Long awaited reissue is an essential for Purple fans!
Robert Dwyer | Atlanta, GA | 01/12/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album was the final release for the Mk. II lineup of Gillan, Glover, Blackmore, Lord and Paice until their 1984 reunion album, "Perfect Strangers"Although many people are quick to champion records like IN ROCK and MACHINE HEAD as the most definitive Purple albums, WDWTWA is one of my personal all time favorites. Standout tracks include the funky workout, "Rat Bat Blue, which contains one of the most dazzling keyboard solos I've ever heard! "Super Trouper" (whose name comes from the shining white spotlight that illuminated band members on stage) is a groovy hard rocker with an unusual flanged chorus section. This gives the song an almost astral feel. Listen to the lyrics of "Smooth Dancer" and you'll hear Ian Gillan express his frustration towards Mr. Ritchie Blackmore!The mood of the album steps down a bit on tracks like the bluesy "Place In Line" and "Our Lady", but they are still great Purple staples. The remastered edition of this wonderful album only adds a huge plus to an already great record. The overall sound of each track sparkles like they have been polished to brand new. As has been the case with all of the 30th Anniversary DP remasters, the difference is night and day. The WB editions of Purple's early 70's releases sounded muffled and hissy. It was almost like listening to an old cassette, as opposed to a CD. The new remasters remedy these problems in a big way. As bonus tracks, Roger Glover added a cleaned up mix of "Painted Horse" (previously issued on 1980's compilation POWERHOUSE), an alternate bridge section from "Woman From Tokyo", a brief jam from the "Rat Bat Blue" writing sessions and an 11 minute improvisation titled "First Day Jam". It's always great to hear this sort of never-before-issued rehearsal stuff. But my favorite bonus tracks would have to be the re-mixes. While the re-mixed versions of songs like "Woman From Tokyo", "Our Lady" and "Rat Bat Blue" might not be exactly how you remembered them, that is some of the point in doing them. The re-mixes are superior in sound quality to the regular album tracks since they are taken from the ORIGINAL master tapes, not a 1st generation mix (like the regular album tracks at the beginning of the disc). They also feature previously unheard guitar solos and sounds that were buried on the album mixes. Ian's vocal track for "Our Lady" is unmasked by the new mix, which removes some of the original sound effects used on his voice. "Woman From Tokyo" is a real treat too, with the keyboards boosted in volume (especially during the main riff). Some unused Blackmore solos can be heard during the outro of the song, which extends a good ways beyond the original fade out.Whether you've never heard this album or you're still sitting on an old copy, I hope I've convinced you to check it out. It's a timeless classic that still sounds progressive almost 30 years later."
Not quite a classic - but close
eveoflove | 09/01/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This has to be the most underrated Deep Purple Mk II album. To a certain extent it was always going to be, following as it did the real classics "In Rock", "Fireball" and "Machine Head". Of course that is leaving out the phenomenal live album "Made In Japan". And coming as it did as the Mk II line-up was falling apart, this edition falls short of its remastered predecessors by lacking the outtakes. What you get is what they recorded. The bare minimum to complete an album, with the addition of one track, "Painted Horse" which didn't make the finished product because 4 out of 5 didn't like it. But just listen to the music. If this band made a bad album as they were falling apart, I for one would welcome THAT coming out on CD, to hear what it was like. "Who Do We Think We Are" is an underrated classic. Just listen to it all the way through and you'll realize that the quality was just as high as it was on the others. In fact better than on some of the releases by other line-ups. The lack of 'previously unreleased' material should not detract from buying this. The remastering and remixing have turned this into a must-have edition. Go for it. You'll be surprised."
IT'S ABOUT TIME!
jason ruggles | round lake, new york United States | 02/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"5 stars is not enough!!!It's a pleasure to re-indulge in such a familiar pleasure as this album. Re-masters - yeah!- how sweet it is to hear old things in a fresh, new way. The packaging, as is typical for the Purple re-issues, is as much fun as the music itself - Roger Glovers notes and thoughts on the times, great pictures and other info relevant to the release, all in a nice BIG colorful booklet. Also, the editing is wonderful - dig the end of "...Tokyo" '99 remix...cool stuff for a geek such as myself (reads: TRUE FAN). And, so as to not be too duplicitous, the "ALT BRIDGE" track of the same song is only the relevant excerpt, not the whole song AGAIN.(same for "Rat Bat Blue" writing session track) Brilliant.As far as the other treats on this album, this web sight seems to inform well about this "born again" classic. I never imagined I'd own "Painted Horse" on 3 different cd releases!!! (1 is on "Powerhouse", and yet another on "Live and Rare") Anyways...If it's your 1st time...way to be, you won't be disappointed. If you're already a fan, you'll really want to add this to your re-mastered collection!Buy It NOW!!!"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1