The House of Blue Light

The House of Blue Light is the twelfth studio album by The British rock band Deep Purple, released in 1987. It is the second recording by the re-formed Mark II line-up, and the sixth studio album overall by this formation of the band.

The House of Blue Light
Studio album by
Deep Purple
Released12 January 1987
RecordedApril-September 1986
StudioThe Playhouse, Stowe, Vermont, USA with Le Mobile Studio
GenreHard rock, progressive rock
Length50:38 (original 1987 CD edition)
46:16 (LP and 1999 CD remaster)
LabelPolydor
Mercury (US only)
ProducerRoger Glover & Deep Purple
Deep Purple chronology
Perfect Strangers
(1984)		 The House of Blue Light
(1987)		 Slaves and Masters
(1990)
Singles from The House of Blue Light
  1. "Call of the Wild"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Bad Attitude"
    Released: 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal10/10[2]
Kerrang![3]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[4]

Recording

The album's creation was an exceedingly long and difficult process, which singer Ian Gillan compared to the recording of Who Do We Think We Are in Rome.[5] 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".[6] Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has said much of it was re-recorded,[7] and confessed, "I think I played like shit on it, and I don't think anyone else really got that into it."[8] Added organist Jon Lord, "House of Blue Light was a weird album and hard to put together. We made the massive mistake of trying to make our music current. We discovered that people didn't want us to do that."[9]

Despite the band's concerns, House of Blue Light sold well. It hit No. 10 in the UK charts, No. 34 on the Billboard 200 in the US, and reached the top ten in six other countries.

Promotion

Two promotional videos to the songs "Bad Attitude" and "Call of the Wild" were produced. Both of them feature members of the band.

Track listing

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.

All tracks written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, except where noted.

1987 CD edition
No.TitleLength
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

Vinyl, cassette and 1999 CD edition
No.TitleLength
1."Bad Attitude" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord)4:32
2."The Unwritten Law" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Paice)4:34
3."Call of the Wild" (Gillan, Blackmore, Glover, Lord)4:48
4."Mad Dog"4:29
5."Black & White" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord)3:39
6."Hard Lovin' Woman"3:25
7."The Spanish Archer"4:56
8."Strangeways"5:56
9."Mitzi Dupree"5:05
10."Dead or Alive"4:42

Personnel
Deep Purple
Production
  • Produced by Roger Glover and Deep Purple
  • Recorded at the Playhouse, Stowe, Vermont, with Le Mobile operated by Guy Charbonneau
  • Engineered by Nick Blagona
  • Mixed by Harry Schnitzler at Union Studios, Munich, West Germany
  • Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York

Charts

Certifications
Country Organization Year Sales
Canada CRIA 1987 Gold (+ 50,000)[23]
UK BPI 1987 Silver (+ 60,000)[24]
Switzerland IFPI Schweiz 1987 Gold (+25.000)[25]

References
  1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Deep Purple The House of Blue Light review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  2. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 91. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  3. Simmons, Sylvie (8 January 1987). "Deep Purple 'The House of Blue Light'". Kerrang!. No. 137. London, UK. pp. 10–11.
  4. Fricke, David (26 February 1987). "Deep Purple: The House Of Blue Light". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  5. Thompson, Dave (August 2004). Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-55022-618-8. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  6. Dolas, Yiannis; Anasontzis, George; Nikas, Sakis (2005). "Interviews: Deep Purple singer, Ian Gillan". Rockpages.gr. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  7. "News: Countdown to the new album". DPAS Magazine. No. 33. January 1987. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  8. "Ritchie Blackmore - Recalls Life with Deep Purple". Guitar.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  9. Lalaina, Joe (January 1989). "Jon Lord's Purple Reign". Modern Keyboard. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  10. "Album – Deep Purple, The House of Blue Light". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  11. "Deep Purple – The House of Blue Light (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  12. "Deep Purple – The House of Blue Light (album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  13. "Deep Purple - The House of Blue Light". Hitparade.ch (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  14. "Deep Purple - The House of Blue Light". Austriancharts.at (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  15. AA.VV. (1990). Oricon Chart Book 1970-1989 (オリコンチャートブック〈LP編) (1 ed.). Tokyo, Japan: Oricon. p. 205. ISBN 978-4871310253.
  16. "Deep Purple Official Charts". Official Chart Company. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  17. "Deep Purple - The House of Blue Light". Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  18. "Gli album più venduti del 1987" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia.it. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  19. "Deep Purple - The House of Blue Light (album)". charts.nz. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  20. "Deep Purple Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  21. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 45, No. 22, March 07, 1987". Library and Archives Canada. 7 March 1987. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  22. "Deep Purple Chart History: Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  23. "Gold Platinum Search for Deep Purple". Music Canada. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  24. "BPI Certified Awards Database: search for Artist Deep Purple". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  25. "Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music & Media Magazine. p. 46. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
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