Now What?!

[Zzzptm]

Currently listening to this album, loving the textures on "Weirdistan" right now. When it came out, it was my soundtrack for commuting to work for a few days, where I'd hear the whole thing twice a day, once each on my hour drive in and my hour drive back home.

Yes, I know Gillan can't hit the high notes like he used to and blah blah blah Airey != Lord blah blah blah bunch of old farts that should have hung it up long ago, but I respond with an observation that this is a band that plays within its limitations and finds ways to innovate with the tools still at hand. They're crafty, wizened men that know how to write a great song and put on a powerful performance. There's a reason this is the most stable lineup of Purple and it's because they all know how to get along and relax as they play.

As for favorite tracks, easy. "Hell to Pay" and "Vincent Price." And "Uncommon Man." And, oh no, here I go selecting every song on the album... It's such a rich offering and I consider it to be one of the best albums to bear the Deep Purple name. There are, what... 19 studio albums so far, so it's easily in the top 10.

Seriously, though, to me this one's second only to Purpendicular when considering the best of the Morse era.