Deep Purple - Slaves And Masters (1990)

I have to say that a glimpse of the cover alone should be reason enough to give this Deep Purple album a wide birth! However, before die-hard Purple fans feel too aggrieved, I too am a long-time Purple fan and as such soooo wanted to play this album and feel the same excitement I did when I first put Machine Head on the turntable some 25 years ago, but alas, it was not to be.

The album features the ‘classic’ Mark II lineup minus Ian Gillan with extremely able ex-Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn turner providing the vocals. As a concept, that sounds quite good but when put into practice what was actually achieved was a dismal affair indeed.

The band sounds like they were merely going through the motions – Lynn Turner himself admits that the band were under pressure to update their sound and be more ‘commercial’ and so we don’t get any of the distinctive halcyon days Purple sound here, rather a bland and uninspiring AOR album. Jon Lord’s grinding Hammond and Ian Paice’s quick-fire rolls are sadly absent throughout – as are apparently a lack of ideas.

Never has the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ been ignored more completely than in their post comeback output with this being a prime example.

• Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
• Roger Glover – Bass
• Jon Lord – Keyboards
• Ian Paice – Drums
• Joe Lynn Turner – Vocals