this is bad is because it sounds like they themselves don\u2019t know what they want to be. There are glimpses of Purple in there but hell, even on \u201cHey Cisco\u201d it sounds like David Lee Roth\u2019s \u201cShyboy.\u201d Are they trying to be a shred band? I just don\u2019t get it and honestly, I don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n<p>========================================<\/p>\n<p>Abandon<br \/>\nThe Good: Any Fule Kno That, Almost Human, Don\u2019t Make Me Happy, Seventh Heaven, Fingers to the Bone, Jack Ruby, She Was, \u201969, Evil Louie, Bludsucker<br \/>\nThe Bad:<br \/>\nThe Indifferent: Watching the Sky,<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t know what it is about this album but this seems to be where this lineup seems to have gelled for some reason. I really couldn\u2019t get over how much I was digging this album. The ridiculously spelled \u201cAny Fule Kno That\u201d totally kicked ass and had me feeling like this album had some promise. \u201cDon\u2019t Make Me Happy\u201d and \u201cFingers to the Bone\u201d have this slight shimmer of the past to them but very much sounded like Purple rooted in the present. Also, \u201cBludsucker\u201d is the bastard brother of \u201cInto the Fire\u201d and it fucking just kills my face. Damn, I have to say that these songs also had Ian Gillan delivering some of his best work in my opinion as these songs were so moving.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GD6KlWZtMSk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>While not perfect, Abandon was really quite a surprise for me. This album has Deep Purple sounding particular funky and putting some stank on it. They sound youthful, energized, and they actually sound like they\u2019re having a fucking blast which really adds to the experience. I really enjoyed this album and even the \u201cindifferent\u201d songs weren\u2019t bad at all. Again, I really enjoyed this album and I can totally see myself revisiting this album again. This one is totally worth picking up and adding to the collection.<\/p>\n<p>========================================<\/p>\n<p>Bananas<br \/>\nThe Good: House of Pain, Sun Goes Down, Haunted, Walk On, Never a Word, Contact Loss<br \/>\nThe Bad:<br \/>\nThe Indifferent: Razzle Dazzle, Silver Tongue, Picture of Innocence, I Got Your Number, Bananas, Doing It Tonight,<\/p>\n<p>So this album is very interesting. Interesting in that right off the bat something just didn\u2019t feel right. Something felt amiss and when I learned that Jon Lord was not on this album it all just made sense. Lord\u2019s presence was such an integral part of Deep Purple\u2019s sound that with him not in the fold, it\u2019s almost as if they lost a limb. That being said, there are some pretty great tunes on this album. \u201cHaunted\u201d and \u201cNever a Word\u201d are the showstoppers here but the majority of the album falls a bit flat.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aQh9VD8bFOQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>All in all, this is just a very unexciting album. As fun and as much as I enjoyed Abandon, Bananas just seems to not so much a swing and a miss but more a foul ball. This album lacks the energy and fire that Abandon seemed to capture. It\u2019s almost like with Abandon, they FINALLY gelled only to have it all fall by the wayside with the absence of Jon Lord.<\/p>\n<p>========================================<\/p>\n<p>Rapture of the Deep<br \/>\nThe Good:<br \/>\nThe Bad: Money Talks, Girls Like That, Wrong Man, Rapture of the Deep, Don&#8217;t Let Go, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, MTV, Junkyard Blues, Before Time Began<br \/>\nThe Indifferent: Clearly Quite Absurd, Back to Back,<\/p>\n<p>My buddy Chris refers to this album as &#8220;Crapture of the Deep.&#8221;\u00a0 Well, he wasn&#8217;t far off.\u00a0 This album fucking sucks.\u00a0 DO NOT BUY THIS ALBUM!\u00a0 I mean, I can barely put to words just how bad this album is.\u00a0 The performances are weak, the lyrics are absolutely horrendous, and poor Ian Gillan sounds like he&#8217;s struggling for dear life to squeeze out the notes.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, at some points Gillan even sounds like someone&#8217;s drunk ass dad doing karaoke at a wedding.\u00a0 SMH (shake my head for you old people), this album just doesn&#8217;t cut it.\u00a0 They even have a song on &#8220;MTV.&#8221;\u00a0 Seriously and yes, it&#8217;s as bad as you&#8217;d imagine.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n87ZzpHdRtc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>There are a few moments where a few of the songs had me thinking, &#8220;Hey, this isn&#8217;t so bad&#8221; only for them to just get worse as they go along.\u00a0 This late in the game, I think it&#8217;s safe to say that Deep Purple has burned through all of their fuel and the reserves are now bone dry.\u00a0 Luckily I only have one more album to go and I can only pray (and I&#8217;m atheist) that it&#8217;s not any worse than Crapture of the Deep.\u00a0 Sigh&#8230; let&#8217;s get this shit over with.<\/p>\n<p>========================================<\/p>\n<p>Now What?!<br \/>\nThe Good:<br \/>\nThe Bad: A Simple Song, Weirdestan, Out of Hand, Hell to Pay, Bodyline, Above and Beyond, Uncommon Man, Apres Vous,<br \/>\nThe Indifferent: Blood From a Stone, All the Time in the World,<\/p>\n<p>Oh brother.\u00a0 I just don&#8217;t even know where to begin with this one.\u00a0 It&#8217;s no wonder Jon Lord jumped ship when he did.\u00a0 I mean, it is just so hard for me to comprehend that this is a band that brought so much great shit to the world of rock and roll yet they just seem content to piss in the very pool that they built.\u00a0 The songs just sound so uninspired and I even had a hard time hearing them trying to cop off of Zeppelin with &#8220;Above and Beyond.&#8221;\u00a0 Why try to be Zeppelin when you can&#8217;t even be Deep Purple?\u00a0 &#8220;Vincent Price?&#8221;\u00a0 A fucking song called &#8220;Vincent Price.&#8221;\u00a0 What the fuck guys?\u00a0 I could barely contain my hysterical laughter\/crying.\u00a0 Holy Jon Lord, guys&#8230; I think it&#8217;s time.<\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"750\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gGnU0HUEcGY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I do have to say one more thing.\u00a0 Steve Morse.\u00a0 Why Steve Morse?\u00a0 Yeah, yeah, I get it.\u00a0 He&#8217;s an amazing guitarist but the guy has zero feel and all of those fucking pinch harmonics just make me want to break his fucking fingers.\u00a0 Couldn&#8217;t they have found some young prodigy or something who would&#8217;ve brought some soul, some heart, some fire into Deep Purple much like the way Tommy Bolin did?\u00a0 I couldn&#8217;t be happier to be done with this challenge as these last few albums were some of the most painful moments I&#8217;ve experienced doing one of these.\u00a0 I&#8217;d almost rather listen to Hagar era Van Halen than this shit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back and here were with Part II (or MK II?) of the Deep Purple Album by Album Challenge. For this final installment we will pick up with Deep Purple\u2019s comeback album, Perfect Strangers, the one off album with Joe Lynn Turner, the Steve Morse era, and the effect of the departure of long time keyboardist\/songwriter Jon Lord for the band\u2019s last three albums. How did these albums do? Well, read on and you\u2019ll find out. Thoughts? &nbsp; Perfect Strangers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[1207,1729,828,1738,1739],"class_list":["post-16825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music-news","tag-deep-purple","tag-don-airey","tag-ian-gillan","tag-joe-lynn-turner","tag-steve-morse"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16825"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19511,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16825\/revisions\/19511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}