One of my all time fave bands - at least everything from 'In Rock' up to 'Who Do We Think We Are?' - after that with the departure of Ian Gillan on vocals, they lost it, IMHO. Anyone else like them?
I'll be going against the grain here, I know, but... My favourite Purple line-up is the Mk III with Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale. I think Burn is a great album! :H If you get a chance, listen to songs like, "Might Just Take Your Life", "You Fool No One", "Lay Down, Stay Down" and the wrenching blues, "Mistreated".
They were still good with David Coverdale, but the thing is that back in the early 70's I was a big fan of the band, and I just loved (still do) Ian Gillan's singing, which was somewhat different idiomatically from David's. So when he left, I sort of got dis-illusioned with them - but when I occaisionally listen to one of the albums with the mk II line-up, I just congratulate myself on what excellent taste in music I had as a teenager Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow were good too - as (in a very different way) is his current band Blackmore's Night. Ritchie is one phenomenal guitar player!!
I guess I like the Mk III period more because it, (to me, anyway) has a funkier, more soulful edge to the rockin'. It's always handy when the bass player has one hell of a set of pipes too! Like Glenn Hughes. Have you ever seen Purples performance at the California Jam, 1974? It's a great performance I think, full of energy.. Especially when Ritchie ends up almost decapitating a cameraman for getting in his way while he's playing! haha
Yes -seen it once - great show ! My own fave live purple set is 'Made in Japan'. Both guitar and keyboard performances totally amazing - but production wise, reflects it's time.
I was fortunate to see one of the last performances Ritchie Blackmore gave with Deep Purple. I liked them better with R.B. and yes his music with Blackmore's Night is great, I have all his cd's
Purple is a classic, I love these guys. Ian is a wailer, and I love his work as well. Even the later DP with ian is good, House of the Blue Light and Perfect Strangers, bring it on!
my best Deep Purple album is without a doubt "Fireball" , one of the reasons why Gillian left the band in the summer 73 is 'cause he wanted the last album to be more psychedelic ,back to their "Fireball" year, and i understand him... They were more progressive and adventurous and strange in "Fireball" ... I like all their others album even the mark III or the mark IV but their 80's commercial comeback interest me. I like very much the third and last album "Deep Purple" by the Mark I with the romantic Evans on vocals, a time where Jon Lords was maybe the leader
Myself I think 'Deep Purple In Rock' is their best album. Also - I don't know about Ian wanting to do more psychedelic stuff - I always thought that the well known tensions between him and Ritchie Blackmore were the main reason he left the band - and the stuff he did subsequently with 'Gillan' in the 80's was far from psychedelic.
Yeah you're right there was tensions, but i told that the psychedelic direction of Fireball was just one of many other reason (and probably not the main reason) ... And don't forget that in the 80's none singer or musician of the old hard rocker generation were playin' psychedelic stuff...for me the 80's is the most ugly era of hard rock ...nearly all hard rock bands were ,between 83 and 91, without any taste and deep soul.
I have developed a fondness for vintage Purple like the self titled album. I loved In Rock and Machine Head when I was younger.
