Deep Purple Machine Head CD

Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals); Richie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards); Roger Glover (bass); Ian Paice (drums).
Recorded in Montreux, Switzerland in December 1971.
Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals); Richie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards); Roger Glover (bass); Ian Paice (drums).
Recorded in Montreux, Switzerland in December 1971.
This package contains the original MACHINE HEAD plus quadrophonic mixes of 2 songs on one disc, MACHINE HEAD remixed by Roger Glover in 1998, and a 28 page booklet.
Led Zeppelin's fourth album, Black Sabbath's Paranoid, and Deep Purple's Machine Head have stood the test of time as the Holy Trinity of English hard rock and heavy metal, serving as the fundamental blueprints followed by virtually every heavy rock & roll band since the early '70s. And, though it is probably the least celebrated of the three, Machine Head contains the "mother of all guitar riffs" -- and one of the first learned by every beginning guitarist -- in "Smoke on the Water." Inspired by real-life events in Montreux, Switzerland, where Deep Purple were recording the album when the Grand Hotel was burned to the ground during a Frank Zappa concert, neither the song, nor its timeless riff, should need any further description. However, Machine Head was anything but a one-trick pony, introducing the bona fide classic opener "Highway Star," which epitomized all of Deep Purple's intensity and versatility while featuring perhaps the greatest soloing duel ever between guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and organist Jon Lord. Also in top form was singer Ian Gillan, who crooned and exploded with amazing power and range throughout to establish himself once and for all as one of the finest voices of his generation, bar none. Yes, the plodding shuffle of "Maybe I'm a Leo" shows some signs of age, but punchy singles "Pictures of Home" and "Never Before" remain as vital as ever, displaying Purple at their melodic best. And finally, the spectacular "Space Truckin'" drove Machine Head home with yet another tremendous Blackmore riff, providing a fitting conclusion to one of the essential hard rock albums of all time. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
A probable contender for one of hard rock's "all-time most influential albums," Deep Purple's MACHINE HEAD has all the markings of a heavy classic. It was here that the band's combination of amped-up blues, progressive instrumental prowess, screaming guitars, and thunderous rhythms was crystallized for the ages, helping to lay the foundation for hard rock and heavy metal throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. The lone presence of "Smoke on the Water" immediately elevates the album to essential status. The song became a long-running radio staple, and boasts one of the most instantly recognizable guitar riffs in rock history.
Yet the rest of the album holds up impressively, from the adrenaline-soaked opener "Highway Star," in which organist Jon Lord and guitarist Richie Blackmore trade off dazzling solos, to the churning "Space Truckin'," another riff-driven rocker. Vocalist Ian Gillian, whose dramatic, soaring tenor set the mold for many heavy metal singers to follow, is in fine form here, as are the pyrotechnics of Blackmore and Lord. Everything from the title to the warped group photo on the album cover indicates that MACHINE HEAD will be an exercise in unabashed, brain-melting rock, and that is exactly what it delivers. It still stands in the pantheon of seminal hard rock records.
A probable contender for one of hard rock's "all-time most influential albums," Deep Purple's MACHINE HEAD has all the markings of a heavy classic. It was here that the band's combination of amped-up blues, progressive instrumental prowess, screaming guitars, and thunderous rhythms was crystallized for the ages, helping to lay the foundation for hard rock and heavy metal throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. The lone presence of "Smoke on the Water" immediately elevates the album to essential status. The sonRolling Stone (5/25/72, p.64) - "...nothing but good, hard, socking music..."
-Lester Bangs
Q (7/01, p.87) - Included in Q's "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time".
Q (10/00, p.141) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Bettered IN ROCK, highlighted by the world's most famous rock riff in 'Smoke On The Water'..."