For me, Deep Purple will always be the Mark I through Mark IV lineups from 1968 to 1976. Yes, they reformed in 1984 with the Mark II lineup and there have been various changes and new albums all the way to the present, but in my mind they will always be the quintessential '70s hard rock band.
Actually, "hard rock" does not fully describe Deep Purple. It really does not come close. Consider the three albums they released in 1968 and 1969, Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Taliesyn, and Deep Purple. These were the days of the Mark I lineup of Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (organ), Ian Paice (drums), Rod Evans (vocals), and Nick Simper (bass). Jon Lord's lush tapestry on the Hammond organ and harpsichord provides the perfect backdrop for the poetry of songs like "Blind," "The Painter," "April," "Listen, Learn, Read On," "Shield," and "Anthem." Those are moody pieces that convey rich images in word and sound, and while no one who hears them could place them anywhere other than the '60s, they take us back to a time of rich lyrics and experimental music.
With the release of In Rock in 1970, the Mark II lineup took the sound in a new direction. Ian Gillan brought in screaming vocals, and Roger Glover took on the bass duties. This album is a monster, and while "Child In Time" may be the best known track, "Speed King" and "Into The Fire" are in-your-face sonic attacks. The whole album is a hard rock masterpiece, which was followed up by 1971's Fireball, itself an interesting mix. Along with heavy hitters like the title track and "Fools," you have the country-flavored "Anyone's Daughter" and dramatic pieces like "Strange Kind of Woman" and "No One Came." "The Mule" even has moments when we hear the musical drama in Ian Gillan's voice that he brought to the stage later in Jesus Christ Superstar.
1972 brought the last of the Mark II albums with the inimitable Machine Head. "Highway Star," "Smoke On The Water," "Lazy," and "Space Truckin'" are the most famous, but "Maybe I'm A Leo" is every bit as hard, and the lyrics to "Pictures Of Home" have found a place in the narrative of my own life from time to time. "When A Blind Man Cries" ends the album in an exquisite style that makes you realize just how talented a vocalist Gillan is, which is saying something when he is working alongside giants like Lord and Blackmore.
The Mark III lineup with David Coverdale on vocals and Glenn Hughes on bass holds a special place for me. Coverdale has one of the best voices in rock. Period. It has certainly changed over time and is more raw now that he is pushing 70, but I have loved everything he has ever sung. The first album for this lineup, 1974's Burn, is another monster in the Deep Purple catalogue, including the killer opening/title track, the moody "Sail Away," and the blues-rock anthem "Mistreated." That same year saw a funky shift in musical direction with the album Stormbringer, which would also be Blackmore's last before the band's reformation in the '80s. You could easily see this as proto-Whitesnake, the band Coverdale formed in 1978. In addition to the funky sound and what seems to be more influence from Hughes, the lyrics on songs like "Lady Double Dealer" and "High Ball Shooter" certainly look toward the, um, "romantic" lyrics of Whitesnake.
Come Taste The Band is the one and only release by the Mark IV lineup featuring Tommy Bolin on guitar. Released in 1975, tracks like "Gettin' Tighter," "I Need Love," and "Love Child" have a distinct '70s sound and more of Hughes's prominent bass lines.
So there you have it, a quick look at the studio albums of classic Deep Purple. Throw in the numerous live albums they put out in that era, and you will have a solid collection of foundational hard rock music. And when you play any of them, be sure to crank them up all the way. After all, this is the band that The Guinness Book of World Records declared was the loudest band in the world thanks to a 1972 concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London. Their levels reached 117dB, and three audience members were knocked unconscious by the sonic waves.
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