 |
| Classic Deep Purple: Gillan - Glover - Lord - Blackmore - Paice |
Deep Purple are a band mostly associated with being one of the bands responsible for forming the music genre we now call Heavy Metal - they are part of the "Unholy Trinity" of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. There are notable different line-ups of Deep Purple, which are numbered Mark I, Mark II, etc. The first line up released three albums and four singles, including "Hush". This version of Deep Purple was a psychedelic rock band, influenced by Vanilla Fudge, as exemplified by "Hush". The second line up, regarded as the classic line up, recorded six albums - a classical music album, a highly popular live album, and a series of three studio albums that took the band from heavy melodic rock into the forefront of Heavy Metal, though the band mainly stayed on the rock side of the blurry dotted line between rock and metal. The first of those albums, In Rock, is a fast, energetic album that has stood the test of time, and is an album that could and should be enjoyed by all. The rest of the albums are of interest to fans of classic rock, though offer little to the general listener. After the classic line up broke up, the band went on under a variety of line ups, making a subtle variety of commercial rock/metal which included at times a funkier aspect and/or a more poppy aspect. The classic line up came back together, but then gradually changed into other line-ups. While much of the band's later output is liked and respected (they managed to retain a focus on classic rock while at the same time incorporating more contemporary rock aspects, so there are very few albums that are regarded as substantially below par), it is the albums the classic line up released in a four year period in the early Seventies that are regarded as their best and most significant. In most polls In Rock comes top as the best Deep Purple album.
The rhythm section of Paice and Glover have been the most consistent members of the band, with Paice being the only member to be with the band from start to finish playing on every album and tour. However, it has been those who have played keyboard, lead guitar, and vocals who have been most influential on the sound of Deep Purple, and while there have been skillful occupants of those roles, it is widely acknowledged that Gillan, Blackmore, and Lord are the true architects of the classic Deep Purple sound.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score: 3 1/2
After a break of nearly ten years, the "classic" line-up reform the band and release this album of typical 80s pop-rock mush. Listenable, but not engaging. Falls back on lead guitar clichés while the rest of band plod along. Classic line up, but not classic rock. "Perfect Strangers" is an OK track. Hmm. To be fair, not classic, but at the same time, not bad if you like commercial well mannered rock.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 5 (moved from 4 to 6 after complaints by some fans - I've averaged the score)
Score: 4
Fairly ordinary Eighties hard rock - this is perhaps less poppy and commercial than the previous album, but continues to deal with rock guitar clichés. I like it less than the previous album as it is less melodic, as though the boys are trying to be serious and mean and HARD, though they also deal in Eighties pop rock such as "Call Of The Wild". It doesn't work for me - it feels false and forced, and no track really stands out.
Gillan is sacked due to friction with Blackmore, and Joe Lynn Turner, who had sung in Rainbow with Blackmore and Glover, was brought in. It's acceptable mainstream hard rock with all the expected clichés - high pitched extended guitar licks, solid drum and bass, and a wailing but melodic singer. It is accomplished and acceptable without being interesting or exciting. It sounds like any commercial hard rock band rather than the proper classic Purple. Play it and forget it. "Slow Down Sister", a bonus track, is probably the best track.
And so the classic lineup get together again. The record company wanted Gillan back to take advantage of the 25th anniversary. Blackmore didn't agree at first, but then accepted a quarter million pound fee to have Gillan back in the band. Reports are that there was tension during recording of the album as Gillan was adapting the already written and rehearsed songs so that they would be heavier, while Blackmore preferred them to be more melodic. It's listenable as a standard hard rock album, somewhere poised between classic and commercial. There are, after all, some attempts to make it sound heavy. But it's not interesting, and soon outstays its welcome. Best track is the title track, which leans a little more toward metal than is normal for this essentially main stream hard rock band.
This album is by what is considered to be Deep Purple 7 - there was a Deep Purple 6, but that version didn't record an album. The new guitarist, Steve Morse, is accomplished, and can play all the right notes in the right order in a variety of ways, but there is a lack of feel both in his playing and in the sound of the album as a whole. Accomplished, professional, good sounding, but lacking in authenticity and passion.
Opening track is attractive funky classic hard rock. This is a professional album - well played and produced, with a classic hard rock core, yet allowing new elements to colour the proceedings. There's nothing really essential here, but it is pleasing to hear an accomplished older band stretch themselves a little.
New keyboard player. Same old band. It's been five years since the last album, and the band members (the remaining classic era members that is) are now mature and settled, so this sounds like a settled family album. The rhythm section of Pace and Glover do their bit as they always have, but it's not their bits that have got fans excited over the years and returning for more - it's always been the guitar, keyboards and voice. And here those three things are solid, mature, impressive, but boring. And this is the weakest bunch of songs the band have penned in their entire career. The AllMusic reviewer likes it, and it sold reasonably well.
Likeable album, quite rocky and melodic, though with metal touches to add colour and depth. This is an experienced, professional, and accomplished band who simply lack drive, ambition, and creativity. But for playing the same old in the same old way, staying largely within their and their fan's comfort zone, they are very good. I'm OK with this album. It's not one I'm going to select to play (if I'm playing Purple it's gonna be In Rock), but when it's on it's listenable and attractive.
Heavier and more metal than the average Purple album. Not really my thing. Too sombre, serious, lacking in ideas, and true energy. I kind of feel that Blackmore and Lord are missing. Now and again, as with "Hell To Pay", there is a return to the classic 70s Deep Purple, but it also sounds like so many other chug a lug hard rock bands that have come (and gone) since In Rock was released. That the best bits of this album are 1970 clichés that don't match, let alone exceed, the originals, is an example of how non-essential it is. It's an album I'm struggling to keep listening to.
Still heavy, and still returning to their own hard rock clichés (the band's, not the individual members, as guitarist and keyboard player are simply copying Blackmore and Lord), this veers around like a shopping trolley unsure if it should indulge in commercial hard rock or the more cultish and respected heavy metal. Sometimes it rocks quite playfully, at other times it tries hard to be serious and menacing. Admiration for the energy and ability of the remaining geriatrics in the band, as well as the tribute band skills of the newer members, this is at times a lively and attractive listen, but it's far from essential, even though it proved commercially popular.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 3 1/2
Apart from Rapture (2005), I've not really got on with the post-Blackmore and Lord albums. Indeed, I don't think I have really got on with Purple since Blackmore left. This album has not altered my experience. It's rocky with the standard hard rock nudging into funk or metal with nostalgic digs into the past that the band have been doing for years.
Wikipedia
Deep Purple (Sept 1969)
Shades of Deep Purple (July 1968)
The Battle Rages On... (1993)
Now What?! (2013)
Infinite (2017)
My selection
In Rock (June 1970) - 8 (Classic)
Made In Japan (Dec 1972) - 6 (Classic)
Stormbringer (1974) - 6 (Purple 3)
Highway Star (71)
Smoke On The Water (48)
Burn (47)
Wikipedia article: Deep Purple
The official website: Deep Purple.com
Rolling Stone: Deep Purple biography
AllMusic: Deep Purple biography
The rhythm section of Paice and Glover have been the most consistent members of the band, with Paice being the only member to be with the band from start to finish playing on every album and tour. However, it has been those who have played keyboard, lead guitar, and vocals who have been most influential on the sound of Deep Purple, and while there have been skillful occupants of those roles, it is widely acknowledged that Gillan, Blackmore, and Lord are the true architects of the classic Deep Purple sound.
Albums
 |
| Shades of Deep Purple (July 1968) |
You can detect that this is the same band who would later emerge as the heavy rockers of In Rock, but on the whole this is largely indifferent Sixties heavy pop / progressive rock / psychedelic rock material, though it does contain "Hush", originally released by Billy Joe Royal. There are some similarities to The Nice ("Bonnie K" 1967), though that's more likely due to similar interests and instruments than actual copying as The Nice were just starting up. Other bands that had a clear influence include Cream - "Sunshine Of Your Love" 1967, Hendrix - "Can You See Me" 1967, and Vanilla Fudge - "You Keep Me Hanging On" 1967, and the band cover a Cream track and a song, "Hey Joe", done by Hendrix. On the whole, while not being anything ground-breaking, and a little disjointed, it's a professionally made and listenable album with a clear intent to make progressive music rather than something simply commercial; and "Hush" is a fine track.
| Released | 17 July 1968 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 11–13 May 1968 |
| Studio | Pye Studios, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 43:27 |
| Label | Tetragrammaton |
| Producer | Derek Lawrence |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "And the Address" (instrumental) | Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Hush" (7) | Joe South | 4:24 |
| 3. | "One More Rainy Day" | Lord, Rod Evans | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad" | Blackmore, Evans, Lord, Ian Paice, Nick Simper/Skip James | 7:19 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Mandrake Root" | Blackmore, Lord, Evans | 6:09 |
| 6. | "Help!" | Lennon–McCartney | 6:01 |
| 7. | "Love Help Me" | Blackmore, Evans | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Hey Joe" | Billy Roberts | 7:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Shadows" (album outtake) | Lord, Evans, Simper, Blackmore | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Love Help Me" (instrumental version) | Blackmore, Evans | 3:30 |
| 11. | "Help" (alternate take) | Lennon, McCartney | 5:24 |
| 12. | "Hey Joe" (BBC Top Gear session, 14 January 1969) | Roberts | 4:06 |
| 13. | "Hush" (live US TV, 1968) | South | 3:53 |
- Rod Evans – lead vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
- Jon Lord – organ, backing vocals
- Nick Simper – bass, backing vocals
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score: 3 1/2
| The Book of Taliesyn (Oct 1968/June 1969) |
The band's second album is more of the same. The playing is crisp and professional, and in places you can recognise some of the guitar riffs and organ sounds of the classic Deep Purple, but on the whole the playing lacks depth and excitement, the songs are poor, and the whole thing is a little boring. The band were given a little more time to record this album, and some of the song choices and arrangements suggest that the band are trying to be adventurous and interesting, but the end result feels somewhat ponderous, earnest and pretentious. Though the band were making the songs longer and more complex, the resulting sound, with the exception of "River Deep, Mountain High", the band's audacious cover of the Phil Spector classic, is less heavy and exciting than the first album, and feels more like a side step into baroque pop, like the Zombies Odessey and Oracle album or Scott Walker's Scott 2, rather than a move towards the hard rock which would lead to In Rock, and the start of Heavy Metal. So this feels like a step backwards from the first album both in terms of musical progress and listenability.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 3
| Released | October 1968 (US) June 1969 (UK) |
|---|---|
| Recorded | August and October 1968 |
| Studio | De Lane Lea Studios, Kingsway, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 43:57 |
| Label | Tetragrammaton |
| Producer | Derek Lawrence |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Listen, Learn, Read On" | Ritchie Blackmore, Rod Evans, Jon Lord, Ian Paice | 4:05 |
| 2. | "Wring That Neck" (instrumental, titled "Hard Road" in the USA) | Blackmore, Nick Simper, Lord, Paice | 5:13 |
| 3. | "Kentucky Woman" (Neil Diamond cover) | Neil Diamond | 4:44 |
| 4. | "(a) Exposition" "(b) We Can Work It Out" (The Beatles cover) | Blackmore, Simper, Lord, Paice, John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 7:06 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Shield" | Blackmore, Evans, Lord | 6:06 |
| 6. | "Anthem" | Lord, Evans | 6:31 |
| 7. | "River Deep, Mountain High" (Ike & Tina Turner cover) | Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector | 10:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Oh No No No" (studio outtake, December 1968) | Bert Berns (aka Bert Russell), Mike Leander | 4:25 |
| 9. | "It's All Over" (BBC Top Gear session; 14 January 1969) | Berns, Leander | 4:14 |
| 10. | "Hey Bop a Re Bop" (BBC Top Gear session; 14 January 1969) | Blackmore, Evans, Lord, Paice | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Wring That Neck" (BBC Top Gear session; 14 January 1969) | Blackmore, Simper, Lord, Paice | 4:42 |
| 12. | "Playground" (remixed instrumental studio outtake; 18 August 1968) | Blackmore, Simper, Lord, Paice | 4:29 |
- Rod Evans – lead vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Jon Lord – Hammond organ, keyboards, backing vocals, strings arrangement on "Anthem"
- Nick Simper – bass, backing vocals
- Ian Paice – drums, temple blocks
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 3
.jpg) |
| Deep Purple (Sept 1969) |
Though still largely in the same mould as the previous two albums, this - the last with the original line up - is clearly a bridge between the pop/rock band and the heavy rock band that Deep Purple would become with In Rock. The guitar playing and organ, especially on the more extended, largely instrumental sequences, is at times quite exciting - with a rocky groove that moves it out from under the progressive/psychedelic umbrella into the more direct, riffing sound of heavy rock. The cover of Donovan's "Lalena" sounds like "Child In Time", though Rod Evan's voice is clearly too soft, and if the band were to progress into a heavier sound they were right to drop him and seek out a more appropriate singer. This is a much more accomplished, interesting and satisfying album than the previous two. While "April" is too diverse to work (blending, in three extended sections, rock and classical music), it does show the ambition and musicianship of the band - Lord and Blackmore in particular. "Bird Has Flown", which in an edited version was released as a single, sounds like an outtake from In Rock. Interestingly the band did a recording for the BBC of "Bird Has Flown" with new singer Ian Gillan on vocals - and it shows what a difference he makes. "Why Didn't Rosemary?" is a good rocking track, and is probably the most satisfactory and successful on the album. Overall this is a surprisingly attractive and accomplished if patchy and occasionally flawed album.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 4
| Released | 21 June 1969 (US) September 1969 (UK) |
|---|---|
| Recorded | January–March 1969 |
| Studio | De Lane Lea Studios, Kingsway, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 44:34 |
| Label | Tetragrammaton (US) Harvest Records (UK) |
| Producer | Derek Lawrence |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chasing Shadows" | Ian Paice, Jon Lord | 5:34 |
| 2. | "Blind" | Lord | 5:26 |
| 3. | "Lalena" (Donovan cover) | Donovan Leitch | 5:05 |
| 4. | "Fault Line" (instrumental) | Ritchie Blackmore, Nick Simper, Lord, Paice | 1:46 |
| 5. | "The Painter" | Blackmore, Rod Evans, Lord, Simper, Paice | 3:51 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Why Didn't Rosemary?" | Blackmore, Evans, Lord, Simper, Paice | 5:04 |
| 7. | "Bird Has Flown" | Lord, Evans, Blackmore | 5:36 |
| 8. | "April" | Blackmore, Lord | 12:10 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "The Bird Has Flown" (Alternate A-side version) | Lord, Evans, Blackmore | 2:54 |
| 10. | "Emmaretta" (Studio B-side) | Lord, Evans, Blackmore | 3:00 |
| 11. | "Emmaretta" (BBC Top Gear session, 14 January 1969) | Lord, Evans, Blackmore | 3:09 |
| 12. | "Lalena" (BBC radio session; 24 June 1969) | Leitch | 3:33 |
| 13. | "The Painter" (BBC radio session; 24 June 1969) | Blackmore, Evans, Lord, Simper, Paice | 2:18 |
- Rod Evans – lead vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
- Jon Lord – Hammond organ, piano, harpsichord, backing vocals
- Nick Simper – bass, backing vocals
- Ian Paice – drums, percussion
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 4
 |
| Concerto for Group and Orchestra (Dec 1969) |
Ian Gillan was brought in as singer to replace Rod Evans, and he brought with him Roger Glover from their band Episode Six. The focus of the album is on the classical music and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It seems to work OK as a piece of orchestral music - at times sounding like a film score. But it sounds a bit crude when the band do their bits. Admire the ambition to fully develop the contemporary interest in combining classical and rock music, which was something of a trend at this period, and formed the basis of symphonic prog rock, but, to be fair, as a rock album, this sucks, and as a classical record, this sucks. This is a curiosity, nothing more.
Film of the concert.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 6
Score 2 1/2
| Released | 20 December 1969 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 24 September 1969 |
| Genre | Classical crossover, progressive rock |
| Length | 59:26 |
| Label | Tetragrammaton (US) Harvest (UK) Polydor (Canada) |
| Producer | Deep Purple |
| No. | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "First Movement: Moderato — Allegro" | |
| 2. | "Second Movement: Andante Part 1" | |
| 3. | "Second Movement: Andante Conclusion" | |
| 4. | "Third Movement: Vivace — Presto" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 3:28 |
| 2. | "Hush" | 4:41 |
| 3. | "Wring That Neck" | 13:24 |
| 4. | "Child in Time" | 12:02 |
| 5. | "First Movement: Moderato - Allegro" | 19:21 |
| 6. | "Second Movement: Andante" | 19:11 |
| 7. | "Third Movement: Vivace - Presto" | 13:09 |
| 8. | "Encore: Third Movement: Vivace - Presto (Part)" | 5:52 |
- Ian Gillan: vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore: guitar
- Jon Lord: keyboards
- Roger Glover: bass
- Ian Paice: drums
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: orchestral instruments
- Malcolm Arnold: conductor
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 6
Score 2 1/2
 |
| "Black Night" (June 1970) 1970 TV appearance. |
 |
| In Rock (June 1970) |
One of the most popular rock albums ever made. Exciting back in 1970, and still thrills and delights today. Fast rocky music played by accomplished musicians who understand music structure and texture. There have been a number of strong claims made for this album in terms of its importance in creating "Heavy Metal" - but in truth it was part of a wider development of which Led Zeppelin, Cream, Black Sabbath, etc were a part. It really did not appear significant at the time, as other bands were also pushing and exploring fast, melodic, heavy rock music. But it did strike me and my friends as fast and exciting - with great rushes of sound that could be quite euphoric. None of us regarded it as a great album - I think we all were interested in a range of other bands and musicians that made Deep Purple less interesting by comparison (Led Zeppelin, Captain Beefheart, Velvet Underground, Hawkwind, etc), but we found it very enjoyable, even if we also found it a little limited. I think that still holds true today - this is an album I enjoy rather more than respect. The decent single "Black Night" was recorded at the end of the album sessions, but not included on the album itself.
Despite my carping, this is a classic album and essential listening for everyone, but especially teenage boys! The opening track "Speed King" works perfectly - a woosh of excitement. "Bloodsucker" is a little lumpy with some simple, jerky progression on heavy British blues, with each one taking their turn - a bit of electric guitar, a bit of organ - a little obvious and old fashioned, with nods to The Nice, but Gillan saves it with some dramatic screams here and there. "Child in Time" is a lovely riffing piece, but it doesn't develop and so tends to outstay its welcome. And it was an uncredited copy of It's A Beautiful Day's "Bombay Calling" - such borrowings have been common in music throughout history - it is only in recent years that lawyers have been urging musicians to sue each other, so the lawyers can make some easy money. Lawyers, politicians, and dog breeders should all be put on a spaceship with the controls set for the heart of the Sun.
The musicianship in Deep Purple is good, but lacks creativity. There are elements that come across a little too much like the Jesus Christ Superstar album, which was recorded around the same time, and in which Gillan played Jesus. The band hit the notes predictably and cleanly, and stop and start in a theatrical manner. Yet, at it's best, when it flows, "Child in Time" boogies along in a manner which has become very common in hard rock bands like Skynyrd's "Freebird".
An enjoyable and influential album; while theatrical and limited, it induced a breathless excitement in all the teenage boys who listened, many of whom went on to form their own bands. Yeah - a classic.
Was it original, and the start of heavy metal? Nope. I could list loads of albums here that were recorded before or around the same time as In Rock, which also (or more so) contain the definitive elements of metal, such as Man's 2oz of Plastic With a Hole in The Middle (1969), Golden Earring's Golden Earring (1970), Uriah Heap's Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble (1970), etc In truth, that was a sound that was around at the time, and Deep Purple were part of it. But their success, and the success of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, has those three bands singled out as the unholy trinity of heavy metal. And that's fine. But it's not accurate.
American Woman (Jan 1970) - The Guess Who; Atomic Rooster (Feb 1970) & Death Walks Behind You (Sept 1970) - Atomic Rooster; Defrosted (June 1970) - Fijid Pink; Enigmatic (Jan 1970) - Niemann; Fire and Water (June 1970) - Free; Blue Cheer (Dec 1969) - Blue Cheer; Fun House (July 1970) The Stooges; ....
Despite my carping, this is a classic album and essential listening for everyone, but especially teenage boys! The opening track "Speed King" works perfectly - a woosh of excitement. "Bloodsucker" is a little lumpy with some simple, jerky progression on heavy British blues, with each one taking their turn - a bit of electric guitar, a bit of organ - a little obvious and old fashioned, with nods to The Nice, but Gillan saves it with some dramatic screams here and there. "Child in Time" is a lovely riffing piece, but it doesn't develop and so tends to outstay its welcome. And it was an uncredited copy of It's A Beautiful Day's "Bombay Calling" - such borrowings have been common in music throughout history - it is only in recent years that lawyers have been urging musicians to sue each other, so the lawyers can make some easy money. Lawyers, politicians, and dog breeders should all be put on a spaceship with the controls set for the heart of the Sun.
The musicianship in Deep Purple is good, but lacks creativity. There are elements that come across a little too much like the Jesus Christ Superstar album, which was recorded around the same time, and in which Gillan played Jesus. The band hit the notes predictably and cleanly, and stop and start in a theatrical manner. Yet, at it's best, when it flows, "Child in Time" boogies along in a manner which has become very common in hard rock bands like Skynyrd's "Freebird".
An enjoyable and influential album; while theatrical and limited, it induced a breathless excitement in all the teenage boys who listened, many of whom went on to form their own bands. Yeah - a classic.
Was it original, and the start of heavy metal? Nope. I could list loads of albums here that were recorded before or around the same time as In Rock, which also (or more so) contain the definitive elements of metal, such as Man's 2oz of Plastic With a Hole in The Middle (1969), Golden Earring's Golden Earring (1970), Uriah Heap's Very 'Eavy Very 'Umble (1970), etc In truth, that was a sound that was around at the time, and Deep Purple were part of it. But their success, and the success of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, has those three bands singled out as the unholy trinity of heavy metal. And that's fine. But it's not accurate.
American Woman (Jan 1970) - The Guess Who; Atomic Rooster (Feb 1970) & Death Walks Behind You (Sept 1970) - Atomic Rooster; Defrosted (June 1970) - Fijid Pink; Enigmatic (Jan 1970) - Niemann; Fire and Water (June 1970) - Free; Blue Cheer (Dec 1969) - Blue Cheer; Fun House (July 1970) The Stooges; ....
"Child In Time" live 1970; "Speed King" live 1970;
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 8
| Released | 5 June 1970 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | October 1969 – April 1970 |
| Studio | Various |
| Genre | |
| Length | 43:30 |
| Label | Harvest |
| Producer | Deep Purple |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Speed King" (14) | 5:49 |
| 2. | "Bloodsucker" (27) | 4:10 |
| 3. | "Child in Time" (26) | 10:14 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Flight of the Rat" | 7:51 |
| 2. | "Into the Fire" (23) | 3:28 |
| 3. | "Living Wreck" (87) | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Hard Lovin' Man" (29) | 7:11 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Jon Lord – organ
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 8
 |
| Fireball (Sept 1971) Fireball (25th Anniversary release) |
I didn't like this album when it came out. The cover didn't work for me - I felt it looked cheap and cheesy. I'm more accepting now of both the music and the cover, though I still feel that the music is simply fast without tension or focus. It seems fast purely for its own sake - and it sounds like what it really is: a hastily thrown together follow up to In Rock. The single from the same recording session, "Strange Kind of Woman", is OK, though is clearly an attempt to redo "Black Night". The album lacks imagination, ideas, and touch. It is musical noise, and even the band don't like it. However, it went to Number 1 in the UK and several other countries, and is generally respected among fans of the band. "Anyone's Daughter", a sort of Dylanesque humorous country ramble should not have been allowed to be recorded. The album starts well, and is listenable, but is not as exciting as In Rock nor as commercially appealing as the next album Machine Head.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 4
| Released | July 1971 (US) September 1971 (UK) |
|---|---|
| Recorded | September 1970 – June 1971 |
| Studio | De Lane Lea Studios and Olympic Studios, London, The Hermitage, UK |
| Genre | |
| Length | 40:30 |
| Label | Harvest |
| Producer | Deep Purple |
All songs written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.
- Side one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fireball" (17) | 3:25 |
| 2. | "No No No" (132) | 6:54 |
| 3. | "Demon's Eye" (40) | 5:19 |
| 4. | "Anyone's Daughter" (68) | 4:43 |
- Side two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Mule" (33) | 5:23 |
| 2. | "Fools" (51) | 8:21 |
| 3. | "No One Came" (24) | 6:28 |
- 25th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Strange Kind of Woman" (A-side remix '96) | 4:07 | |
| 9. | "I'm Alone (single B-side)" | 3:08 | |
| 10. | "Freedom" (album out-take) | 3:37 | |
| 11. | "Slow Train" (album out-take) | 5:38 | |
| 12. | "Demon's Eye" (remix '96) | 6:13 | |
| 13. | "The Noise Abatement Society Tapes (Midnight in Moscow, Robin Hood, William Tell)" | Traditional | 4:17 |
| 14. | "Fireball" (take 1 – instrumental) | 4:09 | |
| 15. | "Backwards Piano" (Reversed piano solo at the end of "No One Came.") | 0:56 | |
| 16. | "No One Came" (remix '96) | 6:24 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
- Jon Lord – keyboards, Hammond organ
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 4
 |
| Machine Head (March 1972) |
The TV series Classic Albums did a program on this album. The track "Smoke On The Water" has become the band's most famous track, and for many fans this is the band's best album - it seems to be the band's best known album, and has acquired a huge, seemingly over enthusiastic reputation. It's slick, commercial, and appealing - with most of the elements associated with popular hard rock. The essential sound propelling the album is a basic keyboard driven boogie that is the heart of "Smoke On The Water", and is repeated in various other songs, much as Lloyd Webber finds an appealing hook for his main song in a theatrical show, and that hook will echo in other songs. Not sure if the band or Webber are doing it deliberately, or it's just that that sound is what is in their head as they are creating the music, so it keeps emerging in various forms. Certainly if you like the hook, then you like the whole album. But if you find that the hook, though charming, is a little too repetitive and overused on "Smoke On The Water", then listening to the whole album is unlikely to be a rewarding experience. I didn't like the cover at the time, and I still don't like it. But I'm fonder of the music today than I was at the time. Nostalgia, an awareness that music today is not as good as it once was, a lowering of standards, or an acceptance that I was too fussy back then, and this is actually not that bad? Who knows?
Boogie rock was popular at the end of the Sixties and in the early Seventies. Canned Heat (Future Blues - 1970) and Humble Pie (Performance - 1971) are possibly the two main bands associated with it.
User reviews on ProgArchives; Lester Bangs for Rolling Stone 1972; ClassicRockReview 2012; Progrography; Keno; PowerOfProg;
Detailed information and photos of the burning of the Casino that inspired "Smoke On The Water".
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 5
Boogie rock was popular at the end of the Sixties and in the early Seventies. Canned Heat (Future Blues - 1970) and Humble Pie (Performance - 1971) are possibly the two main bands associated with it.
User reviews on ProgArchives; Lester Bangs for Rolling Stone 1972; ClassicRockReview 2012; Progrography; Keno; PowerOfProg;
Detailed information and photos of the burning of the Casino that inspired "Smoke On The Water".
| Released | 25 March 1972 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 6–21 December 1971 |
| Studio | Grand Hotel (Montreux, Switzerland) with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 37:46 |
| Label | Purple |
| Producer | Deep Purple |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Highway Star" (2) | 6:05 |
| 2. | "Maybe I'm a Leo" (31) | 4:51 |
| 3. | "Pictures of Home" (12) | 5:03 |
| 4. | "Never Before" (118) | 3:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smoke on the Water" (1) | 5:40 |
| 2. | "Lazy" (5) | 7:19 |
| 3. | "Space Truckin'" (6) | 4:31 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Jon Lord – organ
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 5
 |
| Made In Japan (Dec 1972) |
A popular and highly regarded live album. Seven tracks spread out over two albums, averaging around 10 minutes each. The last one, "Space Truckin", taking nearly 20 minutes. Typically Seventies rock, including drum solo. The band generate a good rocking boogie. Nothing adventurous or clever, but solid, undemanding, "heavy", and entertaining. The title of "Space Truckin'" put me in mind of Grateful Dead's "Truckin'" from the same period, and Purple's appealing heaviness and straightforward approach is a noticeable comparison. Rather more similar hard rock live albums from 1972 are Bloodrock Live, Eat A Peach (The Allman Brothers), Greasy Truckers (starting with the awesome and under-rated Man band from Wales, and finishing with the also somewhat neglected space rockers Hawkwind), Live At The Paramount (The Guess Who), Live In Europe (Rory Gallagher), and Slade Alive!. I'm not entirely convinced that Purple stand out from that crowd - their music fits right in with the heavy and fast rock approach of the time. But, other than The Allman Brothers, they became more successful and more acclaimed.
At the end of the day it's a basic rock album, quite approachable, undemanding, and commercial. It's enjoyable, and that's all it wants to be. Fast, rocky, slick, and exciting.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 6
At the end of the day it's a basic rock album, quite approachable, undemanding, and commercial. It's enjoyable, and that's all it wants to be. Fast, rocky, slick, and exciting.
| Released | 8 December 1972 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | Festival Hall, Osaka, 15 and 16 August 1972 Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, 17 August 1972 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 76:44 |
| Label | Purple |
| Producer |
|
| No. | Title | Recording date and location | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Highway Star" | Osaka on 16 August | 6:52 |
| 2. | "Child in Time" | Osaka on 16 August | 12:25 |
| No. | Title | ... | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | "Smoke on the Water" | Osaka on 15 August | 7:32 |
| 4. | "The Mule" | Tokyo on 17 August | 9:50 |
| No. | Title | ... | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Strange Kind of Woman" | Osaka on 16 August | 9:36 |
| 6. | "Lazy" | Tokyo on 17 August | 10:51 |
| No. | Title | ... | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Space Truckin'" | Osaka on 16 August | 19:42 |
- 2014 CD Deluxe Bonus Disc
- The Encores: 2014 Martin Pullan Remix
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Black Night (15 August)" | 6:58 |
| 2. | "Speed King (15 August)" | 8:28 |
| 3. | "Black Night (16 August)" | 6:58 |
| 4. | "Lucille (16 August)" | 9:03 |
| 5. | "Black Night (17 August)" | 8:01 |
| 6. | "Speed King (17 August)" | 7:19 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – lead guitar
- Jon Lord – organ, piano
- Roger Glover – bass guitar
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 6
 |
| Who Do We Think We Are (Jan 1973) |
For masochists only. Even Deep Purple fans avoid this album. The band were tired and stressed. Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left after this album. To be fair it's not awful, but it is subpar. The opening song "Woman from Tokyo" became popular when the classic line up reformed later.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score: 3
| Released | 13 January 1973 (US) |
|---|---|
| Recorded | July 1972 in Rome, Italy and October 1972 in Frankfurt, West Germany, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio |
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock |
| Length | 34:27 |
| Label | Purple |
| Producer | Deep Purple |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Woman from Tokyo" | 5:48 |
| 2. | "Mary Long" | 4:23 |
| 3. | "Super Trouper" | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Smooth Dancer" | 4:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rat Bat Blue" | 5:23 |
| 2. | "Place in Line" | 6:29 |
| 3. | "Our Lady" | 5:12 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Jon Lord – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums, percussion
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score: 3
 |
| Burn (Feb 1974) |
New singer Coverdale replaces Gillan, and bass player Glenn Hughes replaces Glover - this is now Deep Purple III. The band have slowed down, and have developed a grungier sound with less crisp clarity on the lead guitar which is quite fat and fuzzy. This is less hard rock, and more bluesy heavy metal. It progresses quite predictably. The main difference in music approach to Mark II is the funk that Hughes brings to the bass, which adds something of interest. Coverdale's voice is richer, but not as strong or energetic and exciting as Gillan. Overall, as a basic hard rock album this is pretty good.
| Released | 15 February 1974 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | November 1973 |
| Studio | Montreux, Switzerland with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio |
| Genre | |
| Length | 41:37 |
| Label | Purple |
| Producer | Deep Purple |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Burn" | 6:00 | |
| 2. | "Might Just Take Your Life" | 4:36 | |
| 3. | "Lay Down, Stay Down" | 4:15 | |
| 4. | "Sail Away" | Blackmore, Coverdale | 5:48 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You Fool No One" | 4:47 | |
| 2. | "What's Goin' On Here" | 4:55 | |
| 3. | "Mistreated" | Blackmore, Coverdale | 7:25 |
| 4. | "'A' 200" | Blackmore, Lord, Paice | 3:51 |
- David Coverdale – lead and backing vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Jon Lord – keyboards, synthesizers
- Glenn Hughes – bass guitar, backing and lead vocals
- Ian Paice – drums
AllMusic: 9
Score: 5
 |
| Stormbringer (1974) |
This is a more varied and musical album than I expected - there's good rocking blues, and funk, and folk-rock, along with the traditional rock boogie that Deep Purple were best known for. The guitar is back to a cleaner style - fast picking interspersed with sustained notes, rather than blurred chords. Coverdale, though less exciting, is a more varied and interesting singer - more traditional blues rock than Gillan's musical theatre voice. This is a mature album. Good sound and musicianship. What lets it down is there are no great songs. The songs are OK and listenable, but there's no "Speed King", "Child In Time", or "Smoke On The Water" here. Not popular with fans of the band or classic rock, and not typical of Deep Purple (more like Free - Essential Free), but a decent album non-the-less. "Soldier of Fortune" has proved to be a popular song, and, to a lesser extent, the title song "Stormbringer".
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score: 6
| Released | November 1974 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | August–September 1974 |
| Studio | Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany The Record Plant, Los Angeles |
| Genre | |
| Length | 36:31 |
| Label | Purple |
| Producer | Martin Birch & Deep Purple |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stormbringer" | Blackmore, Coverdale | 4:03 |
| 2. | "Love Don't Mean a Thing" | Deep Purple | 4:23 |
| 3. | "Holy Man" | Coverdale, Hughes, Lord | 4:28 |
| 4. | "Hold On" | Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice | 5:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lady Double Dealer" | Blackmore, Coverdale | 3:19 |
| 2. | "You Can't Do It Right (With the One You Love)" | Blackmore, Coverdale, Hughes | 3:24 |
| 3. | "High Ball Shooter" | Deep Purple | 4:26 |
| 4. | "The Gypsy" | Deep Purple | 4:05 |
| 5. | "Soldier of Fortune" | Blackmore, Coverdale | 3:14 |
- David Coverdale – lead vocals (all but "Holy Man"), backing vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
- Jon Lord – organ, keyboards, electric piano, backing vocals
- Glenn Hughes – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals ("Holy Man")
- Ian Paice – drums, percussion
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 4
Score: 6
| Come Taste The Band (1975) |
Only two original members after Blackmore left. This is the only album with Tommy Bolin on guitar, and the last with Coverdale and Hughes. After this the band split up for 8 years. The classic line up reformed in 1984, and various versions of the band have continued to recorded and tour since then. This is a smooth, commercial, middle-of-the-road hard rock. It's quite listenable, but it lacks excitement and edge.
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 4
It's a live Deep Purple 4 album recorded in Europe. It's surprisingly flat despite all the guitar and organ technics. I think Purple really needs Gillan's whoops and screams. And I could do without the drum solo.
Wikipedia
| Released | 10 October 1975 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 3 August – 1 September 1975 |
| Studio | Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany |
| Genre | Hard rock, funk rock |
| Length | 37:16 |
| Label | Purple |
| Producer | Martin Birch & Deep Purple |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Comin' Home" | Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale, Ian Paice | Coverdale | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Lady Luck" | Jeffrey Craig Jeff Cook, David Coverdale | Coverdale | 2:48 |
| 3. | "Gettin' Tighter" | Bolin, Glenn Hughes | Hughes | 3:37 |
| 4. | "Dealer" | Bolin, Coverdale | Coverdale, Bolin | 3:50 |
| 5. | "I Need Love" | Bolin, Coverdale | Coverdale | 4:23 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Drifter" | Bolin, Coverdale | Coverdale | 4:02 |
| 7. | "Love Child" | Bolin, Coverdale | Coverdale | 3:08 |
| 8. | "This Time Around / Owed to 'G'" | Hughes, Jon Lord / Bolin | Hughes / Instrumental | 6:10 |
| 9. | "You Keep On Moving" | Coverdale, Hughes | Coverdale, Hughes | 5:19 |
- David Coverdale – lead and backing vocals
- Tommy Bolin – lead & acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Jon Lord – keyboards
- Glenn Hughes – bass guitar, lead and co-vocals
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 4
 |
| Made In Europe (Oct 1976) |
It's a live Deep Purple 4 album recorded in Europe. It's surprisingly flat despite all the guitar and organ technics. I think Purple really needs Gillan's whoops and screams. And I could do without the drum solo.
| Released | October 1976 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 4 April 1975 in Graz, Austria, 5 April 1975 in Saarbrücken, Germany and 7 April 1975 in Paris, France |
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Length | 45:47 |
| Label | EMI/Purple (UK) Warner Bros. (US) |
| Producer | Deep Purple & Martin Birch |
All songs written by Ritchie Blackmore and David Coverdale except where noted.
| No. | Title | Studio alb. | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Burn" (Blackmore, Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice) | Burn (1974) | 7:32 |
| 2. | "Mistreated" (interpolating "Rock Me Baby)" (Joe Josea, B.B. King) | Burn (1974) | 11:32 |
| 3. | "Lady Double Dealer" | Stormbringer (1974) | 4:15 |
| No. | Title | Studio alb. | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "You Fool No One" (Blackmore, Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice) | Burn (1974) | 16:42 |
| 5. | "Stormbringer" | Stormbringer (1974) | 5:38 |
- Ritchie Blackmore – lead guitar
- David Coverdale – lead vocals
- Glenn Hughes – bass and vocals
- Jon Lord – Hammond organ and keyboards
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 5
Score: 3 1/2
Score: 3 1/2
 |
| The classic Purple reform |
.jpg) |
| Perfect Strangers (Oct 1984) |
After a break of nearly ten years, the "classic" line-up reform the band and release this album of typical 80s pop-rock mush. Listenable, but not engaging. Falls back on lead guitar clichés while the rest of band plod along. Classic line up, but not classic rock. "Perfect Strangers" is an OK track. Hmm. To be fair, not classic, but at the same time, not bad if you like commercial well mannered rock.
| Released | 29 October 1984 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | August 1984 |
| Studio | "Horizons" in Stowe, Vermont, USA with Le Mobile Studio |
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Length | 40:02 |
| Label | Polydor |
| Producer | Roger Glover, Deep Purple |
All songs by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Knocking at Your Back Door" | 7:09 |
| 2. | "Under the Gun" | 4:40 |
| 3. | "Nobody's Home" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice) | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Mean Streak" | 4:26 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Perfect Strangers" | 5:31 |
| 6. | "A Gypsy's Kiss" | 4:14 |
| 7. | "Wasted Sunsets" | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Hungry Daze" | 5:01 |
| 9. | "Not Responsible" | 4:53 |
|---|
| 10. | "Son of Alerik" (Blackmore) | 10:01 |
|---|
- Ian Gillan – lead vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Jon Lord – organ, keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass, synthesizer
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 5 (moved from 4 to 6 after complaints by some fans - I've averaged the score)
Score: 4
 |
| The House of Blue Light (1987) |
Fairly ordinary Eighties hard rock - this is perhaps less poppy and commercial than the previous album, but continues to deal with rock guitar clichés. I like it less than the previous album as it is less melodic, as though the boys are trying to be serious and mean and HARD, though they also deal in Eighties pop rock such as "Call Of The Wild". It doesn't work for me - it feels false and forced, and no track really stands out.
| Released | 16 January 1987[1] |
|---|---|
| Recorded | April–September 1986 |
| Studio | The Playhouse, Stowe, Vermont, USA with Le Mobile Studio |
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Length | 50:38 |
| Label | Polydor |
| Producer | Roger Glover, Deep Purple |
All tracks written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bad Attitude" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord) | 5:04 |
| 2. | "The Unwritten Law" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Paice) | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Call of the Wild" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord) | 4:48 |
| 4. | "Mad Dog" | 4:36 |
| 5. | "Black & White" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord) | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Hard Lovin' Woman" | 3:25 |
| 7. | "The Spanish Archer" | 5:31 |
| 8. | "Strangeways" | 7:36 |
| 9. | "Mitzi Dupree" | 5:05 |
| 10. | "Dead or Alive" | 5:00 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals, harmonica
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
- Jon Lord – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums, percussion
 |
| Slaves and Masters (Oct 1990) |
Gillan is sacked due to friction with Blackmore, and Joe Lynn Turner, who had sung in Rainbow with Blackmore and Glover, was brought in. It's acceptable mainstream hard rock with all the expected clichés - high pitched extended guitar licks, solid drum and bass, and a wailing but melodic singer. It is accomplished and acceptable without being interesting or exciting. It sounds like any commercial hard rock band rather than the proper classic Purple. Play it and forget it. "Slow Down Sister", a bonus track, is probably the best track.
| Released | 23 October 1990[1] |
|---|---|
| Recorded | Early to mid 1990 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 46:51 |
| Label | RCA |
| Producer | Roger Glover |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "King of Dreams" | Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Lynn Turner, Roger Glover | 5:26 |
| 2. | "The Cut Runs Deep" | Blackmore, Turner, Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice | 5:42 |
| 3. | "Fire in the Basement" | Blackmore, Turner, Glover, Lord, Paice | 4:43 |
| 4. | "Truth Hurts" | Blackmore, Turner, Glover | 5:14 |
| 5. | "Breakfast in Bed" | Blackmore, Turner, Glover | 5:17 |
| 6. | "Love Conquers All" | Blackmore, Turner, Glover | 3:47 |
| 7. | "Fortuneteller" | Blackmore, Turner, Glover, Lord, Paice | 5:49 |
| 8. | "Too Much Is Not Enough" | Turner, Bob Held, Al Greenwood | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Wicked Ways" | Blackmore, Turner, Glover, Lord, Paice | 6:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Slow Down Sister" | Blackmore, Turner, Glover, Lord, Paice | 5:57 |
| 11. | "Love Conquers All" (single edit) | 3:25 |
- Joe Lynn Turner – lead vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitars
- Jon Lord – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
 |
| The Battle Rages On... (1993) |
And so the classic lineup get together again. The record company wanted Gillan back to take advantage of the 25th anniversary. Blackmore didn't agree at first, but then accepted a quarter million pound fee to have Gillan back in the band. Reports are that there was tension during recording of the album as Gillan was adapting the already written and rehearsed songs so that they would be heavier, while Blackmore preferred them to be more melodic. It's listenable as a standard hard rock album, somewhere poised between classic and commercial. There are, after all, some attempts to make it sound heavy. But it's not interesting, and soon outstays its welcome. Best track is the title track, which leans a little more toward metal than is normal for this essentially main stream hard rock band.
| Released | 19 July 1993 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | May 1992 – March 1993 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | |
| Length | 50:17 |
| Label | RCA |
| Producer | Thom Panunzio, Roger Glover |
All tracks are written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Battle Rages On" (Blackmore, Gillan, Jon Lord, Ian Paice) | 5:56 |
| 2. | "Lick It Up" | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Anya" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord) | 6:32 |
| 4. | "Talk About Love" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Time to Kill" | 5:49 |
| 6. | "Ramshackle Man" | 5:34 |
| 7. | "A Twist in the Tale" | 4:17 |
| 8. | "Nasty Piece of Work" (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord) | 4:43 |
| 9. | "Solitaire" | 4:42 |
| 10. | "One Man's Meat" | 4:38 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
- Jon Lord – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
 |
| Purpendicular (1996) |
This album is by what is considered to be Deep Purple 7 - there was a Deep Purple 6, but that version didn't record an album. The new guitarist, Steve Morse, is accomplished, and can play all the right notes in the right order in a variety of ways, but there is a lack of feel both in his playing and in the sound of the album as a whole. Accomplished, professional, good sounding, but lacking in authenticity and passion.
| Released | February 1996 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | February – October 1995 |
| Studio | Greg Rike Productions |
| Genre | Hard rock |
| Length | 62:16 |
| Label | RCA |
| Producer | Deep Purple |
All tracks are written by Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Steve Morse, Ian Paice
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vavoom: Ted the Mechanic" | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Loosen My Strings" | 5:57 |
| 3. | "Soon Forgotten" | 4:47 |
| 4. | "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming" | 7:29 |
| 5. | "Cascades: I'm Not Your Lover" | 4:43 |
| 6. | "The Aviator" | 5:20 |
| 7. | "Rosa's Cantina" | 5:10 |
| 8. | "A Castle Full of Rascals" | 5:11 |
| 9. | "A Touch Away" | 4:36 |
| 10. | "Hey Cisco" | 5:53 |
| 11. | "Somebody Stole My Guitar" | 4:09 |
| 12. | "The Purpendicular Waltz" | 4:45 |
.jpg) |
| Abandon (1998) |
Opening track is attractive funky classic hard rock. This is a professional album - well played and produced, with a classic hard rock core, yet allowing new elements to colour the proceedings. There's nothing really essential here, but it is pleasing to hear an accomplished older band stretch themselves a little.
| Released | May 1998 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | September 1997 – February 1998 [1] |
| Studio | Greg Rike Studios, Altamonte Springs, Florida |
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Length | 56:18 |
| Label | EMI Switzerland |
| Producer | Deep Purple & Roger Glover |
All tracks are written by Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Steve Morse, Ian Paice, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Any Fule Kno That" | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Almost Human" | 4:26 |
| 3. | "Don't Make Me Happy" | 4:56 |
| 4. | "Seventh Heaven" | 5:25 |
| 5. | "Watching the Sky" | 5:26 |
| 6. | "Fingers to the Bone" | 4:47 |
| 7. | "Jack Ruby" | 3:48 |
| 8. | "She Was" | 4:19 |
| 9. | "Whatsername" | 4:26 |
| 10. | "'69" | 4:59 |
| 11. | "Evil Louie" | 4:56 |
| 12. | "Bludsucker" (Ritchie Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice) | 4:27 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Steve Morse – guitar
- Jon Lord – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
 |
| Bananas (2003) |
New keyboard player. Same old band. It's been five years since the last album, and the band members (the remaining classic era members that is) are now mature and settled, so this sounds like a settled family album. The rhythm section of Pace and Glover do their bit as they always have, but it's not their bits that have got fans excited over the years and returning for more - it's always been the guitar, keyboards and voice. And here those three things are solid, mature, impressive, but boring. And this is the weakest bunch of songs the band have penned in their entire career. The AllMusic reviewer likes it, and it sold reasonably well.
| Released | 25 August 2003 [1] |
|---|---|
| Recorded | January–February 2003 |
| Studio | Royaltone Studios |
| Genre | |
| Length | 51:25 |
| Label | EMI |
| Producer | Michael Bradford |
All tracks are written by Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Steve Morse, Don Airey, and Ian Paice, except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "House of Pain" | Gillan, Michael Bradford | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Sun Goes Down" | 4:10 | |
| 3. | "Haunted" | 4:22 | |
| 4. | "Razzle Dazzle" | 3:28 | |
| 5. | "Silver Tongue" | 4:03 | |
| 6. | "Walk On" | Gillan, Bradford | 7:04 |
| 7. | "Picture of Innocence" | Gillan, Glover, Morse, Jon Lord, Paice | 5:11 |
| 8. | "I Got Your Number" | Gillan, Glover, Morse, Lord, Paice, Bradford | 6:01 |
| 9. | "Never a Word" | 3:46 | |
| 10. | "Bananas" | 4:51 | |
| 11. | "Doing It Tonight" | 3:28 | |
| 12. | "Contact Lost" | Morse | 1:27 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Steve Morse – guitars
- Don Airey – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
 |
| Rapture of the Deep (2005) |
Likeable album, quite rocky and melodic, though with metal touches to add colour and depth. This is an experienced, professional, and accomplished band who simply lack drive, ambition, and creativity. But for playing the same old in the same old way, staying largely within their and their fan's comfort zone, they are very good. I'm OK with this album. It's not one I'm going to select to play (if I'm playing Purple it's gonna be In Rock), but when it's on it's listenable and attractive.
| Released | 24 October 2005 (EU) 1 November 2005 (US) |
|---|---|
| Recorded | March–June 2005 |
| Studio | Chunky Style Studios |
| Genre | |
| Length | 55:48 |
| Label | Edel |
| Producer | Michael Bradford |
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 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Steve Morse – guitar
- Don Airey – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
 |
| Now What?! (2013) |
Heavier and more metal than the average Purple album. Not really my thing. Too sombre, serious, lacking in ideas, and true energy. I kind of feel that Blackmore and Lord are missing. Now and again, as with "Hell To Pay", there is a return to the classic 70s Deep Purple, but it also sounds like so many other chug a lug hard rock bands that have come (and gone) since In Rock was released. That the best bits of this album are 1970 clichés that don't match, let alone exceed, the originals, is an example of how non-essential it is. It's an album I'm struggling to keep listening to.
| Released | 26 April 2013 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 2012 |
| Studio | The Tracking Room, Anarchy Studios , Rainbow Recorders |
| Genre | |
| Length | 57:06 |
| Label | earMUSIC |
| Producer | Bob Ezrin |
All tracks are written by Don Airey, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Steve Morse, Ian Paice and Bob Ezrin, except "It'll Be Me" by Jack Clement
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Simple Song" | 4:39 |
| 2. | "Weirdistan" | 4:14 |
| 3. | "Out of Hand" | 6:09 |
| 4. | "Hell to Pay" | 5:10 |
| 5. | "Body Line" | 4:26 |
| 6. | "Above and Beyond" | 5:30 |
| 7. | "Blood from a Stone" | 5:18 |
| 8. | "Uncommon Man" | 7:02 |
| 9. | "Après Vous" | 5:24 |
| 10. | "All the Time in the World" | 4:21 |
| 11. | "Vincent Price" | 4:46 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Steve Morse – guitars
- Don Airey – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums, percussion
 |
| Infinite (2017) |
Still heavy, and still returning to their own hard rock clichés (the band's, not the individual members, as guitarist and keyboard player are simply copying Blackmore and Lord), this veers around like a shopping trolley unsure if it should indulge in commercial hard rock or the more cultish and respected heavy metal. Sometimes it rocks quite playfully, at other times it tries hard to be serious and menacing. Admiration for the energy and ability of the remaining geriatrics in the band, as well as the tribute band skills of the newer members, this is at times a lively and attractive listen, but it's far from essential, even though it proved commercially popular.
| Released | 7 April 2017 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 2016 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | |
| Length | 45:37 |
| Label | earMUSIC |
| Producer | Bob Ezrin |
All tracks are written by Don Airey, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Steve Morse, Ian Paice and Bob Ezrin, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Time for Bedlam" | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Hip Boots" | 3:23 |
| 3. | "All I Got is You" | 4:42 |
| 4. | "One Night in Vegas" | 3:23 |
| 5. | "Get Me Outta Here" | 3:58 |
| 6. | "The Surprising" | 5:57 |
| 7. | "Johnny's Band" | 3:51 |
| 8. | "On Top of the World" | 4:01 |
| 9. | "Birds of Prey" | 5:47 |
| 10. | "Roadhouse Blues" (writers: Jim Morrison music by The Doors) | 6:00 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Steve Morse – guitars
- Don Airey – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 7
Score: 3 1/2
 |
| Woosh! (2020) |
Apart from Rapture (2005), I've not really got on with the post-Blackmore and Lord albums. Indeed, I don't think I have really got on with Purple since Blackmore left. This album has not altered my experience. It's rocky with the standard hard rock nudging into funk or metal with nostalgic digs into the past that the band have been doing for years.
| Released | 7 August 2020 |
|---|---|
| Studio |
|
| Genre | |
| Length | 51:29 |
| Label | earMUSIC |
| Producer | Bob Ezrin |
All tracks are written by Deep Purple and Bob Ezrin except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Throw My Bones" | 3:38 | |
| 2. | "Drop the Weapon" | 4:23 | |
| 3. | "We're All the Same in the Dark" | 3:44 | |
| 4. | "Nothing at All" | 4:42 | |
| 5. | "No Need to Shout" | 3:30 | |
| 6. | "Step by Step" | 3:34 | |
| 7. | "What the What" | 3:32 | |
| 8. | "The Long Way Round" | 5:39 | |
| 9. | "The Power of the Moon" | 4:08 | |
| 10. | "Remission Possible" (instrumental) | 1:38 | |
| 11. | "Man Alive" | 5:35 | |
| 12. | "And the Address" (instrumental) | Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord | 3:35 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Steve Morse – guitars
- Don Airey – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score: 4
Covers album. Fair enough, everyone does one at some point, especially at the end of their career. Interesting to see the choices, as well as hear the interpretations. It is what it is. Moderately entertaining, though there is also much here which is cringe-worthy.
Wikipedia
Score: 4
 |
| Turning To Crime (2021) |
Covers album. Fair enough, everyone does one at some point, especially at the end of their career. Interesting to see the choices, as well as hear the interpretations. It is what it is. Moderately entertaining, though there is also much here which is cringe-worthy.
| Released | 26 November 2021 |
|---|---|
| Studio | Real World Studios (Wiltshire) |
| Genre | |
| Length | 49:45 |
| Label | earMUSIC |
| Producer | Bob Ezrin |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "7 and 7 Is" | Arthur Lee | Love | 2:28 |
| 2. | "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" | Huey "Piano" Smith | Huey "Piano" Smith | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Oh Well" | Peter Green | Fleetwood Mac | 4:21 |
| 4. | "Jenny Take a Ride!" | Bob Crewe | Mitch Ryder | 4:36 |
| 5. | "Watching the River Flow" | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan | 3:02 |
| 6. | "Let the Good Times Roll" | Sam Theard, Fleecie Moore | Louis Jordan | 4:22 |
| 7. | "Dixie Chicken" | Lowell George, Fred Martin | Little Feat | 4:43 |
| 8. | "Shapes of Things" | Jim McCarty, Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith | Yardbirds / Jeff Beck Group | 3:40 |
| 9. | "The Battle of New Orleans" | Jimmy Driftwood | Johnny Horton | 2:51 |
| 10. | "Lucifer" | Bob Seger | The Bob Seger System | 3:45 |
| 11. | "White Room" | Jack Bruce, Pete Brown | Cream | 4:53 |
| 12. | "Caught in the Act"
|
| 7:49 |
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Steve Morse – guitars
- Don Airey – keyboards
- Roger Glover – bass
- Ian Paice – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: -
Score: 3
In Rock (June 1970) - Classic
Machine Head (March 1972) - Classic
Discography
- Shades of Deep Purple (1968)
- The Book of Taliesyn (1968)
- Deep Purple (1969)
- Deep Purple in Rock (1970)
- Fireball (1971)
- Machine Head (1972)
- Who Do We Think We Are (1973)
- Burn (1974)
- Stormbringer (1974)
- Come Taste the Band (1975)
- Perfect Strangers (1984)
- The House of Blue Light (1987)
- Slaves and Masters (1990)
- The Battle Rages On... (1993)
- Purpendicular (1996)
- Abandon (1998)
- Bananas (2003)
- Rapture of the Deep (2005)
- Now What?! (2013)
- Infinite (2017)
- Woosh! (2020)
- Turning To Crime (2021)
Top Ten Albums
In Rock (June 1970) - Classic
Machine Head (March 1972) - Classic
Burn (Feb 1974) - Purple 3
Perfect Strangers (Oct 1984)
Who Do We Think We Are (Jan 1973)
Stormbringer (1974) - Purple 3
Perfect Strangers (Oct 1984)
Who Do We Think We Are (Jan 1973)
Stormbringer (1974) - Purple 3
Bubbling under
Deep Purple (Sept 1969)
Shades of Deep Purple (July 1968)
The Battle Rages On... (1993)
Now What?! (2013)
Infinite (2017)
Made In Europe (Oct 1976)
Woosh! (2020)
Sources:
* Alt77
My selection
In Rock (June 1970) - 8 (Classic)
Made In Japan (Dec 1972) - 6 (Classic)
Stormbringer (1974) - 6 (Purple 3)
Burn (Feb 1974) - 5 (Purple 3)
Rapture of the Deep (2005) - 5
Fireball (Sept 1971) - 4 (Classic)
Fireball (Sept 1971) - 4 (Classic)
Deep Purple (Sept 1969) - 4
Come Taste The Band (1975) - 4
The Battle Rages On... (1993) - 4
The Battle Rages On... (1993) - 4
Top songs
Highway Star (71)
Smoke On The Water (48)
Burn (47)
Child In Time (44)
Perfect Strangers (33)
Black Night (26)
Fireball (25)
Fireball (25)
Speed King (19)
Hush (18)
Lazy (16)
Pictures of Home (15)
Woman From Tokyo (16)
Space Truckin' (15)
Soldier of Fortune (14)
Stormbringer (8)
Sources
70-80 Minute CD
Strange Kind of Woman (4.05)Highway Star (6.06)
Smoke On The Water (5.41)
Child In Time (10.19)
Black Night (4.47)
Fireball (3.24)
Child In Time (10.19)
Black Night (4.47)
Fireball (3.24)
Speed King (5.53)
Hush (4.25)
Into The Fire (3.30)
Perfect Strangers (5.45)
Perfect Strangers (5.45)
Bloodsucker (4.08)
The Mule (9.48)
Wring That Neck (4.29)
Summary
[Note: Aspects which go toward final score are given a rough percentage figure of how much that aspect may have influenced the overall score. However, some bands may well exceed that percentage, particularly if their main focus is in that area.]
Voice/Musicianship (15%)Without a doubt the band can play and sing. The downside is that there is little range, variety, or creativity. But what they do, they do well.
Image/Star quality (5%)
They have a positive image as one of the originators of heavy metal, and as a leading classic rock band. But, as with their musicianship, this is a fairly limited image.
Lyrics/Music (20%)The lyrics are clear and unpretentious. The music is the same. They do the job in a professional way.
Impact/Influence (10%)Highly regarded as a significant influence on hard rock.
Popularity (5%)Classic hard rock fans like them. The albums they released in the Seventies and Eighties have gone gold in several territories, and sometimes (though not often) platinum.
Emotional appeal (5%)It's more about the rock.
Authenticity (15%)The group tried psychedelic rock, a bit of prog, working with an orchestra, and then rock. The rock worked, so they stuck with it. For the rest of their career. They also appeared to like it.
Art (5%)The early band had art aspects and ambitions, but after In Rock, it was heads down, let's boogie.
Classic albums/songs (5%)In Rock is a classic. "Smoke On The Water" is a classic. There are views that Machine Head, from which "Smoke" comes, is also a classic. that's not a view I share, but it has to be acknowledged.
Originality/Innovation (5%)Though they are regarded as one of the originators of Heavy Metal, there is not a lot of innovation or originality in what they do. The Concerto album is probably their most innovative. But after In Rock, they just settled into repeating that for the rest of their life.
Legacy (10%)While they are known as part of the Unholy Trinity of Hard Rock and Metal, they are generally seen as the minor third, and were inducted into the Hall of Fame decades after the other two.
Total: 47/100
They have a positive image as one of the originators of heavy metal, and as a leading classic rock band. But, as with their musicianship, this is a fairly limited image.
Links
Useful fan website: Deep-purple.netWikipedia article: Deep Purple
The official website: Deep Purple.com
Rolling Stone: Deep Purple biography
AllMusic: Deep Purple biography
Freaky Junction Play A Tribute To Deep Purple (1972) - Thin Lizzy with a Gillan type singer and Lord type keyboardist
Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head (2012) - Various artists, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, The Flaming Lips, and Carlos Santana
Rock Aid Armenia "Smoke On The Water" (1989)
62 Jan 2020
Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head (2012) - Various artists, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, The Flaming Lips, and Carlos Santana
Rock Aid Armenia "Smoke On The Water" (1989)
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Best Of The Best
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