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ROCK AND ROLL! => Deep Purple => Mk II: Gillan & Glover => Topic started by: Zzzptm on April 16, 2021, 11:06:34 AM
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After 3 commercially-focused, pop-flavoured albums, Ritchie Blackmore decided it was time to take the band in a different musical direction. Out went Rod Evans and Nick Simper, in came Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. Out went Beatles cover tunes and in came... well, first came the Concerto for Group and Orchestra which really confused fans...
AFTER that came Deep Purple In Rock, essentially a hard re-launch of the band's name and direction. No string/horn arrangements or ballads, that's for sure. What was on there? Well... screaming, for a start...
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Speed King
Guitar blast, organ solo, then WHACK, that drum beat is what sets off the stack of dynamite in Ian Gillan's explosive vocals. The rest of the band drives in, full bore, crushing everything in their path to make way for... a jazzy organ/guitar interchange? Huh? What? But, well, it works, and it leads up to the harder, heavier side of that pairing as everything climaxes to another screamer from Big Ian belting out a mess of Little Richard references like a oldies DJ hopped up on Benzedrine.
It's an awesome opener, totally different from just about anything the band did with the Mk1 lineup. Hello and welcome to Deep Purple, Mk 2.
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I do like Speed King a great opener for this album. It feels like a jam and I doubt they could have reproduced it "exactly" like that ever again! Listening to it earlier I forgotten how important the bass was in driving the song forward. Slight gripe is that Ian is slightly low in the mix and drowned out in places, but that IS minor.
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In Rock I think was my third Purple album...I'm not sure...First one was a collection Deepest Purple that I got from the local second hand store for pennies. Loved it, loved the songs so went on to get Perfect Strangers (from the same store I might add again for next to nothing)...then I'm not sure if it was Purpendicular or In Rock (those both I bought brand new In Rock being the 25th Anniversary edition)...all I remember is that Machine Head was later for some reason...
Anyways for some period In Rock was not among my highest ranking Purple albums. Part from Speed King and obviously Child In Time I didn't really connect with it for some reason. But it grew on me the more Purple stuff I got. Then I discovered the magic of the other tracks...well part from Flight Of The Rat but more on that later ofcourse.
I rank the classic three pretty much equally now...all brilliant. But if I'd have to put them in order this would be in the middle of the bunch.
Anyways...
SPEED KING opens up with a soft barely audible intro, which is bit off to be honest. But when it kicks off with Ian belting out those vocals the song gets going and you instantly know why this is such a classic tune. The guitar work is amazing even on the verse and the whole band just kicks ass plain and simple. The dual solo sections also set the tone for many Purple songs to come with both Ritchie and Jon sharing lead duties creating that very distinctive sound which no one had done before and very few band did as brilliantly afterwards either.
I think Speed King can be also considered not just one of the first heavy metal tunes but one of the first Speed Metal tunes as well. It is fast, it is furious and it is brilliant.
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It's tricky explaining Speed King... "Great proto-speed metal with a jazz improvisation in the middle." Yet, that's exactly what it is and it WORKS. :D
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Bloodsucker - mid-tempo punching with a very heavy rhythm and hard-edged guitar and organ playing. Gillan's vocals are acidic and rough, just like the subject matter for the song. Love his gibbering at the end, it's mixed down but still great fun.
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Bloodsucker
I sorta ignored this one previously, but giving it a few listens over weekend I find it's one of the better tracks on the album. Indeed side 1 is far superior to side 2 but more on that later. It's got a nice riff and has a noce groove about it.
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Bloodsucker is a great little tune with a nice heavy riff and some great lyrics and vocals by Ian...but I do have to say I prefer the new version from Abandon. Ian's vocals are better and they are without that silly effect for the last verse that is present on this version.
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Child in Time
Do not be fooled by the intro - this is NOT a quiet song. I see Jon Lord's classical influence in the Bolero-like triads that build tension throughout the piece. In fact, that's a perfect comparison, Ravel's Bolero, as both pieces build gradually to a climax through increasing dynamics. In Deep Purple's case, they add some screaming to go with that. There's another improvisational section in the middle, but it's not the plodding classicism of Mark 1 DP, but Blackmore cutting things loose and letting his guitar be as expressive as Gillan's voice. His solo is aggressive, yet melodic. Lord's gentle recap of the initial theme takes us back to the start and we return to the Bolero buildup. The finale layers organ arpeggios with Gillan's ranting and screaming with that rhythm section driving everything to a final, orgasmic, concluding chord.
This is not a get-up-and-dance-around kind of tune. This is not really a headbanger or a singalong. It's a very hard rock piece that beats the listener into submission. It's something that makes one think more than it makes one move about.
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Child In Time
There's a lot to like in this song, from Lord's keyboards to Blackmore's solo, and much of Gillan's vocals works really well. I might considered a heretic though in that I think Gillan's screams go on way to long, but I don't think it's a massive problem. Great song.
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Child In Time....what can I say...this is one of the greatest songs in history. A pure masterpiece. The soft intro that leads into the explosive middle section filled with incredible guitar work from Mr. Blackmore...
This was THE #1 song on my Top 10 epic songs list so I guess that kind of says it all there is for me to say about this song... ;D
https://www.komunumo.net/forumo/index.php?topic=207.msg2060#msg2060 (https://www.komunumo.net/forumo/index.php?topic=207.msg2060#msg2060)
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Child In Time....what can I say...this is one of the greatest songs in history. A pure masterpiece. The soft intro that leads into the explosive middle section filled with incredible guitar work from Mr. Blackmore...
This was THE #1 song on my Top 10 epic songs list so I guess that kind of says it all there is for me to say about this song... ;D
https://www.komunumo.net/forumo/index.php?topic=207.msg2060#msg2060 (https://www.komunumo.net/forumo/index.php?topic=207.msg2060#msg2060)
Indeed. It certainly has one of Blackmore's finest solos, smack in the middle.
If you'd like to spend another day on Child in Time before moving to Flight of the Rat, I would not blame you for lingering, not one bit.
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Flight of the Rat
Everything about this suggests I should like it, the riff is pretty good, the bass/keyboards are fine and there's nice drum solo just before the end. But I feel Ian doesn't sing it that well, and the whole doesn't live up to the sum of it's parts. I generally skip it (actually I generally skip side 2! :-X )
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The lyrics sounded much cooler when I was much younger. :smug:
Most of the rhymes are moon/spoon/June caliber stuff and Gillan doesn't get to do much vocal variety until the little break at 1:45, then it's back to the same old same old, such a shame. He gets to belt it out at 2:35, but it's so short, blink and you'll miss it. Makes you wonder if we really needed those verses before the organ solo kicked off.
The organ/guitar part is great, though. After that, the verse section recap fits better. Then there's that funky bit that shows up and acts like it belongs in the song before Blackmore's guitar sends it off. We get a nice solo from Paicey and then we're done.
It's a pretentious, ambitious collection of movements that seem pieced together.
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Flight Of The Rat is the only real dip in quality on this album. It's bit tedious and most certainly bit over long. Eventhough this is still heavier than anything they did before with Evans, it still echoes maybe bit too much to the past.
I've also always felt this song was bit too disjointed...like it's got bit too many parts that don't quite add up. Has a rushed feel to it...like it was jammed in the studio and the guys went "hey this sounds cool let's record it!"...could have used few more twists and tweaks this one.
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Into the Fire, on the other hand, is a song that I've liked more as Flight of the Rat faded in my opinion. It's straight-up 100% heavy blues, like Janis Joplin being backed by 800-pound gorillas driving steamrollers. The fuzz level on this track is phenomenal. It's 3 and a half minutes of great bashing, and I'm liking it even more after this listen.
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Into The Fire
Best track on side 2, yep, not bad!
BTW are we doing Black Night? I know it's not on the original release, but both my copies have it.
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Oh yes! Things return to the GREATNESS again with Into The Fire!
One of their heaviest tunes. Also something where I've always picked up some heavy blues elements...almost Sabbath like in both tone and delivery. Something of a proto-heavy metal track this one for sure!
It's a short little number but it still packs quite the punch and holds it's own against the bigger numbers on the album.
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@KDC: Yes, let's do Black Night as the last track, as it's a great single!
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Living Wreck
Kicks off with a drum shuffle and then it's a tune in a similar vein as Into the Fire. It's scratchy and dirty... "You took off your hair, you pulled out your teeth..." holy crap, you got my interest now with a line like that!
Blackmore's solo is trippy, which fits in nice with this song about a real damage case. Ian Paice's drumming is fantastic on this track.
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Living Wreck is another great track indeed. I like the drum intro, Jon's little keyboard screech that leads to Ritchie's very funky riff.
Ian's vocal work is top notch as well. Another very heavy bluesy number.
Drum work on this one is brilliant as well indeed! Some incredible fills from Paicey!
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Living Wreck
It's a solid effort. But like the rest of side 2 I have difficulty getting excited about it. Musically it's nice and yes the drums are good here. The lyrics are quite funny though.
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Hard Lovin' Man
Musically this is (mostly) quite a good song, a nice riff and solo for sure, but Lord's discordant keyboards irritate me, and it's one of Gillan's worst vocal performances.
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This great album comes to a close with another one of my absolute favourites by the name of HARD LOVIN' MAN!
The song kicks of with a bit of a weird intro that leads to a subtle bass riff, but once the galloping riff kicks in you know you're in for a great ride. The vocal melody is great and Ian belts out some crazy screams. The solo section is very unique starting with Jon using some stranger tone from his Hammond...quite experimental but it still works. Ritchie's guitar solo that follows is also quite "happy" sounding with a crystal clear tone which isn't all that common for him. But it does feature some a-class playing from the man....especially during the outro solo which is just wild.
This is also (most likely) the first ever song to feature the galloping riff...so basically without this song there wouldn't be a band called Iron Maiden which made the gallop their trademark...Most certainly another proto metal track to which countless bands owe their career.
It always struck me strange that the didn't start playing this song live until 40 years after it was released...such a wonderful track.
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I took a listen of a live version of this tune with an orchestra... nope. Not a fan of that...
Studio version... we got some pretty direct messaging in the lyrics, that's for sure. The song itself is pretty much an ode to havin' sex, especially with that guitar finish. The crazy Hammond effects always sounded cool to me, still do. The solos are what makes this track, on top of that awesome galloping riff. Loads of kids pointing at their stereos with this track playing, saying to their bandmates, "THIS! We need to sound like THIS!"
Unlike Flight of the Rat, this one holds together as a track and holds up over time. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a Viagra. :smug:
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And before you listen to Black Night, check this out:
Guess which young man with a banjo was listening to this back in 1962...
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Black Night
A fun little song, which got No. 2 in the UK singles chart in 1970, a few months before Paranoid hit the Top 5... not a bad year for Hard Rock! And like Paranoid this was recorded because the record company wanted a single.
As Zs says the main riff was nicked... the band admit it, but it's seems to be common practice in those days (just ask Led Zeppelin!). But it's a good riff worth recycling. And while the lyrics are ambiguous they're sung well by Gillan. Good song!
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And just wait until Fireball comes around... :smug:
But, yes, it's a great riff, and very fun to sing along to. Strong solos, lets you know that DP have 100% solidified their format change and are proceeding forward as planned.
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Black Night is a great little tune which truly comes alive in a live setting with the massive sing-a-long part and all.
Ritchie indeed stole the main riff from actor Ricky Nelson's song but it's a great riff...and Ritchie did add quite a bit of heaviness to it...but this is probably the most obvious rip off Ritchie has ever done...
This is again one of those Purple songs that as said is best when preformed live. The studio version always felt bit sterile but when done live (especially with the Bass intro from Roger) the song elevates to a whole new level.
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I'll rank the tracks:
1. Child in Time
2. Speed King
3. Bloodsucker
4. Black Night
5= Into the Fire
5= Living Wreck
5= Hard Lovin' Man
8. Flight of the Rat
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For me, I've got Speed King and Child in Time on the top tier, Black Night just behind them.
Next grouping is Bloodsucker and Into the Fire. ItF beats LW because of that line about hair and teeth, I love it yes I do.
LW, then Hard Lovin' Man... then Flight of the Rat.