Rank the Four Mk2 Studio Albums

[Zzzptm]

In Rock - Fireball - Machine Head - Who Do We Think We Are! (IR-F-MH-WDWTWA)

Here's my ratings...

4. WDWTWA - It really is uneven. I love this album, but going from "Woman From Tokyo" to "Mary Long" to "Super Trouper" is a bumpy road. "Rat Bat Blue" does NOT flow easily into "Place in Line", which itself doesn't really work next to "Our Lady". It's a shame, because the individual tracks are so nice on their own.

3. IR - "Into the Fire" and "Living Wreck" bring it down for me, too sludgey. "Hard Lovin' Man" is powerful, but maybe it's a bit much, after the other two epics, "Child in Time" and "Flight of the Rat."

2. F - I really love this album, especially with the deluxe edition bonus tracks. But, on its own, it's great from start to finish and really comes together nicely.

1. MH - Does not miss, at all. I played this so much as a kid, I bought another copy as a backup. Then I bought the picture disc. Then I bought the CD. Then I bought the remastered CD... and I played them all, over and over and over again. One of my favorite albums, period, not just favorite Deep Purple albums.

[Billy Underdog]

As always it's hard for me to rank anything, esp. with two such stellar albums as In Rock and Machine Head. But atleast i can say that WDWTWA is without a doubt the weakest of the four, and it's sad that an album as good as Fireball have somewhat become "hidden and forgotten" between the two monoliths.

[Charger]

Gotta say my ranking would be 100% same as ZZZ's ranking.

With one exception I suppose...I wouldn't frown upon Into The Fire as it is one of my favourites from In Rock...Flight Of The Rat on the otherhand...
Hard Loving Man was the first classic galloping riff hard rock / heavy metal song I believe. Iron Maiden owes a lot to that song.

[Zzzptm]

True, they do, and I think if that song wrapped it up about 2 minutes earlier, I would still enjoy it as much as I used to. I think bands like Iron Maiden and others have done better with the idea. I can still respect the original, but I'm listening to its descendants.

[Ted Sallis]

1. DPIR - epic songs galore and not one dud track.

2. Fireball - For the most part a very big departure from Mark II's debut but I consider most of the songs on it to be classic.

3. MH - Several of the songs are simpler, which reflects the conditions and time limitation under which the album was recorded.

4. WDWTWA - There are only 3 standout tracks on this album for me: WFT, ML and RBB.  The other songs are all fair to mediocre IMO.

Ted