DEEP PURPLE IN ROCK

This album is a seminal hard rock album. There are progressive influences, most notably in the epic Child in Time, which sets it apart but it remains a hard rock album. This is exactly where Blackmore wanted to take the group, to a riffy hard rock style of playing. They succeeded admirably and the rest is history.

My favourites are the lengthy Flight of the Rat, Hard Lovin Man and of course Child in Time. There is some great soloing from both Blackmore and Lord and Gillan's singing is just out of this world.

As I said a landmark album, but not prog rock in my opinion. Apart from the tracks mentioned its not my favourite Purple album either.

The 25th Anniversary re-master includes Black Night and is the one to own.