Classic Rock Album of the Day- Deep Purple- Machine Head (1972) **** 1/2
Before Eddie Van Halen set the bar for being the ultimate Ax narcissist, there was Richie Blackmore. Back in the day, there weren't many bands bigger than Deep Purple. In fact they held No. 2 billing in the 1974 California Jam behind ELP. Very talented band that suffered from the iron fisted control of Blackmore. That fist caused unfortuate lineup changes. But thankfully, and at this exact moment, this timeframe in particular, was them at their pinnacle. I like Blackmore as much as any other '70's rock fab but if he'd had any care for the legacy of this band, there wouldn't be any Rainbow tangents, or other temper tantrums.
Purple, still had to live in the shadow of Led Zeppelin, and from what I read at the time really grated on Richie Blackmore. What really makes me dig this era of Purple, was Jon Lord, (again IMO) behind Emerson and Wakeman, the greatest rock keyboardsman of all time. And in this particular album he smokes it. In any case, if you want an example of Deep Purple at its best, this is the trick. I mean this is Purple, at their absolute best.
Fun Fact: Smoke on the Water has been shown in many polls to have the most iconic, recognizable riffs of all rock songs.
Side 1
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Highway Star- Right out of the gates rocking- Great tune, with all members clicking on all cylinders. Jon Lord's (example 1) organ solo is fantiastic. Blackmore does some nice solo work at the end too. 3
Maybe I'm a Leo- Funky Blusey number that if you put Morrison's voice on it, you might think it was the Doors. Another solid effort- 5
Pictures of Home- Another good one. This one particular highlight's Paice's excellent percussion runs. I love how Giliam interphases sub-screams, sometimes in almost Robert Plant fashion. Sometimes you wonder how much the Yardbirds/Zep truly influenced Deep Purple. Glover does a fine solo at the end too. This is maybe the best tune on the LP showcasing the band's talents. Not the best written one, but maybe the best technically 6
Never Before- Another foray into a funky-blusey arena. Might be the weakest of a super strong album. And that is no knock on this tune, it rocks as does the others. - 7
Side 2-
Smoke on The Water- Opening power riffs are the most recognizable in the entire history of Rock. If you don't recognize those riffs or this song, you have probably wandered into the wrong thread. Bad ass song, but like many in my opinion grate on you after hearing it 50,000 times. Glover's thunderous bass work often gets overlooked in this mainstay of classic rock radio. 4
Lazy- I mentioned earlier that I felt Jon Lord was the 3rd best in rock history on the ivories. But given the fact the other two are better (Emerson and Wakeman) are highly prog driven, and peg out the pretentious factor. Jon Lord in this particular effort made what I feel is the greatest straight out hammond organ driven blues rock in roll song in history. 2
Space Truckin'- Lost in the catalog of Machine behind SOTW, is what I feel is the gem of the entire career of Deep Purple. Song has aged great through the sands of time. This one brings out the Beavis and Butthead in all of us. YEAH!!! YEAH !!! YEAH!!! SPACE TRUCKING!!!!!! 1
Before Eddie Van Halen set the bar for being the ultimate Ax narcissist, there was Richie Blackmore. Back in the day, there weren't many bands bigger than Deep Purple. In fact they held No. 2 billing in the 1974 California Jam behind ELP. Very talented band that suffered from the iron fisted control of Blackmore. That fist caused unfortuate lineup changes. But thankfully, and at this exact moment, this timeframe in particular, was them at their pinnacle. I like Blackmore as much as any other '70's rock fab but if he'd had any care for the legacy of this band, there wouldn't be any Rainbow tangents, or other temper tantrums.
Purple, still had to live in the shadow of Led Zeppelin, and from what I read at the time really grated on Richie Blackmore. What really makes me dig this era of Purple, was Jon Lord, (again IMO) behind Emerson and Wakeman, the greatest rock keyboardsman of all time. And in this particular album he smokes it. In any case, if you want an example of Deep Purple at its best, this is the trick. I mean this is Purple, at their absolute best.
Fun Fact: Smoke on the Water has been shown in many polls to have the most iconic, recognizable riffs of all rock songs.
Side 1
--------
Highway Star- Right out of the gates rocking- Great tune, with all members clicking on all cylinders. Jon Lord's (example 1) organ solo is fantiastic. Blackmore does some nice solo work at the end too. 3
Maybe I'm a Leo- Funky Blusey number that if you put Morrison's voice on it, you might think it was the Doors. Another solid effort- 5
Pictures of Home- Another good one. This one particular highlight's Paice's excellent percussion runs. I love how Giliam interphases sub-screams, sometimes in almost Robert Plant fashion. Sometimes you wonder how much the Yardbirds/Zep truly influenced Deep Purple. Glover does a fine solo at the end too. This is maybe the best tune on the LP showcasing the band's talents. Not the best written one, but maybe the best technically 6
Never Before- Another foray into a funky-blusey arena. Might be the weakest of a super strong album. And that is no knock on this tune, it rocks as does the others. - 7
Side 2-
Smoke on The Water- Opening power riffs are the most recognizable in the entire history of Rock. If you don't recognize those riffs or this song, you have probably wandered into the wrong thread. Bad ass song, but like many in my opinion grate on you after hearing it 50,000 times. Glover's thunderous bass work often gets overlooked in this mainstay of classic rock radio. 4
Lazy- I mentioned earlier that I felt Jon Lord was the 3rd best in rock history on the ivories. But given the fact the other two are better (Emerson and Wakeman) are highly prog driven, and peg out the pretentious factor. Jon Lord in this particular effort made what I feel is the greatest straight out hammond organ driven blues rock in roll song in history. 2
Space Truckin'- Lost in the catalog of Machine behind SOTW, is what I feel is the gem of the entire career of Deep Purple. Song has aged great through the sands of time. This one brings out the Beavis and Butthead in all of us. YEAH!!! YEAH !!! YEAH!!! SPACE TRUCKING!!!!!! 1
