As with most of the entries on the ongoing
Extended Versions series,
Deep Purple's second appearance in the series is similar to all the others -- mostly live tracks, with a studio track or two included as well. And as evidenced by the front cover photo, it's the modern-day version of the band supplying the live recordings (with
Steve Morse on guitar, in place of
Ritchie Blackmore). In other words, you get workmanlike renditions of such
Purple classics as "Smoke on the Water" (which includes some guitar phrases from
Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker"), "Woman from Tokyo," and "Black Night," as well as a 1988 re-recoding of "Hush," with
Ian Gillan on vocals (
Gillan did not sing on
Purple's 1968 studio hit). So as long as you're not expecting to get the definitive live or studio versions of the tracks included here, then
Extended Versions, Vol. 2 won't disappoint. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide