Perfect Strangers? Deep Purple 1984-1993

The original lineup of Deep Purple disbanded in 1973, and the band reformed in the 1980s with a new lineup. This book examines the merits and challenges of the reunion and includes a critical analysis of the band's second round of albums.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 16 June 2023
Publisher: Wymer Publishing

By the end of 1973, Deep Purple Mk2 had come to an end. David Coverdale had replaced Ian Gillan on vocals, while Glenn Hughes had replaced Roger Glover on bass and vocals. This left the nucleus of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice to take Deep Purple in a new direction, which ultimately came to a halt with the Mk4 line-up in 1976.

Despite the success of albums such as Deep Purple in Rock (1970), Fireball (1971), Machine Head (1972), and Who Do We Think We Are (1973) to Mk2s credit, many fans held onto hope that one day, the band would reunite. The music press occasionally courted the odd rumour that it would happen!

Finally, in April 1984, the reunion of Deep Purple Mk2 was announced. Fans had gotten their wish. Or had they?

With the landscape of rock and pop music having changed since the bands success in the seventies, and with each member of Deep Purple Mk2 having nurtured very different careers as individuals by that point, a reunion was never going to be plain sailing!

In this book, Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL examines the merits and challenges of what it was for Deep Purple Mk2 to get back together in the eighties. Included is a critical analysis of Mk2s second round of albums: Perfect Strangers (1984), The House Of Blue Light (1987), and The Battle Rages On… (1993).

Weight: 275g
Dimension: 216 x 140 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781915246288