Public service announcement. In case you’re still on the fence about the Rapture of the Deepremix, the whole album is being streamed on YouTube. That is, without the bonus tracks, which are apparently only available on the physical media.
Posted by Nick on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025,
filed under News.
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The 2CD album was send to me the day it came out. I listened to it and I feel the changed order of the songs plus the addition of ‘Things I never said’ makes it a much more balanced album as a whole. The mixing itself is different but not necesseraly better. I also liked the original mix (contrary to most fans’ opinions). This is the fourth item related to ‘Rapture of the Deep’ in my collection. There’s the original promo single, the album version in the tin box, the tour edition and now the 20th anniversary version.
I was listening to ‘Infinite’ and I was saddened by how little you can hardly hear Steve’s Morse guitar and I am really puzzled by how a producer dictates his ideas about how a song should sound like instead of balancing the contribution of the 5 musicians in a band.
I think Roger has opened a can of warms as we are so hungry for more remixing.
Bananas has been a great favourite of mine and also even though Roger produced ‘The House of blue light’ I just feel it needs a revisit.
Peace ✌️
Adel, someone like Bob Ezrin works in a totally different way to Martin Birch who was basically a glorified sound engineer (and I’m not denigrating him with that because good engineering is an art). Most Purple fans aren‘t used to producers (co-)assuming the creative reins, they were raised in the Martin Birch/Roger Glover school of thinking. But I was an Alice Cooper fan long before I was a DP one and Bob Ezrin’s creative contribution was always like 50% of the very good Alice Cooper albums. There is no Alice Cooper without Bob Ezrin (and his influence on Purple is comparatively modest, but still way more than Birch’s).
Bob Ezrin and Martin Birch are opposing extremes in the way they work. Outside of a Purple world where producers are mostly engineers, a producer “dictating his ideas about how a song should sound” isn’t such a rare thing though, especially considering how many top ten albums Bob has to his credit as opposed to Steve who is a gifted musician but has zero commercial nous (nor a real interest in creating commercially successful music).
That Bob is the reason why Steve retreated in his initially very influential creative position in Purple is fast becoming a pet conspiracy theory here, yet I tend to think that Steve’s gradual alienation from DP was a journey/process that started long before Bob appeared on the scene, inter alia triggered by Jon’s departure and the frustration Steve must have felt from the decade-long set list routine.
@ 7 -“Most Purple fans aren‘t used to producers (co-)assuming the creative reins, they were raised in the Martin Birch/Roger Glover school of thinking.” That is some pretty amazing insight there Uwe, into other people’s minds. That old crystal ball of yours again eh? That comparison with Bob Ezrin’s work on those old Alice Cooper records to the modern day Deep Purple. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Cooper and his cohorts were very young and most probably needed guidance, as many do at that stage of their lives in many facets. The modern day DP are in pensioner mode, they prefer someone else to do the heavy lifting it appears and that is fine too. With all their experience (DP members), one would think they shouldn’t need that helping hand in the songwriting department, easier said than done though eh? Ezrin has helped in the co songwriting it seems and to my ears some of that has worked. But anything else, well, the jury is still out on that one. Cheers.
Purple albums in the 70s were not really ”produced”, they were rather very well “engineered”. Purple’s mantra was to sound on record like they sounded live which was a blessing for their credibility as a live act, but sometimes left a bit of magic sparkle dust missing on their studio output.
All I meant to say was that Purple fans are not really used to a strong producer figure yanking their band around in the studio.
Bob is the guy who built a danceable Pink Floyd anthem from this here
I heard the new ROTD remix and honestly I don’t like it, I almost prefer the original.
Sure, Morse’s guitar has improved enormously and it’s amazing how low it was mixed before!
BigIan’s voice has also had an improvement, while Don’s keyboards have been rightly lowered, but on some passages they surprisingly pop out and it means that they have been worked on carefully.
but guys, the bass and drums sounded worse in the mix.
the bass has become a constant lake of low frequencies with little definition even when you can hear the “string” of the instrument, I really don’t like it
but it’s Paice’s drumming that makes me want to throw up!
the brightness of the cymbals is gone, the snare and kick are even more cardboard than the original mix!
and then it’s mixed too low compared to the other instruments, except in the intro of CQA where it starts very high….but what’s the point?
well, aside from the sound issue, if most of the songs are anonymous, they won’t magically become wonderful songs with the mix.
In conclusion, Morse and Gillan have basically benefited from the new mix, but calling a remix good where the rest of the instruments remain the same or get worse leaves me very perplexed.
Hwe Hornung @7
There is no denying the achievements of Boz Ezrin as a producer.
When it comes to music I am a very close friend with my pair of ears and they sends signals to my brain.
Listening to the original ROTD was so painful to my ears but Roger corrected that very well.
And also corrected the order of songs and included the beat best song in my opinion on the album which is ‘Things I never said’
The problem that Roger Glover did is he opened our ears in how DP albums that are produced by Bob Ezrin and Micheal Bradford should have sounded like if he hand his hands on the mixing process.
I might be biased towards the talent of Roger Glover as a producer but I can’t help but feeling sad about how ‘Infinite” sounds now after hearing the remixed ROTD
Comercally Bob Ezrin achieved a lot as a producer if DP but the diesel hard fans like us we are left with a bitter taste about how Steve Morse contribution was squeezed down in the mixing.
I listen to Perpendicular and I jump with Joy from the sound of Steve’s Morse guitar sound
He is the same person who we admired immensely on the first album with DP.
I listen to “equal 1” and I don’t hear that Simon McBride had the same treatment with the mixing as his guitar playing is so loud.
That can only lead to one conclusion and that is Bob Ezrin never really felt that Steve Morse was a good fit or dare I say that he undervalued his skills.
This only factual without any disrespect to Bob Ezrin or Michael Bradford.
Peace ✌️
@ 9 -“A danceable Pink Floyd anthem” that says it all Uwe. It is always a wonder why Ezrin gets the production nod for the Pink Floyd album The Wall. When we read about it and look beyond the glaze of bias worship, there were four chaps co producing. Some had better ideas for other things, some for selected bits and pieces. The 1970’s is NOT 2013 onwards. Living in the past again I see. Music producers back in the day were marvellous, it seems these days the machine is in control. They are a lot lazier, don’t you think? Reputations eh, a bit like the musicians themselves. Out with the old, in with the new. Cheers.
Another Brick in the Wall part Two is one of the worst Pink Floyd songs, ever. The only good thing about it is David Gilmour’s guitar solo. However, we have also heard that before in regard to other Floyd songs over the decades. I suppose it managed to get the Floyd a number one hit single though, that was really important for them………NOT. Anyway we are aware of certain rock bands that didn’t really get into the top of the pops for good reason. The fact that they did eventually get there no doubt added to the financial coffers in a certain way. Poor ole Gilmour, having to go out to clubs and discos to get a ‘feel’ of the disco groove, according to Ezrin’s instructions. From being bossed about by the megalomaniac Waters to getting an even harder time from Ezrin, poor David. We don’t need no education…………..we don’t need no thought control…………….Cheers.
Uwe Hornung sorry for misspellings your name in my above post. My liver processed the Bourbon and the Vodka in a funny way hence why I lost the connection between my fingers and the Brain.
Cheers ✌️
“Karin, I’ve added an emoticon so you are not once again cast in deep doubt whether I’m serious or not! 😘”
– well thank you 😃
But aren’t you always not serious…
Btw: that pond of yours, and sorry if you have mentioned it, what do you do in winter’s time? Do you cover it up? Or isn’t winter as harsh in your area as it can be in ours?
Adel, do not writhe, you bear no blame for my parents’ ill choice of my first name. I’ll never forgive them. It is unpronounce- and unspellable in nearly all languages.
And I don’t even like football, Karl-Heinz and Liselotte really should have known.
“Karl-Heinz and Liselotte“
– your hard suffering parents I guess?
Well I am happy they joined forces and produced you!
“And I don’t even like football”
– no but never mind! Denmark beats the living daylight out of Germany any given chance they get, so of course you don’t like football, or handball!
But maybe they hoped you somehow would save the family’s honour.
And talking about disappointments:
In the tongue-lashing department you are very good! 😄
But I’ve heard from various quarters that should know best that not only the lashing qualities of my tongue are worthy of appreciative mention, liebe Karin!
But it is also true that my dad, an engineer, once said to me: And what are you gonna do later in life with your two left hands? You sure know how to talk and defend the indefensible, so maybe attorney? You should study law. 😂
“Denmark beats the living daylights out of Germany any given chance they get …”
Just because you won the European Cup once (in another century) by sheer accident … 🙄
Oddly enough a lot of the physical CDs for Rapture of the Deep remix are delayed in many countries. We are still trying to wait for them to stock.
September 4th, 2025 at 10:27Bananas next?
September 4th, 2025 at 16:59The 2CD album was send to me the day it came out. I listened to it and I feel the changed order of the songs plus the addition of ‘Things I never said’ makes it a much more balanced album as a whole. The mixing itself is different but not necesseraly better. I also liked the original mix (contrary to most fans’ opinions). This is the fourth item related to ‘Rapture of the Deep’ in my collection. There’s the original promo single, the album version in the tin box, the tour edition and now the 20th anniversary version.
September 4th, 2025 at 17:37I was listening to ‘Infinite’ and I was saddened by how little you can hardly hear Steve’s Morse guitar and I am really puzzled by how a producer dictates his ideas about how a song should sound like instead of balancing the contribution of the 5 musicians in a band.
September 4th, 2025 at 23:03I think Roger has opened a can of warms as we are so hungry for more remixing.
Bananas has been a great favourite of mine and also even though Roger produced ‘The House of blue light’ I just feel it needs a revisit.
Peace ✌️
Just listened to the whole remix on YouTube… Sounds pretty darn good even on my overworked Altec Lansing speakers that are hooked up to my computer.
September 5th, 2025 at 04:27Rapture’s newly remixed version is #9 in Germany, one position above than it’s original release which charted at #10 back in 2005.
September 5th, 2025 at 15:50Adel, someone like Bob Ezrin works in a totally different way to Martin Birch who was basically a glorified sound engineer (and I’m not denigrating him with that because good engineering is an art). Most Purple fans aren‘t used to producers (co-)assuming the creative reins, they were raised in the Martin Birch/Roger Glover school of thinking. But I was an Alice Cooper fan long before I was a DP one and Bob Ezrin’s creative contribution was always like 50% of the very good Alice Cooper albums. There is no Alice Cooper without Bob Ezrin (and his influence on Purple is comparatively modest, but still way more than Birch’s).
Bob Ezrin and Martin Birch are opposing extremes in the way they work. Outside of a Purple world where producers are mostly engineers, a producer “dictating his ideas about how a song should sound” isn’t such a rare thing though, especially considering how many top ten albums Bob has to his credit as opposed to Steve who is a gifted musician but has zero commercial nous (nor a real interest in creating commercially successful music).
That Bob is the reason why Steve retreated in his initially very influential creative position in Purple is fast becoming a pet conspiracy theory here, yet I tend to think that Steve’s gradual alienation from DP was a journey/process that started long before Bob appeared on the scene, inter alia triggered by Jon’s departure and the frustration Steve must have felt from the decade-long set list routine.
September 5th, 2025 at 17:00@ 7 -“Most Purple fans aren‘t used to producers (co-)assuming the creative reins, they were raised in the Martin Birch/Roger Glover school of thinking.” That is some pretty amazing insight there Uwe, into other people’s minds. That old crystal ball of yours again eh? That comparison with Bob Ezrin’s work on those old Alice Cooper records to the modern day Deep Purple. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Cooper and his cohorts were very young and most probably needed guidance, as many do at that stage of their lives in many facets. The modern day DP are in pensioner mode, they prefer someone else to do the heavy lifting it appears and that is fine too. With all their experience (DP members), one would think they shouldn’t need that helping hand in the songwriting department, easier said than done though eh? Ezrin has helped in the co songwriting it seems and to my ears some of that has worked. But anything else, well, the jury is still out on that one. Cheers.
September 5th, 2025 at 22:46Purple albums in the 70s were not really ”produced”, they were rather very well “engineered”. Purple’s mantra was to sound on record like they sounded live which was a blessing for their credibility as a live act, but sometimes left a bit of magic sparkle dust missing on their studio output.
All I meant to say was that Purple fans are not really used to a strong producer figure yanking their band around in the studio.
Bob is the guy who built a danceable Pink Floyd anthem from this here
https://youtu.be/BcGa-1mtPjk
and turned this
https://youtu.be/tWcXpJ_SwKU
into this (composing the trademark bass run just like he had with Pink Floyd):
https://youtu.be/nNADrrjTysk
It’s called “production”, kiddies …
September 6th, 2025 at 03:00I heard the new ROTD remix and honestly I don’t like it, I almost prefer the original.
Sure, Morse’s guitar has improved enormously and it’s amazing how low it was mixed before!
BigIan’s voice has also had an improvement, while Don’s keyboards have been rightly lowered, but on some passages they surprisingly pop out and it means that they have been worked on carefully.
but guys, the bass and drums sounded worse in the mix.
the bass has become a constant lake of low frequencies with little definition even when you can hear the “string” of the instrument, I really don’t like it
but it’s Paice’s drumming that makes me want to throw up!
the brightness of the cymbals is gone, the snare and kick are even more cardboard than the original mix!
and then it’s mixed too low compared to the other instruments, except in the intro of CQA where it starts very high….but what’s the point?
well, aside from the sound issue, if most of the songs are anonymous, they won’t magically become wonderful songs with the mix.
In conclusion, Morse and Gillan have basically benefited from the new mix, but calling a remix good where the rest of the instruments remain the same or get worse leaves me very perplexed.
September 6th, 2025 at 10:34Hwe Hornung @7
September 6th, 2025 at 16:11There is no denying the achievements of Boz Ezrin as a producer.
When it comes to music I am a very close friend with my pair of ears and they sends signals to my brain.
Listening to the original ROTD was so painful to my ears but Roger corrected that very well.
And also corrected the order of songs and included the beat best song in my opinion on the album which is ‘Things I never said’
The problem that Roger Glover did is he opened our ears in how DP albums that are produced by Bob Ezrin and Micheal Bradford should have sounded like if he hand his hands on the mixing process.
I might be biased towards the talent of Roger Glover as a producer but I can’t help but feeling sad about how ‘Infinite” sounds now after hearing the remixed ROTD
Comercally Bob Ezrin achieved a lot as a producer if DP but the diesel hard fans like us we are left with a bitter taste about how Steve Morse contribution was squeezed down in the mixing.
I listen to Perpendicular and I jump with Joy from the sound of Steve’s Morse guitar sound
He is the same person who we admired immensely on the first album with DP.
I listen to “equal 1” and I don’t hear that Simon McBride had the same treatment with the mixing as his guitar playing is so loud.
That can only lead to one conclusion and that is Bob Ezrin never really felt that Steve Morse was a good fit or dare I say that he undervalued his skills.
This only factual without any disrespect to Bob Ezrin or Michael Bradford.
Peace ✌️
@ 9 -“A danceable Pink Floyd anthem” that says it all Uwe. It is always a wonder why Ezrin gets the production nod for the Pink Floyd album The Wall. When we read about it and look beyond the glaze of bias worship, there were four chaps co producing. Some had better ideas for other things, some for selected bits and pieces. The 1970’s is NOT 2013 onwards. Living in the past again I see. Music producers back in the day were marvellous, it seems these days the machine is in control. They are a lot lazier, don’t you think? Reputations eh, a bit like the musicians themselves. Out with the old, in with the new. Cheers.
September 6th, 2025 at 22:11Another Brick in the Wall part Two is one of the worst Pink Floyd songs, ever. The only good thing about it is David Gilmour’s guitar solo. However, we have also heard that before in regard to other Floyd songs over the decades. I suppose it managed to get the Floyd a number one hit single though, that was really important for them………NOT. Anyway we are aware of certain rock bands that didn’t really get into the top of the pops for good reason. The fact that they did eventually get there no doubt added to the financial coffers in a certain way. Poor ole Gilmour, having to go out to clubs and discos to get a ‘feel’ of the disco groove, according to Ezrin’s instructions. From being bossed about by the megalomaniac Waters to getting an even harder time from Ezrin, poor David. We don’t need no education…………..we don’t need no thought control…………….Cheers.
September 7th, 2025 at 21:47I have the original but i will be looking to pick this up for sure
September 8th, 2025 at 13:38@13
Hi ya Karen!
September 8th, 2025 at 16:11Maybe you’re not new to this Purple-people site, but if you are: welcome 🤗
Guys, the situation needs to be carefully monitored here …
https://media.tenor.com/LW79Zc6u7OIAAAAM/suffrage-march.gif
😂
PS: Karin, I’ve added an emoticon so you are not once again cast in deep doubt whether I’m serious or not! 😘
September 8th, 2025 at 20:30Uwe Hornung sorry for misspellings your name in my above post. My liver processed the Bourbon and the Vodka in a funny way hence why I lost the connection between my fingers and the Brain.
September 8th, 2025 at 20:51Cheers ✌️
@16
“Karin, I’ve added an emoticon so you are not once again cast in deep doubt whether I’m serious or not! 😘”
– well thank you 😃
But aren’t you always not serious…
Btw: that pond of yours, and sorry if you have mentioned it, what do you do in winter’s time? Do you cover it up? Or isn’t winter as harsh in your area as it can be in ours?
September 9th, 2025 at 12:22Adel, do not writhe, you bear no blame for my parents’ ill choice of my first name. I’ll never forgive them. It is unpronounce- and unspellable in nearly all languages.
And I don’t even like football, Karl-Heinz and Liselotte really should have known.
https://www.wacker03gotha.de/assets/cms_rfm/images/UweSeeler.jpg
September 9th, 2025 at 21:36@19
“Karl-Heinz and Liselotte“
– your hard suffering parents I guess?
Well I am happy they joined forces and produced you!
“And I don’t even like football”
September 14th, 2025 at 06:29– no but never mind! Denmark beats the living daylight out of Germany any given chance they get, so of course you don’t like football, or handball!
But maybe they hoped you somehow would save the family’s honour.
And talking about disappointments:
In the tongue-lashing department you are very good! 😄
But I’ve heard from various quarters that should know best that not only the lashing qualities of my tongue are worthy of appreciative mention, liebe Karin!
https://media.tenor.com/cv2QeOZQlp0AAAAM/biawak-komodo.gif
But it is also true that my dad, an engineer, once said to me: And what are you gonna do later in life with your two left hands? You sure know how to talk and defend the indefensible, so maybe attorney? You should study law. 😂
“Denmark beats the living daylights out of Germany any given chance they get …”
Just because you won the European Cup once (in another century) by sheer accident … 🙄
September 19th, 2025 at 16:33@21
“Just because you won the European Cup once (in another century) by sheer accident … 🙄”
– 🤣🤣
I was actually thinking about handball! You know, the game where you use the hands more than the feet to handle the ball!
September 20th, 2025 at 07:35