Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)

As seminal albums go, Deep Purple’s 1972 Machine Head has to be near the top of the heap. I stumbled across this gem purely by accident at about 14 after seeing Ian Paice, then drummer with the Gary Moore band, on BBC2’s Rockschool programme and – as a budding drummer myself – wanted to hear more of his playing. A friend mentioned that he thought Paice used to be in Deep Purple, of whom I’d not heard, but trundled I off to the nearest record shop and randomly picked Machine Head . . . purely a stroke of luck that went a large way to shaping my musical tastes for many years to come.

Featuring the Mark II Gillan-Glover lineup of Purple, the album really captures Purple at the peak of their powers. I’m sure most people are aware of the drama around its recording where the venue in Montreaux to be used burnt down during a Frank Zappa gig leading to Purple being offered the use of a closed for off-season hotel to lay down the tracks . . . providing inspiration for one of the band’s most famous compositions, Smoke On The Water, which is featured here.

The impromptu venue change certainly helped Purple focus their minds as Machine Head is a belter from start to finish, a real career defining moment. From the driving Highway Star to the blues stylings of Lazy, all members of the band were firing on all cylinders with Paice, in particular, at the top of his game with an endless supply of rapid fire rolls.

Whilst Smoke On The Water is possibly the most famous track from Machine Head, there’s no fillers here, and Pictures From Home also conjures up the mindset of the band recording in a freezing hotel in the Alps “with emptiness, eagles and snow, Unfriendliness chilling my body. And whispering pictures of home”.

For the 25th anniversary of the album a Special Edition has also been released featuring alternate versions of a handful of the tracks and the excellent When A Blind Man Cries which was recorded at the sessions but didn’t make the final cut of the original album and is well worth purchasing.

If you only buy one Deep Purple album, I would recommend that Machine Head is the one: hear the band at their best before Gillan – Blackmore bickering led to the demise of their greatest lineup after the band’s follow-up release.

• Ian Gillan – Vocals
• Ian Paice – Drums
• Richie Blackmore – Guitar
• Jon Lord – Keyboards
• Roger Glover – Bass