Perfect Strangers (album)

1984 studio album by Deep Purple

Perfect Strangers

Studio album by

Deep Purple

Released| 29 October 1984 (1984-10-29)
Recorded| 10 July – 26 August 1984[1]
Studio| "Horizons" in Stowe, Vermont, USA with Le Mobile Studio
Genre|

* Hard rock
* heavy metal

Length| 40:02
Label| Polydor
Producer| Roger Glover, Deep Purple
Deep Purple chronology
| Come Taste the Band
(1975)  | Perfect Strangers
(1984)  | The House of Blue Light
(1987)

|
|

Singles from  Perfect Strangers

1. "Knocking at Your Back Door"
Released: December 1984 (US)[2]
2. "Perfect Strangers"
Released: January 1985 (UK)[3]

Perfect Strangers is the eleventh studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 29 October 1984. It was the most successful album recorded by the re-formed 'Mark II' line-up.[4]

It was the first Deep Purple studio album in nine years. Perfect Strangers is also the first album with the Mk II line-up in eleven years, the last being Who Do We Think We Are (1973). Its nine-year gap from Come Taste the Band (1975) marks the longest between two studio albums from the band to date. Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover arrived from Rainbow, Ian Gillan from Black Sabbath, Jon Lord from Whitesnake, and Ian Paice from Gary Moore's backing band. Just one song in the reformed Deep Purple’s new repertoire, "Nobody’s Home", would be credited to all five band members. Gillan and Glover attempted to return matters to the all-for-one composition credits of the Mk II lineup's 1970–73 recordings, but Blackmore held firm. It was not until Blackmore permanently left the group in 1993 that the issue was finally resolved.[5]

The CD and cassette versions of the album contained the extra track "Not Responsible" (which contains the lyric "I've got no ticket, but I'm gonna take a fucking ride", making it one of the few Deep Purple tracks to feature profanity). The album was remastered and reissued on 22 June 1999 with the bonus instrumental track "Son of Alerik". The latter had previously been available as a B-side on the single "Perfect Strangers" in 1984.

The album was a commercial success, reaching #5 in the UK charts and #17 on the Billboard 200 in the US. Perfect Strangers was only the second Deep Purple studio album to be certified platinum in the United States, following Machine Head (1972).[6] The tour was so successful that the band had to book many additional dates to the U.S. arena tour, as tickets sold out very quickly. Their U.S. tour in 1985 out-grossed every artist that year except Bruce Springsteen.[7]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal| 10/10[8]
Rock Hard| 9.0/10[9]
Rolling Stone| [10]

The album received mixed reviews. Deborah Frost of Rolling Stone in a contemporary review remarked that, with the exception of the two singles, "The material consists of hastily knocked-off jams" and wondered if the release was just made "to cash in on the current heavy-metal craze." But she also stated, "Blackmore's Strat has such a great roar that you're willing to just let it reverberate in your eardrums for a bit. And it's nice to hear Jon Lord's unsynthesized organ squalls, Ian Paice's electrifying drumming, Ian Gillan's howls and whispers and Roger Glover's solid bass lines once again," although, "Instead of Glover, an outside producer might have forced the band to tighten up its licks and arrangements."[10]

Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised this comeback album which "only nods to the '70s" and concentrates "on songcraft rather than technical display," placing Deep Purple as "a reference point of a genre in metal without categorization."[8]

"A great moment in time," suggested Glover, "but, as an album, it doesn't quite hang together."[11] The rest of the band all maintained positive feelings towards the album in subsequent years.

## Track listing

[edit]

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

"Son of Alerik" had appeared in an edited form on the 7" B-side of the "Perfect Strangers" single, or in full on the 12" "Perfect Strangers" single and the European version of the compilation Knocking at Your Back Door: The Best of Deep Purple in the 80's.

Side oneNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Knocking at Your Back Door"| 7:09
2.| "Under the Gun"| 4:40
3.| "Nobody's Home" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice)| 4:01
4.| "Mean Streak"| 4:26

Side twoNo.| Title| Length

|
|

5.| "Perfect Strangers"| 5:31
6.| "A Gypsy's Kiss"| 4:14
7.| "Wasted Sunsets"| 3:58
8.| "Hungry Daze"| 5:01

Cassette and CD release extra trackNo.| Title| Length

|
|

9.| "Not Responsible"| 4:53

1999 CD bonus trackNo.| Title| Length

|
|

10.| "Son of Alerik" (Blackmore)| 10:01

## Personnel

[edit]

Deep Purple

* Ian Gillan – lead vocals
* Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
* Jon Lord – organ, keyboards
* Roger Glover – bass guitar, synthesizer
* Ian Paice – drums

Production

* Produced by Roger Glover and Deep Purple
* Recorded at "Horizons", Stowe, Vermont with Le Mobile Studio, 1984
* Mixed at Tennessee Tonstudio, Hamburg, Germany
* Engineered by Nick Blagona
* Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly Charts

[edit]

| Chart (1984-1985)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[12] | 19
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13] | 5
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] | 22
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] | 16
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[16] | 7
French Albums (SNEP)[17] | 5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] | 2
Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[19] | 9
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[20] | 4
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] | 12
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[22] | 2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] | 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] | 1
UK Albums (OCC)[25] | 5
US Billboard 200[26] | 17

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1985)  | Peak
position

|

Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[27] | 91

## Certifications and sales

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[28] | Gold  | 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[29] | Platinum  | 100,000^
Germany (BVMI)[30] | Gold  | 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[31] | Gold  | 7,500^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32] | Gold  | 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] | Gold  | 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[34] | Platinum  | 1,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide  | —  | 3,000,000[35]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## Accolades

[edit]

Publication  | Country  | Accolade  | Year  | Rank

|
|
|
|

Kerrang! | United Kingdom  | "End of Year Lists – Top Album of 1984"[36] | 1984  | 7

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Gillan, Ian (2016). The Autobiography (3rd ed.). John Blake Publishing. p. 327\. ISBN 978-1-786-06135-5.
2. ^ "Deep Purple singles".
3. ^ "Deep Purple singles".
4. ^ a b Adams, Bret. "Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
5. ^ Dave Thompson Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story. 2004. pp. 241
6. ^ "Deep Purple & A Momentous Mark II Reunion". udiscovermusic.com. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
7. ^ Lalaina, Joe (January 1989). "Jon Lord's Purple Reign". Modern Keyboard. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
8. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 90–91\. ISBN 978-1894959315.
9. ^ Breusch, Matthias. "Review Album: Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2017.
10. ^ a b Frost, Deborah (28 February 1985). "Deep Purple: Perfect Strangers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
11. ^ Rees, Paul (April 2017). "To Infinity… and Beyond?". Classic Rock #234. p. 40.
12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
14. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9662". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
16. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166\. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
17. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – D". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2024. Select Deep Purple from the menu, then press OK.
18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
19. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 25 March 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Deep Purple".
20. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
21. ^ "Charts.nz – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
22. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
26. ^ "Deep Purple Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
27. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0618". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
28. ^ "Gold for Purple" (PDF). Cash Box. 2 February 1985. p. 36. Retrieved 9 December 2021 - via World Radio History.
29. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers". Music Canada. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
30. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Deep Purple; 'Perfect Strangers')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
31. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
32. ^ "Deep Purple Perfect Strangers Official 1985 Switzerland Gold Sales Award". 20 December 2020.
33. ^ "British album certifications – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
34. ^ "American album certifications – Deep Purple – Perfect Strangers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
35. ^ "Spotlight - Deep Purple" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 12, no. 7\. 20 October 1990. p. 24. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
36. ^ "Kerrang – End of Year Lists – Top Album of 1984". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 27 March 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2016.

* v
* t
* e

Deep Purple

* Ian Paice
* Roger Glover
* Ian Gillan
* Don Airey
* Simon McBride

* Jon Lord
* Ritchie Blackmore
* Rod Evans
* Nick Simper
* David Coverdale
* Glenn Hughes
* Tommy Bolin
* Joe Lynn Turner
* Joe Satriani
* Steve Morse

Studio albums|

* Shades of Deep Purple
* The Book of Taliesyn
* Deep Purple
* Deep Purple in Rock
* Fireball
* Machine Head
* Who Do We Think We Are
* Burn
* Stormbringer
* Come Taste the Band
* Perfect Strangers
* The House of Blue Light
* Slaves and Masters
* The Battle Rages On...
* Purpendicular
* Abandon
* Bananas
* Rapture of the Deep
* Now What?!
* Infinite
* Whoosh!
* Turning to Crime
* =1

Live albums|

* Concerto for Group and Orchestra
* Made in Japan
* Made in Europe
* Last Concert in Japan
* Deep Purple in Concert
* Live in London
* Nobody's Perfect
* Scandinavian Nights
* In the Absence of Pink: Knebworth '85
* Gemini Suite Live
* Come Hell or High Water
* King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert
* California Jamming
* Mk III: The Final Concerts
* Live at The Olympia '96
* Total Abandon: Australia '99
* In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra
* Days May Come and Days May Go
* Live at the Rotterdam Ahoy
* This Time Around: Live in Tokyo
* The Soundboard Series
* Live in Paris 1975
* Inglewood: Live in California
* Perks and Tit
* Live in Europe 1993
* Live at Montreux 1996
* Live in Montreux 69
* Live in Denmark 1972
* Live at Montreux 2006: They All Came Down to Montreux
* Live at Montreux 2011
* Phoenix Rising
* BBC Sessions 1968–1970
* Live in Verona

Compilation albums|

* Purple Passages
* Mark I & II
* 24 Carat Purple
* Powerhouse
* The Deep Purple Singles A's and B's
* When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll
* The Mark II Purple Singles
* Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple
* The Anthology
* Knocking at Your Back Door: The Best of Deep Purple in the 80's
* Smoke on the Water: The Best Of
* 30: Very Best of Deep Purple
* The Very Best of Deep Purple
* Smoke on the Water & Other Hits
* Winning Combinations: Deep Purple and Rainbow
* The Early Years
* The Platinum Collection

Box Sets|

* Shades 1968–1998
* Listen, Learn, Read On
* Machine Head (2012 Box Set)
* Made in Japan (2014 Box Set)

Singles|

* "Hush"
* "Kentucky Woman"
* "River Deep – Mountain High"
* "Hallelujah"
* "Black Night"
* "Strange Kind of Woman"
* "Fireball"
* "Never Before"
* "Highway Star"
* "Smoke on the Water"
* "Woman from Tokyo"
* "Burn"
* "Perfect Strangers"
* "Knocking at Your Back Door"
* "Call of the Wild"
* "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming"
* "Vincent Price"

Other songs|

* "Mandrake Root"
* "Child in Time"
* "The Mule"
* "Space Truckin'"
* "Maybe I'm a Leo"
* "When a Blind Man Cries"
* "Mistreated"
* "Soldier of Fortune"
* "Vavoom: Ted the Mechanic"

Video albums|

* Concerto for Group and Orchestra
* Live in California 74
* Deep Purple Rises Over Japan
* Come Hell or High Water
* Live at Montreux 1996
* Total Abandon: Australia '99
* In Concert with The London Symphony Orchestra
* Classic Albums: Deep Purple – The Making of Machine Head
* Live in Concert 72/73
* Live at Montreux 2006
* Around the World Live
* History, Hits & Highlights '68–'76
* Phoenix Rising
* Live at Montreux 2011
* Live in Verona

Concert tours|

* Deep Purple European Tour
* Rapture of the Deep tour
* The Songs That Built Rock Tour
* The Long Goodbye Tour

Related bands|

* The Artwoods
* The Outlaws
* The Flower Pot Men
* Episode Six
* Trapeze
* Zephyr
* James Gang
* Dixie Dregs
* Captain Beyond
* Warhorse
* Ian Gillan Band
* Gillan
* Rainbow
* Blackmore's Night
* Whitesnake
* Coverdale–Page
* Paice Ashton Lord
* Black Sabbath
* Gary Moore
* Yngwie Malmsteen
* Hughes Turner Project
* Living Loud
* WhoCares
* Black Country Communion

Related articles|

* Discography
* Members
* Purple Records
* Funky Junction
* Deep Purple Tribute
* Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head
* The Purple Album
* Rock Aid Armenia
* Green Bullfrog
* Bogus Deep Purple

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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