MACHINE HEAD

Indeed one of those albums on here that are "progressive" in a literal sense, this album is known for having broken barriers leading into the creation of heavy metal, along with the first few works of Black Sabbath. Considering it's still only 1972 upon its release, we're talking about some pretty cutting-edge music here. Oh, did I mention these are some really fun, rockin' tunes?

Generally what can be found in this album is a good blend of blues and hard-rock, some tracks more of the former, like Lazy, and some more of the latter, like Space Truckin'. There is of course the heavy-metal standard Smoke on the Water, which is ironically the least interesting song on the whole album. Good riffs but not exactly... well, cerebral, to put it lightly. I guess one should especially give this album a go if they think Smoke on the Water is the best the band put out, since it's the most well-known.

This is the first Deep Purple album for me to hear. My Dad bought it a couple years ago, and I figured they were another one of those oaky "classic" bluesy albums like Eric Clapton for which I've never had any taste. I figured I'd give it a spin just once for the sake of open- mindedness, a virtue for which I was rewarded, since the songs were such quality hard- rock that even my fear of bluesy music couldn't keep me from denying its awesomeness. Every riff is amazing, every vocal line, every keyboard lick (this guy really new how to use the Hammond organ!), every drum fill, every solo, all of it really was great. Pictures of Home and Lazy get a bit on the proggy side, always a delight from such a renowned group.

However, the album is far from perfect: Space Truckin' had a tinge of half-hearted-ness to it, however head-banging it might be. Whats more some of the keyboard and guitar runs weren't exactly super clean. And Smoke on the Water is on the dull side. Minor things that, as a classical musician, bothered me enough to dock it to B+, which coming from me is still a high rating to say the least.

What's more the influence they had on other bands cannot be understated, and for that reason alone, this is one highly recommended work by yours truly.

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