DEEP PURPLE IN ROCK

It is very important to consider the time period in which an album is released. The release of In Rock marked a change in the way music was made, and it's easy to tell that bands such as Deep Purple were tired of the familiar singer-songwriter songs that were most popular at the time.

Deep Purple is one of my favorite bands. Although In Rock is not my favorite Deep Purple album (and I don't think any Deep Purple album is my favorite because I love most of them; it's hard for me to classify), it is certainly very strong and has the more known hits such as "Child in Time" and "Speed King". The album is really a representative of raw heavy rock. If I were to suggest an album or two that are not recognizable by people who don't really know DP, Who Do We Think We Are and Fireball are albums that are usually overlooked; this comes from my experience when talking to most people about Deep Purple. Those albums are among the greats of the Mark II lineup that consisted of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover as the replacements in the band. To me, I saw this as the traditional Deep Purple that everyone has heard of. Anyways, I digress.

Speed King is an incredible hook to In Rock. It's heavy and exciting, with great vocals by Gillan. Bloodsuckers riff is very catchy and memorable. I hate sounding like a scientist when I review the album. Child in Time is alone, what really can make this album stand out as being one of the foundations for progressive music. The other good pieces off the album include Into the Fire, Living Wreck, and Hard Lovin Man....well, I guess that includes the whole LP doesn't it.

If I had to recommend a Deep Purple album to someone starting fresh, this one would probably have to be it, just because it starts at the history of the Mark II lineup, and anyone can then easily follow up with the history of the band with Fireball, and eventually to the the Mark III lineup with Coverdale and Hughes.