"Deep Purple & Friends" is a two CD set of Deep Purple and Deep Purple-related songs in a very low-cost package. The material and sound quality varies widely from track to track, the selection of songs is seemingly random, and the collection is not really representative of the Deep Purple catalog. Probably my favorite track on the set is "Smoke on the Water" featuring Deep Purple and the London Symphony Orchestra, although the sound quality isn't that great. Probably my least favorite track, on the other hand, is "Smoke on the Water" in a severely funkified form by the Ian Gillan Band. I love Ian's vocals, and consider him to be the truest voice of Deep Purple, but this version is an unnecessary and unwanted stylistic departure from the original. In direct contrast, Roger Glover's "Queen of England" is a standout with very good sound quality.

None of my CD players were able to play "Concerto for Group and Orchestra, Part 2," which was an annoyance. The CD is cheap, and on a cost-per-song basis it's a decent value, but understand that you aren't getting a particularly pure Deep Purple experience, nor an especially distinguished set list, although some of the material is a bit obscure which can be a bonus if you are a glass-half-full type of person.

While I love Deep Purple, this collection is recommended only for completists, as there are many better Deep Purple albums to be had (pretty much any of them, actually.) Unless you must have every Deep Purple-related CD pressing ever made, feel free to skip this one.