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ROCK AND ROLL! => Deep Purple => Mk II: Gillan & Glover => Topic started by: KiloDeltaCharlie on June 06, 2021, 03:13:26 PM
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I'll start the thread but probably won't post my thoughts on track 1 until tomorrow.
I think this is my favourite of these three DP MK II albums we've analysed, it certainly has three of my all time favourite songs by DP, indeed by anyone. I'm suggesting we go with the 25th Anniversary edition and include the bonus track When A Blind Man Cries.
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Agreed on WaBMC.
Cranking up Highway Star right now. :smug:
:gillan:
:highway:
Loads of solos on this track, but Gillan totally owns it, vocally. Absolutely gives me goosebumps to play this song, even almost 40 years after discovering it, such is the power in this music. The opener of all openers, bar none. Also works as a closer of monumental proportions. If you want loads more of blathering hyperbole, let me know and I'll lay it on thick.
Now, taking it seriously, it's still hard to come down from high praise. Seamless execution with the whole band, everything on point. Paice and Glover lay down a rhythm that serves as a blueprint for any heavy song that needs to move fast - it's to fast stoner/desert rock what Sweet Leaf is to mid-tempo stoner/doom rock. This is where that strand of musical DNA establishes itself as dominant genes. Even if the soloing in a band can't match Blackmore and Lord, just playing that tight, 8-cylinder rhythm will help a band go far these days.
Gillan belts it out to the balconies, no question at all about that. This is Peak Big Ian. If you're an Ian Gillan fan, chances are it's because of this song and this album.
Jon Lord gives a very threatening, growling, overdrive-laden solo that shows what his classical influences can do when used for more metallic purposes. That 19th Century tone poem stuff? It's right here in his solo that truly captures a supercar going around a tight mountain switchback feeling. Sheer delight.
Blackmore does as good and gives us low gear, middle gear, and top gear in his solo composition. I actually like slowing down when I drive and this part comes up so that I can shift along with Blackmore. :)
Song even shuts down like a muscle car, rumbling for a little while after the ignition's been cut.
Should be no surprise to anyone that this is definitely a tune that yours truly thinks very highly of. :smug:
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Highway Star
Stone cold classic. I can't think of a better way to start this album, even Gillan's screams work well here. The lyrics are a little naive, but work well in the context of the song. Good song.
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The lyrics are a little naive,
Don't worry, David Coverdale can make 'em worse. :rofl:
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Gonna need to start on Maybe I'm a Leo, hope those that are playing along can do some catch-up. Highway Star really is a great tune, don't miss out on it. :)
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Machine Head is one of those "perfect" albums...in the league with The Mob Rules and Rainbow Rising...with not a single weak song...and that is something.
The album kicks off with one of the best album openers of all time HIGHWAY STAR.
The opening riff already promises something amazing and oh boy...does amazing follow!
Gillan's vocal preformance here is among his finest...he just belts out those vocals with such ferocity that it makes your spine tingle.
And then the solos...first Jon lets it rip with that Hammond...showing that you can seriously rock it out with an organ! One of his finest album solos for sure...and then it's Ritchie...he captivates that "driving on the road faster than you should" feel completely in that solo...
This is the perfect "in car" song, but it is also a damn near perfect song anywhere else as well. The lyrics are again classic Ian and as usual they make you smile and put you instantly on a good mood.
What a way to start an album! Truly firing on all 8 cylinders right off the start line!
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Maybe I'm a Leo
This is not a bad song at all, but it is one of the weaker tracks on the album. A slower, bluesy song, with a nice vocal melody, a simple, but effective, riff. By no means a bad song.
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I remember the day I picked up Machine Head, I was a kid in 8th Grade and had just gotten into Deep Purple by way of the Deepest Purple compilation. This was my first full DP album and I was loving all the pictures in the inner sleeve as I listened to Highway Star. I remember feeling cold as I played the album, noting that it was recorded in December and all the photos showing guys in big sweaters, looked like they were freezing as they made it. And yet, it was hot in Texas in the late summer as I played the tracks... such is the power of imagination.
One song that added to that "cold" vibe was Maybe I'm a Leo. I didn't expect it, but then again, a lot was still fresh to me back then. But I was able to get into the tune, with its jaunty little melody and playful lyrics. A solid tune. Best of the album? Not even in the top half. But that's how good the rest of the album is. And with only 7 songs - 8 if I count in When a Blind Man Cries - only 4 can make the top half, and this album has Smoke on the Water, Lazy, Highway Star, Space Truckin', and Pictures of Home on it!
The guitar-organ back and forth is great here and shows a band at the top of its game.
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Nuts! I just noticed (as it ended) that one of our TV channels was just showning the Machine Head Classic albums episode! Oh well!
Pictures of Home
I like this song a lot, second best song on side 1! It has a nice galloping pace to the rhythm, a good vocal performance from Gillan, the drum intro is perfect, and the little bass solo works well.
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Pictures of Home gave me even more of that "cold" feel and makes Machine Head an album that I love to play when fall deepens into winter. This is my favorite track of the whole album, except for all my other favorite tracks. :)
Blackmore's solos are amazing and Gillan's vocal line is impeccable, but it's the keyboards plus drums that do it for me. Such amazing tension in the playing, it's yet another solid track from the album.
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Maybe I'm A Leo slows things down a bit with a heavy blues vibe. The guitar riff is brilliant and the song flows really well. And some great lyrics by Ian again...I mean come on... Maybe I'm a Leo but I ain't a lion! Perfect.
This is a song that is strong enough to be the best one on most albums...but not on this one...and that shows what kind of a masterpiece we're talking about.
Pictures Of Home kicks off with a great little heavy drum intro. Bit unusual but works brilliantly here. And it sets the tone to the song. Great tune this one. For a long time I didn't quite like it and in fact thought of it as the weakest song on the album but then hearing the live version and BOOM instant love. So another song that came to life in a live setting...Great heavy rocker this one.
And the lyrics are based (like certain other song on this album) on the recording process in Switzerland and they're again great. Among the finest on the album in fact.
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Never Before
I quite like this song, one of Ian's best vocals, but (there's always a "but") it's probably the weakest track on the album along side Maybe I'm a Leo. That's just how this album is, no bad songs.
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NEVER BEFORE
It's a song that I liked better when I was younger, but still enjoy today. It's got a lovely melody that points towards Woman from Tokyo, where I think elements being explored here come to wonderful fruition.
Thing is, it's an overall happy tune with sad lyrics. "I never felt so sad... before / never, never before" could just as easily change the sad to glad and have it be a sweet uplifting song. It's a good song that could have been better, I think.
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Never Before while being a very very good song indeed is the weakest song of the album...but that just shows how incredible the album really is that a song of this caliber can be the weakest!
The riff is good and the sad lyrics are bit different for Ian but he still makes them work brilliantly as well.
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Smoke on the Water
Duh, duh, duuuhhh, duh, duh, du-duuhh...
Stone cold classic... even if I'm over-familiar with it. That riff... and more importantly that bass when it kicks in just gives me goosebumps! The vocals are fine, the lyrics silly, but musically this almost as good as it gets!
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Oh whoops, I was gonna do When a Blind Man Cries before getting to side 2. :D
I'll say that I first didn't care for it, but it's a song that gets better with each listen. I think it's the Mk2 song that's closest to the Morse era of all their material. It also points directly towards Dio-era Rainbow with the mix of classical and blues influences in the guitar part. It's a very mature song, probably why teenage me didn't like it, twentysomething me couldn't care one way or another, but the me of the last 20 years or so has liked it more and more.
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Smoke on the Water
For the discussion, consider the source material for the music and lyrical phrasing:
The dah-da-da of Bossa Nova became DUH-DUH-DUH of Heavy Metal.
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Smoke on the Water...
... Astrud Gilberto aside, this song has a great riff. Take the Bossa Nova, slow it down, chunk it up, and it gets a fair aggro feel to it all. This one is another tune like "Highway Star" that points the way to Stoner/Desert rock, especially with the 8-cylinder drum and bass rhythm. It's a simple tune, exceptionally well played.
I once made a playlist of ALL the versions of Smoke on the Water that I could find. Then I played the list to see how long I'd last with it. About 20 versions, all but one live, and it's great all the way through. I love singing along with it, both the lyrics and the growling DUH DUU DUU DUH DUU DU-DUUUUHHHHHHH. How many kids started playing guitar with that riff line? Think about that.
Legendary song, and rightly so. It does not fade with age.
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Smoke On The Water is a stone cold classic.
It is a solid proof that a simple riff can a big song make. But honestly there's so much more to this song than that iconic riff. The solid drum work from Paicey, the masterful keyboards from Lord, and ofcourse the brilliant delivery of vocals by Ian. And ofcourse the iconic true story told by the lyrics is nothing short of suberb.
This is also where Purple went miles ahead of Sabbath. They made a rather simple riff a-la Paranoid as well BUT they added much more to the song and their big hit actually turned out to be a great song where Paranoid is just something overly simplistic hobbled together in 30 minutes.
What a song...just what a song.
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I like the angle you take on comparing the two songs. There's definitely way more structure and form to SoTW - and the lyrics even tell a proper story, from a stupid with a flare gun to Funky Claude.
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I thought the comparison here was necessary...after all those two songs are their greatest hits. Both pretty much because of the riff...
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... and although I don't have a recording of Blackmore doing Paranoid, I do have several of Iommi doing Smoke on the Water. And Iommi playing that tune is just as amazing as Blackmore at his height.
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Yeah I don't think Ritchie has ever played Paranoid...not exactly his style of a song anyways... :D
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Lazy
One thing which I always fail to appreciate is just how long it takes for the vocals to arrive (ca 4:20)!
I am not a fan of the opening keyboard solo, but as soon as the jam starts proper it's a fantastic song. I think the song could work without the vocals but Ian does a good job so it's fine.
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Lazy
One man's "I'm not a fan of" is another man's "Oh wow this was totally my favorite part." :lol:
Let me tell you how that keyboard intro is my favorite part of the whole album, especially when it reaches down deep and loud and mighty. Totally blew my mind. Lazy isn't my favorite song, but that intro is my favorite part of the album. :D
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Ah Lazy.
As Ian likes to introduce it "The instrumental with lyrics". And that is what it is.
Another such a wonderful song. This is Jon Lord show through and through. The keyboard work here is nothing short of suberb.
But honestly there is so much going on in this song that it's almost impossible to dissect it. But in addition to the keyboards one stand out feature is Ian's harmonica work. Adds such a nice different layer to the song.
This has always been one of my favourites...but then again...this whole album is filled with "one of my favourites"... :D
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What's so wild is that unlike other albums, there are no tracks on the cutting room floor or in drawers waiting to be rediscovered. Those 8 tracks, that's what they did, that's what you get.
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DUH DUH
DUH DUH DUH
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH
DUH DUH
:smug:
I love this song, dudes. I have always loved this song. I will always love this song. It's got a fun nonsense sci-fi lyric about driving trucks in space. THAT IS SO FUN. The band are totally not caught up in themselves and are having great fun blowing out the speakers with this awesome tune. Great finish to arguably the best of the DP albums.
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Space Truckin'
Another masterpeice. Musically great and lyrically "tongue-in-cheek", it's a fine way to finish the album (if exclude When A Blind Man Cries from the Anniversary Edition).
A slight problem is that whenever I hear the title I'm reminded of the 1987 novelty song by The Firm called Star Trekkin'! I think I found it vaguely amusing the first time I heard it, but it's long since lost its charm, sorry I couldn't help sharing the pain ...
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Not gonna click on that video! :D
This is why I put WaBMC after Never Before, because Space Truckin is such a monster closer tune.
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When A Blind Man Cries
This a nice gentle song, probably not suitable as an album closer and I'm sure if it had been part of the original release it would have been elsewhere. Yes it's a good song and while the lyrics are heart-felt and genuine I think they are a little cheesey. But that's a minor quibble.
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It's a great song, all the same, and I've grown in my appreciation of it with the passing years. For blues, it ain't Mistreated or Lazy, but it's still a lovely tune.
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The inevitable ranking of the songs:
Truly great songs:
Smoke on the Water
Highway Star
Space Truckin'
Still fantastic:
Lazy
Pictures of Home
By No Means Bad:
When A Blind Man Cries
Maybe I'm A Leo
Never Before
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Space Truckin' is again one of those landmark songs. That intro, that riff, that mini drum solo...just damn near perfection all around.
The lyrics are on the funky side but they still work brilliantly. And Ian's delivery is absolutely top notch.
When A Blind Man Cries... Now this is a song that I didn't much care for to be honest... UNTIL I heard the incredible live version on Live At The Olympia. This is once again one of those songs that truly came to its own in a live setting.
I'm not a big ballad fan and the studio version always came off as bit dull...eventhough it was just a little over 3 minute song it always felt longer. But when I heard the near 8 (!!) minute live version it actually felt shorter! It added so much more emotion and energy to the deep blues song.
I still very rarely listen to the studio version. If I want to listen to this song live at the Olympia is the way to go. Ian's vocal preformance on that alone is to die for. And Steve's guitar work on that actually beats that of Ritchie's 100 to 5! I do ponder what this song would have sounded like back in 1972 had the band preformed it live...
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100% agree for WaBMC on the LatO set. It's the best version we can get our ears on.
Rankings...
Awesome:
Never Before
Excellent:
When a Blind Man Cries
Maybe I'm a Leo
WHY I LOVE DEEP PURPLE
Lazy
Pictures of Home
Highway Star
Smoke on the Water
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE IT'S SPACE TRUCKIN' TURN IT UP
Space Truckin'
:smug:
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Of the three DP albums we've analysed I would rank them as follows:
1) Machine Head
2) Fireball
3) In Rock
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^^
My rating would be exactly the same.
Putting these tracks in order though is quite impossible...
But it might look something like this:
1. Highway Star
2. Space Truckin'
3. Lazy
4. Smoke On The Water
5. Pictures Of Home
6. Maybe I'm A Leo
7. Never Before
8. When A Blind Man Cries
But the differences would be marginal at best! This album is just so damn GOOD!
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It's my favorite album, period.
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Listening to these albums has hi-lighted in my mind why Blackmore wanted to leave and set up a band where he was in charge. He does stella work here, but quite often he's not doing that and letting other musicians (often Lord) take a prominent lead. In the early days that was probably fine but he's never been someone who plays second to anyone out of choice!
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Listening to these albums has hi-lighted in my mind why Blackmore wanted to leave and set up a band where he was in charge. He does stella work here, but quite often he's not doing that and letting other musicians (often Lord) take a prominent lead. In the early days that was probably fine but he's never been someone who plays second to anyone out of choice!
This has me thinking about another thread... brb...