In Rock..is a bit dated for me. Basically that's always been my issue with everything ever released that doesn't stand the test of time for me. IN ROCK was a kind of awakening for 60's, 70's musicians to be more ambitious on their instruments within Rock music itself. It was very influential to musicians globally. It gave them ideas on how to play differently and so the album was very important to the growth of Rock musicians in general. I wasn't too fond of the lyrical content. I liked the lyrics to Black Sabbath's "The Wizard"and although plain and simple, they were mysterious and held my attention, But IN ROCK didn't do much for me in that department.  RISING from a completely different period than IN ROCK contained more complex lyrics from Dio who wrote stories about dragons and wizards. He decorated his home with them and was a more complex lyricist than Glover and Gillian. 'Stargazer" had a completely different flow musicially. It featured Ritchie Blackmore playing Arabic type phrasings on slide guitar..which!..I found unique. It's too difficult for me to vote.

Rising. In Rock is a classic with some great stuff on it which has surely been hugely influential, but Rainbow Rising is the one that I actually find myself going back and listening to end to end.

Whenever I see this topic, my brain always replaces the title with "Rock Bottom vs. Fish Rising" and I think it is about Canterbury solo albums.

Bothe albums had Blackmore doing his version of Zeppelin - LZ II's production style for In Rock (dense amd heavy with riff oriented music), and the Kashmir like Eastern feel of some Rising moments. Stargazer, and the instrumntal structures of Do You Close Your Eyes are highlights for me on a fine hard rock album. In Rock is Purple a bit ahead of themselves, very little was played live at the time Into The Fire, Speed King under it's original title kneel and Pray and Child In Time was it I think. They were very much an instrumental band with occasional vocals. But In Rock has dense powerful riffs with contributions from everyone rather than the Blackmore directed masterpiece. Child In Time is a master work.

I'd recommend both albums, especially the CD remaster of In Rock (not heard the Rising one. Oh, and Live In Germany supersedes the Rainbow On Stage just for having Stargazer included.

You get a lot of Tony Carey soling as well. Probably out from behind his pillar.


Trouble (sic) is I like just about everything from Purple and Rainbow. And Sabbath. I do find it interesting how Tony Iommi ended up with most of Ritchie's singers at some time or another and almost started using Blackmore's style.
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In Rock still one of my all time favs on the hard rock world

Love both but voted for DP mainly because of Child. 

Deep Purple in Rock