Deep Purple - Shades 1968 - 1998 (1999)

As a result of Rhino's new relationship with Warner Bros., Rhino has been given the key to the vaults of one of the most influential rock bands of our time - Deep Purple. Shades (1968-1998) is 4 CDs anthologizing tracks from the band's 30 years together, including classic hits ("Smoke on the Water," "Hush," "Woman from Tokyo," etc.) and lots of rare tracks available nowhere else, with all the classic line-ups and eras represented. 62 tracks total in deluxe 6" x 12" box package.

Deep Purple were grander than grand, with a sound that was kept huge by the band's avoidance of then-popular thematic explorations. They stayed the loud-and-hard course, as evidenced by this lavish four-CD box. A photo-rich booklet accompanies a host of early cover singles ("Kentucky Woman" and "River Deep-Mountain High" among them), a couple of demos ("Shadows," "Love Help Me"), and some belated 1980s and '90s cash-ins on the band's popularity in Japan. But, of course, the meat of this set is heaped on the first three CDs, each of which holds blasting rockers aplenty, including the Beatles' "Help" turned into cranked-up faux psychedelia. Ritchie Blackmore is the centerpiece here, in part because the remainder of the band's "voice" shifted with Blackmore's whims. In fact, the only works featuring the more unpredictable Tommy Bolin are the flawed, funky "Gettin' Tighter" (with forgettable vocals by Glenn Hughes) and the superior "Comin' Home." Ultimately, Shades proves Deep Purple had an astonishing grasp of blaring guitar riffology. Two words: this rocks! --Andrew Bartlett