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A distinct perspective
The Rapture of the Deep remix is out, and first reviews started to appear. Here’s one from the Loud Hailer:
On the 20th anniversary of the original album release, they’ve decided to present us with a remixed/remastered version of Rapture of the Deep. The original album was composed and recorded during a particularly uncertain time for the band. At the time, they didn’t even have a record label. Not as radical as the remixed version of David Bowie’s Never Let Me Down, which introduced new compositional elements, scrapping others, this Roger Glover-supervised version is less intrusive. It offers a distinct perspective into their creative process. It brings the keyboards more to the forefront, battling more prominently with Morse’s guitar. Everything sounds crispier and more dynamic.
Read more in Loud Hailer.
Share your review of the remix in the comments.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
I heard the remix of the digital version last night for the first time, I don’t quite have the cash fro the CD yet, and I will be getting it in the future. Here are my thoughts:
I really appreciate the attention to clarity and detail, you can really hear what Steve and Don are doing now. The reworked track order really makes it a completely different record – I find this track order brings more energy and flow to the record overall, and Rapture of the Deep really comes alive – upon hearing this reworking, I think I can say it’s now my favourite Mk 8 album. Gillan’s vocals are cleaned up nicely, and no longer sound harsh. Paice’s drums are no longer buried in the mix and you can hear everything clearly.
That said, I think there are some issues with this remix – namely while Ian Paice’s drums are brought to the forefront, they are a little bit too forward in the mix – at times, I feel Paicey is now overpowering Steve and Don where he shouldn’t. There’s also too much compression on the drums, to the point where the drums sound like they’re pumping and breathing all the time -the open hi hats in particular sound mushy, and loose alot of their clarity and definition – this is very apparent on Things I Never Said.
The other problem I have is with Don’s solos – they’re too far back in the mix, and I struggle to hear them sometimes, to the point where Steve’s rhythm guitars are often overpowering Don’s solos. The review above says Don is more forward in the mix – I actually disagree. He’s further back compared to the original mix, but because the EQ has been cleaned up and the detail and crispness and clarity come through, they can get away with that for his rhythm parts. The lead solos though – such as the organ solo on Clearly Quite Absurd and the synth leads on Back to Back – definitely need to be brought more forward. Giving Don the center channel for his solos like they’ve done with Steve’s solos would also help a bunch.
There are also a couple things I’m confused by – why Don’s keyboards cut out mysteriously for a few bars towards the end of Rapture, and why Steve’s final guitar lick is cut off halfway through the phrase at the end of Before Time Began, as well as why Gillan’s backing vocals are removed completely from Things I Never Said, as they really helped drive the tune in the original mix – just having the single vocal does work, and, I really miss those backing vocals.
Overall, I think I prefer this reworking of the record to the original – it needs some tweaking still – I feel it’s about 90 percent there – if you took some compression off of Paicey’s drums and let them breathe a little more and brought them back in the mix a bit, and brought Don’s solos up, I feel you’d have an absolutely perfect mix. Still, this is a major improvement, and I think the band finally has a fine mix of an absolutely great record, one that I feel is MK 8’s finest hour.
It’s also justice for Steve Morse – after so many records of Ezrin putting him back in the mix and hiding him, Steve’s parts really come shining through on this mix and you can really hear the genius of his composition and arrangement of his guitar parts. I almost feel this is Roger’s peace offering to Steve, and a lovely way to show his appreciation for all he did for the band for 28 years.
Hearing this record is like hearing a new record all over again and makes it clear that Rapture of the Deep is MK 8’s and Steve Morse’s finest hour with the band – they’re firing on all cylinders, and now we can hear with clarity just what they intended to put out in the world. This is an absolute hidden gem in Purple’s catalogue and I would encourage all Purple fans to get this remix, it’s definitely worth it.
August 30th, 2025 at 01:57I always felt that was one of the better DP albums, but the mix wasn’t the best and my CD came in a metal box with no booklet or anything. This 20-year anniversary package does it justice. That’s one thing I like about Roger Glover and the band: they’re always trying to do right by the fans. That’s a good legacy. Now, it would be nice to see them have a non-musical meetup with Ritchie Blackmore, just to share (happy) memories, maybe have some photos taken, preserve some of the good memories, put a nice bow on things. I’m dreaming. Ha!
August 30th, 2025 at 03:16Really like the clearer sound – both the instruments and particularly on Big Ian’s vocals. Overall, to me anyway, this remix just sounds so much more like a Deep Purple record than the slightly ‘dull’ and flatter in tone original release.
August 30th, 2025 at 06:51This cut in the guitar riff of the title track around 3:58 mark really irritates me. In the original mix, the guitar was so buried that the cut wasn’t noticeable, but in this version it really stands out. It sounds as if someone unplugged Steve right in the middle of it.
August 30th, 2025 at 07:09Three strong songs (MT, CQA and ROTD) don’t make an album but the mix is improved with the soloists clearly audible. IP still sounds somewhat muffled/compressed. Abandon the last time he was captured properly?
August 30th, 2025 at 07:26I’ve long hoped for a remixed version of this album. Most of it sounds so much more dynamic here. Rapture and Before Time Began have a much more epic sound, as they should, rather than the demo in Dad’s garage sound of the original. Gillan’s vocals sound much more balanced in the mix (suspiciously pitch perfect at times… just saying), with less effects (compare Clearly Quite Absurd) and harmony parts and screams held back in the mix. My only gripes are the drum sound on a few numbers (thin snare, booming toms, although a belting kick drum which is great), and the running order. I never understood why Things I Never Said wasn’t on the original, but having MTV up front and Wrong Man later… I guess for the vinyl edition it might work, but the first half loses some momentum for me. Overall, a vast improvement on the original and a job well done.
August 30th, 2025 at 08:59