| Shades Of Deep Purple | 1968 |
| The Book Of Taliesyn | 1968 |
| Deep Purple | 1969 |
| Concerto For Group And Orchestra (live) | 1969 |
| In Rock | review #2 | review #3 | 1970 |
| Fireball | review #2 | 1971 |
| Machine Head | review #2 | review #3 | 1972 |
| Made In Japan (live) | 1972 |
| Who Do We Think We Are! | review #2 | 1973 |
| Burn | 1974 |
| Stormbringer | 1974 |
| Come Taste The Band | 1975 |
| Made In Europe (live) | 1976 |
| Last Concert In Japan (live) | 1977 |
| Power House | 1977 |
| Perfect Strangers | 1984 |
| The House Of Blue Light | 1987 |
| Slaves And Masters | 1990 |
| The Battle Rages On | 1993 |
| Come Hell Or High Water (live) | 1994 |
| Gemini Suite (live) | 1995 |
| California Jamming (live) | 1996 |
| Purpendicular | 1996 |
| Abandon | 1998 |
| Bananas | 2003 |
One of the great triumvirate of the major heavy metal pioneers (along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin), Deep Purple played great hard rock with a classic lineup beginning with the In Rock album, which included the distinctive vocal wail of Ian Gillan, the groundbreaking riffing and soloing of guitar great Ritchie Blackmore, the eerie keyboards of Jon Lord, bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice on influential hard rock albums like In Rock and Machine Head. The band has gone through several lineup changes, including their first unsuccessful lineup in the late 60s, and later the "Mark III" lineup featuring David Coverdale as lead vocalist. The classic lineup mentioned above reunited in 1984 with the so-so Perfect Strangers, and after the next release House Of Blue Light their lineup continued to change, culminating in their most recent lineup, with guitarist Steve Morse of Dixie Dregs fame in place of Blackmore on their latest releases Purpendicular, Abandon and Bananas.
--Nick Karn
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COMMENTS
In these reviews, you twice refer to the Steve Morse lineup as "Mark IV". Most Purple fans consider "Mark IV" to refer to the Tommy Bolin lineup that recorded Come Taste The Band. Beyond Mark IV, the lineups and their designations get very confusing. The Morse lineup could be Mark VII, or perhaps Mark VIII depending on how you count the short-lived Joe Satriani incarnation. (Satriani filled in to complete the tour for The Battle Rages On when Blackmore quit in the middle). Anyway, there you go.
[Editor's note: 'Mark IV' has been replaced with 'most recent lineup' in the reviews and intro. Thanks for the correction.]
Imagine Morse and Blackmore both playing for Purple on an album some day...that would be wild...But isn't going to happen
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Hush, And The Address. LOW POINTS: Love Help Me.
So this is how Deep Purple got their start - not as one of the prototypical metal bands of all time, but actually as a late 60's hard pop unit in the vein of Jimi Hendrix (with an organ player, of course). Indeed, judging from this effort, Ritchie Blackmore sounds as if he's been taking a lot of cues from Hendrix in the riffing and soloing department, but nevertheless, he does show quite a few signs of developing into a great talent in his own right. Oh, and as far as the remainder of the lineup goes, it differs from the normal 'classic' one in the early 70's - instead of Ian Gillan as frontman, there's the quite competent and enjoyable, though not terribly distinctive, pipes of vocalist Rod Evans, and Nick Simper on bass in place of Roger Glover. What's also interesting is that, at this stage of their career, Purple really took a liking to including covers on their albums, and there are a few surprising twists within them.
The most known of these covers, of course, is their psychedelic version of Joe South's "Hush", which has long been associated with Purple by now, and still gets frequent play on classic rock radio today for good reason - the interplay between Jon Lord's organ and Blackmore's guitar work is instantly memorable and captivating, and the band as a whole adds a great amount of personality to the fantastic hook that it has (especially the 'na na na na...' chorus). But even more curiously, they rearrange a song called "Help!" by some obscure Liverpool pop group as a passionate 6-minute slow blues number (which is a really interesting and effective twist if you ask me), and they add epic and pompous jam-led intros to Cream's "I'm So Glad" (which is done pretty faithfully once it gets to the actual song), and the closing cover of the Hendrix cover "Hey Joe", additions that don't improve on the originals themselves, but give them a neat dimension.
But there's more to the record here than just the cover versions (even if "Hush" is probably the best single song on the album). Two of them have quite a bit of Hendrix influence in them, particularly the opening instrumental "And The Address", a piece that's constructed almost like a great pop song in a sense, with its' groovy 'verse' organ breakdowns, and excellent echoey guitar breaks and smooth lead work as a sort of 'chorus'. Meanwhile, "Mandrake Root" features a starts off with a riff extremely similar to "Foxey Lady" before giving way to some exciting psychedelic jamming. The remaining two numbers here, though, display a lighter side to the band, and while "Love Help Me" is a more routine, forgettable entry here, "One More Rainy Day" is actually a sort of minor gem on the album, with a fast-paced organ line and a really catchy, uplifting psychedelic pop chorus. In all, a nice debut - nothing really mindblowing or revelatory here, but still a worthwhile look at Purple's roots. As long as you don't have an unfortunate bias against the style, you'll probably enjoy this album.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Listen Learn Read On, Hard Road (Wring That Neck). LOW POINTS: Exposition/We Can Work It Out.
Like its' predecessor and successor, this album is painfully underrated, dismissed by several as a lame psychedelic, vaguely progressive, conceptual effort that's merely a forgettable venture in Purple's early history. But from my perspective, this album and the next one are what really convince me this lineup could have held its' own quite well had they been able to develop their potential, as they certainly were starting develop some interesting ideas in this vein (but then, In Rock came along, and no self-respecting classic metal fan would want to be without that one, so I'm not complaining!). But anyway, with a little bit more songwriting consistency, The Book Of Taliesyn could actually have been a minor classic, because the best material here really rocks, and this is despite the limited presence of Ritchie Blackmore on several spots throughout the album. How surprising.
The hugest successes here actually come right at the very beginning of the album, as the opening "Listen, Learn, Read On" serves as a conceptual introduction that's quite stupid when looked at closely, but there are still quite a lot of things that make this song fantastic - the trippy lyrics, effects like vocal echoes and whispers, the snappy main riff, and the extremely catchy chorus that rolls around several times (since the verses are so short) will be sure to get stuck in your head. But approaching that in quality is the absolutely killer instrumental "Hard Road (Wring That Neck)", which has an incredible tightness to it, from that unforgettable main repeating organ line answered by booming drums and the way the rest of the song turns into a great piece of jamming, with the Blackmore guitar and Lord organ interplay coming up with variations on the main theme for an exciting five minutes of excellence.
Unfortunately, none of the other five songs match that very excellence (hey, this is the start of Purple's stretch of 'seven song albums'!), but most are good. The lead single this time around is a groovy, clapalong take on Neil Diamond's "Kentucky Woman", which is, like "Hush", made strong by the tightness of the band and their playing strength, and again, there's a Beatles cover included. However, this take on "We Can Work It Out" is nowhere near as interesting as "Help!" - whereas that one was a neat blues interpretation, there's three minutes of dull organ jamming (the 'Exposition' instrumental introduction) before it even gets to the song, which pulls off the amazing feat of almost making the melody sound boring and ordinary, mostly due to the way Rod Evans' slow vocal intonations are here. Come on, even Tesla managed to do this song well, and that's sad.
Finally, side two has just three (mostly extended) songs, and while they're nothing really special, all are good. My favorite is the ballad "Anthem", which aims for the heavens with its' nice lush, melodic chorus, with a neat violin solo thrown in the middle, but "Shield" has a pretty cool epic feeling to it as well, what with that dramatic bass and piano line interplay going for it. Even the final cover of the album, the 10 minute "River Deep, Mountain High" is very respectable - the minimalistic four minute organ/drum buildup might be a little overlong, but creates a nice atmospheric effect, while the actual song part of it benefits immensely from Evans' singing. He didn't do that well on "We Can Work It Out", but here, he pulls off the slow, gentle verses equally as effectively as the faster chorus, with pleasing harmonies and spare jamming also added on. Although by a very small margin, this oft-bashed effort might actually be my favorite 60's Purple album - it isn't brilliant, but I simply can't see what makes most of this stuff bad!
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COMMENTS
First thing's first. "Listen, Learn, Read On" is simply the most awesome psychedelic song ever recorded. Yes, you heard me correctly. Evans' vocals are just not of this Earth, and they're so eerie that they practically make you feel like you're in another universe. A total trip. And not to mention the song has a KILLER, heavy riff. And Blackmore throws in a contorted solo too. Acid rock at it's absolute best. "Wring That Neck" is indeed every bit as good as you say it is, a devastating instrumental with probably my favorite riff in all of music. You can really tell that Ritchie's ability is improving immensely more and more. And of course, "Kentucky Woman" is rock 'n roll excellence, even better than "Hush" in my opinion, although you really can't compare one to another. The cover of "We Can Work It Out" totally shatters The Beatles version. Personally, I never saw what was so great about The Beatles in the first place. Ridiculously overrated. And the remaining three songs are all epics in their own right. "Anthem" is especially lovely, and is a precursor to "Lalena" from the next album, which is divine. "The Shield" is psychedelic bliss, and "River Deep, Mountain High" is the album's masterpiece. All in all, this album is extraordinary. Better than any of Mark 2's albums, although many people will disagree.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Blind, April. LOW POINTS: None.
This album holds the distinction of being the final studio effort from the Mark I incarnation of Purple before a short flirtation with an orchestra preceded a huge change of direction on the next album, but that's for another review. In the meantime, am I the only one that thinks this album is kinda dark by Purple's usual standards? Sure, there's hardly anything heavy here or anything like that, but the general atmosphere of several songs throughout kind of have a moody and unnerving quality to them, which makes for a sort of intriguing listen. And another thing - I realize that the general sound doesn't bear too much resemblance to the early 70's output, but one has to admit that the song structures and approach is getting a bit more artsier and complex, almost falling as much into the 'art rock' category as 'pop'. Of course, the actual song material here doesn't quite live up to the sound and ambition, but it's good stuff nonetheless.
The album also boasts one of the true lost gems in Purple's history, and the best representation of the darker style here - why the heck doesn't anyone ever mention "Blind"? That's a great, creepy and omnious slow building mini-epic which skillfully blends edgy guitar work with harpsichord (particularly during the fantastic breaks), a first-rate vocal melody, and an honestly compelling vocal and lyrical performance to go along with always brilliant Blackmore soloing. It's easily my favorite on the album, and one of my favorite Purple songs in existence. I also think it hits that mood more effectively than the surrounding tracks, personally - while still enjoyable, the opening tune "Chasing Shadows" is really just a repetitive, badly produced, bass and organ groove that's very catchy, but nothing that'll blow you away or anything, and the cover version here ("Lalena") tries to be something atmospheric but instead comes off as a little stupid and fake to me, even if it is very hypnotizing.
The 'creepy' vibe also shows up in the two-part suite "Fault Line" and "The Painter" - I know the central focus here is the 'rocking' latter part, but I think the former intro build is a lot more interesting and trippy sounding, what with the intriguing groove set up by backwards organ and drums. That vibe does appear to settle down a little by side two with the tight blues rocker "Why Didn't Rosemary?", but even on that one, the lyrics have a slightly bleak vibe to them. Afterwards comes a more standard groove in "Bird Has Flown" that's made memorable only by some more stellar six-string playing, which is good, because the rest of the song is kinda boring.
At the very end, though, comes the reason for the album's existence in Purple's history (along with "Blind", of course) - the nearly 12 minute closing suite "April", where the band's combination of orchestra and rock band on Concerto For Group And Orchestra takes its' roots from. It's basically divided into three parts - a captivating Lord/Blackmore instrumental for the first four or so minutes, the 'orchestra' part in the middle (which might not flow ideally with the rest of the piece, but certainly sounds breathtaking and epic in its' sweep), and in the final section comes the actual song segment, which reaffirms the more creepy atmosphere the rest of the material had, all with a captivating, sort of epic, vocal melody and some more fiery guitar soling to close things off. And there we have your sort of 'transition' album in early Purple history - it's still not exactly awesome as a whole, since there's still a bit too much in the way of indistinguished material amongst the highlights, but it is one of their more interesting albums as a whole.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Child In Time, Flight Of The Rat, Bloodsucker, Hard Lovin' Man. LOW POINTS: Into The Fire.
Many probably think of this record as Deep Purple's ultimate breakthrough after a series of unfairly dismissed 'psychedelic slop' albums (as Martin Popoff of the Collector's Guide To Heavy Metal, an avid Purple fan, scathingly referred to The Book Of Taliesyn as in this book... errrgh). It's hard to argue, as apparently something did happen in the Purple lineup, because they decided to rock out somewhat harder and really make full use of their classical-influenced elements in the arrangements (a bit of a progressive rock tinge in here, actually), featuring wailing vocals and an amazingly energetic, heavy that really laid changed the face of the hard rock landscape, and along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin at the same time, laying the groundwork for heavy metal. That's the end result of this album, a powerful collection of seven tunes of mostly outstanding quality.
The opening track here, "Speed King", comes right out of the gate with a furiously fast and heavy-hitting attack in the overall sound, and it features amusingly dumb and meaningless Little Richard-style lyrics to go along with its' great wailing chorus. The production on this track, more than anything else on here, might be really awful, but that never stop the overall fire of it, not when you have a song like "Bloodsucker" following it up. The first true classic on the album, it's also a priceless showcase of the unstoppable Purple groove, with simply stunning vocal yells of 'ooooooohhh, no no no', and to top it all off, we have the organ transition (Jon Lord really stands out on this track in really pushing the groove forward) to a lightning fast Ritchie Blackmore solo that's truly something special and breathtaking.
Not nearly as special, though, as the next track - the 10 minute epic "Child In Time" has to be one of the most mind-blowing songs of early 70's hard rock that I've heard, from that slow organ part with Ian Gillan vocals that slowly help build up the obvious tension apparent in the song that finally explodes with those ear-shattering yells whose gradually rise in volume really floor me every time. But what floors me even more is the sheer genius of the guitar solo in this song that serves as a perfect breakaway from that wailing. It lasts about two or three minutes, but somehow, Blackmore manages to really make every note count, whether he's playing slow and bluesy like in the beginning, or engaged in a lighting fast duel with the organ. Then afterwards, after the song builds back up from that, the listener is treated to more great over the top vocals and a heartstopping sped up ending that simply leaves me drained.
Still, though, it's followed by more amazing energy in "Flight Of The Rat", which has a simple, but throbbing riff that lays the groundwork for more extremely proficient and effortlessly breathtaking soloing (the rhythm section more than holds its own here too), and at nearly 8 minutes long it may overstay its' welcome a bit (especially at the end), but I personally never get bored with it at all, especially with Gillan's entertainingly simplistic delivery in rhyming each line of the song. At first my impression the album was "Child In Time" and "Flight Of The Rat" with a few other songs, and it's easy to see why in the somewhat plodding "Into The Fire" following it up - it certainly doesn't have a bad groove, but the hook always seems to escape my mind and the energy on it is somewhat lacking compared to the previous songs.
The transition to the slightly superior "Living Wreck" makes for a bit of an improvement there, as that song seems a little more energetic, inspired and certainly more memorable. The album doesn't really regain its' thrilling momentum back, though, until the following "Hard Lovin' Man", which really breaks free towards the end with a sensational chugging riff to lead the way, and I really love how groovy it is when it sounds like the organs in the beginning are actually spitting or something like that. Needless to say, all of the typical Purple virtues are here on the song - solid, not overlong arrangement, and great showstopping performances all around. As for the album is a whole, it is truly a defining moment for the band (and heavy metal), and arguably their best effort, with only a slight letdown after the opening four song burst keeping it from unstoppable classic status.
Deep Purple turned up the amps for this, a British hard rock album that has great speedy riffs, progressive and jamming organ, and plenty of guitar hooks. "Speed King" sets the pace for the album, it's propelled by a hard-hitting riff with some nonsensical lyrics grooving along to it. Next is "Bloodsucker", probably the most exciting one of all on here, because of its fast, driving, and creative riff. The wailing screams of Ian Gillan at the end of each verse further heighten the track, but best of all is in the organ/guitar break where Blackmore uses some awesome guitar pyrotechnics.
The haunting ten minute epic, "Child In Time" has some prophetic, Jesus-like vocals in the first half, before giving way to some long guitar jams that are truly a tour-de-force. "Flight Of The Rat" is indeed another highlight, because it contains the catchiest riff on here, and has some more energetic jamming. "Into The Fire" (a short and heavy song) and "Living Wreck" (a lesser midtempo tune) are good tunes that work well inbetween the longer epic tracks. The final song "Hard Lovin' Man" has a mysterious keyboard line played for the duration of the song, with a lot of guitar and keyboard solos throughout. This album would set the stage for subsequent Deep Purple albums.
Ah, it's a slooow day here in Shangri-La. I feel like suing the local Hastings (the only entertainment store down here) for getting rid of it's classical section. Dang it, I want some Johann Strauss! Or some Wagner would do as well. I also learned who Kittie is today. Ashley, the filthy liar who has really caught herself in a big one involving why she basically dumped me, likes them. I can tell I probably wouldn't after seeing their 1999 cd, Spit. They all look like such...ladies (of the evening, maybe). I also was ticked off by them only having one cd by Rainbow, and that one being a compilation with only 11 songs. Darn you, Hastings!!!
At any rate, I've been in a Blackmore mood for the past few days, which was why I was looking for Rainbow. I'd like to add that I was not looking for Kittie---it just happened to be misplaced in the "R" section. Apparently, agry metalhead chicks can't spell or put things in alphabetical order. Yep, sounds like Ashley. Shame on me. Somebody please slap my wrist for that; I deserve it. OK, before I forget what I'm reviewing, I basically rediscovered this one yesterday. I already have (and love) Machine Head, and I had this one too. However, I hadn't really listened to it much. I did like Child In Time, but I ignored the rest. BIG mistake, cause all of it is loverly.
I guess the first track is why I didn't listen to much else---I really dislike Speed King. It's melody is horrendous, the words are bad even by Deep Purple standards, and even Blackmore can't save the day. It's hands-down the weakest track on here, and one of my least favorite by the band. However, Bloodsucker is a whole 'nother story. This one's got some mildly interesting words, but who the heck listens to Deep Purple for deep lyrics? I don't. I listen for Ritchie Blackmore's OUTFRICKINGSTANDING playing....plus, Ian Gillan's got a set of pipes I'd kill for. On Bloodsucker, it all comes together. Blackmore's hard, dirty, gruff riffing (which also manages to be technically delightful; he was the best technical player of the Classic Three hard rock guitarists of this era....the other two being Tony Iommi and my favorite, Jimmy Page) blends well with Gillan's amazing shrieks, plus a tight rhythm section and Jon Lord's magnificently played organ. That one is a killer.
However, Child In Time is the real highlight. For one thing, it's 10 minutes long, so it is the epic here. It's also mostly slower. Plus, it really resonates, no doubt because of Ian Gillan's empassioned singing job. The man sounds powerful, but also emotional. A rare combination in the rock world. Even then, Blackmore's soloing steals the show. He proves himself to be a real speed king and drives me WILD with a nearly 2 minute long solo that keeps getting faster and faster until even Ritchie can't keep up with himself. It's a shame this doesn't get much airplay, because it really is a fantastic song.
So is Flight Of The Rat, which has one of the best riffs Blackmore ever came up with. it sounds almost Zeppelin-ish, and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. They chase it with Into The Fire, which POUNDS. It is drivingly powerful, and the rhythm of it is relentless consciousness rattling. BAM! Living Wreck is pretty good as well, however it just can't hold a candle to the real high points here. I do like the groupie-bashing lyrics, though---they're kinda funny. Hard Lovin' Man is a pretty good album closer, with some more pounding rhythm parts. This is a man's rock album; loud, proud, and well-played. Kittie is not...maybe the album of a randy teen guy who likes his ladies Goth and foul-mouthed, but not of this guy. Gimme Deep Purple any day.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: No One Came, Fireball, Anyone's Daughter. LOW POINTS: No, No, No.
Well, I guess there was nowhere really to go but down after the all-out adrenaline rush near classic that was In Rock, or at least refine it closer to perfection. It's not like Fireball really differs drastically from the style of the previous album (or the next one, for that matter), just in the overall power of the music and hooks, I guess. They seem to have toned down the energy somewhat overall, going for a more groove-based, midtempo sound and some slight diversity (there's forays into blues, psychedelic territory and lighthearted country). Fortunately, even if this effort is neither as great or as exciting as the two studio releases it happens to be stuck in between, the songs are still for the most part very good, with a still very healthy display of showstopping vocals and vintage guitar and organ chops. I just wish they would cut loose from their midtempo backing more. Maybe things would have been even better!
At any rate, though, either of the first two songs could have fit on the last album and not have felt out of place. The title track is one of the few moments of speed you're going to get here, very much in the vein of a condensed "Flight Of The Rat" and containing a solid vocal hook and a really cool array of organ sound effects and solos that create such an awesome experience - I would have to call this one among Jon Lord's finest moments. Unfortunately, the following "No, No, No" grinds that momentum to a halt - it flat out rehashes the groove of "Into The Fire" (a not so great song in the first place), and proceeds to make things worse by adding annoying repetitive lyrics and a solo section that's by far, the most uninspired on the whole album. And it drags for nearly 7 minutes! Luckily, the tight, dark blues of "Demon's Eye" gets us back on the right track, with a slightly generic, though fine, main riff, a neat vocal/guitar interplay in the chorus, and impressive solos all around.
The biggest surprise on here and probably the sleeper track of the whole set, though, is "Anyone's Daughter", that aforementioned stab at country-ish territory. It doesn't sound like anything else the band has ever done, but that's for the better - Lord's actually playing piano on this track for once, and his interplay with Blackmore in the first minute or so is quite gripping, while the rootsy rhythm that drives it along is incredibly addictive, and the hilarious lyrics really put it over the top in terms of entertainment. Meanwhile, "The Mule" is that aforemetioned stab at psychedelic rock, with an 'anthemic power' approach to the sound. Blackmore is the star of this one, with some neat rising guitar lines, an absolutely ripping solo in the middle, and even a couple portions where he employs an interesting guitar tone. Plus it's got one of the most uplifting vocal hooks you can find from this band, making it another minor gem on here.
There's also an 8 minute epic on here in the form of "Fools", but like "No, No, No" to a not as bad extent, it doesn't grab me all that much - the pounding groove here is pretty simplistic, the main melody is mostly unmemorable, and the organ introduction sounds as if the song's going to be a kinda boring take on a Doors epic. It does have a really, really cool atmospheric middle to redeem it, though. Not a bad song, but it just sounds weak in the company of its' followup "No One Came", an awesome catchy rocker about the unpleasant aspects that come with being a rock star. What a kickass, unforgettable organ/bass groove that never lets up for the whole song, and I just love the trippy effects-laden portion that comes after a false ending. Glad they ended this one on a great note! Actually, I think this album could be a solid or maybe even high 8 if the two longest songs on here weren't kinda blah, but even then, this is still a very worthy follow up to In Rock in spite of its' slight inconsistency and lack of speed they're so known for.
Similar in formula to In Rock and almost as good, this contains another exciting seven songs. "Strange Kind Of Woman" is the hit single, but the highlights on here are "No, No, No" (a rockin' track with a slow middle part), "Fools" (a dynamic showcase for the band, with an ultra-heavy head-rushing riff), and the closer "No One Came" (an incredible bass heavy song). "No One Came" is the best on here, it has a propulsive beat moving the song forward, classic guitar and keyboard solos, and backwards piano sounds ending the song. The speedy, energetic, and catchy opener, "Fireball" contains some thrills too, "The Mule" is an ambitious song, and "Anyone's Daughter" is the lone quiet song on here, a kind of country-folky song with humorous lyrics. The best tracks on here equal that of those on In Rock, but some of the lesser ones are not quite as worthwhile. Nothing really weak on here, and with this consistency they were ready to make their big album Machine Head.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, Lazy, Pictures Of Home. LOW POINTS: Maybe I'm A Leo.
Oh yes, here's the monster effort in Deep Purple's history an album they retreated to the Rolling Stones Mobile Unit in Montreux, Switzerland to record (which gets referenced in the most well-known song on here, though you probably knew that already), and I guess that studio definitely makes a difference. The much clearer production really seems completely improved from before, which helps, and as for the music, well, there's a reason many people consider this to be the definitive heavy metal album of all time. It might even be Purple's most representative ever, with a forceful and melodic attack in the playing, and absolutely breathtaking jams and wailing vocals to go along with it. While Machine Head certainly does have its' share of astoundingly awesome tracks and breathtaking playing, though, it's still not quite up to the level of In Rock, as there are a few songs here that leave me slightly torn over the album's quality.
The biggest of these weak spots is the pummeling groove "Maybe I'm A Leo", which, while not quite as weak and stale as "No, No, No", correctly predicts the style of the next album, and that's not a good thing. It's got a very average plodding dinosaur midtempo riff that's about as uninspired and boring as the actual vocal melody here, and the playing just lacks spark. Outside of the really neat bridge (one of the rare truly moody moments in this band's history), I can also say the same for "Never Before", as it's a somewhat run-of-the-mill hard pop tune that's definitely enjoyable listening, but I can't find much in the playing or melodies to really love about it. In addition, although quite fine, I've always found the closing "Space Truckin'" to be a somewhat overrated so-called 'classic' - sure, it's got a cool stop-start riff, and Ian Gillan's vocals are absolutely wild at several points here, but I can never really remember how most of it goes, and it's a bit lacking in dynamics compared to the highs on here.
Fortunately, highs are really what the rest of the album hits on a pretty constant basis, and they're so strong and quintessential of the band's power that this album's actually pushed to the brink of a 9. To give you an idea of just how strong, "Pictures Of Home" would have probably been the best song on any of the band's 60's efforts (which were also still good themselves), and yet it's my least favorite of the remaining four. It actually does remind me of that Mark I Purple era a bit in its' tense organ-led feel, melody and fantasy lyrics, with quite a few breathtaking jams (there's even a short Roger Glover bass solo!). That incarnation could have never pulled off this song with quite that much excitement, though, especially in the vocal department.
I should really point out Ritchie Blackmore's presence on the album the most, though. While his lengthy solo in "Child In Time" remains his top best showcase in my mind, I must admit Machine Head is probably his greatest triumph when taken as a full album. Random exhibit number one would be the way the ordinary speedy blues/rock and roll tune' "Lazy" is turned into a classic epic via a 4-1/2 minute instrumental buildup. Jon Lord's piercing organ intro is quite gripping enough, but the way Blackmore plays off those organ parts in the first few minutes with only some of the greatest guitar solos ever (and they return towards the end of the tune)? Uhh... wow. Sure, the actual song part is nothing special or memorable, but that only lasts like two minutes anyway, and is easily eclipsed by the epic glory that comes before it. And you've got to love that humorous ending!
Exhbit number two? Well, that would be the opening "Highway Star", which hits the mark as not only arguably the perfect fast Purple rocker, but also one of the best 'racing down the highway' songs ever written, and my favorite song on here. That simple but effective chugging riff has so much memorable drive to it it's unbelievable, and the blistering, classically influenced solos here simply make my jaw drop! Don't think the rest of the band isn't in top form as well, though - in fact, Gillian's 'I LOVE HER, I NEEEED HER...' screams are some of his coolest ever, the rhythm section keeps that fantastic groove going, and Lord is actually quite explosive in the first half of the tune. What could be more famous than that?
Oh yeah, the third exhibit, that little minor classic rock staple that actually manages to use the word 'stupid' as a noun, the immortal "Smoke On The Water". What guitarist doesn't know the main twelve-note riff to this one by heart (one of the greatest mammoth ones ever conceived)? That alone propels the song's considerable infectious as hell groove power (who could forget the chorus of 'smoooooke on the waaaater.... fire in the sky', either)? It's also got more soloing goodness as well - damn, I love those Purple jams of this period. And hilariously stupid narrative lyrics whose comic value actually add to the entertainment here. Again, it's brilliance like this that has the album kinda close to a 9, but since over a fourth of it doesn't really excite me a whole lot (though it isn't bad), I can't quite call Machine Head the classic I really want to. Still miles better than the studio effort that came shortly afterwards, though.
This is their most successful album (although not their best), with a more clean and crisp sound to it than the previous two. This is most notable on the song "Maybe I'm A Leo", a bluesy midtempo rocker that is fairly straightforward. "Smoke On The Water" is one of the most known riffs in rock history, that influenced other generations of guitar players. Other highlights are the even better "Highway Star" which has a fantastic riff and lots of memorable guitar hooks and solos, "Space Truckin" with its stop and start structure in the beginning, and "Lazy", a seven minute venture into keyboard jamming. "Pictures Of Home" and "Never Before" offer some excitement, even if they are overshadowed by the other songs. Basically, I think In Rock is actually a better album, because the songs are a little more creative, and have clearer, more outstanding solos on it. Great songs on here though, with a good amount of these songs being used in their live performances in the next few years.
I need some fresh blood romantically speaking. It's like I've been recycling the same people over and over again except Ashley for the past few years. And it's a brutal cycle; none of them have ever liked me, and most of them are spoiled rotten liars who'd sooner use you for their own sick little mindgames than give you a fair chance. It frustrates me that the only two girls I'm comfortable around and who aren't like that live in Houston and Beaumont. Nuts!!! I'm frustrated. And what do I like when I'm frustrated? Hard rock from the late 60s and 70s! See, I was going somewhere with that. My sob stories do have a point sometimes other than just creating some sort of sordid interest in my reviews that appeals to lovers of "reality"-styled writing. If this is reality, I'm screwed. Too bad Beaumont's so far away.....at any rate, the fact that geography has dealt me a cruddy hand definitely has me feeling like I'm beating my head against a brick wall, so I'm listening to some music that mirrors that. Well, the rhythm does at times.
Anyhow, Machine Head is the 3rd solid heavy metal/hard rock album that Deep Purple (mark II) put out, and it's my personal favorite of them. To me, it's the most consistent. Each of these three albums has seven songs. In Rock has one poor one, Fireball is a real mixed bag with a few misfires, but Machine Head has seven perfect or near perfect hard rockers and rollers. Also, since I have the 25th anniversary reissue, the production is now much, MUCH better. It also became their biggest seller (I think), probably because of Smoke On The Water. That's another reason why I like it so much; out of the seven songs, five of them are mind-bogglingly excellent. That's over half the album.
Most people agree that Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, and Pictures of Home are three of Purple's best songs, and I feel that way myself. For that matter, most people think that Lazy is as well, and I do, too. However, what I don't agree with is this notion that Space Truckin' is somehow weak or inferior. Dang it, it's my favorite on here! The rhythm is the toughest on here; it threatens to knock the planet out of orbit. Also, the organ and guitar parts are great, with a cool solo from good ole Ritchie B. Even better, Ian Gillan turns in a mind-blowing vocal performance. Can YOU go "we got music in the solar system!!!!!" like he did? I think not. It's so much stronger than most people say.
As for the other four great ones, Lazy is the next least universally loved. I think it's cool proof to the world that the Zepsters did not have a monopoly on the blues. The playing is ultra-tight, even by Deep Purple standards. We also have Pictures of Home, a song that sounds more like Rainbow than Deep Purple. That opening guitar part most certainly reminds me of Rainbow's first two albums, but since I like Rainbow, I don't mind at all. Even the words are Rainbow-ish, and Ian Gillan turns in an excellent performance. Heck, even that sounds like Rainbow, as it reminds me a little of Ronnie James Dio.
But what Deep Purple album would be complete without a speedy rocker? None of them, and I'm sure that's why Highway Star made it on here! I'm glad it did, as that classical-influenced solo is one of Blackmore's best. The song is THE perfect car song, in my opinion. However, the biggie is of course Smoke On The Water. How a song with such inane words managed to hit it so big is beyond me, but dang it, that riff is so groovy. We also have two other rockers, Maybe I'm A Leo and Never Before. Both of them are good 'lil stompers, but how can they compete with the rest? All in all, this is an excellent and consistent listen all the way through, and one that would never be topped in studio by the band.
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[email protected] (Wiener, Glenn)
Your both pretty much on the money for this one. Truthfully though Never Before is one of my preffered songs on the record. I guess I like it because it seems to have some upbeat qualities outside of the lyrics that is. Lazy is one creative peice as the song really builds from the mysterious organ intro, to some casual Blackmore riffing, to a full fledged jam and then all of a sudden Ian's cool vocals. Space Truckin' is one cooking tune as well. Besdies the riffs, Ian Gillian is on top of his game. I would rate this as a high eight or possibly a low nine with the only drawback being the limtied style of the band.
Why is Machine Head consudered such a classic album...I am mystified!!! As far as I'm concerned the sound is thin, the writing uninspired and the playing not much better....in comparison to it's two predecessors it is definitely weak and the beginning of the downward slide towards the dreaded Coverdale...long live Fireball!!!
(reviewed by Kevin Baker)
YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, had to let that out, and it's not just because the fried chicken I had for my lunch was so good. Nope, it's because live Deep Purple kicks. Kicks what? Kicks whatever you want it to, that's what! Whatever your kicking fetish is, be it butt or "privates" or stomach or shins or whatever, Ritchie Blackmore is pleased to kick it for you. Why? Because he's a jerk. Seriously, these guys are where it's at live. You think The Who are good live? Well, they are. OK, maybe Live At Leeds is still better than bsp;But maybe not......
OK, the story behind this bad boy is that the dudes decided to go do some shows in Japan. They recorded them and released some stuff in 1972. And it's all great. Ian Gillan's voice is the strongest in rock, Ritchie Boy was at an absolute peak, Jon Lord is smokin' as always, Roger Glover is Roger Glover, and Ian Paice must have the heart of an ox to keep at those drums like he does.
------POINTLESS ROMANTIC INTERLUDE TIME--------
Ashley and I have a majorly weird relationship right now. Yes, THAT Ashley. She's my best friend, and we.....well, I'll relate that by telling what happened Friday night. She has a boyfriend, but we still do stuff together as friends. Well, I put my arm around her in my truck. She put her hand in mine and entertwined our fingers. Then she put her head on my shoulder, and I kissed her on her forehead. We're not dating, but we might be in the future depending on what she decides to do since she DOES like me and thinks I'm perfect for her, but she kinda likes her boyfriend too.....and she thinks I'm sexy, too. See my picture. If you disagree, keep it to yerself.
OK, back to rawk n roll. As you may or may not have gathered, the guys are tight, loud, and proud on here----good. They smoke on Highway Star----they smoke wildly. And if you think the studio version of Child In Time has got some great soloing.......yowzers. Ritchie's fingers must have about fallen off after they did this one live----speedy, frenzied, wonderful. Some On The Water, you say? HECK YEAH. It's on here, and Ritchie dinks with the riff some during the intro. The Mule is probably the weakest link; I don't care much for drum solos. Strange Kind Of Woman has some strange kinds of BUTT-KICKING playing. Lazy? The band sure ain't, and it just smokes.
Then there's the nearly 20 minute Space Truckin'. WOW. OOOH. It has got EVERYTHING you could want from a Deep Purple song. Wild Blackmore solos and guitarmanstuff, wicked rhythm, wild n wacky keyboards, and of couse Ian Gillan's awesome vocals. There's not a ton new with any of the songs---it's how they're presented. They're bigger than ever before. Loud. Heavy. Butt-kicking. Sweet. A great live album from a great live band.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Smooth Dancer. LOW POINTS: Mary Long, Super Trouper.
Wow, now this is a pretty enormous, unexplainable letdown. Well, maybe not so much 'unexplainable', since the tensions in the group, which eventually led to both Ian Gillan and Roger Glover leaving the band, sort of logically explains why there would be at least some sort of falloff. But man, are these tunes ever uninspired. It's not even like this is a horrible album only lifted up a bit by some good songs - it's pretty much mediocrity (albeit the kind that's sometimes at least a little enjoyable to listen to) mostly straight through, with only a few great moments standing out amongst pretty bland and formulaic numbers. And almost all these songs are so damn slow, too! There's also very little energy in the sound or inventiveness in arrangements, and when we speak of guitar work it almost seems as if Ritchie Blackmore has almost disappeared from the band - hardly any truly excellent riffs or solos to be found here, and that's a darn shame.
That being said, there's really only one song here that I could say I can't stand, and that would be "Mary Long", some shit that sounds like Jesus Christ Superstar gone bad - the vocals take on that same Jesus-like intonation, but in the midst of a dumb sleazy atmosphere, zero musical inspiration, a lame vocal melody and even worse lyrics, it's not a welcoming addition to the tune. Not that I have much particularly complementary to say about much of the others, though - "Super Trouper" is a blatantly obvious ripoff of "Bloodsucker", with an almost identical kind of groove and melody, but only about a tenth of the power. Plus, other than that nice harmonic chorus, the closing "Our Lady" doesn't really make an impression at all, and "Place In Line" starts off as an astoundingly dull blues number in its' first couple minutes before finally deciding to pick up and become a decent groove afterwards, thus saving the tune from being garbage and making it tolerable.
With all the negative I've given toward this album, there are some worthwhile moments on here, though unfortunately, the only actual song that seems like something quite good straight through also happens to be the fastest and catchiest ("Smooth Dancer"). I doubt that chorus melody is very original, but the song sounds exciting, anyway. "Rat Bat Blue", meanwhile, has the most brilliant part of the album by far (Jon Lord's fast, mindblowing keyboard solo in the middle), but is an otherwise pretty forgettable groove. And "Woman From Tokyo" certainly has a highly memorable chorus to start the album off on, and the riff is just fine, but beyond that... there's really not much to grab onto. I mean, really, only "Mary Long" sounds awful as a whole, and the rest honestly isn't bad while it's on, which at least allows me to rate this at a sort of 'high-level' mediocre, but in all, Who Do We Think We Are! is still a big falldown from what came before, and there's not a lot of reasons to care about this material much.
Deep Purple gave us the dirty proto-progressive metal of In Rock, the same style with a diverse setting in Fireball, and finally the hard-hitting metal of Machine Head one year before the release of this album. On Who Do We Think We Are! the band is reduced to writing a bunch of mid-tempo boogie Rock songs that lack any edge of excitement or ounce of creativity. The style and production of this album sounds very much like Machine Head, but the song quality has taken such a downturn that the worst song on that album is the same or better than the best song on here. The band must have liked the decent hard rock boogie of "Maybe I'm A Leo" from that previous album because the seven songs on here are all done in the same basic vein, except on a slightly lower par.
Some are slower (Place In Line) and some are faster (Smooth Dancer), but they all suffer from being formulaic, having bland production (yeah, even the great Machine Head suffered in spots from this - it's worse here though), and having non-flashy, near-inaudible guitar solos. Even so, the semi-enjoyable catchiness of these tunes assures me that none of them are really offensive. It's just that by Deep Purple standards (well most respectable bands' standards) these tunes are all very average. The 'ground-shaking' hit "Woman From Tokyo" has a nice dreamy middle section and an okay hard-hitting riff, but it suffers like everything else from the same things I talked about earlier. Elsewhere, the same feelings are generated when I listen to "Our Lady", the laughable lyrics of "Mary Long" (You'll know what I mean when you hear them!), "Super Trouper", "Place In Line", and the like. Catchy, but on the whole, insubstantial and unsatisfying.
The few moments of glory that occasionally pop up do so in "Rat Bat Blue", which will surprise you with its' incredibly ultra-fast keyboard solo in the middle, and in the opening moments of "Smooth Dancer", which is particularly hard-hitting. It's a shame that a band once in great competition with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin has fallen so far below them; both Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Houses Of The Holy from the same year make this album seem like pig-meat (err yea... something like that)
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Knocking At Your Back Door, Perfect Strangers, Mean Streak. LOW POINTS: Wasted Sunsets, Under The Gun, A Gypsy's Kiss.
As you could expect, after a really long layoff that preceded the band's breakup in 1975, the 'comeback' album featuring the classic lineup of Ian Gillian, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice was a highly anticipated reunion among hard rock fans, and even now, there are still numerous fans out there that call it an undeniable success. Well, with the year being 1984 and all, the musical landscape at the time and overall production sound had undeniably changed, and the overall sound is somewhat slick, commercial hard rock with somewhat conventional songwriting and a real lack of memorable melodies. By this time, of course, Ian Gillan had nowhere near the vocal power of the classic years, and the remainder of the band in an alarming number of cases give hopelessly ordinary performances that really don't grab your attention.
With all those flaws in mind, though, more than a third of the album is quite worthwhile, with two of the songs being total Purple classics. The opening "Knocking At Your Back Door", despite truly embarassing lyrics, is an extremely powerful organ-driven anthem whose melodic construction is simply brilliant, from the verses to a truly ear-catching chorus. The overall flow of it is so great, it doesn't even really seem 7 minutes long at all. The "Kashmir" flavored "Perfect Strangers" is also anthemic in a great way, with great drama present in its' instrumental breaks, organ playing and solid melody. The otherwise ordinary and clumsy "Mean Streak" manages to stand out as well, with a really infectious chorus that succeeds in spite of its' utter silliness. Enjoy it, because there's not much else catchy here.
As for the other tracks, none of them are actually offensively weak or anything, but a lot of the remainder are just generic, uninspired, by the numbers 80's rock with not that much in the way of hooks, like the somewhat flat "Under The Gun", the totally forgettable "A Gypsy's Kiss", and the bland ballad "Wasted Sunsets", which passes by without doing anything noteworthy whatsoever in its' mood or melody. "Hungry Daze" has nothing going for it other than its' organ riff that uses "Kashmir" flavorings yet again to a less engaging effect, and "Not Responsible" ends the album on a rather dull rocking note. In all, I can still say this is an above average album on account of that "Knockin' At Your Back Door" and "Perfect Strangers" rule mercilessly (which make the album itself worth it), and most of the rest isn't really bad, just for the most part consistently okay but ultimately really boring.
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Wiener, Glenn)
I would rate this recording as kind of average rather than dissappointing. There is less speed and a few synthesizer tricks thrown in that bring it down from the Machine Head days. There are some good riffs most notably on the opening two tracks. I agree that the title track is pretty darn creative with the organ and drum effects. I would recommend picking this one up in the cheapie album bin for a few dollars as a classic it isn't.
A Gypsy's Kiss is one of the best tunes Purple ever did. It's fast, melodic, incredible.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Strangeways, Call Of The Wild, Hard Lovin' Woman. LOW POINTS: Mitzie Dupree, Black & White.
On first listen, the 'classic' lineup's followup to Perfect Strangers sounds incredibly dull and uniform, with seemingly plodding rhythms, bland 80's production, uninteresting instrumental performances and hardly any hooks. However, I probably got this impression of the album based on the fact that, unlike most Purple releases, there really isn't anything on House Of Blue Light that jumps out as being outstanding, and that's not just because there isn't anything of great quality here, but that most of these songs are really obviously built in the same style - fairly ho-hum midtempo or slightly faster paced verses mixed with choruses that eventually reveal themselves as catchy. This may essentially be Perfect Strangers 2, but generally, the drive of the band is better and more convincing, and the material is very even - the best and worst material here are the songs that end up just slightly either more or less memorable than the others.
As a result, there's not a whole lot of differences I can point out between these songs to make it all that interesting of a review (damn these mid-range albums!), but there are a few that stand out a bit more than the others. I can probably say "Strangeways" is my favorite here - despite its' corny intro, it has the album's most interesting vocal hook and a really neat extended keyboard break, "Call Of The Wild" has the most singable, uplifting chorus melody here ('she ain't got a name, she ain't got a face') and "Hard Lovin' Woman" boasts the highest entertainment value as a sort of 'sequel' to In Rock's "Hard Lovin' Man" - the original was so good... what took you guys so long to follow it up? The opening "Bad Attitude" has a nice, eerie organ transition to its' fun uptempo chorus too, while "The Spanish Archer", along with the groove-based "The Unwritten Law" to a lesser extent, hits the "Kashmir" vibe yet again, but in a tasteful way.
The album's 'evenness' doesn't prevent it from having weaker tracks, of course - "Mitzie Dupree" is a lame and annoying loungey tune, with an okay melody but laughable lyrics like 'hi, I'm Mitzie, I'm the queeeeeeeeeen of ping pong'. Plus, the cheesy 'newsroom' inspired "Black & White" is the least memorable song on here, both musically and melodically. As for the other tracks I didn't mention, both "Mad Dog" and "Dead Or Alive" are decent rockers, the former with a cool organ part at the end of the title in the chorus, and the latter a nice enough burst of speed to close the album on. So overall, the song quality here is slightly better than Perfect Strangers (enjoyable enough straight through to be almost 7 worthy), but don't expect to be really blown away by the power of any single number here.
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COMMENTS
The song "Bad Attitude" ruined Deep Purple in the United States. Everyone's hopes were high for a killer follow-up album to the reasonably solid Perfect Strangers. Bad Attitude was such a boring, listless song that everyone chalked Purple up as a bad of the past, and the album flopped miserably. I like Mad Dog and Spanish Archer the best. And I thought Mitzi Dupree was a very humorous ditty.
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Time To Kill, The Battle Rages On, One Man's Meat. LOW POINTS: Lick It Up.
After a temporary one album absence, Ian Gillan again returns to the frontman role after leaving to make solo albums, I guess. As such, for most likely the final time, The Battle Rages On features the classic Deep Purple lineup, and it's yet another surprisingly good late period effort. In fact, there's one element found on this album in abundance that isn't really all that present anywhere else in their catalog - rawness. The slick production of the previous 80's efforts is reduced to good, raw, hard rocking intensity, and that really benefits this material. Unfortunately, this was (as of this writing) the final Purple effort to feature Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, but even amongst all the energy of the songs, there's very little of his great trademark soloing power, and I guess that brings things down a bit.
The hooks are generally improved, though, and along with the pulverizing energy, it contributes to the presence of a few downright awesome tracks here. The opening title track has a simply fantastic riff that brings a momentum for the remainder of the tune to groove on, and it's just another fine anthem to add to Purple's catalog. It's not the only one here, though, as the first half closer "Time To Kill" is so upliftingly catchy, and in a way, it foreshadows these guys' triumphant success in the powerful songwriting of the next album. Excellent chorus hook that will be sure to get stuck in your head for awhile. Great song, and the closer "One Man's Meat" nearly matches both of them. It has a memorable arena chorus, but more importantly, it's how the groove of the song just pounds with vintage classic power to end the album on a high note.
The rest of the tracks don't live up to that, but are still worthy. Well mostly, anyway. "Lick It Up" comes dangerously close to brainless cock rock territory, but its' strong sense of melody and groove does admittedly save the song from being a horrible waste. "Anya" is the mandatory 'let's try to beat our "Kashmir" ripoff epic style to death yet again' track, but damned if Purple doesn't do really well at it. "Ramshackle Man" is even a strong attempt at a generic hard blues with a fun little melody, and "Solitaire" is the lone ballad that has the unfortunate luck to be caught in between the appropriately titled "Nasty Piece Of Work" and that closing track, but it's still nice, anyway. The other two tracks "Talk About Love" and "A Twist In The Tale" aren't spectacular or anything like that, but they fit the album's production style rather well and are entertaining, even if they aren't the most memorable songs ever written. Your average pretty good album here, and the next lineup change in the band would only produce even more spectacular results...
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming, Hey Cisco, A Castle Full Of Rascals, Loosen My Strings, Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic. LOW POINTS: Soon Forgotten.
Wow. What happened here? After Ritchie Blackmore left the picture again, quitting during the tour for The Battle Rages On in 1993 he was temporarily replaced by Joe Satriani (I would have loved to hear the end results of that one). Their ultimate replacement here is Dixie Dregs axeman Steve Morse, which, in quite a bit of contrast to Blackmore's flashy style, opts to bring a more careful (but non-calculated) flow to his choice of riffs and solos that seem to be very relevant on an emotional level, and that adds quite a bit of power to the sound. As for the rest of the band, there might not be as much energy as in their prime, of course, but the rhythm section of Glover and Paice actually add several fantastic grooves to material that's already extremely catchy material. Who would have thought a late-period Purple album could have this many simply excellent melodies and powerful arrangements? I sure didn't.
The opening "Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic" is a hilarious startoff song here, witty and highly entertaining with a priceless power groove, but it's only the beginning of what thrills are to come here. The darker, bubbling rhythm of "Rosa's Cantina" provides another solid groove tomove along to that proves to be just as engaging in this department as well, and there's quite a bit of hard rocking entertainment with that same distinct sound the band the band always possessed in their classic period. "Cascades: I'm Not Your Lover" comes through with a really riff-heavy power and it's quite catchy as well, while "Somebody Stole My Guitar" even has a bit of that dumb typical hard rock lyrical humor ala "Smoke On The Water", which is something that, believe it or not, actually benefits the band quite often.
It's actually the mellower moments on this album, however, that provide the most lasting impressions. To close off the first side are the unspeakably gorgeous folk-ballad like melodies of "The Aviator", which has a really moving guitar line and a really pretty vocal melody, and the heartfelt "A Touch Away", that proves while Ian Gillan certainly doesn't have the range he used to, he still has enough power in his pipes to bring a song to life, especially when he doesn't try to sing material that's more appropriate for his 'classic' voice. The lyrics actually have qute a bit of well-written beauty on these two numbers too, for once. It's not just the vocals that really make songs like that, of course, the really powerful mood piece "Loosen My Strings" contains one of those guitar solos, from Morse, that in the climax seems to bring the song to a whole new level with breathtaking emotional impact.
The major highlights here, though, are the ones that really bring the record to nearly classic status in my book. First on this list is the forceful, but at the same time brilliantly constructed forceful rocker "A Castle Full Of Rascals", which boasts an utterly awesome 'atmospheric' middle driven by simply fantastic bass work over moody vocals. The Robin Hood ode "Hey Cisco" is fairly amusing, but it's made even better by the fact that the singalong chorus hook is just irresistibly catchy, and the way the verses of the song build up to it is quite impeccable. Those two are eclipsed, though, by the showstopping ballad "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming", which is built on powerfully resigned Gillan vocals that sound like they are holding back something strong in the verses, and that feeling ultimately gets let out with its' mindblowing fast chorus that ranks as an absolute highpoint of the song, and the concise breakaway soloing near the end is the perfect final touch.
Of course, this is a late period Deep Purple album we're talking about here, so the song material still isn't quite smashing all the way through (but who cares about unstoppable consistency anyway? The Beatles?). The slower paced, relatively uninteresting and aptly titled "Soon Forgotten" is a much more mortal track placed in between two classics ("Loosen My Strings", "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming"), and "The Purpendicular Waltz" features an unfocused, even if interesting, groove to close out the album that doesn't hold a candle to "Ted The Mechanic". Neither of these tracks are actually bad, though, and there's so many highlights on this long (over an hour) but never really exhausting album, that they're easily eclipsed as enjoyable filler. It's hard to believe one of the major highlights of Purple's career (this is nearly on a par with In Rock, in my opinion) was a mostly ignored mid-90's minor masterpiece, but that's the way things go sometimes. Extremely underrated, and a very, very, very high 8.5 (it was a 9 for awhile, but I guess that may be too high a rating for an album like this one).
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Any Fule Kno That, '69, Fingers To The Bone. LOW POINTS: Evil Louie, Don't Make Me Happy.
It's quite possible a lot of hard rock fans don't know that Deep Purple are actually still putting out records in the late 90's on the CMC International label (known for signing big name artists past their commercial and often artistic prime), which is kind of a shame, since this effort continues to showcase more than respectable tight playing and songwriting. This particular album may be a bit of a retread of the quite exceptional Purpendicular, as it basically retains that modern spin on their classic sound without the same sense of breathtaking, melodic drama and excitement, but while Abandon lacks major highpoints, it's still for the most part a consistently satisfying listen. Let's hear it for the old guys who've still got it - even Ian Gillan still has his sense of humor going in the minor classic opening track "Any Fule Kno That", which has a hilarious and memorable fast-paced refrain including the line 'Tin Pan Alley Fat Head Larry don't know shit'.
There are also other flashes of greatness here - the almost prog rock-like grooves of "Seventh Heaven" flow quite nicely, "Fingers To The Bone" is a worthy successor to "The Aviator" from the last album with its' great immaculate instrumental hook and memorable chorus, Steve Morse's guitar soloing in "Whatsername" borders on brilliance at points, and "'69" proves that Purple can still churn out crunching hard rock tunes with the best of them, as if that wasn't evident already. I still have mixed feelings about the remake of the In Rock classic "Bloodsucker" (here appropriately retitled "Bludsucker"), as the energy and drive of the band is just fine on that track (perhaps just as good as before), and the completely improved production helps things immensely. Understandably, though, Gillan just can't hit those notes anymore, and around the last verse his attempts at recreating those stunning vocal highs come off as really grating. The instrumental break still rules, though.
Of course, not all the tracks here are that great - "Don't Make Me Happy" is a mostly boring and pointless blues (though it's memorable), the groove of "She Was" plods a bit too much for my liking without going anywhere interesting, "Evil Louie" isn't very evil-sounding, and I also don't think it's very good either (plus the lyrics hit a low point here), and the JFK conspiracy theme "Jack Ruby" never lives up to its' nice, distinct opening organ riff from Jon Lord. Plus, the album gets a bit unmemorable at points that mar the promise of a couple songs just a tad - I always get the chorus to "Almost Human" and intro to "Watching The Sky" stuck in my head, for instance, but I'm totally at a loss as to how the rest of those songs go after they're through. Still a perfectly solid effort, though, especially for such a late period in their career.
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(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: I Got Your Number, House Of Pain, Haunted. LOW POINTS: None - that's right... none.
Be honest - would you have expected a late period Deep Purple album titled something as stupid as Bananas to really be any good at all? Don't answer that if you're Rich Bunnell, but man, this is their third really good album in a row (and their first after a five year break, a break apparently put to good use for the songwriting on here) that continues an impressive stretch of efforts that many people don't know even exist. Oh, not that it's as excellent as In Rock or even Purpendicular, for that matter, as there are no unbelievably great classics like the highs on those albums, but there's also not one weak song on here either, which is incredible! Every other Purple album (except maybe some live ones) has at least one or two songs I could live without, but this one's at an almost scarily inspired 'very good' quality the whole time, with some of their most entertaining melodies they've ever done, and even some new wrinkles are added.
Ohh, I also forgot to mention that Jon Lord isn't present for this one (though he did co-write a couple songs before he left), with Purple instead throwing into the mix Don Airey, who I most remember from Ozzy Osbourne's early solo albums and Rainbow's underrated Down To Earth. But to be honest, I would never have known Lord was gone if there was no indication, as Airey's keyboards here are very consistent with the old style. But back to the songs - ooh, what a great to-the-point rocker "House Of Pain" is as an opener! Everything about it is a rousing good time, from its' stick-in-your-head chorus, the standard but fun main riff, the vocal melodies.... awesome! "Razzle Dazzle" is nearly as entertaining, with a midsection where Ian Gillan's practically rapping out the vocals, and not only does he not fall completely flat on his face, it actually works to an exhilirating effect, shifting seamlessly back into the chorus. I dunno, a lot of hard rock bands would turn stuff like this into obnoxious generic crap, but not this band... noooo way.
There are plenty of other goodies here as well, including the gorgeous gospel-style ballad "Haunted", something with a lot more great subtlety than usual, from the beautiful vocal melody and guitar lines, the backing vocals courtesy of Beth Hart, and even string arrangements from the great Paul Buckmaster of Elton John fame! "Silver Tongue" builds up effectively with a dramatic flourish almost in a "Perfect Strangers" kind of way, the title track arguably packs more energy into its' length than anything off the last two albums, throwing in the same tricky rhythms of something like "Seventh Heaven" with an equally shifting melody, hilarious lyrics and great keyboard work from 'the new guy' Airey, while "Sun Goes Down" grinds along with a convincing, but also sort of moody, atmosphere helped a lot by the way the vocals are sung.
As far as standout guitar work goes, there's a healthy amount of that from good old Steve Morse, especially in the blues excursion of "Walk On" (the most extended piece on here), "Never A Word" (one of the most beautifully understated songs they've ever done, with a great buildup for the ages) and the short symphonic majesty of the closing instrumental "Contact Lost" - it really makes me wonder how much he's had to do with Purple's current revitalized status. The whole band really sounds tight on here, though, culminating in the hard rock groove turned to creepy mini-epic of "I Got Your Number", and they genuinely sound like they're having a lot of fun (I don't think a wacky groove like "Doing It Tonight" or the aforementioned title track could be possible without being in that particular mood). Yeah. And that's about it - yeah, Purple will never reach the towering heights of "Child In Time" again (Morse is no Blackmore, and Gillan just can't hit those high notes, for instance), and none of this stuff makes me go, 'OH MY GOD THIS IS BRILLIANT' but as far as really really good, solid, and amazingly even hard rock goes, I couldn't ask for a better album from these guys in 2003.
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COMMENTS
It's too bad people get old...but Purple still sounds good on Bananas. I had no problem with the name of the album, at all. What's in a name? It's the music that counts.
I always felt Blackmore would make it back in the band some day, some way, somehow, but now that looks quite improbable. Too bad. Morse is good, but the real Purple has to have Ritchie.
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