The Purple Album is the twelfth studio album by British hard rock band Whitesnake. It contains remakes of songs from Deep Purple band lineups Mark III and Mark IV, when Whitesnake lead singer David Coverdale was a member of that band.[1] It was released on 29 April in Japan, 15 May in Europe, 18 May in the UK and 19 May 2015 in the US through Frontiers Records.[2] On 8 September 2023, Whitesnake and RHINO reissued The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition in celebration of Coverdale's 50th anniversary of joining the Deep Purple, besides remixing and remastering, "features previously unreleased recordings, including the very demo that secured Coverdale's spot with Deep Purple".[3]
Background
A collection of re-recorded songs from Coverdale's time in Deep Purple, the idea sprang from talks he and Jon Lord had about a possible Mark III reunion a few years earlier. After Lord's death in 2012, Coverdale discussed the idea with Ritchie Blackmore, but they were unable to come to an agreement on the nature of the undertaking. Coverdale then decided to move forward with the project under the Whitesnake banner. Originally, the idea was acclaimed by Coverdale's wife, Cindy, "who suggested I (David) consider it as a Whitesnake project" in late 2013.[4] He described the resulting record as a tribute to his time in Deep Purple.[5]
Whitesnake kicked off the North American leg of The Purple Tour in May 2015.[2] Joining the band was new keyboardist Michele Luppi.[6] At a show in California, they were joined onstage by Coverdale's former Deep Purple bandmate, Glenn Hughes.[7] They also held Japanese tour dates on October and November.[8][9][10]
The album was met with mostly positive reviews, but altogether polarized the critics. Among the favorable reviews, Associated Press as reported by The New York Times concluded that "it's good to hear someone dust off these tracks and breathe some life into them",[19] Rick Ecker of New Noise Magazine said about the songs that "you get the feeling of love and reverence that Coverdale has for them and the time he spent with Deep Purple. The performance of the band is fantastic with the power and sweetness of the songs present, of course it sounds more modern, but it doesn't take away from the beauty of these songs".[20] Duane Vickers in 4/5 review for KNAC concluded that "out of the past, comes something new, done big and done right. We see so many cover albums coming out and we usually come away thinking that they should've just left that alone. The fact that a band influenced an artist doesn't always translate to that artist being able to do the song justice by covering it. No worries with Mr. Coverdale, these were his songs and Whitesnake rocks them proud".[18] Matthias Mineur in a 6/7 review for Germany's Metal Hammer also praised that Coverdale gave songs new arrangements.[21]
However, other reviews weren't in-between yet very unfavorable. Dave Everley for Classic Rock gave it a 1/5 review arguing that it is "not hard to love the 13 songs here – it's impossible", although "let's be clear here. Whitesnake are one of the great British bands of the past 40 years, and Coverdale is one of the finest blue-eyed soul singers, full-stop" but "this wrong-headed travesty of an album won't just have Jon Lord spinning in his grave, it'll have Ritchie Blackmore making like a Catherine Wheel too".[22] Ulf Kubanke of laut.de also gave it a 1/5 score and considered it is "very posy, but without any charisma", such a "sad picture" that "so far, John Fogerty has held the record for the most consistent self-mutilation of his own work with his equally anemic Wrote a Song for Everyone. Whitesnake top this golden raspberry with surprisingly suicidal ease".[23]
Responding to the negative criticism, Coverdale proclaimed: "I've no space in my life for haters or negaters. [...] I owe those people nothing. Such opinions mean nothing to me."[24]
^Dick, Jonathan (26 July 2015). "VICE Magazine". Interview: Whitesnake (and ex-Deep Purple) Frontman David Coverdale Is a Charming Badass. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
^"ホワイトスネイク、2年ぶり来日公演決定" [Whitesnake to perform in Japan for the first time in two years]. Oricon (in Japanese). 15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
^"【ライブレポート】ホワイトスネイク、日本列島を熱狂の深紫色に染め上げる" [Live Report: Whitesnake dyes the Japan archipelago a frenzied deep purple]. Barks.jp (in Japanese). 20 October 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
^Tomoyuki Yamazaki (4 November 2015). "【ライブレポート】ホワイトスネイク、千秋楽に相応しい盛り上がり" [Live Report: Whitesnake and Chiakiraku]. Barks.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 November 2023.
