Post-Deep Purple, most of the major players went on to successful careers away from the band, apart from Bolin's sad death by overdose just months after the band’s dissolution. Coverdale went on to form Whitesnake, which both keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice joined as well and built a successful following. Paice did eventually leave in 1982 and moved on to join Gary Moore’s band. Blackmore of course went on to form the band he had left Deep Purple for, Rainbow, and they released seven albums that continued to be heavy influences on the music scene. Glover had produced his “The Butterfly Ball” album, and then eventually joined Blackmore in Rainbow in 1979. Ian Gillan formed his solo band Gillan and released five albums up to 1982, and then joined Black Sabbath as the replacement for Ronnie James Dio for the “Born Again” album in 1983. Thus, each of the five members of the Mark II lineup had continued to be in the spotlight musically.
Also in the spotlight during those years was Deep Purple. Several retrospective best of releases came out, and found both the old audience and a brand new audience ready to hear all of those great songs. Then came the live albums and the wider release of bootlegged live albums, which whetted the fans appetites even more. And it wasn’t long before promotors and other such people started to wave money around and find a way to get Deep Purple, in some form, back together. But with the relative success all of the members were achieving in other bands, there was no joy in finding a way to make this happen.
Eventually, talks began, and whispers started circulating. The Gillan-helmed Black Sabbath album had not been as successful as was hoped, and there was concern about his suitability for the older tracks by the band live. Rainbow’s search for true commercial stardom had proven hard to come by. While it always appeared that Lord and Paice were amenable to a Deep Purple reunion, it was the trio of Gillan, Glover and Blackmore that had to have a reason to return, and with their stars slightly diminished during 1982 and 1983, they appeared at least willing to talk. The announcement of the reformation of the Mark II lineup was met with great acclaim throughout the music world, with the fans looking forward to the answering of two important questions. One, could the band produce an album with the success that their albums from their halcyon days had had. Two, could the egos be put aside in the recording studio long enough to allow that to occur.
One of the more savvy parts of this album are the songs that open each side of the album. Both are the real heavy hitters of the album, and get the mood moving from the outset. The album opening "Knocking at Your Back Door" is laden with Gillan's double entendre lyrics, and others that aren't so well hidden. It's the perfect start to the new Mark II era, and the band's first album in 9 years. The organ and drum intro from Lord and Paice that leads into the opening riff from Blackmore and the subtle undertones of Glover's bass before Gillan's amazing vocals chime in to begin the song proper. Everything fits together perfectly, and while it is all a triumph it is the return of the duo and duelling of Lord and Blackmore on guitar and organ that is a true delight. "Under the Gun" has a terrific mood about it, with Gillan's doubled vocals through the verse and the chorus adding a great depth to the singing on this track. It's obvious from the start that Gillan has lost nothing in his absence from the band, and this song in particular brings to the fore that the music and sound has lost nothing from their glory days, and indeed fits into the modern acerbic perfectly, with the lyrics defining the pressure of being soldiers in war expertly brought to the surface. A passage of Blackmore's solo mimics the 'keep the home fires burning' parable, though I can' confirm if this was deliberate or not. This is followed by "Nobody's Home" which is again led out by Lord's organ riff into Blackmore's guitar and the cowbell from Paice's drums. This a jauntier song that again utilises double meaning in the lyrics and has the attitude energy about it. "Mean Streak" crashes in with drums and guitar to begin, but it is Roger Glover's bass guitar roaming up and down throughout the song that provides the main impetus of the song. He is at his best on this song, with the bass and Lord's Hammond organ creating a great atmosphere throughout, while Gillan's vocals lyricise about the well told tale of the woman with a mean streak, bitter sweet. This opening side to the band's first album with this line up in a decade is as strong as any they had put together in their first iteration.
Then comes the title track which opens the second side of the album, the star attraction, and one that is still played live to the present day. It has an amazingly haunting atmosphere throughout, again created and derived from the organ and guitar, perpetuated by Gillan's vocals, and the majesty of the tempo of the track mounted marvellously by Glover and Paice. One of the key parts of the song is that Blackmore does not perform a guitar solo, instead the instrumental passages are held together by the organ and the chugging riff. It's unusual for the band, but perhaps that is what makes it so interesting and iconic to this day. Following this comes "A Gypsy's Kiss", another of the high tempo tracks on the album. Blackmore's guitar takes centre stage on this song, with the solo break a beauty, and also a long guitar led passage that fades the song out to its conclusion. The lyrics weave between historical references and cryptic observations that make a great tale. "Wasted Sunsets" goes down a different road, a ballad of sorts in the style that Deep Purple likes to create them, introspective with a slower tempo. Painting a portrait of lost opportunities and feelings of reflection and regret, it gives Blackmore's guitar the opportunity to weep rather than showcase power. The album then concludes with "Hungry Daze", back to the height of the tempo on the album, almost middle eastern in its composition. This song is about the struggle of the band in its early days, and reflecting on the tough time it took to establish themselves. It touches on pieces of the Mark II history, with lines such as "We all came out to Montreux, but that's another song". The concluding cacophony of instruments and vocals crashes to a perfect finish, and brings to a close one of the best albums of the band's discography.
"Perfect Strangers" was released around the time I began to find my musical tastes beginning to mature and change with the times. While it was still to be just over 12 months from the release of this album to the time my conversion truly began, this album was one of the first that came to me during this initial phase. I had noticed songs such as "Black Night" and "Smoke on the Water" on compilation albums around this time, and knew of them even if I didn't know them very well. But when I was eventually handed a copy of this album by my heavy metal music dealer in early 1986, as a part of the answer to the question I asked at school one lunchtime, "Are Deep Purple any good?", I was almost immediately in love with it. The fact that this became my introduction to Deep Purple the band for me is quite significant, because it was their (then) modern iteration, and the return of the band's most well known formation, and they produced an album that, I believe, is as good as anything they produced before or since.
This album is another perfect embodiment of the amazing partnership that was the Blackmore/Lord duo. Their combination again on this album is spectacular, the swapping of solo slots between them, something that made those 1970's albums so special, is again here in spades. Lord's Hammond organ has that unique sound that immediately let's you know this is Deep Purple, while Blackmore's trademark guitar licks are again back in a form that is far more preferable than the commercial sounding way he was heading in the final throes of Rainbow. Ian Gillan's vocals top this trio, and at on point for this whole album. As wonderful as the Coverdale/Hughes Mark III and IV era with Tommy Bolin is, Gillan is the voice of Deep Purple at its finest, and these three are sensational here. Add to that the presence of Roger Glover's bass and Ian Paice's excellent drumming - both of whom are not in any way in anyone's shadow on this album - and you have a brilliant release.
I have had this playing for the past month, weaving in and out of the other albums I have been listening to, and each time I have been ecstatic to do so. I got this on vinyl... Again... A few years ago and it sounds superb on the turntable in the Metal Cavern. I have been singing along again, and being reminded of my latter high school years when I first got this album, as it always does whenever I listen to it. It reminds me of our mate who was dubbed Wagon, who continued to claim that Ritchie Blackmore was the only original guitarist in the history of music, and would always proclaim Deep Purple was the height of the music tree. I personally don't think there is a weak track on this album, from the opening strains of "Knocking at Your Back Door", to the genius that is "Perfect Strangers", from the hard rock attack of "Under the Gun" and "Mean Streak", the subtle change of "Wasted Sunsets" and the conclusion of "Hungry Daze", this is a superb album for the day.
The reunion tour that promoted this album put Deep Purple back in the spotlight and proved to be a major resurgence for the band and its members. Though the road remained rocky, even after the years where they had been apart, the 1980's would prove to be a time of stability and success that surely none of them could ever have dreamed of.
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