PURPLEXED

This compilation "Purplexed" leaves quite perplexed, I must say. Except the fact of a label desire to create a Purple compilation, I do not understand the idea here. This "work" mixes live and studio tracks. From 1990 to 1996.

What do we get here ?

One track from the infamous "Slaves & Masters" (and one of the weakest one of it) : "King Of Dreams" (not of mine, I can tell you) !

Two tracks from the very good "Perpendicular" : "The Aviator" which is for me the weakest track of this album (you can read my detailed review of this album if you want to have a deeper insight). The second one is fabulous. This is my comment about it in the album review :"Loosen My Strings" is a great rock ballad with one of the most melodious chorus of any Purple song so far. A great, inspired and emotional guitar break will bring you (almost) to heaven. The background piano playing from Jon is absolutely wonderful. This is almost a prog track !

Three tracks from "The Battle Rages On". The fabulous title track, the best track of the album "Anya" and quite surprinsingly, one of the poorest ones (again) with "Solitaire"

Four tracks from their live album "Come Hell" : "Highway Star" and "Speed King" not being the best ones either from this live album. This version of "Child In Time" is also quite questionable. Shorter Ritchie solo (he was on his way out and for good this time) compensated by some Jon's ones (like they used to render in their early Mark II era : as soon as September 1969 - at the Royal Albert Hall for their "In Concerto" album. "Smoke" is great, untill Ian asks the audience to participate.

As you have noticed, I am not quite positive with this compilation effort (to say the least). I did not purchased it, but compiled it on my own (as I do for most compils). Just forget this one. Two stars, for die-hard fans. Am I a Purple die-hard fan ?

Total waste of money here. I saw this in a store and was thinking what's the point of buying a worst-of album, and furthermore the worst songs are selected from some of their worst albums (with the exception of Anya, which was the best song on its album). The cover art is perplexing, as usually they just dump a band picture on the cover, maybe they found this picture on a media cd?

Interesting BMG period compilation, with Gillan and Turner, Blackmore and Morse. Interesting for these motives. Not prog, of course.

"King Of Dreams" sounds very good, compared with the other songs, because it has its own magic. And the AOR style of last Blackmore period sound not so diverse respect to Steve Morse Hard Rock style, also because the song with Morse are not so diverse respect to Blackmore's songs. The 70's songs ("Highway Star", Smoke On The Water", "Child In Time" and "Speed King") are live and sound good, but the final result is that "Purplexed" is only another Purple compilation.

For the presence of songs with Gillan and Turner and Blackmore and Morse this is an interesting compilation. Not a poor compilation but another Purple's compilation.