Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers Live (2013)
Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers Live (2013)
A celebration of reunion-era glory
Released in 2013, Perfect Strangers Live captures Deep Purple performing material from their landmark 1984 reunion album, Perfect Strangers, along with classic tracks from the Mk II era. This live release documents the reunited Mark II lineup—Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice—demonstrating that even after a decade-long hiatus, the band’s chemistry, power, and improvisational skill remained intact.
Unlike standard live albums, Perfect Strangers Live focuses on the reunion era tour setlists, giving fans a taste of how classic songs and new material coexisted on stage in the mid-1980s.
🎧 Mini Album Review
Perfect Strangers Live is energetic, polished, and nostalgic, striking a balance between tight performances and live spontaneity.
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Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar work: Sharp, precise, and full of creative improvisation, giving older tracks new life.
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Ian Gillan’s vocals: Strong and confident, showcasing how his voice matured while retaining its signature intensity.
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Jon Lord’s keyboards: Majestic and dominant, tying together riffs and solos with orchestral flair.
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Setlist variety: Blends Mk II classics (Smoke on the Water, Child in Time) with reunion-era hits (Knocking at Your Back Door, Perfect Strangers).
Verdict:
A must-have live recording for fans of the reunion era, capturing the band at full force with impeccable performance and energy.
🎶 Tracklist – Representative Highlights
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Highway Star
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Black Night
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Strange Kind of Woman
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Perfect Strangers
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Knocking at Your Back Door
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Child in Time
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Lazy
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Smoke on the Water
The setlist is a careful mix of reunion-era material and classic Deep Purple staples, allowing fans to experience the band’s full spectrum live.
👥 Personnel – Mk II Reunion Lineup
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Ian Gillan – Vocals
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Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
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Jon Lord – Keyboards
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Roger Glover – Bass
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Ian Paice – Drums
This lineup represents one of Deep Purple’s most celebrated reunions, combining the original chemistry of Mk II with a revitalized 1980s energy.
🎼 Performance Highlights
🔥 Perfect Strangers
The title track comes alive with extended solos, Gillan’s commanding vocals, and dynamic interplay.
🎹 Lazy
Jon Lord’s organ solo is a standout moment, blending bluesy phrasing with classical flourishes.
⚡ Child in Time
The band navigates the song’s tempo changes and emotional highs with precision, showing that even decades later, the performance is as gripping as the original recordings.
🔥 Knocking at Your Back Door
A reunion-era hit that balances groove, melody, and improvisation, showing the band’s adaptability to newer material.
🎸 Fun Facts & Trivia
🎤 Reunion chemistry
The Mk II reunion tour marked the first time in a decade the classic lineup had performed together, rekindling the original spark.
🎸 Blackmore’s signature solos
Ritchie Blackmore’s performance blends the familiar riffs of the ’70s with 1980s flair, giving fans a fresh perspective on classic songs.
🎹 Gillan’s vocal range
Even after years of touring, Ian Gillan maintains remarkable control over both high and low registers, adapting older material with finesse.
📀 Collector appeal
Many of the performances were previously available in bootleg form, but this release officially remasters and polishes the recordings, making them definitive.
🤔 Did You Know?
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The reunion tour supporting Perfect Strangers was instrumental in reviving Deep Purple’s commercial and live presence in the 1980s.
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Knocking at Your Back Door was one of the first songs written after the reunion, highlighting Glover and Gillan’s songwriting partnership.
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Ian Paice remains the only member to play every Deep Purple tour, including the reunion tours of the 1980s.
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Jon Lord’s organ solos in this era influenced keyboardists in both hard rock and progressive metal for decades.
🎼 Album Credits
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Recorded: 1984–1985 Reunion Tour (selected live performances)
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Released: 2013
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Label: Eagle Rock / Purple Records
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Producer: Roger Glover / Deep Purple archival team
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Format: CD/DVD, digital
🧠 Legacy & Final Thoughts
Perfect Strangers Live captures the classic Mk II lineup at its reunion peak, blending nostalgia with renewed energy.
The album demonstrates:
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The enduring power of Deep Purple’s classics
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The successful integration of reunion-era material
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The tightness and skill of the Mk II lineup, even after years apart
For fans, it’s both a celebration of reunion-era triumphs and a document of the band’s resilience, proving that Deep Purple could return to the stage with fire, precision, and unmatched musical chemistry.
