DEEP PURPLE‘s “Rapture Of The Deep” turns 20 — and it’s celebrated on August 29 with a complete remix and remaster, striking new artwork, plus a bonus CD/LP featuring never-before-released recordings via earMUSIC.
It’s no secret that “Rapture Of The Deep” isn’t the first album that comes to mind when listing DEEP PURPLE‘s classics — and while it was met with interest at the time, it gradually faded from view. Despite solid sales, the album arrived during a period when there was little spotlight on the world of classic rock, and over the years, “Rapture Of The Deep” developed into an overlooked chapter in DEEP PURPLE‘s rich discography.
It’s equally true that this record, and the story behind it, marked a turning point — the quiet beginning of a run that would eventually lead to four consecutive No. 1 albums (2013, 2017, 2020, 2024) and the kind of success few bands experience even once, let alone decades into their career.
New insights by Kerrang! founder and Classic Rock magazine writer Geoff Barton pull back the curtain on a time when DEEP PURPLE were navigating an uncertain era in the music industry that saw the downfall of many once-great artist careers — and unravel the strange chemistry that gave birth to DEEP PURPLE‘s 18th studio album.
As bassist Roger Glover reflects: “We were going through a bit of a hard time when we started the songwriting and production of ‘Rapture Of The Deep’ and, strangely enough, we didn’t have a record company at that point. Let’s face it, we were a bit lost.”
But from that uncertain moment emerged an album bursting with sharp songwriting, masterful playing, and pure DEEP PURPLE grit.
Now, newly mixed with the supervision of Glover, analog-mastered at renowned Chameleon Studios in Hamburg, and presented with bold new artwork, “Rapture Of The Deep” finally shines with clarity and color. “It’s a new album now to me,” says Roger Glover. Fans will hear it blooming for the first time.
This new edition also includes a bonus CD/LP featuring previously unreleased instrumental takes and studio rehearsals recorded during the songwriting process — providing a rare, unfiltered insight into the band’s creative work in the studio. Captured on multi-track in 2005 and mixed for the first time in 2025, it’s one of those rare instances where recordings resurface decades later from archives long thought lost.
Among the highlights is the track “Closing Note”, a never-before-heard piece by then-guitarist Steve Morse — recorded during the album sessions and now officially released for the first time.
These tracks are available exclusively on all three physical formats — CD digipak, 3LP vinyl (black, 180g),and the strictly limited 3LP transparent sky-blue vinyl.
With DEEP PURPLE riding high on the success of their latest No. 1 record “=1”, the time is right to (re)discover the album that set the path for DEEP PURPLE in the 21st century.
“Rapture Of The Deep” 20th-anniversary remix track listing:
CD + LP:
01. Money Talks
02. Things I Never Said*
03. Rapture Of The Deep
04. Clearly Quite Absurd
05. MTV*
06. Back to Back
07. Wrong Man
08. Girls Like That
09. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
10. Don’t Let Go
11. Junkyard Blues
12. Before Time Again
* Not on original studio album
Bonus LP+CD
2005 Studio Jams & Rehearsals:
01. MTV
02. Money Talks
03. Back To Back
04. Before Time Began
05. Closing Note**
** Unreleased instrumental track by Steve Morse
DEEP PURPLE 2005 photo credit: Bruce Payne (courtesy of Atom Splitter PR / earMUSIC)
Content shared from blabbermouth.net.