In 2024, Deep
Purple celebrated the fortieth anniversary of their reunion by releasing their
23rd album, =1. Some band members thought the 1984 reunion would fizzle out
after one album, but it flourished despite internecine strife, illness and the
loss of two founders. As members approached eighty years of age, they produced
albums that went on to be among their most successful.



 



   This book tells this sometimes-bizarre
post-reunion story through their music and, to an extent, their touring.
Neither were always completely successful, as the band seemed to be either
searching for synergy in their sound or for a commercial product that did not
sacrifice artistic integrity. The lyrics are especially valuable because they
reveal the hardship of the road and insights into their own growing
frustrations with a society they believed to be too woke, too violent, too
ridiculous.  In doing this, the band has
not just resurfaced but written a new story for a new audience.



 



   All these things make this phase of Deep
Purple an interesting study, not just of a band loved by so many but also of
musicians who just wanted to play their music and sometimes found it was not as
simple as that.