I began listening to Deep Purple in November 2022.
Shades of Deep Purple (1968): C
The Book of Taliesyn (1968): C-
Deep Purple (1969): C
Deep Purple in Rock (1970): C-
Fireball (1971): C-
Machine Head (1972): C
Shades of Deep Purple (1968):
Rod Evans is a boring singer with little personality and zero command and though Blackmore is a fairly impressive guitarist, it's a lousy organ player whose instrument takes center stage in this band. Luckily, they have an impeccable taste for covers--they bravely record "Help!," "I'm So Glad," and "Hey Joe" well after the definitive versions entered the zeitgeist. Plus, random sound effects in between each song because that's what really bring albums together these days! C
The Book of Taliesyn (1968):
I thought that their covers couldn't get worse but Deep Purple keep telling themselves that they aren't going to make headlines unless they one-up their debut. In addition to another Beatles number, they record a song by a total joke of a singer-songwriter Neil Diamond and a song by the soul-duo Ike & Tina Turner. Just how much longer before they fire organist Jon Lord and become a decent hard rock band? What about that buffoon at the front of the stage? Not to mention drummer Ian Paice, who doesn't want the listener to miss all the hard work he's laying down. Ah screw it, there's no hope. C-
Deep Purple (1969):
Though I never would have expected it, Lord is starting to find his place in this blues rock band and though Evans is no rock singer, he is largely inoffensive. Now that the band has done away with their shitty cover selection, however, their songwriting finally enters the limelight and it's equally ham-handed and not nearly as funny. C
Deep Purple in Rock (1970):
Here's the thing, folks: unlike Sabbath and Queen, I didn't go into Purple's discography expecting to dislike everything. In fact, I was fairly certain that I would be able to snag a few decent hard rockers before I tossed the excess. Now, I'm beginning to think they belong in the holy trinity of the worst bands I've listened to. Though Ian Gillian's singing somewhat reminds me of the great Rob Tyner, Gillian is all flaunt and he's certainly not singing for any worthy cause. Blackmore's contributions may be worse: he's certainly talented but here it's all long and flashy solos that go nowhere. Their albums used to be unbelievably poor quality: now they are also highly obnoxious. C-
Fireball (1971):
Says Deep Purple's creative leader of recording Fireball: "I didn't give a damn about song construction. I just wanted to make as much noise and play as fast and as loud as possible." How did that work out for ya, Blackmore? Once again, the band's resident idiot: "[Fireball] was a bit of a disaster because it was thrown together in the studio." C-
Machine Head (1972):
I still don't understand how the organist fits into this hard rock/heavy metal band and their idea of good music continues to clash with mine. They do have a few good melodies on here but whenever they threaten to sound decent, I realize just how much I hate Blackmore's tone. C
