The band formed in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre. They were once listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as "the loudest pop group", and have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Deep Purple were ranked #22 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme.
Amid the ever-growing tide of Deep Purple box sets (this was at least their eighth in nine years), Listen Learn Read On stands alone, not only as the ultimate round-up of the band's greatest moments, but also as the answer to more collectors' dreams than most collectors were even aware they'd had. You want Deep Purple's long-legendary, but forever unavailable BBC sessions? They're here. You want the killer live encores that other albums omitted? They're here. You want a solid introduction to the band members' pre-Purple passages? They're here. And, of course, you want the hits. So they're here as well…
When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in early 1975, many fans figured that the band was over. But with the arrival of worthy replacement Tommy Bolin, the band was suddenly back in business with the oft-overlooked Come Taste the Band release. What the prior members of Deep Purple didn't know, however, is that their new guitarist had a serious drug problem, which hampered his playing by the time the group landed in Japan for a series of shows in December of 1975. With Bolin allegedly having no feeling in one of his arms on the night of a Purple gig at the Budokan, the show was to be taped for a future release.
"Bombay Calling" was recorded in early 1995 and is one of the first shows Deep Purple played with Steve Morse showcasing his virtuosic guitar skills and some of the new material would later make it onto the widely celebrated studio album "Purpendicular". Astonishingly, the long thought lost master tapes for this unforgettable show in Mumbai were found lying around in an old cardboard box in November 1999.
Japan exclusive live album set release from Deep Purple. Disc 1 contains 13 live tracks, including "Smoke on the Water" and "Black Night" performed at Hellfest (2017, France). Disc 2 contains 14 tracks, including "Highway Star" and "Strange Kind of Woman" as well as rehearsal track(s) and radio edit version(s).
After the exceptional tributes to Motörhead, Black Sabbath and AC/DC released in recent years, Armadillo/Secret Service Records is back with another beautiful release, a true parade with the best of Brazilian Heavy Metal. This time, the honored band are the British veterans of Deep Purple who recently released “Whoosh!”, their 21st original work, surpassing 50 years of career with all the pomp.