WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE

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.