DEEP PURPLE – Perfect Strangers +1 [Japanese SHM-CD remastered]

As requested here we go with DEEP PURPLE ’80s comeback “Perfect Strangers“, reissued in Japan in a remastered form on a High Quality SHM-CD format. “Perfect Strangers” represents the first album recorded by the reformed (as well as the most successful and popular) Deep Purple ‘Mark II’ line-up after eleven years. Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover arrived from Rainbow, Ian Gillan from Black Sabbath, Jon Lord from Whitesnake, and Ian Paice from Gary Moore’s backing band.

Updated to the ’80s standards, “Perfect Strangers”, produced by Roger Glover, adds some kind of glossy flavor to the sound, a more melodic approach according to times.
The material featured on this comeback album is mostly quality work. The sexual innuendo-packed and catchy opener ‘Knocking At Your Back Door’, the slow-galloping rhythm section that drives the title track and the superb guitar / keyboard melodies that lead the straight-out rock ‘n roll track ‘Gypsy’s Kiss’ are among the best moments on the album.

Variation is aplenty, with the heavily organ-driven ‘Under the Gun’, the slower bluesy moment on ‘Wasted Sunsets’ (one of my favorites) with two classic solos from the master himself.
While ‘Nobody’s Home’ is mainly vocal-driven, it contains that old-fashioned Blackmore / Lord dueling we missed a lot. ‘Hungry Daze’ makes for one of the lesser moments on the album for its lack of momentum but has those Eastern-flavoured keyboard melodies reminiscent of Rainbow’s Gates of Babylon.

Most of all, what we hear here is a band that really wishes to go for it at their reunion, providing us with nostalgic material that doesn’t quite copy their early ’70s output, showing still new sides of creativity.
“Perfect Strangers” is definitely not a simple move made for paying the bills, but rather one of the better examples of a reunion album. Deep Purple maintain their classic style while updating the sound and creates enough variety to provide us with an excellent, solid album.

This Japanese remaster on SHM-CD sounds million bucks (the original Eighties CD was really flat), and includes the bonus track ‘Son Of Alerik”, originally the B-side on ‘Perfect Strangers’ single.
A GREAT ONE

ＵＮＩＶＥＲＳＡＬ ＭＵＳＩＣ ＪＡＰＡＮ ～ UICY-25111
【ＳＨＭ－ＣＤ】 パーフェクト・ストレンジャーズ/ディープ・パープル

01 – Knocking At Your Back Door
02 – Under The Gun
03 – Nobody’s Home
04 – Mean Streak
05 – Perfect Strangers
06 – A Gypsy’s Kiss
07 – Wasted Sunsets
08 – Hungry Daze
09 – Not Responsible
JAPAN BONUS TRACK:
10 – Son Of Alerik

Ian Gillan – vocals
Roger Glover – bass, synthesizer
Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
Jon Lord – keyboards
Ian Paice – drums

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www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-25111