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Rating: In 1985, the reunited Mk II lineup of Deep Purple returned to Great Britain after the immense success of their world tour following the album "Perfect Strangers" (released the previous year). The Purple performed at the Knebworth festival and despite the technical problems and the heavy downpour that erupted, they delivered an electrifying live performance.
The title comes from a phrase Ian Gillan said before a song, complaining about the continuous technical mishaps, he said: "What we all need now is a tremendous amount of pink. But, in the absence of pink, here's some blues".
The album was released in 1991 as a double CD and also suffers from rather poor audio quality, but it does not diminish the magnificent performance of Deep Purple.
The setlist is a mix of old hits and new songs, the result is excellent.
It starts with the classic "Highway Star", introduced by Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" performed by Jon Lord; Ritchie Blackmore plays the solo faster than ever, with his Fender strengthened by an even more electric sound. After the performance of "Nobody's Home", here's another classic: "Strange Kind Of Woman", but here the tensions between Blackmore and Gillan reappear. The guitarist, in the usual duel with the singer, plays notes too high for Gillan's strained voice, a dirty trick that would repeat over the years.
Space for two songs from the album Perfect Strangers: with "A Gypsy's Kiss" it almost sounds like listening to the Rainbow of the Turner era. It has everything: blues intro, Hard Rock, and neoclassical passages; afterwards the title track: "Perfect Strangers", the last great masterpiece of the Purple, listened to by the fans in respectful silence.
The first CD closes with a very fast "Lazy" superbly performed (complete with a drum solo by Ian Paice) and with another song from the new album: once again the AOR influence predominates with "Knocking At Your Backdoor".
Deep Purple are in great form, as noted on the second CD, which opens with a classic from Rainbow and Rock music: "Difficult To Cure", Blackmore leaves the scene to Lord and his solo paves the way to "Space Truckin'". In the usual performance by Lord, the keyboardist reaches peaks of skill never seen before, also revisiting the "Fanfare Of The Common Man" by ELP; here too Blackmore shows his discontent, performing a cacophonous guitar solo, very irritating to the audience's ears.
By now, however, it's a triumph, after "Speed King" and Black Night" (two classics from the album "In Rock"), the Purple close the concert with one of the most famous songs, surely the one with the most overused riff by all guitarists: "Smoke On The Water", simply perfect, with the audience singing the chorus and Gillan thanking the fans, a unique moment.
The Mk II lineup of Deep Purple returns stronger than ever (on stage), a happy period destined to last briefly.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Highway Star (06:57)
Yeah---
Nobody gonna take my car, I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car, it's gonna break the speed of sound
Ooh it's a killing machine
It's got everything
Like a driving power, big fat tires and everything
I love it, and I need it, I feed it
Yeah it's a wild hurricane
Alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star
Nobody gonna take my girl, I'm gonna keep her to the end
Nobody gonna have my girl, she stays close on every bend
Ooh she's a killing machine
She's got everything
Like a moving mouth, body control and everything
I love her, I need her, I seed her
Yeah she turns me on
Alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star
Nobody gonna take my head, I got speed inside my brain
Nobody gonna steal my head now that I'm on the road again
Ooh I'm in heaven again
I've got everything
Like a moving ground, an open road and everything
I love it, I need it, I feed it
Eight cylinders all mine
Alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star
Nobody gonna take my car, I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car, it's gonna break the speed of sound
Ooh it's a killing machine
It's got everything
Like a driving power, big fat tires and everything
I love it, and I need it, I feed it
Yeah it's a wild hurricane
Alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star
I'm a highway star
I'm a highway star
03 Strange Kind of Woman (08:47)
There once was a woman
A strange kind of woman
The kind that gets written down in history
Her name was Nancy
Her face was nothing fancy
She left a trail of happiness and misery
I loved her
Everybody loved her
She loved everyone and gave them good return
I tried to take her
I even tried to break her
She said, I ain't for takin' won't you ever learn
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
I spent my money as I took my turn
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
Ooh, I got a strange kind of woman, yes I have
She looked like a raver
But I could never please her
On Wednesday mornings boy you can't go far
I couldn't get her
But things got better, she said
Saturday nights from now on, baby, you're my star
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
I spent my money as I took my turn
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
Ooh, I got a strange kind of woman
Ooh, my soul, I love you
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
I spent my money as I took my turn
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
Ooh, I got a strange kind of woman, yes I have
She finally said she loved me
I wed her in a hurry
No more callers and I glow with pride
I'm dreaming
I feel like screaming
I won my woman just before she died
I want you, I need you, I gotta be near you
I spent my money as I took my turn
I want you, I need you, ha ha ha
Ooh, I had a strange kind of woman, yeah
She was so fat
She was the worst thing you've ever seen
Ooh, my soul, I love you, baby
05 Perfect Strangers (06:54)
Can you remember remember my name
As I flow through your life
A thousand oceans I have flown
And cold, cold spirits of ice
All my life
I am the echo of your past
I am returning the echo of a point in time
and distant faces shine
A thousand warriors I have known
And laughing as the spirits appear
All your life
Shadows of another day
And if you hear me talking on the wind
You've got to understand
We must remain
Perfect strangers
I know I must remain inside this silent well of sorrow
A strand of silver hanging through the sky
Touching more than you see
The voice of ages in your mind
Is aching with the dead of the night
Precious life, your tears are lost in falling rain
And if you hear me talking on the wind
You've got to understand
We must remain
Perfect strangers
06 Lazy (07:02)
You're lazy Just stay in bed
You're lazy Just stay in bed
You don't want no money
You don't want no bread
If you're drowning you don't clutch no straw
If you're drowning you don't clutch no straw
You don't want to live you don't want to cry no more
Well my trying ain't done no good
I said my trying ain't done no good
You don't make no effort no not like you should
Lazy you just stay in bed
Lazy you just stay in bed
You don't want no money
You don't want no bread
07 Knocking at Your Back Door (09:10)
Sweet Lucy was a dancer
But none of us would chance her
Because she was a Samurai
She made electric shadows
Beyond our fingertips
And none of us could reach that high
She came on like a teaser
I had to touch and please her
Enjoy a little paradise
The log was in my pocket
When Lucy met the Rockett
And she never knew the reason why
I can't deny it
With that smile on her face
It's not the kill
It's the thrill of the chase
Feel it coming
It's knocking at the door
You know it's no good running
It's not against the law
The point of no return
And now you know the score
And now you're learning
What's knockin' at your back door
Sweet Nancy was so fancy
To get into her pantry
Had to be the aristocracy
The members that she toyed with
At her city club
Were something in diplomacy
So we put her on the hit list
Of a common cunning linguist
A master of many tongues
And now she eases gently
From her Austin to her Bentley
Suddenly she feels so young
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