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Deep Purple: The House of Blue Light

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Mercury Records
Released: 1987
Time:
 46:47
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *......... (1/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.deep-purple.com
Appears with: Ritchie Blackmore
Purchase date: 2008.04.04
Price in €: 4,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Bad Attitude (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover/J.Lord) - 4:43
[2] The Unwritten Law (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover/J.Lord) - 4:34
[3] Call of the Wild (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover/J.Lord) - 4:50
[4] Mad Dog (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover) - 4:29
[5] Black and White (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover/J.Lord) - 3:39
[6] Hard Lovin' Woman (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover) - 3:24
[7] The Spanish Archer (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover) - 4:56
[8] Strangeways (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover) - 5:56
[9] Mitzi Dupree (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover) - 5:03
[10] Dead or Alive (R.Blackmore/I.Gillan/R.Glover) - 4:42   

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Ritchie Blackmore - Guitar, Producer
Ian Gillan - Harmonica, Conga, Vocals, Producer
Roger Glover - Synthesizer, Bass Guitar, Producer
Jon Lord - Keyboards, Producer
Ian Paice - Drums, Producer

Nick Blagona - Engineer
Greg Calbi - Mastering
Andrew W. Ellis - Art Direction
Suha Gur - Digital Remastering
Dieter Zill - Illustrations

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s

1987 LP Mercury 32
1987 CD Mercury 823 777
1999 CD Mercury 831318-2
1999 LP Mercury 831318-1
1999 CS Mercury 831318-4
1999 CD Universal Special Products 546162
2007 CD Universal 9165

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 BLUELIGHT, 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".



1984 feierten die eigentlich schon längst totgesagten britischen Heavy-Rocker Deep Purple mit Altsänger Ian Gillan und dem famosen Perfect Strangers-Album ein umjubeltes Come-back und katapultierten sich quasi über Nacht zurück auf den Gipfel des Hardrock-Olymps. Der zurückgewonnene gute Ruf wollte mit dem nächsten Longplayer verteidigt werden und das gelang nur bedingt. The House Of Blue Light ('87) ist kein schlechtes Album, steht jedoch zu jeder Sekunde im Schatten des übermächtigen Vorgängers. Das Songwriting ist nicht ganz so brillant, die Soli klingen nicht ganz so begnadet. Was aber vor allem schmerzlich vermisst wird, ist die spontane, lebendige Energie, die Perfect Strangers ausstrahlte. The House Of Blue Light sollte beim Abmischen auf Krampf aufgemöbelt werden, dieser Kraftakt wirkte sich letztlich aber eher negativ auf die grundsätzlich eigentlich ganz anständige Platte aus.

Michael Rensen - Amazon.de



Though it was considered a disappointment upon its release (indeed, its production was much too sleek at times, and it lacked the creative daring of Perfect Strangers), 1987's House of Blue Light has actually stood the test of time just as well, if not better, than its predecessor. The second effort from the re-formed Mark II lineup, this album showed Deep Purple searching for an '80s-flavored hit single, and by doing so, sounding uncomfortably similar to guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's other band, Rainbow. Virtually all of the record's first half suffers from this (especially "Unwritten Law" and "Bad Attitude"), but things improve with the Eastern-flavored melodies of "The Spanish Archer" and "Strange Ways." The eerie sound textures explored on the latter evoke memories of classic Purple, and finally allow some space for soloing from Blackmore and keyboardist Jon Lord. And the telltale lyrics to the equally interesting "Mitzi Dupree" (based on a true story), are vintage Ian Gillan, as the singer combines James Bond-style international intrigue with high comedy.

Ed Rivadavia - All Music Guide



Without much of a reminder of Deep Purple's past glories, they remain one of the forerunners of hard rock music, serving as a major influence to just about every band that has graced these pages, and then some! The House Of Blue Light, the second album since they reunited a few years ago, is traditional Purple; the classy, bluesy majestic magic of yesteryear is fresh and modernized. The classical-influenced guitar-work of Ritchie Blackmore works alongside Jon Lord's simple, melodic keyboards, giving even the heaviest tracks - "Bad Attitude." "Call Of The Wild," "Black And White" and "Hard Lovin' Woman - an air of sophistication. Their blues roots are felt throughout, especially on "Mitzi Dupree" (which was conceived out of a jam, we hear) while the unconventional progressive melodies of "The Unwritten Law" and "Strange Ways" are challenging.

CMJ.com - Nov 10, 2000



Of the seventies hard-rock dinosaurs that still roam the earth, Deep Purple is one of the few with any credibility left in its crunch. The House of Blue Light – the second album by Purple's classic In Rock lineup since their return to active duty – is certainly a marked improvement over their lukewarm '84 comeback, Perfect Strangers, and, except for a couple of outright duds on side two, is as good as this band has ever been since its "Smoke on the Water" salad days.

"Bad Attitude" opens the album with five minutes of vintage Machine Head sludge – Ian Paice's thunder sticks calling the proceedings to order with a rigid goose-step beat, Ian Gillan raping his tonsils with the vigor of yesteryear. And "Mad Dog" is basically an '87-model "Highway Star," high-speed metal fortified with Jon Lord's lusty Hammondorgan sound and the brass-knuckle guitar of Ritchie Blackmore.

The band has spiked its old hammer-and-anvil sound with a little future tech here and there: "The Unwritten Law" features subtly deployed electro-hand-claps and percolating sequencer amid its clenched-fist chorus and Blackmore's loco fretwork. But it's only when Purple turns on the retro-charm full blast that The House of Blue Light really goes up in flames. "Hard Lovin' Woman" and "Dead or Alive" are both body-slam rockers in the old blitzkrieg spirit of "Speed King" and "Fireball," while Paice's sledgehammer-of-the-gods drumming and Blackmore's punch-your-lights-out chords keep "Call of the Wild," with its atypically poppy hook, from turning into neo-Boston fluff.

Fortunately, all that crash 'n' burn also obscures most of the album's lyric embarrassments. Although Gillan is hardly the Alan Alda of heavy metal, "Mitzi Dupree," a heavy-plodding blues, may be a new low in rock-star sexism ("I said what is this queen of the ping pong business/She smiled what do you think/It has no connection with China/I said oow have another drink"). But aside from the rather purple poetry, the ho-hum Armageddon stomp "Strangeways" and a notable lack throughout the album of classic Blackmore psycho-chicken-scratch soloing, The House of Blue Light is a surprisingly strong return from the tar pits. There's no "Smoke on the Water" here, but Deep Purple still has a pretty good fire going down below. (RS 494)

DAVID FRICKE -Feb 26, 1987
Rollig Stone
 

 L y r i c s


Bad Attitude

take a look at
these dirty hands
take a look at this face these blazing eyes
do you see me as a broken man
tell me
are you really that blind

you got yourself a load of trouble now
you got yourself a bad deal
you say i've got a bad attitude
how d'you think i feel

you got me locked in a paper cage
you think i'm chained up but i'm just tied down
step aside get out of my way
i won't hurt you i had enough being pushed around

you got yourself a load of trouble now
you got yourself a bad deal
you say i've got a bad attitude
how d'you think i feel

don't want a number
i got a name
take a look at my face
talk about a bad attitude
things have got to change


The Unwritten Law

listen to
me
i've got a
warning for
you
you've got to
learn to take
more care
'cos if you swim in
dirty water
be careful how you dry
your hair
in a room within a room
in a hole within a hole
you've got to learn to share
your secrets
or you'll lose your soul

i've got the evidence
i know you broke the unwritten law
another town another one night stand
you know you broke the law

it's so hard to hold back
when the fire is in your eyes
a silver dollar in my pocket
i don't like surprises
i've got your souvenir
is that the price i've got to pay
it ain't been that long
since the last charade

i know you're guilty
but i'm carrying the blame
i took out much more than i put in
and i felt the pain
in a dirty little room
with nowhere left to hide
you told the truth with your eyes
but you lied inside


Call Of The Wild

operator i'm looking for a girl
you've got to help me get through
i don't know much about her
so i'm relying on you
she got rhythm but no sense of timing
she likes living but she's got no
address
operator you've got to get me out of
this mess
let me tell you about her

she ain't got a face
she ain't got a name
she ain't got a leg to stand upon
she's out of touch
but not out of mind
and i've got to see again that gypsy
child
operator this is the call of the wild

she's a hitch hiker never gets a ride
but you can bet she's on time
she's always around but so hard to
find
she causes trouble she never takes
offence
dirty mind a heart of gold
operator don't you put me on hold


Mad Dog

don't
look too
long in my
face
it could be a
big mistake
i'm hanging on a
thread so fine
i need a little space
i shouldn't say but i
know i must
i've had enough of pain
i'm pissed off standing in
the rain

it makes me feel like a mad dog
i got nothing to lose
mad dog
you got nothing i can use
mad dog howling at the moon
a mad dog

i need no friends
i'm on the edge of a broken dream
laughing at the pain but it makes me want to
scream
i should have known she'd be no good
she tore my heart in two but i don't need to talk to
you

you make me feel like a mad dog
i got nothing to lose
mad dog
you got nothing i can use
mad dog howling at the moon
a mad dog

she said a hard man is good to find
and then she raised a doubt
all that i could give she took
and then she threw me out
well i don't care i don't care anymore
i'm going to lose my grip
i'm going to let it rip


Black & White

read all about it tell me
have you heard the news
captain bob he don't pay no dues
you know he's looking in my window
he's stepping on my toes
don't want the truth and it goes to show

i got a joker up my sleeve
i know what to believe
it ain't right just because it's in black and
white

find yourself a hero
treat him like a friend
you build him up and tear him down again
it don't hold a candle hold it to the light
check it out is it wrong or right
is this the news of the world
it's just a pretty girl
she's all the news that's fit to print in
black and white

inside information taken down note by note
a silent footstep that's all she wrote
shit that's all she wrote
no need to worry the baby's gone to bed
dreaming dirty dreams in black and white
and read
now i got nothing to fear
is this the scoop of the year
headlines on my bathroom wall
in black and white


Hard Lovin' Woman

she walked into the room
her hand upon her hip
said look out boy
i'll make your backbone slip
she looked straight at me
the devil in her eye
i knew what i was getting but took it by surprise
no fooling
she really knocked the stuffing out of me
some woman a hard lovin' woman
she chewed me up and spat me out

some woman
she's a hard lovin' woman
some woman a hard lovin' woman

she didn't wear nothing but a smile
upon her face
licking her lips but i had the taste
her temperature was rising
i was coming to the boil
her fires were burning
she was pouring on the oil
i do not jest she really took me to the cleaners
some woman
i felt just great when she pulled her 38's

it started with a smile
it turned into a laugh
it ended with a scream
i said enough's enough
never heard a word she wouldn't let go
a man's a man and every woman ought to know
and there i was
and she was dancing
some woman here we go again


The Spanish Archer

well there must have been a reason for the smile that you had upon your
face last night
are you the cat that got the cream did you lick your lips did you close
your eyes
can you imagine how it feels it's so hard to reveal
oh i can't get through and i'm falling
i'm getting out i'm losing ground
the spanish archer's gonna bring you down

is there someone somewhere waiting in the wings to take my place
let's not drag it out like a cagney death scene
in this season of change it's not hard to explain
like the leaves on the trees i'm falling
and as you turn don't look away
the spanish archer's gonna make you pay

do you remember when the sky was blue we used to talk for miles
and now we drive along in this thundering silence
it's such an obvious lie with that easy smile of yours
i'm letting go and i'm falling
i'm getting out losing ground
the spanish archer's gonna bring you down

well is there something i can say as we stumble to the edge have we gone
too far
why don't we call it a day before we call it a nightmare darlin'
if we made a mistake then all that it takes to be free
is the wave of a hand and you're falling and as you turn don't look away
the spanish archer's gonna make you pay


Strangeways

strange
strange
i was born into
confusion
my mother said to me when you
become a man you'll understand
but it's still a mystery
and if you want to get ahead
get some decent clothes
the only way to make it
dress the part
that gets right up my nose

and it think to myself in this river of doubt
this is something i can do without
but strangeways is what i got

the indians are coming
i saw it on tv
they're 20,000 strong
but they always get depleted by the cavalry
salvation is at hand it's guaranteed
just send a donation straight to god 1-800 toll free

and i think to myself in this academy of fear
where am i going what am i doing here
but strangeways is all i got

have you seen the headlines
princess engaged
3 million out of work
but that's on the 2nd page
the alien has landed
finger in his ear
can't hear a word i am saying
but that ain't such a bad idea

and i think to myself in this cradle of
lust
ashes to ashes and dust to dust
but strangeways is all you
get


Mitzi Dupree

flying to salt
lake city
seats 3a and b
i was down and needed
a window
but in 3a sat mitzi dupree
she said hi i am mitzi
the queen of the ping pong
where you going boy
i said nowhere
she said i'm movng on
i thought what is this
i cannot resist
here she is
and i've always wanted a girl
with a name
a name like mitzi dupree

she said what do you do
i said i'm a singer in a band
she said ya i'm an entertainer
reached out and took my hand
she was going to a mining town
way up north to do her show
i said it must be cold up there
she said depends on who you know
oh that look in her eye
i can tell you no lies
i'm just a man
she made me feel like a king in my mind
i love you mitzi dupree

i said what is this queen of the ping pong business
she smiled what do you think
it has no connection with china
i said oow have another drink
well i knew right away
that i'd seen her act before
in a room behind a kitchen in bangkok
and three or four times more in singapore
she may not be the first
but i know she ain't the worst
she was mine but i ran out of time
i miss you i love you mitzi dupree
my darling mitzi dupree


Dead or Alive

don't turn off the light
you might draw the queen of spades
don't shut the door
you don't need to be alone
i won't bring you no food
there might be some poison in your meat
i've got to know are you dead or alive
don't shut the door are you dead or alive
dead or alive
pick your window you're leaving

don't look in the mirror
with a dollar up your face
you've got money to burn
you're cheap at half the price
oh don't powder your nose
don't blow your brains just for the the
crack
i've got to know are you dead or alive
just for the crack are you dead or alive
dead or alive
pick your window you're leaving

you're running so fast
but you know you're standing still
i'm afraid of your shadow
and the knife in it's hand
you're dancing with death
to the tune of the dealer
and he don't care
don't give a toss
don't want to know if
you're dead or alive
don't want to know if
you're dead or alive
dead or alive
pick your window
you're leaving
 

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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