WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE

I really can`t see why this album is not liked by some people. Taking into consideration the hard time the band was having during the recording of this album, i really expected worst things from this album. Before this album was recorded, Ian Gillan wanted to leave the band, but was persuaded to not do it. There were some pressures from the management. Gillan said in interviews that the band needed a rest, but that the management wanted a new album and more touring. So, Gillan stayed with the band for more time. But he and Ritchie Blackmore were not talking to each other, and Roger Glover said that this situation even caused more problems during the recording of the album. So, despite all these problems, this album is still very good, in my opinion. Maybe some of the lyrics are not very good...but the music in general is very good. But in general the album sounds like it was done with the intention to give to the fans a good quality album in performances and production. In fact, the recording is very good.

"Woman from Tokyo" is maybe the most known song from this album. It maybe lacks some power and some creativity in the "quiet" instrumental section, but it is good anyway. "Mary Long" has good music maybe inspired a bit by Blues music but maybe the lyrics are a bit offensive. "Super Trooper" and "Smooth Dancer" are good Hard Rock songs. "Rat Bat Blue" is one of the best songs from this album. "Place in Line" is a song influenced by Blues, with Gillan even "imitating" some Blues singers, and this song has very good keyboards solos by Jon Lord. "Our Lady" is maybe the best song in this album, another Hard Rock song to finish it in a good level.

After this album was released there was more touring fot the band until June 1973. After that, Gillan finally left the band. And Blackmore also wanted Glover out of the band...so Glover also left the band.

The band sounds tired. Even Gillan`s voice sounds tired. But they had to work. So, I think that it was not their fault if this album was not very good for some fans. I think that it is a very good album, maybe better than the next three final studio albums that the band recorded without Gillan and Glover ("Burn", "Stormbringer", and "Come Taste The Band", this last album with Tommy Bolin replacing Blackmore) before they split in 1976.

This line-up of the band (Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice) played and recorded together again since 1984 until 1989, when again some problems between Blackmore and Gillan led to Gillan to leave the band again and to to be replaced by Joe Lynn Turner. But Gillan returned for another album ("The Battle Rages On", 1993) before Blackmore finally left the band again in late 1993, in not very good terms.