FIREBALL

Not as raunchy as "In Rock" and not as streamlined as "Machine Head", "Fireball" remains for me the most interesting and confident DP album of the seventies. For sheer variety, it has no match. Lyrically, "No, No,No" and "No One Came" are songs that by turns are angry, poignant and funny. And it has a great, (if preposterous) album cover too.

I'm not sure how "prog" it is, but these aesthetic designations tend to be relative. Fans of "Fragile" and "Tarkus" would likely view the straight-forward blues structure of "Demon's Eye" pedestrian. But then it's all about the groove. When John Lord's Hammond B3 weighs in with some fabulously throaty organ licks, it's as if Jimmie Smith were playing with Cream! "Fools" starts with a slightly Doors-ish dark and moody vibe before unexpectedly unleashing musical violence. The song tells the story of a doomed psychopath. It showed up on the playlist of the 2001 tour and it was a showstopper. "Fireball" and "Strange Kind of Woman" are direct, accessible, high energy rockers.

If you don't own "Fireball", do yourself a favour and go out and buy it. Spend a few extra bucks/quid on the remastered 25th Anniversary Edition. The sound is stellar and the extras are very fine.