The Platinum Collection cover

The Platinum Collection

Deep Purple · 2005

214 min · 41 tracks · hard rock

A dynamic fusion of hard rock and progressive melodies, showcasing Deep Purple's signature sound across decades.

Top tracks — play these first

  • →
    Child in Time — This track exemplifies Deep Purple's fusion of heavy rock with profound lyrical themes, showcasing powerful vocal delivery and intricate instrumentation.
  • →
    Smoke on the Water — As one of the most recognizable rock anthems, its iconic riff and storytelling lyrics encapsulate the band's impact on classic rock culture.
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    Highway Star — Featuring complex arrangements and a blend of speed metal and progressive rock elements, this song captures the band's musical prowess.
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    Hush Start here — This cover showcases the band’s early blues-rock roots and marked their initial commercial breakthrough, becoming a staple in their live performances.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

52 /100
Lowland
Higher than 2% of albums we've rated

This collection showcases Deep Purple's range but lacks cohesive flow due to its sprawling nature and mixed formats.

What we noticed

  • The album compiles 41 tracks, including remixed versions and live recordings, spanning the band's career from early hits to later works.
  • Several tracks are presented in different mixes, such as 'Highway Star' and 'Smoke on the Water', which alters their original sound.
Composition 25% of the score
6/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
6/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
5/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
5/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
4/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • dynamic progression with peaks
  • sprawling anthology of anthems
  • wave-like pacing for immersion
  • live tracks energize sessions
  • for nostalgic listening

Maybe skip if you

  • prefer short, standalone tracks
  • seek instant gratification

Where this album fits

In the catalog
Starting Point — Comprehensive overview of Deep Purple's career for new listeners.
Themes
fire at a concert· anti-war sentiment· virtuosic musicianship
Moods
Intense· Energetic
Career context
Released in 2005, The Platinum Collection serves as a comprehensive retrospective of Deep Purple's influential career, spanning their early days to later hits. At this point, the band had already undergone multiple lineup changes and was reestablishing their legacy after several successful reunions and tours in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Stylistic neighbors
Led Zeppelin· Black Sabbath· Rainbow

Moments worth listening for

Where the writing does something specific.

  • Child in Time

    The shift from haunting verses to explosive choruses reflects a deep emotional turmoil against the backdrop of war.

    By contrasting soft vocals with a powerful crescendo, the song critiques violence while establishing a unique dynamic within its structure.

Tracklist

Disc 1

  • 1 Hush Start here 4:26
  • 2 Mandrake Root 6:11
  • 3 Hey Joe 7:27
  • 4 Kentucky Woman 4:42
  • 5 Wring That Neck 5:12
  • 6 Shield 6:03
  • 7 Bird Has Flown 2:53
  • 8 Emmaretta 3:07
  • 9 Hallelujah 3:41
  • 10 Black Night (single version) 3:27
  • 11 Speed King 5:51
  • 12 Flight of the Rat 7:52
  • 13 Child in Time 10:18

Disc 2

  • 1 Fireball 3:24
  • 2 Strange Kind of Woman 3:51
  • 3 Demon’s Eye 5:20
  • 4 No One Came (1996 remix) 6:24
  • 5 Highway Star (1997 remix) 6:29
  • 6 Smoke on the Water 5:41
  • 7 When a Blind Man Cries (1997 remix) 3:30
  • 8 Space Truckin’ (1997 remix) 4:56
  • 9 Lazy (live) 10:33
  • 10 Never Before (live) 3:57
  • 11 Woman From Tokyo 5:49
  • 12 Smooth Dancer 4:09
  • 13 Mary Long 4:24
  • 14 Burn (single edit) 4:31

Disc 3

  • 1 Might Just Take Your Life 4:38
  • 2 Coronarias Redig 4:53
  • 3 Stormbringer 4:05
  • 4 Hold On 5:05
  • 5 Soldier of Fortune 3:14
  • 6 Mistreated (live) 11:35
  • 7 You Keep On Moving 5:18
  • 8 Love Child 3:05
  • 9 Drifter 4:00
  • 10 Perfect Strangers (live) 6:23
  • 11 Ted the Mechanic (live) 4:33
  • 12 Any Fule Kno That 4:28
  • 13 Bludsucker 4:27
  • 14 Sun Goes Down 4:13

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata