Rapture of the Deep

This article is about the album. For the medical condition, see Nitrogen narcosis. For the novel by L.A. Meyer, see Rapture of the Deep (novel).

Rapture of the Deep is the 18th studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in Europe on 24 October 2005,^[2] and in the US on 1 November 2005. It is the fourth studio album from Deep Purple since Steve Morse joined the band in 1994 and the second to feature veteran keyboardist Don Airey. The album was produced by Mike Bradford who also produced the band's previous release, Bananas.

Rapture of the Deep
Studio album by Deep Purple
Released	24 October 2005
Recorded	March–June 2005 [1]
Studio	Chunky Style Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Hard rock progressive rock
Length	55:48
Label	Edel
Producer	Michael Bradford
Deep Purple chronology
Bananas (2003) Rapture of the Deep (2005) Now What?! (2013)

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[3]
AllMusic	[4]
BBC Music	(favourable)[5]
BW&BK	10/10[6]
Drowned in Sound	5/10[7]
PopMatters	[8]
Terrorizer	4/10[9]

Like Bananas, the album received generally positive reviews from critics and fans.^[4][10] Rapture of the Deep is Deep Purple's first release in Europe on the German label Edel Records, while in the US the record was released by Edel's sub-label Eagle Records.

The album peaked on Billboard's US Top Independent Albums chart at position No. 43.^[11] In the US, the album sold 2500 copies during the first week. In the UK, the album sold 3500 copies during the first week and 1200 copies during the week after.^[12] It also made the top 20 in several European charts. The title track "Rapture of the Deep" was released as a promo single in 2005.

The track "Money Talks" sees singer Ian Gillan perform the widest vocal range heard on any Deep Purple recording, with the bridge featuring a double-tracked deep bass vocal and the song's coda featuring a high-pitched scream.

Track listing

Standard edition

All songs written by Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Steve Morse, Don Airey and Ian Paice, except where noted

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Money Talks"	5:31
2.	"Girls Like That"	4:02
3.	"Wrong Man"	4:53
4.	"Rapture of the Deep"	5:58
5.	"Clearly Quite Absurd"	5:25
6.	"Don't Let Go"	4:32
7.	"Back to Back"	4:03
8.	"Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye"	4:18
9.	"Junkyard Blues"	5:32
10.	"Before Time Began"	6:30

Japanese bonus track

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Things I Never Said"	4:48

Limited Edition/Special Tour Edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
9.	"MTV"	4:56
10.	"Junkyard Blues"	5:33
11.	"Before Time Began"	6:30

Special Tour Edition bonus disc

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Clearly Quite Absurd" (new version)		3:38
2.	"Things I Never Said"		4:48
3.	"The Well-Dressed Guitar" (instrumental outtake from Bananas sessions)	Morse	2:51
4.	"Rapture of the Deep" (Live at the Hard Rock Cafe, London, 10 October 2005)		5:15
5.	"Wrong Man" (Live at the Hard Rock Cafe, London, 10 October 2005)		4:29
6.	"Highway Star" (Live at the Hard Rock Cafe, London, 10 October 2005)	Ritchie Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Jon Lord, Paice	8:09
7.	"Smoke on the Water" (Live at the Hard Rock Cafe, London, 10 October 2005)	Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice	6:50
8.	"Perfect Strangers" (Live at the Hard Rock Cafe, London, 10 October 2005)	Blackmore, Gillan, Glover	6:40

Personnel

Deep Purple

• Ian Gillan – vocals
• Steve Morse – guitars
• Don Airey – keyboards
• Roger Glover – bass
• Ian Paice – drums

Production

• Produced and engineered by Michael Bradford
• Recorded at Chunky Style Studios, Los Angeles, CA, 2005
• Mastered by Andy Van Dette at Masterdisk. New York

Charts

Chart (2005)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[13]	20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14]	64
Czech Republic Albums Chart[15]	32
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[16]	11
French Albums (SNEP)[17]	85
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18]	10
Italian Albums (FIMI)[19]	19
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[20]	240
Polish Albums Chart[15]	40
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21]	71
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22]	22
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23]	16
UK Albums (OCC)[24]	81
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25]	8
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[26]	3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27]	43

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Classic Rock	United Kingdom	"Classic Rock Album of the Year 2005"[28]	2006	24