24 CARAT PURPLE

This is one of the several compilations which are available from this band. It has several of my favourite DEEP PURPLE`s songs and almost every track is very representative of the Blackmore-Gillan-Glover-Lord- Paice line-up, which is considered by many people (including myself) as the best line-up this band had.

"Woman from Tokyo" was one of their last singles released by this line-up in the seventies (1973). Despite the band sounds a bit tired and forced to have a hit after their 1971-72 big sucesss brought by their "Machine Head" and "Made in Japan" albums, it is a good song. "Strange Kind of Woman" is very good and funny in some places. "Never Before" has very good drums by Ian Paice, one of the best drummers and one who seems to be forgotten or underrated as drummer. He also shines in "Black Night", one of the signature songs of this band, with also "Smoke on the Water". "Child in Time" is a very good Prog-Related song, with great vocals by Gillan. "Speed King" and "Fireball" are less important in their repertoire, I think. But as a whole I consider this compilation as a good selection of tracks more for the casual listeners or the new listeners of this band.

I think that this band never needed a second guitarist, because Jon Lord complemented very well Richie Blackmore`s guitar with the use of some distortion in his keyboards.