Ranking the Discography: Deep Purple Part XVI: Abandon (1998)

Abandon was the last album to feature Jon Lord. Lord left the band in 2002, and died of pancreatic cancer in 2012. The album reached #76 in the UK. The title is actually a pun, as in “A Band On Tour .”

Members:

Ian Gillan: vocals

Steve Morse: guitars

Roger Glover: bass

Jon Lord: keyboards

Ian Paice: drums

1. “Any Fule Know Dat”: This is a strong opener with rapid-fire vocals. Paice lays down a nice rhythm. Lord’s solo is great, and Morse can shred!
2. “Almost Human”: Good rhythm, and Steve is dynamite.
3. ” Don’t Make Me Happy”: Pretty good low-key song, and Loed sounds cool.
4. “Seventh Heaven”: Paice has rapid-fire drumming, and Lord and Morse sound awesome. One of my favorite songs on the album.
5. “Watching the Sky”: On first listen, I didn’t like this, but it grew on me. Once the band kicks in, it sounds cool.
6. “Fingers to the Bone”: Lord and Morse are the stars here, and there’s a nice soft harmonica.
7. “Jack Ruby”: Morse does some more shredding and Lord has an awesome solo. Another favorite.
8. ” Whatsername “: I didn’t care for this one.
9. ” 69″ : Awesome keyboards on this one.
10. “Evil Louie” : The best song on the album!
11. “Bludsucker”: This is actually a reworked version of the song “Bloodsucker” from In Rock. It’s not bad.

Final Verdict: A fitting farewell for Jon Lord. It’s a shame this is another album Spotify skips.

Grade: A-

Ranking the Discography: Deep Purple Part XVIII: Purpendicular (1996)

Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple after The Battle Rages On. In 1997, he met Candice Knight, which eventually led to them forming the folk music group Blackmore ‘s Knight. He was replaced by Steve Morse, who had a band called the Dixie Dregs. He also joined Kansas in the 1980’s. In addition to these, he’s also worked with Angelfire and the supergroup Flying Colors.

Purpendicular had 2 singles: “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming” and ” The Aviator “. It reached #58 in the UK, but did not chart in America. It was produced by Darren Schneider and Keith Andrews. The album is not on Spotify.

Members:

Ian Gillan: vocals

Steve Morse: guitar

Jon Lord: keyboards

Roger Glover: bass

Ian Paice: drums

The Tracks:

1. “Vavoom: Ted the Mechanic”: Gillan based this song on a man he met in a pub during the recording if The House of Blue Light. The song really allows Morse to show his skills.
2. ” Loosen My Strings “: Glover has a great bassline on here and Paice has a cool beat.
3. ” Soon Forgotten “: Jon Lord ‘s keyboards are excellent. I saw a comment on YouTube that said this song sounded like “Willy Wonka nightmare music”.
4. ” Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming “: This was one of the first songs Deep Purple recorded with Morse. It’s one of the best songs on the album. It kind of makes me wonder if the band was listening to Alice in Chains.
5. “Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover”: A great song with some of Gillan’s best vocals.
6. ” The Aviator “: Another one of my favorite songs. Lord and Morse are the stars on this one.
7. ” Rosa’s Cantina”: My first thought when I heard this was “Paice sounds nice on this! He can go!”
8. “A Castle Full of Rascals”: Another good bassline from Glover.
9. ” A Touch Away”: Lord’s keyboards are great.
10. “Hey Cisco”: This is one of the few songs I don’t like on the album, but I don’t hate it.
11. “Somebody Stole My Guitar”: Funny title, but Morse has a wicked solo on this.
12. “The Purpendicular Waltz”: The only other song I didn’t like. But I didn’t hate it either.

Final Verdict: An excellent start for Morse. Just because Spotify skipped it doesn’t mean you should. Check it out!

Grade: A

Ranking the Discography: Deep Purple Part XIV: The Battle Rages On…(1993)

The Battle Rages On was the last album to feature the Mark II lineup. They were originally going to hire Mike DiMeo as a replacement for Joe Lynn Turner, but they eventually rehired Gillian instead, thus causing the album to be reworked. Two singles were released: “Anya” and “Time to Kill”. The album reached #192 in the US and #21 in the UK. Blackmore was so infuriated with the album that he left the band during the tour, and was replaced by Joe Satriani. The album was produced by Thom Panunzio.

Members:

Ian Gillian: vocals

Ritchie Blackmore: guitar

Roger Glover: bass

Jon Lord: keyboards

Ian Paice: drums

The Tracks:

1. “The Battle Rages On” : Gillian ‘s back with a vengeance on this, and Blackmore and Lord sound great. The song sounds made for a DND campaign.
2. “Lick It Up”: A corny title, but it has a great hook. Paice’s drumming has a good groove.
3. ” Anya”: Another very strong song with great vocals, and Lord really shows off. One of the best songs on the album.
4. “Talk About Love”: The drumming and bass are good on this one, and Gillian hasn’t lost his stride yet.
5. ” Time to Kill “: Both of the singles are pretty strong.
6. ” Ramshackle Man”: This is a great tale, and Lord’s keyboard gets a good focus.
7. “A Twist of the Tale” : Another one of my favorite songs, probably right behind “Anya” and the title track.
8. “Nasty Piece of Work “: This is a fun tune. I keep wondering why Blackmore hated this album.
9. ” Solitaire”: This one has a good bassline.
10. “One Man’s Meat”: The only song I didn’t really care for. But I don’t think I hate it.

Final Verdict: An amazing album for Mark II’s last hurrah.

Grade: A+

Ranking the Discography: Deep Purple Part XIII: Slaves and Masters

After The House of Blue Light, Ian Gillian was fired by the band. Blackmore suggested they replace him with Joe Lynn Turner, who was currently leading Rainbow. Two singles were released: “King of Dreams” and “Love Conquers All” . The album made it to #45 in the UK and #87 in the US. This is Turner’s only appearance with Deep Purple.

Members:

Joe Lynn Turner: vocals

Ritchie Blackmore: guitar

Roger Glover: bass, additional keyboards and producer

Jon Lord: organ, keyboards, string arrangement

Ian Paice: drums and percussion

The Tracks:

1. “King of Dreams”: This is one of the best songs. Turner’s vocals are great and the song lulled me into a false sense of security.
2. ” The Cut Runs Deep “: Blackmore has good guitar moments, but Lord sounds terrible on the keys.
3. ” Fire in the Basement “: A decent rocker, but not much else.
4. “Truth Hurts”: Paice sounds like he’s not even trying to start a rhythm. The vocals are great.
5. ” Breakfast in Bed”: The worst song on the album. It’s pretty corny.
6. “Love Conquers All “: The weakest of the two singles. I almost felt like skipping this one.
7. ” Fortuneteller”: Another one of the best songs, but it doesn’t save the album.
8. “Too Much Is Not Enough”: Lord sounds terrible on this, but Blackmore sounds decent.
9. “Wicked Ways “: A decent closer, but not much else.

Final Verdict: Sometimes when I do these Rankings, I come across an album that makes me think “Do I have to talk about this one?” This is one of those times. Turner is really the best thing about the album, but most of it doesn’t sound like Deep Purple at all. They sound too mainstream and poppy.

Grade: D

Ranking the Discography: Deep Purple Part XII: The House of Blue Light (1987)

House of Blue Light was the 6th album for the Mark II lineup of Deep Purple. It had two singles: “Call of the Wild” and “Bad Attitude”. The album reached #10 in the UK and #34 in the US.

Members:

Ian Gillian: vocals

Ritchie Blackmore: guitar

Roger Glover: bass

Jon Lord: keyboards

Ian Paice: drums

The Tracks:

1. “Bad Attitude” : A great opening song, with a good guitar and bass.
2. “The Unwritten Law “: Gillian has some of his best vocals on this album. One of my favorite songs.
3. “Call of the Wild ” : Of the two singles, this is my favorite. Everyone brings their A-game.
4. “Mad Dog “: This one’s a little cheesy for my taste.
5. ” Black and White”: Another one of my favorite songs, with excellent vocals from Gillian and some good keyboards from Lord.
6. “Hard Lovin’ Man”: I didn’t like this song.
7. ” The Spanish Archer”: A great song with good drumming.
8. “Strangeways: Lord does some of his best keyboards on this one.
9. ” Mitzi Dupree”: Another song I thought was too cheesy.
10. “Dead or Alive “: Pretty good closing song with a good bass.

Final Verdict: While there are some strong tracks on this, the cheesy ones lose me a little.

Grade: B+