[Review] Deep Purple: Shades of Deep Purple (1968)
On the band’s debut, they follow the tracks of Cream and Jimi Hendrix, and they don’t step lightly.
On the band’s debut, they follow the tracks of Cream and Jimi Hendrix, and they don’t step lightly.
Pushed to release a second album quickly, Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord promptly came up with this proggy effort.
The heavier third album marks the end of Mark I, highlighted by the 12-minute “April.”
And now for something completely different… a classical rock concerto written by Jon Lord and performed with a symphony orchestra.
There was no looking back after this album; Purple’s fate was set in stone as a heavy metal band.
The followup to their massively heavy fifth album doesn’t quite live up to its title, but it does rock.
Hard rock, heavy metal, call it what you want, Machine Head is an absolute classic.
The last album from Mk. II hits the mark again with a strong collection of songs led by “Woman From Tokyo.”
This marks the beginning of Deep Purple Mk. III and the end of Purple as a prog/metal band.
The final album before Blackmore went in search of his own Rainbow, this marks the end of an era.