''In the Absence of Pink'' is a live album released by

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

. It was originally recorded by BBC Radio on the reunited Mk II Purple's first UK gig after reforming in 1984, at the

Knebworth Festival The Knebworth Festival is a recurring open-air rock and pop concert held on the grounds of the Knebworth House in Knebworth, England. The festival first occurred in July 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers and other artists ...

on Saturday 22 June 1985. Several of the supporting artists were also recorded, and they – together with Deep Purple – were broadcast on BBC Radio 1 the following Saturday during a programme called 'Knebworth Through The Night', which ran from 2200 to 0400. The original double CD version was released in 1991.

Album content and missing songs

"Under the Gun" for some reason was not recorded by the BBC and with a short version of "

Woman from Tokyo "Woman from Tokyo" is a song by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1973 album ''Who Do We Think We Are'', and later as a single. The song was featured on the 2011 DVD Deep Purple with Orchestra - Live in Montreux ...

" were the only omissions from the normal set-list performed on the world tour. Although "

Child in Time "Child in Time" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, taken from their fourth studio album, ''Deep Purple in Rock'', released in 1970. The track is loosely inspired by the Cold War and runs over ten minutes. History and characteristic ...

" was sometimes featured, it was not performed at this concert. The group's set opens with Jon Lord playing the toccata from "'' Toccata and Fugue in D-minor''" by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

. "Difficult to Cure" is an adaptation of Beethoven's "'' Ode to Joy''" from the 9th Symphony and was recorded by Blackmore's Rainbow some years earlier. The version of "Lazy" on this album could not be found on the BBC tapes, and consequently was taken from a

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

Title origin

The title is taken from the words of Ian Gillan introducing "Gypsy's Kiss". Referring to the rain and the technical problems that delayed the start of the set, he states "What we all need now is a tremendous amount of pink. But, in the absence of pink, here's some blues".

Track listing

All songs written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice except where indicated.

Personnel

;Deep Purple * Ritchie Blackmore –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Ian Gillan –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Roger Glover –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Jon Lord –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Ian Paice –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:In The Absence of Pink 1991 live albums Deep Purple live albums