Artist: Deep Purple Album: Listen, Learn, Read On Label: EMI – 7243 5 40973 2 4 Format: 6 x CD-Box Set, Compilation, Remastered Released: 2002 Genre: Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Prog Rock Audio codec: Mp3 320 kbps

Amid the ever-growing tide of Deep Purple box sets (this was at least their eighth in nine years), Listen Learn Read On stands alone, not only as the ultimate round-up of the band's greatest moments, but also as the answer to more collectors' dreams than most collectors were even aware they'd had. You want Deep Purple's long-legendary, but forever unavailable BBC sessions? They're here. You want the killer live encores that other albums omitted? They're here. You want a solid introduction to the band members' pre-Purple passages? They're here. And, of course, you want the hits. So they're here as well.

Superficial similarities to the 2001 Rhino box can be dismissed immediately. Six CDs and a 120-page booklet eschew the full 30-plus year career summary approach that marked that set. Rather, Listen Learn Read On concentrates wholly on the band's original lifespan, prior to their mid-'70s break-up. That this covers each of the group's most vital incarnations is self-evident; no matter that the reformed Deep Purple has now more than doubled its predecessor's existence -- still, the so-called Marks I and II and Mark III created the band's reputation, with II and III, at least, revitalized every time the latest line-up plays another show.

Of course the approach isn't perfect. No matter how well-loved the David Coverdale era of the band may have been, there is no escaping the fact that disc six, covering Stormbringer and Come Taste The Band, is a distinct departure from the highs of the earlier eras. Hitherto, Deep Purple were helping blueprint all that hard rock and metal would grow up to become. Those last couple of albums not only lost that particular focus, they also lost all the wit and wisdom that was once the band's hallmark. It gets pretty grueling in the dog days of that final disc.

Spin back to those that went before, however, and it doesn't even matter that it's once more around for "Smoke On The Water," "Child In Time," "Strange Kind Of Woman," "Space Trucking," and "Mistreated." In each and almost every instance, vaults have been scoured, archives have been emptied, and there's a surprise around every corner -- a quadrophonic mix here, a BBC session there and, in the case of "Space Trucking," a previously unissued 30-minute live version that makes every other rendition sound anemic.

Familiar friends rub shoulders with perfect strangers -- the Fireball outtake, "Fools," is the only wholly unheard song on the set, but almost half the 71 tracks here have either never seen legal daylight in the past or are making their CD debut. And, of the rest -- well, you said you wanted the hits. You just didn't say exactly how you wanted them. (AMG review by Dave Thompson)

Track lists Disc One: Pre Purple and Mk 1 01. Outlaws [feat. Ritchie Blackmore] - Keep A Knockin' 2:37 02. M.I. Five [feat. Rod Evans, Ian Paice] - You'll Never Stop Me Loving You 3:31 03. M.I. Five [feat. Evans, Paice] - Only Time Will Tell 2:14 04. Johnny Kidd & the Pirates [feat. Nick Simper] - Send for That Gir 2:46 05. Santa Barbara Machine Head [feat. Jon Lord] - Porcupine Juice 3:16 06. Episode Six [feat. Ian Gillan, Roger Glover] - I Can See Through You 3:26 07. Episode Six [feat. Gillan, Glover] - Mr. Universe 4:20 08. Trapeze [feat. Glenn Hughes] - Medusa 5:42 09. Government [feat. David Coverdale] - Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is 3:19 10. Zephyr [feat. Tommy Bolin] - See My People Come Together 6:09 11. Deep Purple - Hush 4:16 12. Deep Purple - Help 6:03 13. Deep Purple - Shield 6:03 14. Deep Purple - Listen Learn Read On 4:03 15. Deep Purple - Kentucky Woman 4:43 16. Deep Purple - Playground (The Book of Taliesyn out-take) 4:33 17. Deep Purple - Emmaretta (Single A-side) 3:00 18. Deep Purple - This Bird Has Flown (US single B-side) 2:52

Disc Two: Mk 1 and Mk 2 01. Deep Purple - Why Didn't Rosemary 5:04 02. Deep Purple - Hallelujah (Single A-side) 3:42 03. Deep Purple - Ricochet (BBC session 11 Aug 1969) 3:07 04. Deep Purple - The Bird Has Flown (BBC session) 3:05 05. Deep Purple - Hush (Live, Royal Albert Hall, 24 Sep 1969) 4:20 06. Deep Purple - Concerto Third Movement Reprise (Live, Royal Albert Hall) 5:38 07. Deep Purple - Wring That Neck (Live, Montreux Casino, 4 Oct 1969) 20:46 08. Deep Purple - Jam Stew (BBC session 31 Oct 1969) 3:56 09. Deep Purple - Speed King (BBC session) 3:26 10. Deep Purple - Cry Free (Deep Purple in Rock out-take) 3:11 11. Deep Purple - Hard Lovin' Man (BBC session 21 Apr 1970) 4:14 12. Deep Purple - Bloodsucker (BBC session) 3:18 13. Deep Purple - Living Wreck (BBC session) 2:58 14. Studio Chat - Jam 0:41 15. Deep Purple - Flight of The Rat (95 remix) 7:54

Disc Three: Mk 2 01. Deep Purpl - Mandrake Root (Live, Stockholm, 12 Nov 1970) 30:05 02. Deep Purpl - Grabsplatter (BBC session 23 Sep 1970) 4:34 03. Deep Purpl - Child in Time (BBC session) 10:50 04. Deep Purpl - John Lord Interview 1:37 05.Deep Purpl - Black Night (BBC session) 3:29 06. Deep Purpl - Into The Fire (BBC session) 3:49 07. Deep Purpl - Fools 5:22 08. Deep Purpl - Fireball 3:25 09. Deep Purpl - No One Came 6:26 10. Deep Purpl - Demon's Eye (96 remix) 6:09

Disc Four: Mk 2 and Mk 3 01. Deep Purple - No No No (Live, Beat Club, German TV Sep 1971) 7:19 02. Deep Purple - Higway Star (Live, Beat Club) 6:04 03. Deep Purple - Smoke on The Water (Quad Mix UK 1974) 5:52 04. Deep Purple - Never Before (Quad Mix) 4:03 05. Deep Purple - When A Blind Man Cries (97 remix) 3:30 06. Deep Purple - Strange Kind of Woman (BBC in Concert, Paris Theatre 9 Mar 1972) 8:46 07. Deep Purple - Lazy (Live, Tokyo, 17 Aug 1972) 11:15 08. Deep Purple - Black Night (Live, Osaka, 16 Aug 1972) 5:50 09. Deep Purple - Woman From Tokyo (99 remix) 6:24 10. Deep Purple - Smooth Dancer 4:11 11. Deep Purple - Mary Long (99 remix) 4:28 12. Deep Purple - Burn 6:01 13. Deep Purple - Might Just Take Your Life 4:37

Disc Five: Mk 3 01. Deep Purple - Sail Away 5:50 02. Deep Purple - Coronarias Redig (Single B-side) 4:54 03. Deep Purple - You Fool No One (Live, Ontario Speedway, 6 Apr 1974) 18:59 04. Deep Purple - Mistreated (Live, San Diego Sports Arena, 9 Apr 1974) 12:03 05. Deep Purple - Space Truckin' (Live, Kilburn Gaumont, 22 May 1974) 29:53

Disc Six: Mk 3 & Mk 4 01. Deep Purple - Stormbringer (Quad Mix) 4:07 02. Deep Purple - Soldier of Fortune (Quad Mix) 3:16 03. Deep Purple - Hold on (Quad Mix) 5:12 04. Deep Purple - Highball Shooter (Instrumental Mix) 4:31 05. Deep Purple - The Gypsy (Live, Paris Palais des Sports, 7 Apr 1975) 5:45 06. Deep Purple - Drifter (California live rehearsal, June 1975) 4:01 07. Deep Purple - Dance to The Rock 'n' Roll (California live rehearsal, Jam) 11:01 08. Deep Purple - This Time Around/Owed to 'G' 6:08 09. Deep Purple - Love Child 3:05 10. Deep Purple - Wild Dogs (Live, Tokyo Budokan, 15 Dec 1975) 5:56 11. Deep Purple - Lady Luck (Live, Long Beach Arena, 27 Feb 1976) 3:25 12. Deep Purple - Gettin' Tighter (Live, Long Beach Arena) 13:20 13. Deep Purple - You Keep on Moving 5:18

Personnel: Mk 1: 1968-1969 - Ritchie Blackmore, Rod Evans, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Nick Simper Mk 2: 1969-1973 - Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice Mk 3: 1973-1975 - Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord, Ian Paice Mk 4: 1975-1976 - Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord, Ian Paice