Having closed out the '80s in much the same way as they had the '70s -- fractured by bitter feuding and giant egos -- there was little left to do for
Deep Purple's Mark II line-up and label Polydor but to issue this meager greatest hits collection, culled from a paltry two studio albums and one live release.
Knocking at Your Back Door picks the best moments from 1984's
Perfect Strangers, the worst from 1987's
House of Blue Light, and tosses in a number of mediocre live renditions of some '70s favorites in an aural mish-mash of irritating proportions. In short, the predominantly solid material contained here barely stands up under such transparent commercialism, and no bargain bin discount can justify the purchase of this set. Most anyone would be better served by shelling out for the two albums mentioned above instead. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia