Deep Purple

One could fill a box set, and write a book, about the Deep Purple family tree -- and still have people complaining that you've missed a sizable limb. From the bandmembers' early days with such legends of the English minor leagues as Episode Six and the Outlaws through to latter-day giants Gillan, Rainbow, and Whitesnake, Deep Purple has stamped a monstrous footprint into the landscape of modern rock -- one that this two-disc compilation tries hard to map out. In terms of exploring the band's least-known avenues, this compilation is no more than adequate. Where it triumphs is in ensuring that the links it does pursue are actually worth chasing in the first place. Too many Purple offshoots have little more in common with the parent band than the presence of a member or two. Friends & Relatives concentrates on the links that actually sound like they belong. In other words, it's LOUD. Deep Purple itself is represented by four tracks: Mark II live recordings of "Black Night" and the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black," Mark III renderings of "Smoke on the Water" and "Stormbringer." Elsewhere, there are solo shots by Glenn Hughes, Nick Simper, and Tommy Bolin, and, by way of their respective contributions to Gillan and Rainbow, Bernie Marsden and Ronnie James Dio offer up fine indications of why Purple fans continue to hold them in such high regard. Simper's early-'70s Warhorse and Hughes' pre-Purple Trapeze also make a mark, with cuts that may well encourage first-time listeners to seek out more in a similar vein. Indeed, there's a continuity running through the 26 songs here that readily justifies the album's familial linkage, something that other albums of this ilk often struggle to achieve. One final point: The liner notes (by Spahn Ranch main man Matt Green) do seem to have suffered from an overly literal spell checker. It's bad enough to find Glenn Hughes renamed Glenn Huges once, but Ian Gillan becomes Gillian every single time he's mentioned. It's a shoddy error that could leave you wondering that if they can't get that right, what else have they got wrong? The answer is -- very little. Another couple of discs' worth of bands, and this would have been perfect. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide