Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple


Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple is a compilation album by the English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1980 on LP. It features the original hits of Deep Purple before their 1984 reunion. Aided by a TV advertising campaign it would become Purple's third UK No. 1 album. In 1984 this compilation additionally was published on CD.
Being a 60+ minute vinyl LP, Warner Brothers Records lowered the volume considerably, as well as altering the EQ on all tracks to fit both sides equally.
This album marked the first time "Demon's Eye" was released in North America, having been replaced by "Strange Kind of Woman" on the North American release of Fireball.
All songs from this album, along with several others added, appeared on the 1998 UK album 30: Very Best of Deep Purple, released by EMI, and the 2000 US album The Very Best of Deep Purple, released by Rhino.
In 2010 a 30th Anniversary Edition of this compilation was released. It contains four additional tracks, two of them from the Mark I & IV eras, plus a bonus DVD containing previously unreleased video footage and an exclusive track-by-track commentary from founding member Jon Lord.

Track listing

All titles composed by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, except where indicated.
;Side one
  1. "Black Night" – 3:28
  2. "Speed King" – 5:04
  3. "Fireball" – 3:25
  4. "Strange Kind of Woman" – 3:52
  5. "Child in Time" – 10:20
  6. "Woman from Tokyo" – 5:51
;Side two
  2. "Highway Star" – 6:07
  3. "Space Truckin'" – 4:33
  4. "Burn" ' – 6:02
  5. "Stormbringer" ' – 4:06
  6. "Demon's Eye" – 5:22
  7. "Smoke on the Water" – 5:40

30th Anniversary Edition

CD track listing

All titles composed by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, except where indicated
  1. "Black Night" – 3:27
  2. "Speed King" – 5:00
  3. "Fireball" – 3:23
  4. "Hush" ' – 4:13
  5. "Strange Kind of Woman" – 3:51
  6. "Child in Time" – 10:15
  7. "When a Blind Man Cries" – 3:30
  8. "Woman from Tokyo" – 5:49
  9. "Highway Star" – 6:07
  10. "Space Truckin'" – 4:33
  11. "Burn" ' – 6:02
  12. "Stormbringer" ' – 4:06
  13. "Soldier of Fortune" ' – 3:15
  14. "Demon's Eye" – 5:19
  15. "You Keep on Moving" – 4:28
  16. "Smoke on the Water" – 5:40
Note: Track 11, "Burn", falsely is declared as single edit on the CD-case inlay. In fact it is the album version.

DVD

  1. "Jon Lord discusses 'Hush'"
  2. "Hush "
  3. "Jon Lord discusses arriving in the US for the first time"
  4. "Jon Lord discusses miming for German TV"
  5. "'Speed King' "
  6. "Jon Lord discusses the writing of 'Child in Time'"
  7. "Child in Time "
  8. "Jon Lord discusses the power of 'Child in Time'"
  9. "Jon Lord discusses the recording of 'Black Night'"
  10. "'Black Night' "
  11. "Jon Lord discusses 'Fireball'"
  12. "'Fireball' "
  13. "Jon Lord discusses the Fireball album"
  14. "Jon Lord discusses the writing of 'Strange Kind of Woman'"
  15. "'Strange Kind of Woman' "
  16. "Jon Lord discusses 'Demon's Eye'"
  17. "'Demon's Eye' "
  18. "Jon Lord discusses 'Highway Star'"
  19. "'Highway Star' "
  20. "Jon Lord discusses 'Never Before'"
  21. "'Never Before' "
  22. "Jon Lord discusses 'Smoke on the Water' and the story behind it"
  23. "'Smoke on the Water' "
  24. "Jon Lord discusses the choice of singles"
  25. "Jon Lord discusses 'Woman From Tokyo'"
  26. "'Woman from Tokyo' "
  27. "'Made in Japan' / 'Space Truckin' "
  28. "Jon Lord discusses 'Burn'"
  29. "'Burn' "
  30. "Jon Lord discusses 'You Keep on Moving'"
  31. "'You Keep on Moving'"
  32. "Jon Lord discusses 'Stormbringer'"
  33. "'Stormbringer' "

Personnel

All songs are performed by Deep Purple in different line-ups. The track numbers in the following listing correspond to the 30th Anniversary Edition CD.
On Tracks 1–3, 5–10, 14 & 16: Deep Purple Mark II
On Track 4: Deep Purple Mark I
On Tracks 11–13: Deep Purple Mark III
On Track 15: Deep Purple Mark IV
Original album compiled by EMI in conjunction with Ian Paice and mastered by Nick Webb at Abbey Road Studios.