This is Deep Purple performing for the TV stations in Europe during the 70’s.
This DVD sourced the material from;
1970 Live Performance from Granada Television Studios in England
Circa 1971/72 Live Performances on German TV
1989 Live Concert Performance of the Ian Gillan Band
Check out the 1970 live performances for Granada Television Studios in England on YouTube. The version of “Child In Time” is killer and the 25 year old, Ian Gillan is nailing everything and Ian Paice is thundering behind the kit. And the song is played in it’s entirety.
All up the live TV performance has 4 songs. “Speed King”, “Child in Time”, “Wring That Neck”, and “Mandrake Root”. Apart from “Child in Time”, the other songs are edited so Deep Purple could fit into the 30 minute TV slot.
The German TV material has 3 songs in “No No No”, “Highway Star” and “Hallelujah”.
Back when the DVD was released I believe it was the earliest known recordings of the classic Mark II line up of Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Gillan and Glover.
One final note, it looks like the footage was copied from an old VHS.
And this brings to end my Deep Purple collection. Either Dream Theater or Def Leppard is up next.
It was recorded at Royal Albert Hall, London on 25th and 26th September 1999 and the audio album was released on 8th February 2000 by Eagle Vision while the DVD was released on 25th July, 2000.
Pictured Within
It’s the title track from Jon Lord’s solo album released in 1998.
Very soundtrack like.
And it’s so far removed from the hard blues rock of Deep Purple. Only Jon Lord appears from the Deep Purple band along with the orchestra.
Wait a While
It’s also from Jon Lord’s solo album and Jon Lord is the only one who appears from the band here.
The opening two songs are skips for me.
Sitting in a Dream
This track and “Love Is All” are from Roger Glover’s solo album, “The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast”, a concept album released in 1974.
On these two tracks, Ronnie James Dio (RIP) sings the studio versions and he also appears here to sing the live tracks.
And it looks like the DP band is here with the Orchestra.
Love Is All
It’s like an ELO Beatles Cabaret tune and the great Dio is on hand to perform vocals.
As a side note that 1974 Glover album also had Glen Hughes and David Coverdale contributing vocals plus Les Binks on drums.
Wring That Neck
On the audio version of this concert release there are two Ian Gillan tracks and a Steve Morse track and then “Wring That Neck”.
But on the DVD those tracks don’t appear.
It’s written by Richie Blackmore, Nick Simper, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and it’s from “The Book of Taliesyn” released in 1968.
And it’s like a jazz fusion rock number with the brass instruments. Ian Paice again showcases his brilliant drumming techniques.
I could go on about each track and try to find some postives but when when the Concertos started I was more or less pressing stop. While they are great pieces for some they aren’t that for me.
It’s a 2004 DVD release of a concert recorded in 1995.
It’s Deep Purple post Blackmore and Steve Morse is the guitarist and has been the guitarist since.
Morse play’s Blackmore’s recorded parts more accurate than Blackmore ever did as Blackmore really liked to improvise.
Fireball
It opens the show and I’m struck by how very un-Metal they look.
Gillan is wearing a vest, with baggy tracksuit like pants and black slip on shoes that people involved in karate wear. It’s definitely not a Metal look but it’s a relaxed look.
And there is no stage show with pyro and backdrops. It’s just the band and their music and a few lights.
Maybe I’m A Leo
The blues groove shines through.
There’s no doubting their musical technique and prowess. Morse really shines through when he hits those fast Lydian lines in the improv solo.
And you can’t escape his Peavey 5150 amp set up. RIP EVH.
Black Night
Glover’s bass sound is monstrous so far and he really drives this song.
And Ian Paice doesn’t get the credit he should as one of the most dependable and skilled drummers in rock music. He’s thunderous on here.
The Battle Rages On
It really fits the spot it occupies in the concert.
And Jon Lord is the star here with his synth riff.
How good is it?
The song is not an easy one to perform. It’s epic Metal with a lot of exotic minor key riffs and melodies.
Check out Morse in the solo. A true guitar hero.
And have I mentioned how good Ian Paice is?
Woman From Tokyo
A classic.
That Intro riff is huge. Instantly recognizable.
And did anyone notice the drum pattern and how a certain song called “Run To The Hills” has a similar pattern.
Have I mentioned how good Paicey is behind the kit?
Purpendicular Waltz
They played an unreleased song that they were still writing. The blues rock groove definitely grabs ya and never lets go.
When A Blind Man Cries
One of my favorite ballads.
Lush keys from Jon Lord starts it all off.
And Steve Morse comes in with volume swells, delay and slides. Throughout the song, Morse is decorating with licks.
And Ian Gillan has a voice for these kind of songs.
Stick around for when Morse takes the shred solo. It’s “hairs on the back of your neck” type of soloing.
Perfect Strangers
Glover and Paice lay down the foundations which allows Lord and Morse to decorate musically.
And Gillan is in fine form here.
Pictures Of Home
Morse is in cruise control here. He’s having a blast and as the new guy, it’s like he’s always been there.
And Paice on the drums, so precise and yet so jammy.
Child In Time
When I think of this song, I think of the vocal ohhhs and ahs.
And I like how it builds and it gets louder and more intense as it goes on.
And Morse is helping Gillan here as he plays the higher pitch vocals melody on the guitar and it sounds fantastic.
Gillan then moves to percussion while the rest of the band jams out the next section. Morse is burning the fretboard here.
The music stops and Jon Lord brings back the Intro riff and groove.
Anya
From “The Battle Rages On” album. And while Morse didn’t write it, he made it sound like it was written by him in the instrumental intro.
But when the song kicks in, it’s a Rainbow tune from the Bonnet and Turner era. Maybe because Turner was involved at some stage on this album.
Space Truckin’
I enjoy this song as the way it was recorded. I wasn’t a fan of the 15 plus minutes live versions they did while Blackmore was in the band.
On this they keep it simple and just rock out.
The chromatic lines in the Chorus reminds me of stuff that Metallica would do. Just check out the Intro to “Master Of Puppets” and you’ll hear what I’m saying.
Guitar Solo
As good as the guitarists are I’m just not a fan of these kind of things.
Lazy (Including Ian Paice Drum Solo)
And they move into the Bluesy “Lazy”.
Speed King
And after the drum solo, another uptempo blues rock number begins. If you haven’t gotten the idea so far, the band has a great jam element to their live show.
Highway Star
The story behind this song and it’s creation is legendary.
Smoke On The Water
And the closer itself has a story to tell in the lyrics along with one of the most iconic riffs ever.
The 1995 Bombay show is a good historical capture of DP MK7. The show was filmed for Indian TV, and the crew did a great job. It was also the bands first visit to India.
It made perfect business sense to have one of the premier bands of the early 70’s come back in the 80s MTV era.
“Perfect Strangers” is album number 11, released in 29 October 1984 and it became the most successful album from the ‘Mark II’ line-up.
Like nomads, they all arrived from different directions. Ritchie Blackmore and Roger Glover arrived from Rainbow, Ian Gillan from Black Sabbath and his solo band, Jon Lord from Whitesnake and Ian Paice from Whitesnake and Gary Moore’s backing band.
But problems existed from the outset. Business problems.
Gillan and Glover wanted the credits to be of the collective. Blackmore didn’t. As the main writer, he didn’t want to share any song writing credits with people who didn’t write anything. After years in the business, Blackmore knew how valuable the publishing is.
It wasn’t until Blackmore left the group in 1993 that the issue was finally resolved within Deep Purple.
I missed this in 1984 because I was into the whole Motley Crue, Twisted Sister, Iron Maiden, Quiet Riot and Judas Priest phenomenon. These guys were just old dudes. Just look at the “mo” on Jon Lord. It’s classic 70’s.
All songs are written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover except where noted.
Knocking at Your Back Door
By now Blackmore had the experience of Rainbow and the commercial success that came with that, so when this song exploded out of the gate you get the best of Blackmore’s influences from Deep Purple and Rainbow.
If you don’t believe me, listen to the Verses, which is very similar to other Deep Purple verses like the one on “Smoke On The Water” and then the Chorus riff which has that Rainbow melodic rock feel, circa Graham Bonnet and Joe Lynn Turner.
And Ian Gillan has a smile on his face as he feels it coming while he’s knocking at someone’s back door, while probably cool for Motley Crue or Ratt, this is Deep Purple we are talking about.
But stick around for the outro solo.
Under the Gun
It was the first track I heard via a double compilation LP called “Headbangers Heaven”.
The intro riff grabs my attention right away, making me think of Rainbow and I like the way it all works with the Jon Lord’s keys.
But Ian Gillan is in form here, as it’s not an easy riff to sing over which then gets me thinking of his Gillan project.
Nobody’s Home
It’s a blues rock number and the only song listed as written by all Deep Purple members.
It’s like the band never left and continued to make albums after “Who Do We Think We Are?”
And if it sounds familiar, it should. “Lay Down, Stay Down” comes to mind.
Mean Streak
But press play to hear the Chorus Riff as Blackmore shows he can compete with the LA bands and do it better by taking “Schools Out” from Alice Cooper and making it sound a bit modern.
In the verses I am reminded of “Black Night” and in the solo break, the riff behind it like “Roadhouse Blues” from The Doors.
And I like it.
Perfect Strangers
The side 2 opener.
It’s a classic and one of their best songs.
How good is the “Kashmir” style groove when it kicks in at the 2.30 minute mark?
Whatever Jimmy Page could do, Blackmore could do as well, at a time when Page was not as prolific as he used to be.
A Gypsy’s Kiss
It could have come from “Rising” but “Highway Star” also comes to mind. Gillan’s bluesy delivery suits.
Check out the unison keyboard and guitar riff/melodies. It brings back memories of the work that Lord and Blackmore did on “Burn”.
And Ian Paice behind the kit. He is relentless.
Wasted Sunsets
Remember in the 70’s when these kind of slow blues rock ballads sounded progressive and epic and then in the 80’s they morphed into clichéd power ballads.
While this song isn’t a 70s classic, Blackmore is in his element here with his emotive soloing.
Hungry Daze
That exotic Eastern European melody hooks me. It could have come from the Balkans, maybe Hungary or even Russia.
Not Responsible
I don’t have this on the album, but how good is that intro. It reminds of “A Light In The Black”. It’s an extra track on the cassette and CD release. And Spotify has it.
Son of Alerik
At 10 minutes, this Blackmore penned instrumental is for the diehards.
The song appeared on the 1999 CD issue as a bonus track and it also appeared in an edited form on the 7″ B-side of the “Perfect Strangers” single, or in full on the 12″ “Perfect Strangers” single and the European version of the compilation “Knocking at Your Back Door: The Best of Deep Purple in the 80’s”.
The thing is, if a band reforms these days, or in the last 30 years, it would have been quite a media show, but their comeback in 1984, didn’t cause a ripple in the news outlets who had jumped on board the LA Sunset Strip Train or the San Francisco NWOBHM Thrash Scene.
But their comeback was met with success in the European markets which loved em back in the 70’s. The U.K, Switzerland, West Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, Austria, Finland and Holland jumped back on board the Deep Purple train.
Japan never left em. Australia and New Zealand also provided em with a certification.
And The Boss was the only artist on the touring circuit that out grossed out em.
It took Deep Purple seven years to make it to the top and two years to break up. The air is thin at the mountain top.
Deep Purple had lost their lead singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover in 1973 and replaced them with David Coverdale and Glen Hughes. This MK3 version recorded two albums and then guitarist Richie Blackmore left at the start of 1975. This was weird as Deep Purple was seen as “his” band. And from looking at it, it’s like the owner of the house vacating their premises for the guests to take over running the house.
But Deep Purple would soldier on, replacing Blackmore with a young guitar hero from the U.S. known as Tommy Bolin. Rounding out the band is the rest of MK3, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.
And MK4 was created.
“Come Taste The Band” came out in 1975. It’s the usual production team of the band and Martin Birch.
The name Tommy Bolin came into my life because of Motley Crue. The Crue covered the song “Teaser” for a Compilation album and they also released it on a Raw Tracks CD made for the Japanese market, which I got my hands on. The song is so good and sleazy it sounded like a Crue original and I was curious to hear more from Bolin.
So as I was going back into the career of David Coverdale because of Whitesnake’s attention grabbing 87 LP, I was doing the same for Tommy Bolin.
So I got my hands on the “Teaser” and “Private Eyes” album first and imagine my surprise when I came across an album that had both Coverdale and Bolin on it.
Comin’ Home
Written by Tommy Bolin, David Coverdale and Ian Paice with vocals provided by Coverdale.
This song rocks out of the gate paying homage to the fast rock sounds of Deep Purple MK1, MK2 and MK3. But it was more Grand Funk, like “We’re An American Band”.
Lady Luck
Written by Jeffrey Cook who co-wrote songs with Bolin for the “Teaser” record with lyrical contributions from Coverdale.
Vocals are provided by Coverdale. In didn’t really do much for me.
Gettin’ Tighter
Written by Bolin and Hughes with vocals provided by Hughes.
This song is funky out of the gate, and sleazy once the whole band comes in.
Dealer
Written by Bolin and Coverdale with vocals provided by Coverdale and Bolin.
It’s very Hendrix “Purple Haze” like in the riff departments with a Beatles like Folk Rock interlude which Bolin sung.
I Need Love
Written by Bolin and Coverdale with vocals provided by Coverdale.
I like the groove on this, and the way the verse riffs are played out with the heavy synth from Lord.
Drifter
Side 2 begins with this song written by Bolin and Coverdale with vocals provided by Coverdale.
It’s got a great Intro which reminds of “You Really Got Me” or “American Woman” and check out the groove that comes in once the drums and bass kick in.
Coverdale’s bluesy voice is a highlight.
At 2.36 there is just a bass and keys section over a drum groove. It reminds me of things that Rush would do.
Then Bolin comes in, with volume swells and a solo begins. The drums and bass become busy as they build it up, and the vocals come back in. Its brilliant, it gives me goose bumps all the time, so press play just to hear that.
Love Child
“Heartbreaker” anyone. Press play and listen to the intro.
Written by Bolin and Coverdale with vocals provided by Coverdale.
The verse groove and riff are my favourites even though the whole “love child driving me wild” lyric didn’t set the world on fire.
At 1.50, they go into a progressive rock style groove and Lord solos over it.
This Time Around / Owed to ‘G’
Written by Hughes, Lord and Bolin with vocals provided by Hughes.
It’s very progressive sounding, like ELO and it moves into a great instrumental jam over a 12/8 groove with excellent lead guitar from Mr Bolin himself.
You Keep On Moving
Written by Coverdale and Hughes with vocals provided by Coverdale and Hughes.
This is the standout track. Its haunting and melancholic and it was written during the “Burn” sessions but not used.
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Czechoslovakia and West Germany all got behind this version of the band. The Japanese still loved em and New Zealand loved em even more.
But.
The classical progressions and jams had been replaced with groove, soul and funk. It could be seen as an early Whitesnake album, as a few tracks have “Love” in the title, which is similar to every Whitesnake album.
Also in 1975, Tommy Bolin had two records competing against each other, which probably wasn’t the best scenario for Deep Purple however I have seen “Teaser” album pictures with a sticker on em that said “Guitarist Of Deep Purple”. Since most of the songs were written by Coverdale and Bolin, the project could have been billed as Coverdale/Bolin.
After the tour for this album finished in March, 1976, Deep Purple MK4 was no more. Glen Hughes was already having issues and was in and out of rehab. David Coverdale would form Whitesnake and get Jon Lord and Ian Paice into the project. And Tommy Bolin by December 1976, was dead from drug intoxication as morphine, cocaine, lidocaine and alcohol were all found in his system.
“Stormbringer” came out about 9 months after “Burn”. In the space of a year, Deep Purple were busy writing and recording frequently.
What a novel idea.
Try and tell that to a lot of acts, who want to record an album every three to five years. And the usual argument of ‘no money from recordings’ doesn’t work, because even back in the 70’s, the acts were getting ripped off on the sales part. So they had to tour to make coin. Then again it was normal in the 70’s to release an album a year. It was expected.
The album cover also has a story, about a tornado in a U.S town during the 1920s which was photographed and added to the Copyright free archives, which allowed the image to be used.
And the same photograph was used for Miles Davis’ album “Bitches Brew” in 1970.
And Siouxsie and the Banshees’ album “Tinderbox” in 1986.
MK3 Deep Purple is Ritchie Blackmore on Guitars, David Coverdale on Vocals (except “Holy Man”), Glenn Hughes on Bass and Vocals (except “Soldier of Fortune”), Jon Lord on Organ and Keys and Ian Paice on Drums.
Its Produced by Deep Purple and Martin Birch again.
Stormbringer
Another thunderous opener written by Blackmore and Coverdale.
If there wasn’t a Heavy Metal movement before, well there was one now. By 1974, each major rock act like Led Zeppelin, Free, Bad Company and Black Sabbath had a heavy song or two on each album that young blue collared youths would take and run with to create even heavier tracks.
I like the exotic flavouring in the solo. It’s not fast, but goddamn, it sounds progressive.
Love Don’t Mean A Thing
Written by Blackmore, Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.
This is the whole funk blues soul jam that Glenn Hughes brings. In saying that, the riffs here work so well within the Deep Purple sound.
Holy Man
The Bad Company/Free brand of hard rock had caught on and suddenly Deep Purple was doing a cut that wouldn’t be out of place on the first two Bad Company albums or Free albums.
If the intro sounds familiar, it should, as it’s a common progression used throughtout the 70s, but it went missing a bit in the 80s and came back in the 90s.
I recall Motley Crue using it for “Misunderstood”.
And Blackmore was not the main writer anymore as this song was written by Coverdale, Hughes and Lord.
Hold On
The funk blues rock in the verses grooves and the Chorus is like Soul Rock Music. Blackmore again is missing from the song writing credits, with Coverdale, Hughes, Lord and Paice listed as the writers.
Coverdale and Hughes share vocal duties here and Blackmore brings out his rockabilly Chuck Berry licks which gives way to a Jon Lord solo.
Lady Double Dealer
It’s that fast blues rock that Deep Purple was known for and something that David Coverdale would do a fair bit with the early versions of Whitesnake.
There is a cool Blackmore solo as well.
You Can’t Do It Right
Play that funky blues music white boys.
High Ball Shooter
I like the Intro as it always reminds me of another song which I can’t thing off right now.
The Gypsy
The riffs on this are metal like, but the way Blackmore delivers em, it’s almost progressive like, with a fusion of blues, southern rock and metal like grooves.
Soldier Of Fortune
A great acoustic ballad to end the album, something which David Coverdale would recreate with “Sailing Ships”.
The long jam sessions from the past had disappeared. Replaced with a more structured song arrangement. It’s a bridge between this album and their next album.
Blackmore obviously didn’t like this new direction and left after the tour. And he wasn’t one to keep his thoughts to himself, so he publicly declared his dislike for the funky direction the band was taking and made it clear that was the reason why he left.
But Scandinavian Melodic Rock and Metal was being born with the MK3 albums as they did big business in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Austria and Germany also liked this era, along with the UK, France and the U.S.
When a band loses members, no one really knows what would come next. Will the band break up or will they continue with new members?
When bands lose their lead singers, the uncertainty is even higher.
But when Deep Purple lost Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, Richie Blackmore stepped up even more to push the band forward. As far as Blackmore was concerned, he was the driving force behind the band and this grit and determination would lead him to find not one but two vocalists who would assist him in moving forward with the massive riffs he was coming up with.
“Burn” is the eighth studio album, released in February 1974, and the first to feature an unknown David Coverdale on vocals and Glenn Hughes, from Trapeze, on bass and vocals.
The album was recorded in Montreux, Switzerland, in November 1973, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Deep Purple MK3 is Ritchie Blackmore on Guitars, David Coverdale on Vocals, Glenn Hughes on Bass and Vocals, Jon Lord on Keyboards and Ian Paice on Drums.
Production was still listed with the band as Producers and Mixers (but all they had to do was just say yes or no to the takes and mixes), with Martin Birch doing the bulk of the work capturing the sounds and actually mixing the album.
Burn
It owes some of its thought and structure to “Highway Star” as the DP guys wanted to have another high energy song to open the show and new album with.
It also has structured organ and guitar solos like “Highway Star”, around Bach like sequences which Lord and Blackmore worked out.
Coverdale mentioned in the “The Purple Album Track By Track”, that “Burn” was the first song that he started working on with Richie Blackmore, which he called sounded like “Symphonic Rock”. He also wrote four different lyrical versions for the song, with the Sci Fi version being selected by the guys in the band as the one to use.
David Coverdale loved the riff so much, that “Children Of The Night” from the 1987 self-titled album was the result. I would add that part of “You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again” also has some of the “Burn” feel.
And as good as all of the riffs and solos are, Ian Paice behind the kit, just brings the power and the pace. As soon as his drums come in, the foot is tapping and the head is moving.
It’s my favourite Deep Purple song which gets performed at Whitesnake or Glenn Hughes or Yngwie Malmsteen concerts instead of Deep Purple concerts because of the singers.
Might Just Take Your Life
The Jon Lord organ riff to start it off is from “Woman From Tokyo”.
Jon Lord was the primary writer for Deep Purple on the first couple of albums until Richie Blackmore had enough and started to become the primary songwriter from “In Rock”.
The melodies came from a relaxed jam session that Coverdale and Lord were having.
Overall it’s got that British blues rock feel.
But press play to hear Coverdale and Hughes harmonize in the Chorus.
Lay Down, Stay Down
It’s got that blues rock feel from the “Who Do We Think We Are” album and that sound and riff is something that Blackmore would come back to with his Rainbow project.
Ian Paice again showcases his drumming abilities.
Sail Away
Its got that “Superstition” and “Play That Funky Music” funk rock groove that Blackmore came up with.
Its sung by both Coverdale and Hughes however both could have done the song justice if only one of em just sang it.
This song and “Mistreated” sums up what Coverdale brought to the Purple sound on this album.
Press play to listen to the funky bass playing from Glen Hughes. Hughes was also a co-writer, but he wasn’t credited due to being tied to another recording contract at the time.
The 30th Anniversary release fixed that.
You Fool No One
Coverdale and Hughes doing dual harmonies.
Ian Paice also showing his love of John Bonham and coming up with a definitive drum groove which formed the basis of the track for Blackmore to build on.
The middle solo section is almost Jazz Rock fusion, progressive like.
Press play and just enjoy.
What’s Goin’ On Here
A fun blues song based around a Jimi Hendrix song called “Highway Chile”.
Mistreated
It’s listed as being written by Blackmore and Coverdale.
Coverdale (who calls himself a “Domestic Guitar Hero) wrote a riff on Blackmore’s White Strat, in the Crypts of a Castle they were rehearsing at and when Blackmore heard it, instead of playing the riff with the Coverdale chords, Blackmore played the single notes.
And “Mistreated” was born.
And that opening vocal “I’ve been mistreated” is iconic.
This version is my go to version but on the Purple album from Whitesnake, Reb Beach takes the solo spotlight and creates a fresh and emotive blues shred lead.
‘A’ 200
An instrumental.
Coronarias Redig
It’s a B-side and if no one had heard it in the 70s, it appeared on the “30th Anniversary Edition” as a bonus track.
It’s a blues Rock song but those Hammond Organ chords give it a soul gospel feel.
And press play to hear Blackmore’s leads.
In Australia, the M3 version of DP went to number 5 on the charts. In Austria, Denmark, Germany and Norway it went to number 1. In Canada, Holland, Finland, France, UK and US it was a Top 10 album.
The success of “Hush” in 1968 was more luck than anything. After that they struggled while Richie Blackmore kept evolving the band and the sound. Once the MKII version was in place, things started to change.
“In Rock” was released in 1970 and it definitely got people really interested. “Fireball” came quickly in 1971 and is often overlooked, but it kept the momentum going. “Machine Head” broke the band to a bigger audience in 1972 and in order to capture that success, the label released a live album called “Made In Japan” in December 1972.
Four albums in three years.
And then at the height of their fame, they dropped “Who Do We Think We Are” in 1973, their seventh studio album overall and fifth album in four years.
It would also be Deep Purple’s last album with singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover until 1984’s “Perfect Strangers”.
Fame is definitely a funny thing. You bust your ass to get there and then break up once you there.
Because of the touring, the album was recorded in two stages.
In July, 1972, they had some time in Rome to write and record new songs via the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. The songs from these sessions that are known are “Woman From Tokyo” and an outtake known as “Painted Horse”.
In October, 1972, they had some time to do the same in Frankfurt, West Germany. This is where the remainder of the songs were completed.
Woman From Tokyo
It was the first track recorded in July, written about their life on the road and touring Japan for the first time. It’s also their best track from this album.
As soon as the drum groove started I was thinking of “Run To The Hills” from Maiden.
Mary Long
Ian Gillan combined the names of two people who represented things he hated in the prudish older generation of the time, which made him question how they even had sex.
How did you lose your virginity Mary Long?
It feels like a Lynyrd Skynyrd cut. But this is Deep Purple, the masters of speed, heavy and melodic rock, with a flourish of blues.
Super Trouper
It’s almost like early AOR blues rock, something that bands like Foreigner and Survivor would use on their earlier albums.
It’s short but it gets me interested.
Smooth Dancer
The comparison to “Speed King” was always going to happen.
And Jon Lord owns this track with his honky tonk piano and neo-classical Hammond organ solos.
Rat Bat Blue
I like the blues rock riff that starts this song off. A young Jake E Lee, would have been woodshedding this riff, ready to unleash it with Badlands.
Then the keyboard solo kicks in, over another groovy riff by Blackmore and suddenly power metal is born in Finland.
Place in Line
ZZ Top comes to mind here. It’s got that Texan strut, which is a bit different to the way the Brits did the blues.
Our Lady
It reminds me of The Beatles and I like it.
Actually it reminds me of the song “The Real Thing” from Russel Morris who was an Australian artist from the mid 60’s. The song was a hit in Australia and the U.S and it’s got that Beatles influence.
Painted Horse
This track was released on the Anniversary edition.
Blackmore would also use the riff from this for “Man On The Silver Mountain” with some minor tweaks.
Musically, it was a move to a more blues-based sound, and the album was criticized for its American sounding songs in the U.K, for “Super Trouper” and “Smooth Dancer”.
And when Gillan and Glover left, everyone thought the band was done. But not Richie Blackmore. He had other ideas and MK3 was about to be born.
This version would release two of my favorite albums would be released.
“Machine Head” is the sixth studio album released on 25 March 1972 on Purple Records.
The success of this album didn’t just happen. The band had been touring and recording in between live shows since 1969. Any new song they wrote would get debuted live before it was recorded.
But the band felt that these earlier studio albums did not sound as good as their live performances, and wanted to record in a stage environment.
As legend would have it, Deep Purple planned to record the “Machine Head” album at Montreux Casino in Switzerland during December 1971. But some “stupid with a flare gun burned the whole place to the ground”.
Deep Purple relocated to another hotel called “The Pavilion” however the neighbors kept calling the police over the noise and Deep Purple got evicted. The basic tracks to “Smoke On The Water” were recorded here.
They searched for other recording locations and settled with the empty Grand Hotel, on the edge of Montreux.
The band for the album is the classic line up of Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Ian Gillan on vocals, Roger Glover on bass, Jon Lord on keyboards, Hammond organ and Ian Paice on drums.
The album is listed as being produced by Deep Purple with Martin Birch doing the engineering and the mixing with Deep Purple.
Highway Star
It’s a speed Metal song before it became a thing.
Written on the bus while touring. Management arranged for the band to travel to the gig with a group of music journalists who could interview the band at their leisure.
One of them asked Blackmore how he wrote songs and the opening riff was the result. The rest of the band completed the arrangement during rehearsals and it was added to the show on the evening of the gig.
Blackmore based his guitar solo around a figure that he learned from rockabilly artists Johnny Burnette who was active between 1952 and 1964 when he drowned.
Maybe I”m A Leo
I like the blues rock riff on this which Glover wrote the song’s main riff after listening to John Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep?” Hell it could have been based on “Come Together” which was based on a Chuck Berry song.
It had a working title of “One Just Before Midnight”, which appears in a picture of a recording sheet on the album sleeve.
Pictures of Home
Montreux had become their home away from home and this song covers that period.
A fast drum solo Intro starts it off before the band crashes in. The major key pentatonic soloing reminds me of Thin Lizzy before Thin Lizzy became famous.
Never Before
I love the blues when it’s done right. And on this track Deep Purple nail it.
This style of blues rock would form the foundation of the Rainbow sound.
Smoke On The Water
The opening riff and the whole build up with the drums and then bass.
That’s why you press play on this.
Lazy
It was played live in 1971. Glover said the song was roughly based on an Oscar Brown song, “Sleepy”, while Blackmore stated it was inspired by Eric Clapton’s “Stepping Out”.
Either way, it’s how music is created.
Take our influences and create something new.
The song was designed for the live show with each instrument having a break to showcase the talents of the player. Even Ian Gillan got a harmonica spot.
Space Truckin’
“So come on”.
And the rest is history. Nonsense lyrics or not it’s a classic Deep Purple jam.
When A Blind Man Cries
No one called these kind of songs ballads back in the day. It was just a slower rock song.
Listen to the little leads and the lead break itself. So much emotion. Blackmore doesn’t get enough credit for being a great blues player.
In Australia it went to number 1, along with other countries like Denmark, France, West Germany as it was known back then, the UK and Holland.
Certifications will be viewed in the future as a small memory of the music business, the way the piano player is forgotten and vaudeville productions. Once upon a time they ruled. What happened to em?
But when people talk about this album, they talk about it’s 2x Platinum certification in the US and it’s Gold certifications in France, Italy, Japan and the UK.
“Made In Europe” came out in 1976 and it features the line-up of Richie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Glenn Hughes.
The shows were recorded in 1975 before Blackmore left, however the album was released in 1976 long after Blackmore left and the version of Deep Purple after that had also broken up.
I am very picky when it comes to live albums. I think the problem is that I grew up with two many live albums that weren’t actually live or had some parts live and other parts recut in a studio.
So when I heard an official live album the first time with no studio overdubs I though I was listening to a bootleg. It was bad and I felt like I got ripped. Some of the bootlegs I had sounded better. It took me a while to understand that a revising could never capture the power of a live performance properly and within time I started to enjoy the live albums with no studio overdubs.
Burn
The opening riff is more iconic to me than “Smoke On The Water”. The drumming from Ian Paice is thundering.
But press play to hear the bass playing of Hughes during the solos. It’s monstrous and he carries the rhythm section on his shoulders.
Mistreated
Because of its bluesy nature, it’s a great song to extend when you play it live. And the main riff is written by none other than David Coverdale himself.
But my go to version of this song is the cut that Whitesnake did. Reb Beach goes to town during the solo section.
Lady Double Dealer
It’s a 12 bar blues, bit its fast, like NWOBHM fast.
Check out the bass playing from Hughes on this.
You Fool No One
It has about 2 minutes of doodling, something which was common back then but not these days. These days, its song after song after song, with zero jamming.
After the doodling, there is a riff which is played, fast and almost thrash metal like. It’s something that Blackmore would do with Rainbow.
But the problem I have with this song is that they’ve take an almost 5 minute song and turned it into a 16 plus minutes song.
Maybe just a bit too indulgent.
However the artists ruled back then and no one would have dared to tell Blackmore to solo less.
Stormbringer
Another killer Blackmore riff. The tempo of the live version is a bit faster than the studio version and its perfect for the song.
You can hear the embryo of the NWOBHM right here.
The falsetto highs of Hughes are excellent and his bass playing dominates again.
This version of Deep Purple only lasted for two studio albums, but they are two albums I hold in high regard and rate as favorites.
And you can’t pass up a live album with Coverdale on vocals.
destroyerofharmony 