Deep Purple (Rock) - The House of Blue Light (CD)

Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals, harmonica, congas); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards, synthesizer); Roger Glover (synthesizer, bass); Ian Paice (drums). Recorded at The Playhouse, Stowe, Vermont. Personnel: Ian Gillan (vocals, harmonica, congas); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards); Roger Glover (synthesizer, bass guitar); Ian Paice (drums). Recording information: Playhouse, Stowe, VT. Illustrator: Dieter Zill. During the '80s, Deep Purple, like Aerosmith, was a hard rock giant of the prior decade that ended up getting a second career chance. Three years after the band's triumphant 1984 comeback, PERFECT STRANGERS, the band released HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHT, a follow-up that continued showcasing the band's sweeping brand of hard rock. Anchored by the solid rhythm section of drummer Ian Paice and bassist/producer Roger Glover, the formidable triumvirate of Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, and Jon Lord drove these songs of devil women and outlaw living. As always, Gillan's forceful vocals and quirky lyrics brought to life femme fatales in songs like "Call of the Wild," "Hard Lovin' Woman," and the bluesy "Mitzie Dupree." The iron-lunged vocalist even wails a bit on harp before tossing in the kind of glass-breaking phrasing on "Black & White" that made "Highway Star" such a classic cut. When Lord's new-fangled synthesizers aren't replicating string sections on "The Unwritten Law," his trademark organ juices up songs like "Bad Attitude." Blackmore tattoos his distinctive string-bending technique all over BLUE LIGHT and particularly shines on "Dead or Alive."