SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE

Deep Purple was great! This, their first, is somewhat good. I was first introduced to this record on the compilation "Purple Passages", (as I bet many were). I really wasn't aware of the chronology until revisiting this album. "Mandrake Root", "And the Address", and "Hush" are top-shelf, but unfortunately they were extremely mired in the '60's. Rod Evans was a particular casuality of the sixties, even into his tenure with Captain Beyond. Check "Mandrake Root" with Gillan on what I think is called "Raw and Live",( or something of that nature). Gillan rips it like it should be done, of course. But for 1st album in the sixties embarassment, this is not that bad.