Label: Tetragrammaton Records (US), T-119
Style: Hard Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 44:14
Format: Flac Tracks 24/96 kHz
Size: 926 Mb
This
album marks the official end of Deep Purple, Mk. I. I'm bound by some
kind of critic's oath to mention that. Said oath also requires me to
soon launch into a discussion of the merits of Marks I and II, but I
loathe oaths and the oafs who loaf them. I come, not to bury Mark I, but
to kill the myth altogether.
Although the first lineup released
three albums together, they did it in the span of less than one year. No
one talks about Yes Mk. I or Jethro Tull Mk. I, lineups that lasted
longer. The original lineup of Deep Purple was a highly productive,
accelerated studio experiment. Their first album was an inspired
knockoff of previous power trios (Vanilla Fudge, Cream) plus organ, the
second showcased Jon Lord's vision of a classical rock band, the third
brings the band's heavy rock and classical halves into better contrast.
Listening to them today, the records show marked improvement along the
way, but the Purple lineup was far from set in stone.
As the band got
heavier (e.g., the second half of "April"), it became clear that they
would need a louder singer. Deep Purple is a heavier record than past
efforts. Ritchie Blackmore's guitar is better balanced with Jon Lord's
organ, so that you're less likely to encounter a one-minute organ solo
than in their past and more likely to encounter guitar solos that really
rock. At its heaviest ("Why Didn't Rosemary?," "April"), the album
points to the future of heavy metal. At its most creative ("Blind,"
"Chasing Shadows," "April" again), it points to the future of
progressive rock. Purple was one of the few bands to straddle both
camps; you could argue that Black Sabbath did the same, although both
bands had as much in common with each other as they did with Led
Zeppelin.
The band's first three records are all worth owning,
particularly if your tastes run toward the progressive, with the third
perhaps getting the nod as the most accomplished and confident of the
three. The Purple that followed was a different beast, but it's not a
new chapter so much as a bit of foreshadowing with an unexpectedly early
payoff. In the new millennium, the band's third album was released with
some bonus tracks including the earlier single, "Emmaretta."
(progrography.com/deep-purple/deep-purple-1969/) Review by Dave Connolly. July 22, 2018
Rod Evans – lead vocals
Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
Jon Lord – keyboards, backing vocals
Nick Simper – bass, backing vocals
Ian Paice – drums
Derek Lawrence – producer, mixing
01. A1 Chasing Shadows (05:34)
02. A2 Blind (05:25)
03. A3 Lalena (05:04)
04. A4a Fault Line, A4b The Painter (05:34)
05. B1 Why Didn't Rosemary (05:01)
06. B2 Bird Has Flown (05:33)
07. B3 April (12:00)
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