''The House of Blue Light'' is the 12th studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

by British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Deep Purple, released in 1987. It was the second recording by the reformed Mark II line-up, and the sixth studio album overall by this formation of the band.

Recording

The album's creation was an exceedingly long and difficult process, which singer

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

compared to the recording of ''

Who Do We Think We Are ''Who Do We Think We Are'' is the seventh studio album by the English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1973. It was Deep Purple's last album with singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover until 1984’s '' Perfect Strangers''. Musically ...

'' in Rome. Gillan has remarked on how strained relations within the band compromised the album: "I look back at ''House Of Blue Light'', there are some good songs on that record, but there’s something missing in the overall album. I can’t feel the spirit of this band. I can see or hear five professionals doing their best, but it’s like a football team, it’s not functioning. It’s like 11 superstars that are playing on the same field but are not connected by the heart or by the spirit." Guitarist

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guita ...

has said much of it was re-recorded, and confessed, "I think I played like shit on it, and I don't think anyone else really got that into it." Added organist

Jon Lord John Douglas Lord (9 June 194116 July 2012) was an English orchestral and rock composer, pianist, and Hammond organ player known for his pioneering work in fusing rock with classical or baroque forms, especially with the British rock band Deep ...

, "''House of Blue Light'' was a weird album and hard to put together. We made the massive mistake of trying to make our music current. We discovered that people didn't want us to do that." Despite the band's concerns, ''House of Blue Light'' sold well. It hit No. 10 in the UK charts, No. 34 on the ''Billboard 200'' in the United States, and reached the top 10 in six other countries.

Promotion

Two promotional videos to the songs "Bad Attitude" and "Call of the Wild" were produced, both of which feature members of the band.

Track listing

Note: Several tracks on the LP and cassette versions are shorter than those on the original CD released in 1987. The 1999 CD remaster used the original vinyl master tapes, meaning its running time is also shorter than the original CD version. All tracks written by

and

Roger Glover Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and R ...

, except where noted.

1987 CD edition

Vinyl, cassette and 1999 CD edition

Personnel

;Deep Purple *

– vocals, harmonica *

– guitars *

– bass *

– keyboards *

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only membe ...

– drums, percussion ;Production * Produced by Roger Glover and Deep Purple * Recorded at the Playhouse, Stowe, Vermont, with

Le Mobile Le Mobile is a remote recording truck, a rolling recording studio based in Carlsbad, California since 1984. Owned and operated by Guy Charbonneau, it has been established since 1973 and has its origins in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In Cleveland, ...

operated by Guy Charbonneau * Engineered by Nick Blagona * Mixed by Harry Schnitzler at Union Studios, Munich, West Germany * Mastered by

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...

at Sterling Sound, New York

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:House of Blue Light, The Deep Purple albums 1987 albums Albums produced by Roger Glover Polydor Records albums Mercury Records albums