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Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards); Roger Glover (bass); Ian Paice (drums). The definitive Deep Purple lineup (vocalist Ian Gillan, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, and keyboardist Jon Lord) reunited for two albums in the '80s. Both were released on Mercury--one being a commercial success (1984's PERFECT STRANGERS), and the other a major disappointment (1987's THE HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHT). The best of these two releases were featured on the 1992 collection, KNOCKING AT YOUR BACK DOOR: BEST OF DEEP PURPLE IN THE '80s, as well as live versions of past classics. The three selections from PERFECT STRANGERS ("Knocking At Your Back Door," "Nobody's Home," and the title track), showed that by coming back together and making music again, the group was re-invigorated. But as the selections from THE HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHT prove, the excitement was short-lived ("Bad Attitude," "Call of the Wild"). Live versions of such early-'70s nuggets as "Child in Time," "Black Night," "Smoke on the Water," "Hush," and "Space Truckin'" will entice longtime fans, but newcomers should stick with the superior 1980 collection DEEPEST PURPLE: THE VERY BEST OF DEEP PURPLE.