DEEP PURPLE

After the huge commercial success and widespread acceptance of 'Deep Purple in Rock' and in the midst of a busy schedule of concerts and commitments, the pressures of the record label to seize the moment led Deep Purple to rush the release of "Fireball" (1971), the fourth album by the British band and the second with their most classic line- up, known as Mark II.

"Fireball" was recorded in the few spare moments the band had, suffering from the growing ego disputes between Ian Gillan and Richie Blackmore and even dealing with the discomfort of Jon Lord, who saw his desire to incorporate classical overtones losing more and more ground.

It is in this complicated context that the album's approach suffers and doesn't quite come together, despite the unbridled start of the rocking "Fireball", the driving and bluesy "Demon's Eye" with Gillan in Jim Morrison mode and some very good solos by the Lord/Blackmore duo, and the Arabic insinuations of "The Mule" with Ian Paice's persistent drumming, a sense of reduced revolutions and creative exhaustion envelops the work, and is glimpsed in the repetitive and simple "No No No", in the unexpected "Anyone's Daughter", a country song that would have been better suited to a collaboration with Bob Dylan, and in the experimental and lysergic "Fools", which is not bad, but at times becomes more monotonous than necessary, weighing it down.

The irregular "Fireball", which inexplicably did not include the hit single "Strange Kind of Woman" in its European edition and has an interesting Funky outburst at the end with Lord's consistent keyboard-led melody in "No One Came", is in my opinion, more than what it is said to be, but less than expected, perhaps because it is in the shadow and wedged between the band's two emblematic albums, "Deep Purple in Rock" and "Machine Head".

3/3.5 stars

Funky Purple! 'Stormbringer' is the second studio album released by Deep Purple in 1974, following the acclaimed 'Burn'; this is also the last album recorded by the Mark III lineup with Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Coverdale and Hughes, and is the first seventies album by the band to exhibit a strong funk sound (and even if Blackmore was not keen on such a musical direction, his playing on here is pretty much superb, as is the playing of all other members of the band). From this point of view, this becomes a unique album that expands the possibilities of Purple's sound, and even if 'Stormbringer' has remained an underrated entry in their catalogue, it is undoubtedly one of the important albums that attempted to do something new and exciting.

The iconic and rather ominous title track has to be one of the best-written rock singles of the 70s, pure power and great playing, heading straight to the core, it is an excellent song. Some might be keen on the groovy blues-funk of 'Love Don't Mean a Thing' or the more elegiac but memorable 'Holy Man', with fine lead vocals from Hughes. This album also features the upbeat rocker 'Lady Double Dealer', the dazzling funk anthem 'You Can't Do It Right' as well as all-time Coverdale classics 'The Gypsy' and the melancholic 'Solider of Fortune'. The entire album is packed with great material from front to back as it captures an excellent-form variation of Deep Purple, with lovely playing from all members, masterful songwriting and an unmistakable energy. At the same time, songs like 'High Ball Shooter' and 'Hold On' eventually fail to hit the spot, but we can consider them as "expendable" given the overall quality, influence and significance of this 1974 Purple release.

'Who Do We Think We Are' is the final Deep Purple album recorded in the seventies by the Mark II lineup of the legendary British band, and this is a record whose writing and production had been exhilarated by pressure from the label, having insisted that the band complete another studio recording, while Deep Purple themselves were simply in need of a short break. The result is an album that is difficult to appreciate as it can sometimes be fun, enjoyable and rocking, at times it can get pretty boring as the band was obviously uninspired, which is further proven by the fact that Gillan and Glover left the band afterwards. The music on here is very much in the same vein as the preceding albums recorded by the quintet, with blues-based rock compositions leading the way, occasionally drawing in influences like scat and prog rock, and while the overall quality of the recording is rather good, the general aftertaste of this album is of an incomplete and slightly strenuous work that lacks the character and grip of preceding albums, even if songs like 'Woman From Tokyo', 'Super Trouper' and 'Rat Bat Blue' work great. Jon Lord and Ian Paice deliver noteworthy performances, while Blackmore's riffs tend to be less exciting than usual - tracks like 'Place in Line' and 'Our Lady' depict a tedious side of Purple's music, which could have probably been avoided had their label not insisted on a new studio album.

Deep Purple returned in 1974 with a renewed lineup and a reinvigorated sound, as the release of their classic album 'Burn' sees a welcome return to the hard-hitting and anthemic sound of albums like 'Machine Head' and 'Fireball, with the excellent inclusion of vocalist David Coverdale and legendary bass player and singer Glenn Hughes, completing what would become the Mark III lineup of Purple. This album is replete with classic songs, many of which are pretty ubiquitous radio hits or all-time hard rock masterpieces, like the frantic title track, 'Might Just Take Your Life', the funky 'Sail Away' as well as the bluesy 'Mistreated'. This record also features a prog-inspired closing instrumental, which does not necessarily sit perfectly well with the rest of the music but is still an interesting musical exercise for Jon Lord and Co.

The general success of 'Burn' is definitely due to the safe but well-executed return to a more ostensible heavy sound, with catchy riffs and strong melodies, impressive episodes of jamming and experimentation as well as rattling keyboard and organ solos, all topped by the flamboyant vocal duet of Coverdale and Hughes. Both voices are strong and recognizable and without a doubt a fantastic addition to the band, one that introduces another dimension to Deep Purple's hard rock trailblazing sound, and while this album remains in line with the heavy and blues-based style developed on previous albums, there is also an element of funk on 'Burn', which brings an interesting twist to the DP formula, a stylistic gag that would be developed more later on. All in all, this is one of the hard rock classics of the 70s, an album that has proven its worth as time has passed, and a record that has given us a sufficient number of memorable and iconic pieces of pure heavy rock joy.

After three releases playing psychedelic rock, and one playing classical with an orchestra, it was time for Deep Purple to truly establish their identity and give us a taste of who they are. With a major line-up change and at the insistence of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the band would go down the route of a heavier, more hard rock style, and it would pay off in dividends.

Released in 1970, 'In Rock' would go on to become one of those classic, genre-defining albums. Along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple were laying down the foundations of heavy metal with a bigger guitar sound and a high standard of musicianship by everyone involved.

'In Rock' would also see the debut of vocalist Ian Gillan, who's banshee-like wailing set the bar for metal vocalists a decade before Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford were screaming their hearts out. Giving the band a much broader and more versatile range to work with, the chemistry between Blackmore, Gillan and keyboard player Jon Lord (and everyone else, for that matter) really starts to shine through here. For the first time since their debut album, the band sound genuinely inspired and confident.

With that out of the way, I do think that perhaps you had to be there in 1970 to truly appreciate this album the most, because listening to it today, there are a number of songs I tend to skip. But the ones I don't skip, such as 'Black Night', 'Speed King', 'Child in Time' and 'Bloodsucker', are without a doubt, Deep Purple classics. And packaged with its iconic and instantly recognisable artwork, this album is a pivotal moment in rock and metal history, and thus, belongs in everyone's collection.

Having failed to take off as expected after three albums focused on light pop with psychedelic touches and with their bank accounts in the red, Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord decided it was time for Deep Purple to make a change of direction, replacing singer Rod Evans with the portentous tenor Ian Gillan and bassist Nick Simper with the virtuoso Roger Glover, to align themselves on the same frequency of the deadly sound waves with which their contemporaries Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath swept through the early 70s. And the result of that line-up change was "Deep Purple in Rock" (1970), the band's fourth album.

A powerful offering that contributes to further shape and style to the opulent Hard Rock still in the process of consolidation, with Blackmore unloading dense, distorted guitar riffs laced with Lord's timeless Hammond on the thunderous opener "Speed King", the very substantial bluesy riffs that ornament the lilting "Bloodsucker", and to a great extent with Lord's digitated and surgical keyboards and Gillan's incredible vocal register taking the high notes to unsuspected levels in the dramatic and intense "Child in Time", a huge and elaborate piece that borders on progressive rock structures, undoubtedly one of the best songs in Deep Purple's entire discography and in the genre.

And to reaffirm the band's rugged new approach, the Blackmore/Lord duo persist with their dynamic, symbiotic interplay on the supersonic "Flight of the Rat" which features influences from 'The Flight of The BumbleBee' (part of Russian Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's early 20th century opera 'The Tale of the Tsar Saltan'), and on the thick mid- tempo "Into the Fire"; and while Ian Paice's funky drumming and Glover's remarkable bass lines lend some warmth to Lord's sharp keyboards on "Living Wreck", it's only a brief pause for the galloping "Hard Lovin' Man" to pick up the rispidity with Lord's Keith Emerson-esque jam and Blackmore's dubbed out guitar plucking, in another remarkable hard rock essay and end to the work.

The unmistakable and iconic cover of "Deep Purple In Rock" is also a symbol of what the album represented, one of the cornerstones (not to say mountains...) in the history of rock.

Essential

4.5 stars

The 1998 re-issue of Deep Purple's legendary Made in Japan concert recording was put out with enhanced sound quality and the addition of second disc, which features the encore material from the classic Mark II lineup's performances in the land of the rising sun.

Packaged with an alternate cover design versus the gold sleeve that held the double LP set from 1972, Made in Japan captures the synergetic intensity generated from the stage by Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, Ian Paice and Ian Gillan, the legendary mk 1 lineup.

Recorded live during Purple's sold-out dates in Osaka and Tokyo, during August of 1972, made in Japan opens with the foot-to-the-floor "Highway Star", and includes the epic "Child in Time", the moon-shot rockin' "Space Truckin'", the jamming lazy, and the classic riff 'n' rollin' "Smoke on the Water". The expanded '98 release closes with "The Encores", in the form of the striding "Black Night", the urgent "Speed King" and a cover of "Lucille", which adds twenty-two minutes to the live Deep Purple experience. 4.999 but rounded up to 5.

The quintessential Deep Purple? Perhaps yes. 'Machine Head' is an album which is either beloved by most, or completely discredited as an overblown and overhyped recording, but what it most likely is in reality is a very well-curated collection of timeless hard rock anthems, most of which have withstood the test of time and are not only genre-definitive but have become part of the zeitgeist and are justly seen as some of the best compositions of Purple. Not to mention that 'Machine Head' was recorded by the phenomenal Mark II lineup, arguably the most significant incarnation of the legendary British rockers. As for the music on the album itself, 'Machine Head' carries all the signature elements of that classic DP sound, making this and the two preceding albums the most characteristic LPs of the early 1970s.

This one is packed with monstrous riffs from Blackmore, certainly some of his most memorable and effective licks are to be heard on 'Machine Head', while the keyboard master Jon Lord delivers some of his most audacious and ballsy leads as well, the flashy Hammond organ sound on this album could hardly be seen as anything less than monumental and immense, technical and fiery at all times, there is a stiff competition between the two for the most dazzling performance on this album. Then comes the rock-solid rhythm section of Ian Paice and Roger Glover, both of which are in top form here, delivering some of that delightful DP boogie groove, and finally there are the wailing screams of Ian Gillan, whose unrestrained performance binds together the various different elements making up the energetic sounds of 'Machine Head'. All-time rock anthems grace the tracklist of this LP as well as underrated but no less epic tracks like 'Maybe I'm a Leo' and 'Lazy' - this entire record delivers the full spectrum of the Deep Purple ambition and atmosphere as speed, feel and instrumental pyrotechnics come in spades.

A very average album, not quite good enough to be a good one, but also good enough to be okay. This is a loaded album, a very heavy rock sound. Each song does have a cool(not good or great) solo, but they are not enough to make the songs rise. They do however help to keep them from mediocrity. Who could possibly give this album anything higher than a three star rating? They could have trimmed the album to forty minutes and it would have fared better. The music is very uninspired and sixty minutes of this is too much. Hopefully "Woosh" and "=1" are better than this, but I won't be holding my breath.

I have read many negative reviews and comments about this album. They called it boring, unfinished, criticized for the lack of hits and usually mentioned Women from Tokyo as the only successful song. The appearance of such a weak album is usually explained by the accumulated fatigue after a tense tour and the growing confrontation between Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore, which didn't benefit the creative process.

But I don't agree that this album is weak. Yes, it is inferior to In Rock and Machine Head, but it is definitely not weak. I don't understand why it is called unfinished. Listening to one of the fastest and most driving songs Smooth Dancer or the magnificent caustic Marylong or the expressive Super Trouper, I don't know how they can be improved more. All the elements of DP's style have already formed and embodied here, Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord still shine, in turns and together. Perhaps the perception was also influenced by the fact that DP was expected to continue the Machine Head's formula, where the drive and hard rock onslaught are perfectly balanced with keyboards, which were given a lot of scope for creativity. Yes, after all, a very high level was set by the previous albums.

The additional bonus tracks on the late reissue of the album are interesting first of all for the extended version of Women from Tokyo and the long First Day Jam, where Jon Lord seems to be rehearsing melodies for his next solo album.