What's fascinating about Deep Purple's sound is that you can hear Ritchie's guitar on the left channel and Lord's organ on the right channel. No doubled rhythm guitar (left right pan) as is the norm nowadays, but a guitar-organ combo slamming down the chords and riffs together! The solos and some riff parts have been added on top of this rhythm structure, you can hear them right in the middle of the mix.
always reminds me of the Thomas Covenant books because I was reading about the fall of the giants (rare birth of the triplets that were possessed by demons) when I was listening to this song
For me, "Highway Star" settles the debate about whether keyboards are a rock instrument. Just listen to Jon Lord's solo; it's classical in its structure, hard, heavy & nasty. It's right up there with the best guitar solos. End of debate.
The keyboard player in my band worships John Lord and really wants to be him. To be fair to him, he does succeed in this right up to the moment his hands touch the keys...
Does anybody legitimately argue that keyboards aren't rock instruments? They were used since the beginning of rock and roll, by Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, for example
I went to a Deep Purple show in 2004 in Sao Paulo (Brazil). When they started I was in the restroom and the freaking stadium started to shake! I thought it was an earthquake, seriously! But it was Highway Star!
My Dad recently passed away. Going through his stuff I found photos he took in Germany while stationed there for the Army. Some of the photos where at a concert. In some of his letters to his parents he mentions going to see Deep Purple. I have those (almost 50 year old) photos! My Dad had this album on Reel to Reel tape.
Ritchie Blackmore is my all-time favorite guitarist, and the biggest compliment I've ever ever received after one of my bands' performances was a fellow guitarist in the audience telling me how much he heard Ritchie Blackmore in my improvised solos.
In my view this is the best rock album of all time, and the Live In Japan is the best live album ever.Deep Purple were on another level than everybody else.
The producer and engineer on this album was Martin Birch, the same producer responsible for all the classic Iron Maiden albums, and Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell
And early classic Whitesnake, some BoC and MSG. Schenker loved the production, particularly the drums, on Rainbow's LLRnR so much he got Martin in, and booked the same studio for Assualt Attack. Cozy left before the recording but it;s still MSG's best album.
Brilliant, i use to listen to it in the 70s, Ritchie Blackmore, Unreal. The black smudge about Roger Glover's head on the cover is/was the photographer. he stood behind them while they looked in a mirror, he photographed them including and inevitably himself, so they tried to smudge his image out.
My first car was a used Chevrolet Greenbrier (Corvair van) I bought right out of high school and made into a hippie van. Working part-time while attending college I saved for a while to buy an FM stereo radio with a built-in 8-track player for it. Once installed I had only enough money left to buy one 8-track tape. "Machine Head" had come out recently so I got it. My girlfriend lived 65 miles away in the sticks where FM reception was poor, so I played the hell out of that tape for a couple of months until I could buy some more! This is great road music! Then and now "Lazy" is still my favorite tune on it.
Rune Busk, was about to say what you just commented, such a great growling organ sound ( not into the Hammond Leslie Speakers but directly into the Marshall amp😁
Deep Purple In Rock was really the album which had a huge effect on heavy metal, Space Truckin is very little without the Made in Japan live version, where Jon Lord's solo is one of thee greatest organ solos in history. Great stuff Doug. 👍
This is going to be a treat for ears and mind. This album broke them big in the USA 🇺🇸 but DP In Rock made history for Rock and metal. First really heavy metal album as they call it along with Black Sabbath 1st LZ is blues rock not a thundering as DP or BS. I know classically trained musicians you might be interested in DP for group and orchestra. For Rock band ever to wrote there own music for a orchestra by Jon Lord and play it. In London philharmonic orchestra. It's the first and the real deal Jon Lord is a classically trained musician and conductor. Check out the latest great Jon Lord rip 🙏 Jon.
@@barryrammer7906 You said essentially what I was going to say. Deep Purple, Sabbath and Zeppelin were the three bands in the early 70s where the sub-genre of "heavy metal" was born. Spot on Barry.
This song was Highway Star was born on a tour bus going to Portsmouth UK in 1971, when a reporter asked the band how they wrote songs. To demonstrate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore grabbed an acoustic guitar and began playing a riff cosisting of a single g repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan improvised lyrics over the top. the song was refined and was performed that same night.
I saw them twice, once in '71 and then in '72 at those mega-concerts that had multiple acts that were all stars. The first was with the Small Faces, the next with the Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Joe Cocker and Leon Russell. I wasn't particularly a Deep Purple fan then but I'm falling in love with them now. Maybe my musicianship has grown. Anyway, we had first row seats in the balcony behind the stage for the second show. I just remember coming out of that concert dancing in the streets from the music high. But yeah, I watched the organ the whole time. Blew me away.
Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord were both heavily influenced by high baroque music, particularly by JS Bach. They were also imbued with jazz and the blues, and all their influences came through and exploded through their music. My favourite band.
@@onsesejoo2605 That was some bullshit Blackmore cooked up, he lugged a cello around for a while but nobody saw him actually play it according to Tony Carey.
One of the great things about their songs is the interludes they put in for solos. They often have nothing to do with the rest of the song but fit in perfectly, and 'Highway Star' is a perfect example. The chord progression they use for the solos is different from the verses and chorus and 'connecting' riffs. Jon Lord and Blackmore both had some classical training.
Maschine Head was my first ever album I bought from my pocket money when I was 12 years old. Been through some different musical genres in my life but 70's Rock is the one that I will always love. Thanks to Machine Head, and enough pocket money savings!
I thoroughly enjoyed your "first time" reaction to these songs. I'm 63, so these songs are among my favourites, ever. I have always been able to return to "any" of the songs on the album with a new ear. It's amazing. Truly, Deep Purple are among the gods of music. Amazing. Thank you.
Doug, your air playing is so good. You crack me up :-). It's nice seeing you enjoy one of the best hard rock albums, and in my opinion, the best hard rock band ever. Quality music to the core.
I had the honor of hanging out with these guys as a kid...in Stowe Vermont of all places. They always record their albums with a mobile studio in some chosen location. In this case they had taken over the local small town theater to record "House of the Blue Light". They had already recorded "Perfect Stranger" in that location and they liked it so they came back. I was in a private high school at the time and my friend bumped into Richie Blackmore in the local store. He told him to find some friends to come play soccer with them. They regularly played after recording sessions in order to unwind. It was the band team verses the roadie team. We ended up playing many games with them over a few weeks. We even pretended to be 18 so we could go to the bar they drank in. Roger Glover was the sociable one. He told us all the stories... gave us a tour of the studio truck and the theater...drove us home at the end of the day. My friend and I were amateur song writers at the time, I was a massive fan of Ian Gillian in Jesus Christ Superstar... so it was very surreal and inspiring to us. He told us an interesting thing about their writing process. Apparently it is all backwards. They write all the music first...record it just the way they want it...leaving space for the vocals. Then, Roger and Ian sit down and write the lyrics and singing parts for the completed songs. In that sense, they are sort of an instrumental band first.
A interesting fact about Highway Star, is that it was written on their tour bus in about 10 minutes after a reporter asked them how they write their songs. They wrote and then played it at a show later that night. This from Wikipedia: This song was born on a tour bus going to Portsmouth in 1971 when a reporter asked the band how they wrote songs. To demonstrate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore grabbed an acoustic guitar and began playing a riff consisting of a single "G" repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan improvised lyrics over the top. The song was refined and was performed that same night. This account was taken from an interview with Roger Glover.
Roger and Ian are one of the best rhythm sections EVER in Rock and Roll. You asked if they are a Metal band. They started before Metal was a thing. I would consider them to be Hard Rock/Stadium Rock/ Album Rock but you can hear where Metal took a lot of influence from them. Can't wait for Side two
Exactly. Along with a number of other bands of the era, I'd call this "proto-metal". They aren't exactly heavy metal, but it's hard to imagine any heavy metal bands coming into existence without these guys. You can definitely draw a straight line from early blues and rock through these bands to the metal genre.
It's well known how Ian Paice's drumming inspired a Danish kid from Copenhagen back in 1973... and the rest is another one great rock/metal music history on its own...
Ian Gillan after singing the lead on Jesus Christ Superstar in 1970 went on to record Machine Head with Deep Purple in 1972. Wow…what a set of pipes he has.
I really like that you don't interrupt the songs to make comments. So many of the 1st listen videos do this and it drives me crazy to hear the songs of my youth interrupted every few seconds, again and again.
The term supergroup came about in 1966 when the band Cream was formed. You're saying DP Mk2 from 1972 were a supergroup and the term didn't exist...that's just wrong!
My Dad has this on 8 Track in His garage! I listen to many Times when i was A kid. Im 38 years old and i Still Love it! Greetings From Sweden! PS You Rock Doug
It's tough to find an 8 track player anymore!! But, I had it on 8 track in my 1967 Dodge Dart, back in the early 70's! Good times! Be sure to occasionally clean the heads of that 8 track with a Q-tip and alcohol! Just saying.
I saw Deep Purple in 1973. Awesome concert! Thanks for this reaction, Doug! Can't wait for Side 2! "Lazy" is my favorite DP song! If you haven't yet heard it, the keyboards will absolutely blow you away! ;-)
A really great Deep Purple album, composed by Jon Lord, his "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" performed in the Royal Albert Hall in 1969. Full orchestra!
This album was my first introduction to deep purple and has been very much my favourite ever since, I was a teenager at the time I got into the music of dp wen they split up
Possibly the biggest Deep Purple album. I was a teenager in the 70s. Smoke on the water was like an anthem. So many great tunes still being played by many bands.
There is a video of them performing Highway Star in a (german) TV show - I would think from before they recorded Machine Head - and you can hear the basics of the song (like a demo), but much of it is rough and improvised, including lyrics, vocal line and of course the instrumental solos. The structured classical influenced lines were worked on, possibly specifically at Montreux for the album. They had not all that ready at the bus ;)
So much memories ! I got that album for my 13th birthday in 1974. It was/is my first LP ! I still love it 💖 Smoke on the water was my inspration to buy it, but after short time other songs became my favourites. Lazy is amazing ! I never heard something like that before. So bluesy with a progressive gigantic organ. Now I'm a little older (hihi) and have the equipment to hear so much more on that record. It hadn't lost the old magic ! Love, love, love it...
I had never heard "Lazy" before purchasing this album. It quickly became my favorite, as long as the intro is, I often start the song over to hear it again
It was also my first album. I bought it along with Led Zeppelin 1. I was 14. In 1974. Absolutely floored. And it wasn't long before I had to get Made in Japan. Ritchie Blackmore was definitely one of my main inspirations to play guitar.
@@markbranch682 I spent all my birthday money that day ! Enough for three albums. The others were Geordie - Hope you like it (with Brian Jonhson !) and Sweet - Fanny Adams
This LP is a magnificent beast! The whole band is functioning at optimal timing and chemistry. Highway Star became a live opening number straight out of the gate. There's a texturing and diversity here that's hard to replicate.
Doug check Jon Lord Google his 🎶 you be shocked how good he was. Classically trained musician in Deep Purple look a for concerto for group and orchestra. You be shock how he did it in 1969 wrote all the music for the orchestra and group. Malcom Arnold was the conductor and loved Jon's music. He had to strong arm his royal philharmonic orchestra to play it with a rock band. First time ever and it was a huge success to everyone's surprise. Not me I know Jon Lord is was one of the greatest keyboard players in rock history. RIP Jon Lord 🙏
Great call Doug. This line-up was incredible. Blackmore criminally underrated in U.S but his influence can't be overstated. All we were incredible though.
Oh how I wish I caught with this sooner! Thank you Doug! You should get a drum kit in that room! 😊 Agree with you about the labelling of DP. I think they are more of a heavy rock as opposed to metal.
the central fact about this momentous album MACHINE HEAD........... is that it was recorded in those cold hallways ....in the middle of Winter.........in a makeshift way.......with the recording truck 200 feet away...... ! i always picture that scene when listening to this album........and also , that Ian Paice's drum tracks are mostly 1st take ......all the way through, with perfection. and that ORGAN ! epic.
Thank you Doug for getting round to Deep Purple. I've been badgering you for quite a while to include Purple in you excellent reviews. Deep Purple in Rock was one of the very first albums I ever bought back in '71, and I have been a fan ever since. As others have mentioned, In Rock is one of the all time classic rock albums of all time. Hope you get round to it one day!
@@filipstefanovski155 unfortunately not in their prime. Somehow managed to miss them, but they came to my hometown, Grimsby, early 2000s. It turned out to be one of Jon Lord's final appearances.
I always love the keyboard solo in Highway Star on Made in Japan, especially when you hear Ritchie tune his guitar. The moment he comes back in with that mighty roar. Epic!
Deep Purple was my favorite band as a 13 yr old drummer I played Jazz for 4 yrs.then heard deep purple bought all their albums & could do every song note for note in my little studio in my dad's basement where I'd play for hrs on end !! They're songs still mean alot to me from my youth & I wouldn't be the drummer I am today without having experienced their brilliance !!
Thanks so much for doing a reaction to a whole album! This is probably my favorite album of all time. I bought it shortly after I heard smoke on the water literally over the wall of a friend’s house in Tripoli Libya probably around 1974. I was 11 or 12 years old, and it set the stage for my music tastes forever after. Can’t wait to hear your reaction to side two. Ian Gillan is without question in my mind the best rock vocalist ever, and Deep Purple will forever be my favorite rock band. Thanks!
Doug, when you listen to side 2, try to include When A Blindman Cries. Recorded at the same time but not included on the original album, it was the B-Side to Never Before as a single. It's very bluesy and the guitar solo is heartfelt and sublime.
Oh, this brings me back! Machine Head was my first rock album (I'm 60 this summer). Love this! And so fun to see someone else discovering this for the first time, and with such a theoretical analysis as that! Most of the bands we now consider hard rock or early metal bands were originally electric blues bands. Purple, Zeppelin, Sabbath, even the Stones!
Thanks Doug this brings back memories of my youth. Saw them perform on the Machine Head tour. It was an awesome concert Smoke on the Water was amazing.
Lord and Blackmore were classically trained early in their careers. Lord’s solo in Highway star started as something like JS Bach would play.. but developed further. The rest of the album is just sheer talent of all the players in the band.. my inspiration for the drums and music in general! Love classical music. Check out ELP some time!!!
One of the top five greatest hard-rock bands of all time, and "Machine Head" is astonishing, from start to end. A really masterpiece. Huge songs, and the most famous riff of all time, without doubt.
Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Vanilla Fudge and a few other US bands could all be considered the founding fathers of hard rock and what would evolve into Heavy Metal. Jon Lord once said: " I can´t think of us as Heavy Metal,- we were among the forefathers,- but we always had one foot dragging us back into the Blues." Doug being who he is, Jon Lord being who he was I don´t think there is any way for Doug to NOT be doing a full runthorugh of the full " Concerto For Group And Orchestra " by Jon Lord performed live at the Royal Albert Hall by Deep Purple and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold in the middle of " Swinging London" in September of 1969.
Machine Head changed my musical taste when I was in high school. Until then I just listened to 'pop'. I & a friend became hooked on it. We would spend hours sitting in my grandfather's car in the garage (it had the best sound) listening to it over & over again.
Being a fan of this great album for over 35 years, I just can't imagine somebody listening to it with fresh ears in 2022! It sounds too amazing to me! Doug, you should check out the remastered 25th anniversary edition, where there's a second disc where the songs are longer, unedited versions of those ones with a fade out on the final version! It's even more wonderful than the "official" album! Waiting for the B-side some time soon!
In 1984 I was a bass player at a school show and we played Highway Star and my theory instructor told me I should learn the keyboard solo on my base and I've been playing that song and that solo since I just love the song
Great analysis Doug! Haven't listened to Machine Head for awhile but it doesn't disappoint. 50 yet amazing how fresh it sounds - I guess great music doesn't age.
The lyrics on Highway Star demonstrates Gillan's penchant for double-entendres and the alpha male's perception of the duality of a woman or a car (he was known to slip "big fat knockers" in instead of "big fat tyres" on occasion).
Machine head came out during my last year in high school. It remains one of my favorites to this day. The band also played nearly the entire album live , along with a few songs from their previous release, In Rock, on a BBC in concert program. I think that performance is available on cd. It is even better than the studio album.
What's fascinating about Deep Purple's sound is that you can hear Ritchie's guitar on the left channel and Lord's organ on the right channel. No doubled rhythm guitar (left right pan) as is the norm nowadays, but a guitar-organ combo slamming down the chords and riffs together! The solos and some riff parts have been added on top of this rhythm structure, you can hear them right in the middle of the mix.
This record is a proof that Ian Paice should be sitting right there with Bonham and Peart as one of the greatest rock drummers ever.
He was way better than Bohnam.
Anche secondo me. PaiceN.1@@elenka.svaliva2
@@elenka.svaliva2 no
Forse volevi dire che peart, meriterebbe di stare accanto a Ian sul podio. Non il contrario.
Pictures of Home is so underrated! One of my favorite Deep Purple songs.
And Ian sings eagles and snow!!!! 😀
Although Roger Glover has been quoted as saying that "emptiness eagles and snow" is his worst lyric ever : )
@@andreasghb8074 Ritchie says it's fine, carry on
Mine too.
always reminds me of the Thomas Covenant books because I was reading about the fall of the giants (rare birth of the triplets that were possessed by demons) when I was listening to this song
For me, "Highway Star" settles the debate about whether keyboards are a rock instrument. Just listen to Jon Lord's solo; it's classical in its structure, hard, heavy & nasty. It's right up there with the best guitar solos. End of debate.
That, and Lazy.....
The keyboard player in my band worships John Lord and really wants to be him. To be fair to him, he does succeed in this right up to the moment his hands touch the keys...
The organ is, the conventional keyboard is more controvert. I just like, as you mentioned about this song, when instruments are well played.
Does anybody legitimately argue that keyboards aren't rock instruments? They were used since the beginning of rock and roll, by Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, for example
The first instrumental interlude is such a FFFFAAAAAAAATTTTTTT sound
I went to a Deep Purple show in 2004 in Sao Paulo (Brazil). When they started I was in the restroom and the freaking stadium started to shake! I thought it was an earthquake, seriously! But it was Highway Star!
Wow 💜💜💜
My Dad recently passed away. Going through his stuff I found photos he took in Germany while stationed there for the Army. Some of the photos where at a concert. In some of his letters to his parents he mentions going to see Deep Purple. I have those (almost 50 year old) photos!
My Dad had this album on Reel to Reel tape.
Ritchie Blackmore is my all-time favorite guitarist, and the biggest compliment I've ever ever received after one of my bands' performances was a fellow guitarist in the audience telling me how much he heard Ritchie Blackmore in my improvised solos.
In my view this is the best rock album of all time, and the Live In Japan is the best live album ever.Deep Purple were on another level than everybody else.
Made* In Japan.
The producer and engineer on this album was Martin Birch, the same producer responsible for all the classic Iron Maiden albums, and Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell
Martin birch was the man..nobody produced and engineered an album like him..
Definitely an influence on Iron Maiden. Run to the Hills and Number of the Beast so like Highway Star.
And early classic Whitesnake, some BoC and MSG. Schenker loved the production, particularly the drums, on Rainbow's LLRnR so much he got Martin in, and booked the same studio for Assualt Attack. Cozy left before the recording but it;s still MSG's best album.
And probably had a hand in the title of Iron Maiden's live album - Maiden Japan - a play on Deep Purple's Made in Japan
Wow, hadn’t noticed. Great to know! Thanks for the tip!
Ian Paice's drum fills on "Highway Star" are amazing. Marvels of syncopation and speed. The best.
Paice assolutamente N.1
The greatest band of all time with huge impact to the next generation of musicians! Ian Gillan is the greatest vocalist ever!
Yes definitely! This is a great driving album!
*Ian Paice* is the *star* of the show on *Maybe I'm A Leo!* Those drums are *Swingin'!*
Brilliant, i use to listen to it in the 70s, Ritchie Blackmore, Unreal. The black smudge about Roger Glover's head on the cover is/was the photographer. he stood behind them while they looked in a mirror, he photographed them including and inevitably himself, so they tried to smudge his image out.
My first car was a used Chevrolet Greenbrier (Corvair van) I bought right out of high school and made into a hippie van. Working part-time while attending college I saved for a while to buy an FM stereo radio with a built-in 8-track player for it. Once installed I had only enough money left to buy one 8-track tape. "Machine Head" had come out recently so I got it. My girlfriend lived 65 miles away in the sticks where FM reception was poor, so I played the hell out of that tape for a couple of months until I could buy some more! This is great road music! Then and now "Lazy" is still my favorite tune on it.
That amazing sound from Jon Lord's organ was because he plugged it in a 100w Marshall amplifier to compete with the sound of Ritchie Blackmore.
Rune Busk, was about to say what you just commented, such a great growling organ sound ( not into the Hammond Leslie Speakers but directly into the Marshall amp😁
I think he used both Leslie speakers and Marshalls, depending on the song.
@@PopShoppekid Yep, Jon called it "The Beast". He really should have made a keyboard instrumental with that title.
Deep Purple In Rock was really the album which had a huge effect on heavy metal, Space Truckin is very little without the Made in Japan live version, where Jon Lord's solo is one of thee greatest organ solos in history. Great stuff Doug. 👍
This is going to be a treat for ears and mind. This album broke them big in the USA 🇺🇸 but DP In Rock made history for Rock and metal. First really heavy metal album as they call it along with Black Sabbath 1st LZ is blues rock not a thundering as DP or BS. I know classically trained musicians you might be interested in DP for group and orchestra. For Rock band ever to wrote there own music for a orchestra by Jon Lord and play it. In London philharmonic orchestra. It's the first and the real deal Jon Lord is a classically trained musician and conductor. Check out the latest great Jon Lord rip 🙏 Jon.
@@barryrammer7906 Great concert For Group and Orchestra 1969, its on UA-cam if anyone wants to check it out. 👍
@@barryrammer7906 You said essentially what I was going to say. Deep Purple, Sabbath and Zeppelin were the three bands in the early 70s where the sub-genre of "heavy metal" was born. Spot on Barry.
@@crazyb3fan triads of metal absolutely 💯 have great day my friend cheers 🍻
After Joey DeFrancesco I'm sure.
This song was Highway Star was born on a tour bus going to Portsmouth UK in 1971, when a reporter asked the band
how they wrote songs. To demonstrate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore grabbed an acoustic guitar and began playing
a riff cosisting of a single g repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan improvised lyrics over the top.
the song was refined and was performed that same night.
Lazy is my favorite track from this album. I played the hell out of this album back in 1973. Loved it
My friend, a blues musician, loves Lazy. I think it's the only Deep Purple song he likes but he said it gave him great respect for the band
I saw them twice, once in '71 and then in '72 at those mega-concerts that had multiple acts that were all stars. The first was with the Small Faces, the next with the Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Joe Cocker and Leon Russell. I wasn't particularly a Deep Purple fan then but I'm falling in love with them now. Maybe my musicianship has grown. Anyway, we had first row seats in the balcony behind the stage for the second show. I just remember coming out of that concert dancing in the streets from the music high. But yeah, I watched the organ the whole time. Blew me away.
My first ever gig. DP in Wolverhampton. What memories.
Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord were both heavily influenced by high baroque music, particularly by JS Bach. They were also imbued with jazz and the blues, and all their influences came through and exploded through their music. My favourite band.
I'm 45 , my dady invite me to their music and yes I think they did a lot more than other bands around .
Halfway the 70's he took lessons for cello from ELO member Hugh McDowell.
@@onsesejoo2605 That was some bullshit Blackmore cooked up, he lugged a cello around for a while but nobody saw him actually play it according to Tony Carey.
Jon Lord was inspired by J.S. Bach for his solo in Highway Star... and Ritchie Blackmore by Mozart
Richie lifted the Toccato and Fugue in D minor for his solo from Death Alley Driver on Rainbow's sixth album.
I heard 'Highway Star' before I think in a tv commercial but didn't know Deep Purple sang this. Nice!
One of the great things about their songs is the interludes they put in for solos. They often have nothing to do with the rest of the song but fit in perfectly, and 'Highway Star' is a perfect example. The chord progression they use for the solos is different from the verses and chorus and 'connecting' riffs. Jon Lord and Blackmore both had some classical training.
Deep Purple best rock band ever !!
Pictures of Home is a personal favourite.
Maschine Head was my first ever album I bought from my pocket money when I was 12 years old.
Been through some different musical genres in my life but 70's Rock is the one that I will always love. Thanks to Machine Head, and enough pocket money savings!
I thoroughly enjoyed your "first time" reaction to these songs. I'm 63, so these songs are among my favourites, ever. I have always been able to return to "any" of the songs on the album with a new ear. It's amazing. Truly, Deep Purple are among the gods of music. Amazing. Thank you.
Absolutely
Doug, your air playing is so good. You crack me up :-). It's nice seeing you enjoy one of the best hard rock albums, and in my opinion, the best hard rock band ever. Quality music to the core.
This is the album… that people who have only heard what’s played on the radio should listen to… Just fantastic…
One of the BEST John Lord Solo ever, and he talk nonstop.....
Glad you described them as "Hard Rock" because that's how the band at the time preferred to class themselves. My favourite band ever!
First time to hear the entire side. So, So cool! Thanks Doug!
Machine Head is a masterpiece of the rock music … no rock band could play like DP Mk2 and DP Mk3 between 1971 and 1976
What's even more wonderful about those albums from '72 is that a lot of those guys are still active 50 years later!
I had the honor of hanging out with these guys as a kid...in Stowe Vermont of all places. They always record their albums with a mobile studio in some chosen location. In this case they had taken over the local small town theater to record "House of the Blue Light". They had already recorded "Perfect Stranger" in that location and they liked it so they came back. I was in a private high school at the time and my friend bumped into Richie Blackmore in the local store. He told him to find some friends to come play soccer with them. They regularly played after recording sessions in order to unwind. It was the band team verses the roadie team. We ended up playing many games with them over a few weeks. We even pretended to be 18 so we could go to the bar they drank in. Roger Glover was the sociable one. He told us all the stories... gave us a tour of the studio truck and the theater...drove us home at the end of the day. My friend and I were amateur song writers at the time, I was a massive fan of Ian Gillian in Jesus Christ Superstar... so it was very surreal and inspiring to us. He told us an interesting thing about their writing process. Apparently it is all backwards. They write all the music first...record it just the way they want it...leaving space for the vocals. Then, Roger and Ian sit down and write the lyrics and singing parts for the completed songs. In that sense, they are sort of an instrumental band first.
Пожалуй, лучшая пластинка "Дип Пёпл".
A interesting fact about Highway Star, is that it was written on their tour bus in about 10 minutes after a reporter asked them how they write their songs. They wrote and then played it at a show later that night. This from Wikipedia: This song was born on a tour bus going to Portsmouth in 1971 when a reporter asked the band how they wrote songs. To demonstrate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore grabbed an acoustic guitar and began playing a riff consisting of a single "G" repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan improvised lyrics over the top. The song was refined and was performed that same night. This account was taken from an interview with Roger Glover.
Roger and Ian are one of the best rhythm sections EVER in Rock and Roll. You asked if they are a Metal band. They started before Metal was a thing. I would consider them to be Hard Rock/Stadium Rock/ Album Rock but you can hear where Metal took a lot of influence from them. Can't wait for Side two
I would put John Paul Jones and John Bonham in that category, as well as Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the best rhythm sections ever.
Most Definitely!. Add Entwistle and Moon to that too
Exactly. Along with a number of other bands of the era, I'd call this "proto-metal". They aren't exactly heavy metal, but it's hard to imagine any heavy metal bands coming into existence without these guys. You can definitely draw a straight line from early blues and rock through these bands to the metal genre.
Not a metal band but they have some metal songs.
It's well known how Ian Paice's drumming inspired a Danish kid from Copenhagen back in 1973... and the rest is another one great rock/metal music history on its own...
Ian Gillan after singing the lead on Jesus Christ Superstar in 1970 went on to record Machine Head with Deep Purple in 1972. Wow…what a set of pipes he has.
Heyo Douggg talking about deep purple, i HIGHLY recommend listening to April - Deep Purple You won't regret it!
Wow! Happy to see Deep Purple getting so much love. 💜
I really like that you don't interrupt the songs to make comments. So many of the 1st listen videos do this and it drives me crazy to hear the songs of my youth interrupted every few seconds, again and again.
Deep Purple were a supergroup without even the term existing. Every one of them was a savage and they killed it. This album is start to end a banger.
The term supergroup came about in 1966 when the band Cream was formed. You're saying DP Mk2 from 1972 were a supergroup and the term didn't exist...that's just wrong!
My Dad has this on 8 Track in His garage! I listen to many Times when i was A kid. Im 38 years old and i Still Love it! Greetings From Sweden! PS You Rock Doug
It's tough to find an 8 track player anymore!!
But, I had it on 8 track in my 1967 Dodge Dart, back in the early 70's! Good times!
Be sure to occasionally clean the heads of that 8 track with a Q-tip and alcohol! Just saying.
I'm 63 and I STILL love it !
Lol...I still have my UFO 8-track, "Strangers in the Night".
Rock on, brother!
Same story on southern cost of Baltic Sea 😉
Machine Head may be their most popular studio album but there‘s so much more high class Purple to discover. Iconic band.
I love how you can’t help but drum along with Ian Paice.
And even with air drumming you can't keep up with his speed
indeed, he's such an underrated drummer!
I can't either. Highway Star and Burn will surely be on the future PS5 hit, Drums Hero.
The best drummer ever
A drum coach on utube went through
all the top rock drummers and considered
Ian Paice to be the best of the lot.
Paice has swing in his playing.
I saw Deep Purple in 1973. Awesome concert! Thanks for this reaction, Doug! Can't wait for Side 2! "Lazy" is my favorite DP song! If you haven't yet heard it, the keyboards will absolutely blow you away! ;-)
Now you know what I've known since I was a teenager. Thankfully I also got to see them live.
In one word... UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE!!!
This is what happens when you put together some absolutely outstanding musicians. Each of them are masters of their instrument.
A really great Deep Purple album, composed by Jon Lord, his "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" performed in the Royal Albert Hall in 1969. Full orchestra!
I can't wait for Doug's reaction to the organ sound at the beginning of "Lazy". It's probably one of my all-time favourite noises.
This album was my first introduction to deep purple and has been very much my favourite ever since, I was a teenager at the time I got into the music of dp wen they split up
Possibly the biggest Deep Purple album. I was a teenager in the 70s. Smoke on the water was like an anthem. So many great tunes still being played by many bands.
13:27 For me DP were an insparation to Iron Maiden and ZZ Top!
22:58 It goes to Roger Walter sound!😅
Deep Purple, Black Sabbath & Led Zeppelin were before metal. They are hard rock 🪨
This was blasting from nearly every dorm room my freshman year in college.😆
In addition, Paice is a monster! Masterful, clean playing.
Wonderful album, hope you include When a Blind Man Cries as the closing track. It's beautiful,
bonus track, of course .. :-)
There is a video of them performing Highway Star in a (german) TV show - I would think from before they recorded Machine Head - and you can hear the basics of the song (like a demo), but much of it is rough and improvised, including lyrics, vocal line and of course the instrumental solos.
The structured classical influenced lines were worked on, possibly specifically at Montreux for the album.
They had not all that ready at the bus ;)
So much memories !
I got that album for my 13th birthday in 1974. It was/is my first LP ! I still love it 💖
Smoke on the water was my inspration to buy it, but after short time other songs became my favourites.
Lazy is amazing ! I never heard something like that before. So bluesy with a progressive gigantic organ.
Now I'm a little older (hihi) and have the equipment to hear so much more on that record. It hadn't lost the old magic !
Love, love, love it...
I had never heard "Lazy" before purchasing this album. It quickly became my favorite, as long as the intro is, I often start the song over to hear it again
It was also my first album. I bought it along with Led Zeppelin 1. I was 14. In 1974.
Absolutely floored. And it wasn't long before I had to get Made in Japan. Ritchie Blackmore was definitely one of my main inspirations to play guitar.
@@markbranch682
I spent all my birthday money that day ! Enough for three albums. The others were Geordie - Hope you like it (with Brian Jonhson !) and Sweet - Fanny Adams
What a great album to get as a start for a record collection!
One of the greatest Rock albums of all times, an inspiration for gazillions of posterior Metal bands!
Sure tjek live at the Budokan, Blam thanks DouG
I am so happy to see this! I've been waiting for a Deep Purple reaction from you 🙌 Yay!
Me too tired of Zeppelin already love them to but enough. Purple e enough better live I seen the all 3 BS LZ DP OWNED IT LIVE.
The best album ever! I decided to start learning the guitar after listening to it again and again. Still it doesn't fail to inspire me.
This LP is a magnificent beast! The whole band is functioning at optimal timing and chemistry. Highway Star became a live opening number straight out of the gate. There's a texturing and diversity here that's hard to replicate.
Tight
Doug check Jon Lord Google his 🎶 you be shocked how good he was. Classically trained musician in Deep Purple look a for concerto for group and orchestra. You be shock how he did it in 1969 wrote all the music for the orchestra and group. Malcom Arnold was the conductor and loved Jon's music. He had to strong arm his royal philharmonic orchestra to play it with a rock band. First time ever and it was a huge success to everyone's surprise. Not me I know Jon Lord is was one of the greatest keyboard players in rock history. RIP Jon Lord 🙏
Quel concerto è. Un capolavoro. Passo intere giornate ad ascoltarlo. È unico!!!!!💜💜💜💜💜💜
Great call Doug. This line-up was incredible. Blackmore criminally underrated in U.S but his influence can't be overstated. All we were incredible though.
Oh how I wish I caught with this sooner! Thank you Doug! You should get a drum kit in that room! 😊
Agree with you about the labelling of DP. I think they are more of a heavy rock as opposed to metal.
the central fact about this momentous album MACHINE HEAD........... is that it was recorded in those cold hallways ....in the middle of Winter.........in a makeshift way.......with the recording truck 200 feet away...... ! i always picture that scene when listening to this album........and also , that Ian Paice's drum tracks are mostly 1st take ......all the way through, with perfection. and that ORGAN ! epic.
Excellent, bring on side 2! I noticed a lot of air drumming, Doug...Ian Paice does not get as much respect as he should!
Haven’t heard a whole side of this album since the 70s. Still amazing all these years later. And RIP Jon Lord.
great choice my friend ! Machine Head is one of the best rock albums of all time.
Thank you Doug for getting round to Deep Purple. I've been badgering you for quite a while to include Purple in you excellent reviews. Deep Purple in Rock was one of the very first albums I ever bought back in '71, and I have been a fan ever since. As others have mentioned, In Rock is one of the all time classic rock albums of all time. Hope you get round to it one day!
Oh cool! Did you ever get to see them live in their prime?
@@filipstefanovski155 unfortunately not in their prime. Somehow managed to miss them, but they came to my hometown, Grimsby, early 2000s. It turned out to be one of Jon Lord's final appearances.
@@martinmay8919 at least you saw the great Jon Lord in person, that's as special as anything
@@filipstefanovski155 yes it was, very special night, they were brilliant. Even played Child In Time!
I always love the keyboard solo in Highway Star on Made in Japan, especially when you hear Ritchie tune his guitar. The moment he comes back in with that mighty roar. Epic!
Deep Purple was my favorite band as a 13 yr old drummer I played Jazz for 4 yrs.then heard deep purple bought all their albums & could do every song note for note in my little studio in my dad's basement where I'd play for hrs
on end !! They're songs still mean alot to me from my youth & I wouldn't be the drummer I am today without having experienced their brilliance !!
Thanks so much for doing a reaction to a whole album! This is probably my favorite album of all time. I bought it shortly after I heard smoke on the water literally over the wall of a friend’s house in Tripoli Libya probably around 1974. I was 11 or 12 years old, and it set the stage for my music tastes forever after. Can’t wait to hear your reaction to side two. Ian Gillan is without question in my mind the best rock vocalist ever, and Deep Purple will forever be my favorite rock band. Thanks!
Doug, when you listen to side 2, try to include When A Blindman Cries. Recorded at the same time but not included on the original album, it was the B-Side to Never Before as a single. It's very bluesy and the guitar solo is heartfelt and sublime.
You request was granted!
That's Switzerland for you. Cheers from Montreux.
you must listen to DP's "Burn".
How the heck did I miss this? Thank goodness for part 2!
Oh, this brings me back! Machine Head was my first rock album (I'm 60 this summer). Love this! And so fun to see someone else discovering this for the first time, and with such a theoretical analysis as that!
Most of the bands we now consider hard rock or early metal bands were originally electric blues bands. Purple, Zeppelin, Sabbath, even the Stones!
Thanks Doug this brings back memories of my youth. Saw them perform on the Machine Head tour. It was an awesome concert Smoke on the Water was amazing.
Music for the road, for sure.
Lord and Blackmore were classically trained early in their careers. Lord’s solo in Highway star started as something like JS Bach would play.. but developed further. The rest of the album is just sheer talent of all the players in the band.. my inspiration for the drums and music in general! Love classical music. Check out ELP some time!!!
One of the top five greatest hard-rock bands of all time, and "Machine Head" is astonishing, from start to end. A really masterpiece. Huge songs, and the most famous riff of all time, without doubt.
Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Vanilla Fudge and a few other US bands could all be considered the founding fathers of hard rock and what would evolve into Heavy Metal.
Jon Lord once said: " I can´t think of us as Heavy Metal,- we were among the forefathers,- but we always had one foot dragging us back into the Blues."
Doug being who he is, Jon Lord being who he was I don´t think there is any way for Doug to NOT be doing a full runthorugh of the full " Concerto For Group And Orchestra " by Jon Lord performed live at the Royal Albert Hall by Deep Purple and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Arnold in the middle of " Swinging London" in September of 1969.
Every song on this album makes me say "Oh, this is my favorite" every time.
Machine Head changed my musical taste when I was in high school. Until then I just listened to 'pop'.
I & a friend became hooked on it. We would spend hours sitting in my grandfather's car in the garage (it had the best sound) listening to it over & over again.
Being a fan of this great album for over 35 years, I just can't imagine somebody listening to it with fresh ears in 2022! It sounds too amazing to me! Doug, you should check out the remastered 25th anniversary edition, where there's a second disc where the songs are longer, unedited versions of those ones with a fade out on the final version! It's even more wonderful than the "official" album! Waiting for the B-side some time soon!
Ian Gillan wrote a lot of songs about people he met with interesting stories. Ted the mechanic is a good one
I love the keyboards on this album. John Lord unleashed "The Beast" when he ran his Hammond through a Marshall amp. Sounds like a guitar at times.
I was privilege to play this album live a couple of weeks ago. This album and Burn is outstanding.
In 1984 I was a bass player at a school show and we played Highway Star and my theory instructor told me I should learn the keyboard solo on my base and I've been playing that song and that solo since I just love the song
It's still a really good rock album 50 years after its release....Definitely one for a decent car journey....Nice one Doug.
Great analysis Doug! Haven't listened to Machine Head for awhile but it doesn't disappoint. 50 yet amazing how fresh it sounds - I guess great music doesn't age.
Such a great band. So glad you enjoyed this album.
The few times Jon Lord play his piano it is always fun. "Never Before" from this, "Woman From Tokyo" and "What's Goin' On Here" are another couple.
Good point. He got to play more piano in Whitesnake.
The lyrics on Highway Star demonstrates Gillan's penchant for double-entendres and the alpha male's perception of the duality of a woman or a car (he was known to slip "big fat knockers" in instead of "big fat tyres" on occasion).
Love that opening rock scream!
Absolutely legendary first track 🤘🤘
Machine head came out during my last year in high school. It remains one of my favorites to this day. The band also played nearly the entire album live , along with a few songs from their previous release, In Rock, on a BBC in concert program. I think that performance is available on cd. It is even better than the studio album.