Deep Purple-The Book of Taliesyn (1968)

With their second album, Deep Purple solidified their proto-progressive psychedelic style, with experimental touches. Recorded by the so-called Mark I lineup (Evans, Blackmore, Lord, Paice, and Simper), this release once again features several covers, including Neil Diamond's "Kentucky Woman" and The Beatles' "Exposition/We Can Work It Out", Among the original tracks, the instrumental "Wring That Neck" is undoubtedly the album's highlight, showcasing the talent of both Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore on their respective instruments. The psychedelic "Listen, Learn, Road On" and the elaborate "Shield" also feature excellent guitar work. The album closes with the delightful mid-tempo "Anthem", where Evans showcases his best vocal performance with Deep Purple, and with the progressive version of Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High", which provides the ideal setting for the pyrotechnic excellence of Jon Lord's keyboards.

Deep Purple-Whoosh! (2020)

Released in the bleak year of 2020, a year as depressing as it was disastrous due to the global pandemic that ravaged the world, Deep Purple released their twenty-first album. This album moves between nods to their past hard rock with progressive undertones and the conventional, modern hard rock of their recent work. Gillan, Morse, Airey, Paice, and Glover deliver an album that somehow encapsulates Deep Purple's glory days. Besides demonstrating why the band's music remained relevant that year, they didn't try to relive their past glories or rest on their laurels. An album featuring standout tracks like "Throw My Bones", with Morse's immeasurable guitar riffs and Paice's driving drum rhythm, the bluesy "We're All The Same in the Dark", the brilliant melody of "Nothing at All", the seventies-inspired hard rock of "No Need to Shout" and "The Long Way Round", the semi-progressive "Man Alive", and the gothic "Step by Step". With this album, Deep Purple proved to the world that they remained one of the most iconic bands in the history of rock music.

Deep Purple-The Battle Rages On...(1993)

Six years after the last reunion of what is considered the classic Deep Purple lineup for the recording of the album "The House of Blue Light" (1987), the so-called "Mark II" lineup, they reunited for a third time to create their fourteenth studio album, "The Battle Rages On...". However, in reality, the only member who returned to the fold was singer Ian Gillan; the rest (Blackmore, Lord, Paice, and Glover) had already released the previous album, "Slaves and Masters" (1990), with singer Joe Lynn Turner at the helm. With this new release, the British band returns us to the more traditional Deep Purple sound, moving away from the AOR style of its predecessor to create a great album of classic hard rock with certain Eastern and semi-progressive influences. Comprised of a repertoire of excellent and solid hard rock, the veteran musicians continued to demonstrate that they still had much to offer the music industry, presenting a series of killer tracks such as the frenetic "Lick It Up", or the powerful and forceful "The Battle Rages On", "Anya", "One Man's Meat", "Solitaire", "A Twist in the Tale", "Time to Kill", and "Talk About Love". In all of these, Ritchie Blackmore showcased his killer side with his guitar riffs and solos, the sensational work of Ian Paice and Roger Glover in the precise and relentlessly heavy rhythm section, combined with the instrumental grandeur of Jon Lord's Hammond organ and the sublime voice of one of the greatest vocalists in history. Without a doubt, "The Battle Rages On..." was the best epitaph for Deep Purple's most legendary and successful lineup.

Deep Purple-Fireball (1971)

Inexplicably Deep Purple had not reached number one in the British Islands with their fantastic "In Rock", reaching only a fourth place, not so in the United States where they would reach the top, however with their next album "Fireball" if they would achieve it immediately.
Recorded with the classic line-up (Blackmore, Paice, Lord, Glover and singer Ian Gillan), it is the second album after the aforementioned "In Rock" where Deep Purple sounds like Deep Purple, their first three works are no more than interesting collections of versions quite obvious but very close to pop.
"Fireball" was always weighed down by being right in the middle of his two great masterpieces "In Rock" and "Machine Head" and among the great songs that compose it, only two have gone down to posterity; "The Mule" and "Strange Kind of Woman".
No one doubts that the level is somewhat lower than the two albums mentioned, but even so it has an enviable stylistic richness.
Apotheosis songs like "Fireball", the hypnotic and brilliant "Demon's Eye" or the psychedelic "Fools" show that he is almost at the height of his best works.

Deep Purple-Made In Europe (1976)

By the time the live album "Made In Europe" was released, Deep Purple had practically disbanded. In fact, this album was released as a sort of epitaph by Purple Records and published by EMI months after the band's last album of the 1970s, "Come Taste The Band". While the so-called Mark II lineup (Glover, Blackmore, Gillan, Lord, and Paice) had released their live album, the fabulous "Made In Japan", this Mark III lineup, composed of Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Coverdale, and Hughes, would also have its own live album, recorded during the "Stormbringer" tour in April 1975 in Germany and Austria. Specifically, these would be the last three shows the band would play, and therefore the last for guitarist Ritchie Blackmore before he left to found Rainbow later that year. Constantly overshadowed by the aforementioned "Made In Japan", this live album still showcases the greatness that Deep Purple retained at that time. The superb performances of the glorious “Burn” and “Mistreated” alone are reason enough to consider this epitaph a fitting end to the band's career in that decade. The rest of the tracks on this live album are no less impressive: the frenetic “Lady Double Dealer” showcases the vocal prowess of Coverdale and Hughes with a Blackmore in top form on guitar; “You Fool No One” becomes a kind of jam session for the sheer mischief of an exceptional Blackmore and the extraordinary skills of Paice on drums; and the album concludes with the portentous “Stormbringer”. This work would mark the end of Deep Purple in the 70s, thus leaving the band's fans orphaned...at least for ten years when they would reunite for the long-awaited return with the prodigious "Perfect Strangers", but in the meantime the Purple saga would continue with the aforementioned Rainbow, Whitesnake or Ian Gillan Band who would fill that gap in an extraordinary way, until the aforementioned return of the best Purple lineup in 1984.

Deep Purple-In Rock (1970)

Although it may seem strange, it was the peaceful English countryside of Hertfordshire that saw the birth and maturation of the most important group for the development of the classic hard rock sound. You don't need to be a die-hard fan of the genre to recognize Deep Purple's supremacy, a dominance that has lasted almost fifty years. 

In 1970, they released their fourth album, "Deep Purple In Rock", the record that made them a true institution of hard rock. The simplicity of the riffs, combined with linear yet remarkably powerful melodies and enviable technique, propelled them to unimaginable heights, with millions of copies sold. The tranquil pop charts were shaken by the heavy metal of "Black Night", a true sonic cyclone that revolutionized the genre. 

Deep Purple unleashes an arsenal of power, energy, and fury here, but with psychedelic and progressive contributions from Jon Lord's keyboards. The album is packed with classics like the harrowing "Speed ​​King", the robust "Bloodsucker", and the progressive and virtuosic "Child in Time". 

However, this resounding success foreshadows the first ego clashes among its members, all of them virtuoso instrumentalists and talented musicians. It's a struggle fueled by the difficult and clashing personalities of its members, especially Blackmore, a character as extremely elusive as he was difficult to manage, with an intractable temper. 

Nevertheless, it would be he who provided the talent for the subsequent works that would follow in the next few years, some of which are considered true masterpieces of rock.

Deep Purple-Stormbringer (1974)

In 1973 Deep Purple would suffer two major losses, on the one hand the departure of Ian Gillan and on the other the expulsion of Roger Glover, thus the so-called Mark II had ended not without first having left us with a series of masterful records as inheritance for posterity .
His substitutes were singer David Coverdale and bassist Glenn Hughes, both of whom gave deep purple funky sounds and soul to hard rock, in addition to becoming threatening leaders to the absolute leadership of Ritchie Blackmore.If already on the album "Burn" (1974), both David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes had begun to flood the field with approaches to funk and soul, it would be on the album "Stormbringer" where the new members take command to follow.
Clearly anti-Purple songs like "Love Don't Mean a Thing" or "You Can't Do It Right" show us a band immersed in terrain far removed from the hard-hitting hard rock of the classic Purple.
Still the band is marvelously paired with outstanding performances by Lord and Blackmore on their instruments.
In the soul "Holy Man" even Blackmore performs one of his most memorable solos, "Hold On" on the other hand is the last of the songs that moved away from the Purple spirit, to leave a tune of the best rock.
With "High Ball Shooter" the album recovers the dynamism of yesteryear, while "Stormbringer" and "Lady Double Dealer" are two worthy songs from the best repertoire of the band.
To finish one of the quintessential hard rock ballads "Soldier of fortune", epic and masterful with superb work by Jon Lord and a subtle and fantastic Blackmore on guitar.
Stormbringer was unfairly reviled at the time, but it is undoubtedly a surprising and revitalizing album, which over time has become a masterpiece of hard rock.

Deep Purple-Slaves and Masters (1990)

This is one of those jobs that suffer what I call the "Frankenstein Syndrome." It is not that it is made from scraps; is that, for its elaboration, its creators had to look in several tombs. "Slaves and Masters" is a unique piece in the discography of the British band.

An album with a style closer to AOR than Hard Rock, or rather with a more commercial sound, partly due to the voice of Joe Lynn Turner.

Following the traditional denomination of the different incarnations of Deep Purple, the quintet that recorded it would be the "Mark V". (The classic training plus the mentioned Turner).

There would still be a Mark VI with the arrival of Joe Satriani, a Mark VII with the entry of Steve Morse, and the current Mark VIII with the departure of Jon Lord and his replacement by Don Airey.

Without a doubt it is the work of Jon Lord the most appreciated in this work, with sublime keyboards in many moments of the album.

Ritchie Blackmore includes her own features in all songs, but what was once pure art now seems routine. Only the final score of "Knocking at your Back Door", the great song that brought us back to the mythical Purple in 1984, is worth more than all his work in "Slaves and Masters". 

It is not strange that this formation did not have continuity in time, and that in 93 Ian Gillan returned to stay. For the umpteenth time both leaders would try to put aside their differences, publish a new album, "The Battle Rages On", and from the presentation tour they would edit a live show that would remain as the last contribution of the Hard Rock Black Man to music from Deep Purple.

Deep Purple-Concerto For Group and Orchestra (1969)

The idea of merging rock elements with academic or classical music emerged in the mid-sixties with groups such as The Nice, who knew how to exploit very well and [too much Emerson] some recesses and rhythmic structures of symphonic music and with a very influence marked by composers such as Jean Sibelius, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky. Highlight "Five Bridges" (69) as his best album.
Another group that managed not only to merge but to incorporate an entire orchestra in one of their albums were the Moody Blues with the already known "Days of Future Passed" (67), then Deep Purple would come with the live one they recorded with full orchestra in the Royal Albet Hall achieving practically insurmountable results in those years. The famous "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" (69) became the first official album with this training: Lord, Gillan, Paice, Glover and Blackmore.
The fact that Deep Purple (Mark II) saw the possibility of recording a live album with a siphon orchestra born from his organist Jon Lord, lover and student of classical music and that already with his previous group proposed to compose songs with arrangements "symphony rock concert" but never became a reality until years later with this famous concert that was recorded on September 24, 1969 and also broadcast live for the BBC in London. In this performance the three main movements of the Concerto were preceded by three themes (only two appear in the CD reissue of 91) and the 6th Symphony of Malcolm Arnold, baton of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lord and Cia. Manage to expose all their sonic potential mixed with the symphonic cadences of the orchestra, in which we can distinguish the powerful hammond of JL, the pungent guitar of Blackmore and the great drums (the bass drum sounds phenomenal) of Paice entering in tune with orchestral motifs that evoke Gustav Mahler, the classic soundtrack composer Max Steiner and the most epic John Barry (eg Robin and Marian). Mention that in this concert there are sketches of "concert symphony" and "concerto grosso".

Deep Purple-Machine Head (1971)

What can be said about an album that deserves six stars out of five, one that has garnered unanimous praise for decades? Even trying to be as objective as possible, setting aside my personal preferences for this band, we've attempted to find a single flaw, but there isn't one. It's difficult, if not impossible, to find any faults when faced with 40 minutes of absolute mastery, where soaring, immeasurable vocals, a fiery and awe-inspiring guitar, a booming and exuberant Hammond organ, and one of the most powerful rhythm sections one has ever heard, make "Machine Head" a true rock classic, one of those records that only one band in a million manages to create.

Recorded during a time when Deep Purple were on the verge of disbanding due to enormous tensions and the egos of each of its members, they achieved their absolute musical peak with this work, thanks to the immense creativity and instrumental zenith reached here. 

“Machine Head” is undoubtedly one of the greatest guitar albums of all time, and not only because it contains the mother of all riffs with the immortal “Smoke On The Water”, arguably the most famous rock song of all time, but also because of the legendary duels between Jon Lord’s powerful and haunting Hammond organ and Ritchie Blackmore’s razor-sharp guitar on every single track. But at the same time, the song structures are far more intricate than they initially appear, with a great deal of interplay between all the instruments, yet they still feel spontaneous. 

All of this is reflected in the opening and incendiary “Highway Star”, a true classic for the band with its frenetic rhythm, which for many was the archetype of speed metal, or in the superb and progressive “Space Truckin’ ”, while “Lazy” showcases the group’s experimental and jazzy side. Meanwhile, “Maybe I’m A Leo” and “Pictures Of Home” are tracks that provide a moment of calm in an album as frenetic as it is admirable from beginning to end. If the album “In Rock” had already put them on the world map of heavy rock, and the following “Fireball” would definitively confirm their status, “Machine Head” would elevate them to true global stars, and the subsequent “Made In Japan” would place them at the absolute pinnacle of rock music in the 1970s.

Deep Purple-Made in Japan (1972)

In August of 1972 Deep Purple landed in the Country of the Rising Sun to fulfill the commitment made with his Japanese record label, Warner Pioneer, to record three concerts, from which the tracks would be extracted to make a live album that would serve as a claim for the Japanese market, as they intended to relaunch the group's catalog in the country.
Although at the time the direct ones were not very valued, the group accepted with three conditions: the first was to be able to decide on its publication; the second used his own sound engineer, Martin Birch (Fleetwood Mac, Wishbone Ash, Jeff Beck and later Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and a long etc.), who had been working with them from "Concerto for Group and Orchestra"; and the third, to give approval to the team to use in the concerts.
The dates chosen were August 15 and 16 in Osaka, and August 17 in Tokyo.
Roger Glover himself recalls that first visit to Japan as the zenith of his group career. He was proud to belong to it and to be able to travel to another side of the world to do what he liked most in front of 12,000 people in Budokan himself, an enclosure that usually hosted sumo competitions. Then I was 27 years old.
Only "Smoke on the Water" was saved from the first concert because the group was tired on the first day (which was reflected in their performance). In addition, inexplicably, Ritchie Blackmore made mistakes in introducing the song performed the other two days.
On the third day, in Tokyo, even being his best performance, only “Lazy” and “The Mule” were saved because the acoustics were not good (it is worth saying here that more than once it has been said that Budokan is not a appropriate venue for music, although there have been many artists who have recorded their performances in it). As a curious note of this day, say that Ritchie threw his guitar to the public up to three times, since the security of the enclosure returned the instrument twice before not understanding that it was a gift from the musician to the fans.
Therefore, most of the material used to release the album was extracted from the second day, completing the "Highway Star", "Child in Time", "Strage Kind of Woman" and "Space Truckin" septet. Nor Ian Gillan not even Ritchie Blackmore wanted to participate in the mixes, since they were against the idea of ​​a live album. Even the first one told everyone that his would not be a good interpretation because he was affected by bronchitis. It took many years to hear the album to realize how wrong he was.
I literally copy what is said in the book A Purple World by José Galván, which has helped me to write all of the above and whose reading makes me increasingly satisfied to have acquired it. The recordings, published in a double LP under the title "Made in Japan", show along its four faces the skill of the five musicians in seven great pieces that would make this the best-selling live album in history. Without a doubt, this was the group's greatest contribution to the history of Rock music.
To conclude, say that as I write I am listening to the album again and I feel again the emotion I felt the first times I heard it in that cassette. My hair is on end every time I hear Ritchie Blackmore's guitar solo on "Highway Star," Ian Gillan's falsettos on "Child in Time," Ian Paice's drum solo on "The Mule," introduction of "Lazy" by the hand of the master Jon Lord and the bass of Roger Glover, which involves everything. An authentic prodigy of about 75 minutes highly recommended that turns 40 years old.

Deep Purple-Who Do We Thing We Are (1973)

Deep Purple's seventh album, "Who Do We Think We Are", has always been overshadowed by its three superb predecessors, "In Rock", "Fireball", and "Machine Head". Despite containing some of the most memorable moments in Deep Purple's musical essence, the lack of truly iconic tracks relegated it to the status of a secondary work by a large portion of their extensive fanbase and by music critics. Furthermore, this would be the last album to feature singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover, who left the band amidst strained relations with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who accused them of apathy and a lack of interest in the band's affairs. Neither of them would reunite until eleven years later when Deep Purple brought together their classic lineup for the recording of the 1984 album "Perfect Stranger", Recorded in various studios located between Rome and Frankfurt during the middle months of 1972, it was released in January 1973 under the Purple Records label and distributed worldwide by EMI Odeon.

Although we initially stated that it's an album lacking in classic tracks, that's not entirely true. It features the legendary "Woman From Tokyo", which for many alone justifies the album's greatness. 

But the rest is not far behind and does not even approach mediocrity, with a sound more oriented towards the roots of classic rock and roll, as demonstrated in "Smooth Dancer" and "Mary Long", it also consists of superb cuts such as the rhythm and blues "Place In Line", or the psychedelic and avant-garde "Super Trouper", while the heavy rock "Rat Bat Blue" recovers the usual essence of the most classic Purple.

Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers (1984)

In mid-1976, Deep Purple disbanded, just after the tour following the album "Come Taste the Band", and from then on, its surviving members focused on different projects. A year earlier, Ritchie Blackmore had founded his own band, Rainbow, and Ian Gillan had done the same with his Ian Gillan Band; both had left Deep Purple a few years prior. 

Meanwhile, Jon Lord and Ian Paice joined David Coverdale to found Whitesnake, and finally, Glenn Hughes and Tommy Bolin pursued different solo projects. Eight years later, Deep Purple's classic lineup, the so-called Mark II, the one that created such monumental works as "In Rock", "Machine Head", "Made in Japan", and "Fireball", reunited to record a new and highly anticipated album that generated immense excitement worldwide within the rock scene. This lineup, composed of the legendary Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, and Roger Glover, headed to Horizons Studios in Vermont and recorded Deep Purple's eleventh album, "Perfect Strangers". However, the sound departs somewhat from the characteristic style of the 70s, leaning instead towards the more modern sounds of the 80s, creating an elegant and understated work closer to classic rock than hard rock. The opening track, "Knocking At Your Back Door", is the best example of this, as is the concise "Under the Gun", while the party-ready "Nobody's Home" showcases the band's sound. the band's 80s sound. The Zeppelin-esque and epic "Perfect Strangers" is the high point, contrasting with the neoclassical tracks, heirs to Rainbow's sound, "A Gypsy Kiss" and "Hungry Daze", before ending with the breathtaking ballad "Wasted Sunsets". 

As expected, the album would achieve enormous worldwide success.

Deep Purple-Burn (1974)

Deep Purple's eighth album and their fifth masterpiece, joining the masterful "In Rock", "Fireball", "Machine Head" and the double live album "Made In Japan". This album marked the debut of the "Mark III" lineup with the arrival of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, who had replaced Ian Gillan and Roger Glover respectively. This lineup also added a new dimension, introducing subtle touches of funk and soul alongside the powerful hard rock sound. The album opens with the superb and outstanding "Burn", one of Deep Purple's masterpieces. The aforementioned shift is already evident in the second track, the bluesy, funk-tinged "Might Just Take Your Life", undoubtedly a product of the contributions of new members Coverdale and Hughes. The energetic "Lay Down, Stay Down" showcases the irresistible duet vocals of the Coverdale-Hughes duo. "Sail Away" takes us back to classic Purple with an unforgettable guitar riff from Blackmore. The frenetic "You Fool No One" features sounds reminiscent of funk, fused with powerful hard rock. The hard blues "What's "Going On Here" showcases Lord's honky-tonk piano and Blackmore's outstanding guitar work. At this point, the band delivers a truly majestic track, a gem of hard rock: nearly eight minutes of enigmatic riffs and Coverdale's powerful vocals, combined with the driving rhythm section of Paice and Hughes, elevate this album to the pantheon of rock's greatest works. To conclude, the band indulges in the extravagant and experimental "A 200", an instrumental piece reminiscent of progressive rock, where Jon Lord and his atmospheric, ethereal keyboards take center stage.

Deep Purple-Deep Purple (1969)

Deep Purple's third album is by far the best of their early period with the Mark I lineup, which consisted of Rod Evans (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (electric and acoustic guitars), Jon Lord (keyboards and string and wind arrangements), Nick Simper (bass), and Ian Paice (drums). Here, the band finally developed their own songs, abandoning the covers from their previous work, with the exception of Donovan's excellent psychedelic ballad "Lalena". From the energetic hard rock opener "Chansing Shadows" to the symphonic orchestral piece that closes the album, "April", the British quintet showcases its own identity with a diverse and challenging album, even though many psychedelic elements are still mixed with jazz and proto-avant-garde, all underpinned by hard rock. Other tracks, such as the psychedelic progressive "Blind", one of the album's highlights, the bluesy boogie "Why Didn't Rosemary", and the frenetic "The Painter", lead us to one of the best works of early progressive hard rock. After this album, Evans and Simper would be replaced by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, thus forming their classic and most successful lineup.

Deep Purple-Shades Of Deep Purple (1968)

Deep Purple's debut album would foreshadow the band's promising future, despite still displaying a nascent and somewhat vague style. The original Deep Purple lineup included Jon Lord (Hammond organ), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Ian Paice (drums), Rod Evans (vocals), and Nick Simper (bass). Although the production of this first recording leaves much to be desired, the future potential of Deep Purple is already evident in various passages, thanks to a high level of musicianship and accomplished arrangements driven by Jon Lord's blistering organ playing and Blackmore's neoclassical touch on electric guitar. However, the group's hard rock style here is infused with many psychedelic elements, featuring numerous sound effects and ingenious overdubbing. Composed mostly of covers, it also includes some songs written by the band themselves, which would soon become classics such as "Mandrake Root", a veritable mini-epic of psychedelic hard rock. Other tracks, like the ambitious "Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad", showcase the band's progressive side, especially thanks to Lord's lavish keyboards, while the powerful "Hey Joe" also reveals the roots of their signature style. On the other hand, there's a Deep Purple classic, a brilliant cover of Joe South's "Hush". ​​However, the rest of the album is somewhat inconsistent, with tracks like the lackluster Beatles cover "Help!", the disposable "Shadows", and the mediocre psychedelic pop song "One More Rainy Day". Ultimately, with this first release, the synergy between Lord and Blackmore was beginning to take hold, and although they were still far from perfect synergy, this was a very promising start.