Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).
Perfect Strangers (1984)
Rock bands can be difficult to hold together. While there are certainly examples of bands that have maintained the same lineup for decades, more often than not bands tend to split up or replace members after a few years.
Deep Purple was formed in 1968 and is still together, but the group has had approximately 3,782 members during that time. I wrote about a hit for an early version of the group, but the version of Deep Purple that most people point to as the best is the "Mark II" lineup: Ian Gillan on vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Roger Glover on bass, Jon Lord on keyboards and Ian Paice on drums. That lineup produced four classic hard rock albums from 1970 to 1973, with hits including "Smoke on the Water," "Highway Star," "Woman from Tokyo" and "Space Truckin'."
By this point, internal tensions were high between Gillan and Blackmore, leading to Gillan quitting the band after a tour in 1973, followed by the dismissal of Glover. The band hired Glenn Hughes, a bassist-singer, and wanted to add Paul Rodgers as lead singer but he opted to form Bad Company instead. So Purple went with an unknown singer named David Coverdale. That version of the band released two albums that did well, but Blackmore didn't like the direction the band was going in and left to form Rainbow with Ronnie James Dio.
Deep Purple then added young American guitarist Tommy Bolin and released one album. Bolin was talented but was struggling with drug addiction, which hampered his performance on tour. After the tour, the band split up and Bolin died of a heroin overdose a few months later.
From 1976 to 1984, the various former members of Purple did well in their various other bands: Blackmore's Rainbow went from playing classical-tinged metal to Foreigner-esque hard rock with several vocalists; Gillan had success with his own band and fronted Black Sabbath for an album; Glover played with Rainbow and was a producer; Coverdale formed Whitesnake, which also included Paice and Lord at different points. Paice also played in Gary Moore's band.
In April 1984, the Mark II version of Deep Purple reunited and recorded a new album, Perfect Strangers. The band was able to put their past differences aside and came up with a strong album; they were all in their late 30s or early 40s and still at the peak of their powers. At the same time, hard rock and metal was having a renaissance and new material from the classic lineup of Deep Purple was embraced by the record-buying public.
The title track was based on the Elric fantasy series by author Michael Moorcock, who had previously collaborated with Hawkwind and Blue Oyster Cult. It begins with a powerful organ intro from Lord before the rest of the band kicks in and Gillan launches into the vocal.
"Can you remember, remember my name?/As I flow through your life/A thousand oceans I have flown/Oh and cold/Cold spirits of ice/All my life/I am the echo of your past/I am returning, the echo of a point in time/And distant faces shine/A thousand warriors I have known/Oh, and laughing/As the spirits appear."
The song is one of the few Deep Purple tracks without a Blackmore solo, but his lead guitar work is exquisite throughout.
"All your life, all your life/Shadows of another day/If you hear me talking on the wind/You've got to understand/We must remain/Perfect strangers."
It was the perfect reintroduction of a classic band. I picked up the album while on a visit to Toronto in the fall of '84 and was instantly hooked, already being a fan of the band's big hits. Songs like "Knocking at Your Back Door," "Nobody's Home" and "Mean Streak" were also standouts. I wasn't a fan of the latter Rainbow stuff like "Street of Dreams," which I felt was trying too hard for a radio hit, so it was nice to hear Blackmore back to his guitar god ways.
The Perfect Strangers album hit #17 on the Billboard 200 and #5 in the U.K. and the band's subsequent tour in 1985 outgrossed every other act in the U.S. except Bruce Springsteen. But after that glorious return, things got bumpy for the Mark II lineup. The making of the band's follow-up album, The House of Blue Light, was difficult and it didn't capture the same vibe as Perfect Strangers. The tour was cut short when Blackmore broke a finger. And in 1989, Gillian was fired and replaced by Joe Lynn Turner, who had worked with Blackmore and Glover in Rainbow.
The band made one album with Turner before bringing back Gillan in 1993 for a 25th anniversary album and tour, but both were disappointing. Blackmore ended up leaving the band on tour in November 1993 and was replaced by Joe Satriani; the band asked Satriani to join permanently but his Epic Records contract didn't allow it. Steve Morse of the Dixie Dregs and Kansas filled the slot in 1994.
Since then, there have been various configurations of the band, but it's still going with Gillan, Glover, Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Simon McBride. The band released a new album earlier this year.
Deep Purple, including Blackmore, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. He's continued performing with his wife in Blackmore's Night, a medieval folk-rock group.
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