Deep Purple from 1984 On Track

In 2024, Deep Purple celebrated the fortieth anniversary of their reunion by releasing their 23rd album, =1. Some band members thought the 1984 reunion would fizzle out after one album, but it flourished despite internecine strife, illness and the loss of two founders. As members approached eighty years of age, they produced albums that went on to be among their most successful.

   This book tells this sometimes-bizarre post-reunion story through their music and, to an extent, their touring. Neither were always completely successful, as the band seemed to be either searching for synergy in their sound or for a commercial product that did not sacrifice artistic integrity. The lyrics are especially valuable because they reveal the hardship of the road and insights into their own growing frustrations with a society they believed to be too woke, too violent, too ridiculous.  In doing this, the band has not just resurfaced but written a new story for a new audience.

   All these things make this phase of Deep Purple an interesting study, not just of a band loved by so many but also of musicians who just wanted to play their music and sometimes found it was not as simple as that.