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Deep Purple Discography • Purple Collection

Deep Purple Discography Volume 2 ,  Deep Purple Appreciation Society The Purple Collection : ISBN 4-401-61437-2 : 1993
260 by 180mm. Softback. Japan.

Published by The Burrn! Corporation This looked a terrifying labour of love when it first surfaced as an import, seemingly a complete discography of the group from year zero to 1993, with a colour sleeve of every record shown, over 190 pages or so. And indeed it is an important book for hard core fans. For each album there are the variations shown, track listings, etc. There are generous sections of the singles and compilations, and you can immerse yourself in it for many hours.

However when you do the problems begin to show themselves. The main one is that the author (sadly his name isn't given in English) is a massive collector, but if he doesn't have a particular record in his collection, then it is not included. So unlike (for example) the old DPAS Discog or Dirk's Singles book, which attempted to be thorough, this one is in effect a glorified check list. Reaching out to other collectors would have been a big plus.

The other problem is that a lot of the sleeve variations which are illustrated are so minor, and the images relatively small, that their usefulness is sometimes limited. Some CDs are included but not all. I would still recommend serious collectors who do not have this book try and track a second hand copy down though, and the DPAS Archives copy is never far from reach. If you do go hunting, the book should have the (rather dull) dust-jacket as shown. The actual cover underneath is the same design in black and white. SR