Search - Deep Purple :: Anthology

Some Good Moments But Glaring Omissions

G. J Wiener | Westchester, NY USA | 05/16/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Undoubtedly Deep Purple rates as a premiere hard rock n roll band. This Anthology collection lists many classic songs such as Smoke On The Water, Hush, Child In Time, and Woman From Tokyo. Many captivating solos abound from both guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and keyboardist Jon Lord. Ian Gillan was a phenomenal vocalist during his time with the band.So why only three stars? Way too many glaring classic tunes are not on this anthology. Space Truckin' and Kentucky Woman were two of Deep Purple's signature songs. Yet neither appear on this collection. Also a mere four songs appear that feature original lead vocalist, Rod Evans. Certainly there wre many other great tunes from that era such as Deep Purple's interpretations of River Deep Mountain High, Hey Joe, and Help as well as originals like Anthem and Lalena. Also, eleven songs featuring David Coverdale certainly is excessive. Coverdale has his good moments on Hold On, Lay Down Stay Down, and Sail Away. However, this Mark Three version of Deep Purple is so generic when compared to versions one and two.Truthfully, I would seek out the originally recorded material or the more inclusive Best of Deepest Purple."

Great anthology from first era of Deep Purple

Roger Berlind | NY, USA | 04/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great anthology of music from the first era of Deep Purple which lasted from 1968 until 1975 when guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left to form Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio. It features 2 CDs with 150 minutes of great music. EMI certainly gives you a lot of music for your money. It was originally released in 1991, so is somewhat old at this point, but I think it is still a good choice for people looking for a good sampling of Deep Purple's music from this era. Note that it does not provide any songs from the band's second and third eras when the band reunited in various combinations starting in 1984.



While it is true that some great songs are missing, the liner notes by Deep Purple authority Simon Robinson make it clear that EMI's goal was to provide a balanced cross section of the band's first era. So, you won't hear "Kentucky Woman" from Book of Taliesyn, but you do get "Shield" and "Wring that Neck". The latter is an outstanding instrumental which you'll never hear on the radio. You also don't get "Space Truckin'" from Machine Head, but anyone who likes Deep Purple at all really needs to buy Machine Head even if they don't buy any of their other studio albums. I think EMI did the right thing by not giving too much weight to Machine Head and providing 2-3 songs from later albums even if they are weaker.



The 24 page booklet is excellent, featuring a history of the band in this era with lots of pictures and album covers."