The House of Blue Light
| The House of Blue Light | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Deep Purple | ||||
| Released | 12 January 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1986, The Playhouse, Stowe, Vermont | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length |
50:38 (Original 1987 CD edition) 46:16 (LP and 1999 CD remaster) | |||
| Label |
Polydor (UK) Mercury Records (U.S.) GONG Records (HU) | |||
| Producer | Roger Glover, Deep Purple | |||
| Deep Purple chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Kerrang! |  [2] |
The House of Blue Light is the twelfth studio album by Deep Purple, released in 1987. It is the second recording by the re-formed Mark II line-up.
Recording
The album's creation was an exceedingly long and difficult process, and Ritchie Blackmore has said much of it was re-recorded.[3] Ian Gillan has remarked on how strained relations within the band compromised the album: "I look back at House Of Blue Light, there are some good songs on that record, but there’s something missing in the overall album. I can’t feel the spirit of this band. I can see or hear five professionals doing their best, but it’s like a football team, it’s not functioning. It’s like eleven superstars that are playing on the same field but are not connected by the heart or by the spirit".[4] Added organist Jon Lord, "We made the massive mistake of trying to make our music current. We discovered that people didn't want us to do that."[5]
Track times
Several tracks on the LP and cassette versions are shorter than those of the original CD released in 1987. The 1999 CD remaster used the original vinyl master tapes, and so its running time is correspondingly shorter than the original CD version as well.
Promotion
Two promotional videos to the songs "Bad Attitude" and "Call of the Wild" were produced. However, only the first featured members of the band.
Track listing
All songs by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bad Attitude" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord) | 5:04 |
| 2. | "The Unwritten Law" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Paice) | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Call of the Wild" (Gillan, Blackmore, Glover, Lord) | 4:48 |
| 4. | "Mad Dog" | 4:36 |
| 5. | "Black & White" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord) | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Hard Lovin' Woman" | 3:25 |
| 7. | "The Spanish Archer" | 5:31 |
| 8. | "Strangeways" | 7:36 |
| 9. | "Mitzi Dupree" | 5:05 |
| 10. | "Dead or Alive" | 5:00 |
Personnel
- Ian Gillan – lead vocals, conga, harmonica
- Ritchie Blackmore – lead guitar
- Roger Glover – bass guitar, synthesizer
- Jon Lord – keyboard, synthesizer
- Ian Paice – drums, percussion
Production notes
- Produced by Roger Glover and Deep Purple
- Engineered by Nick Blagona
- Recorded at the Playhouse, Stowe, Vermont, with Le Mobile by Guy Charbonneau, 1986
- Mixed at Union Studios, Munich, West Germany by Harry Schnitzler
- Mastered at Sterling Studios, New York by Greg Calbi
- Laser Effects by LaserMedia, Inc, Los Angeles
- Laser Operator Michael Moorhead
Charts
Album
| Year | Nation | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | United States | The Billboard 200 | 34[6] |
Singles
| Year | Single | Nation | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Call of the Wild" | United States | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 14[7] |
| 1987 | "Bad Attitude" | United States | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 14[7] |
Sales accomplishments
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[8] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[9] | Silver | 60,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Deep Purple The House of Blue Light review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- ↑ Simmons, Sylvie (8 January 1987). Deep Purple 'The House of Blue Light'. Kerrang!. 137. London, UK. pp. 10–11.
- ↑ DPAS Magazine Archive. Issue 33, January 1987
- ↑ Rockpages.gr Interview with Deep Purple singer, Ian Gillan
- ↑ Jon Lord Interview at www.thehighwaystar.com
- ↑ "Billboard album chart history-Deep Purple". Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- 1 2 "Billboard singles chart history-Deep Purple". Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Deep Purple – The House of Blue Light". Music Canada.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Deep Purple – The House of Blue Light". British Phonographic Industry. Enter The House of Blue Light in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
