ZZ Top - Fandango (1975)

Fandango, the fourth album by Texas blues-rockers ZZ Top, is as is their career – one of two halves. Side 1 showcases four tracks from their live shows whilst side 2 features new studio recordings . . . as to their career, part 1 featured driving southern-tinged blues rock whilst part 2 featured electronic sequencer-based drivel that whilst propelling them to global superstardom through the Eliminator album, completely lost all essence of what made them such a great band back in the 70s. However, that said Fandango really packs a punch and encapsulates the sound of the band who were really at the top of their game in 1975 (artistically albeit not commercially).

The album opens with Thunderbird, the opening number from their live set at that time and recorded, as with all of ’side 1′ of the album, at The Warehouse, New Orleans. Thunderbird is a fast-paced boogie shuffle lyrically extolling “get high everybody, get high” interspersed with blistering bouts of guitar from Billy Gibbons: if you aren’t motivated to at least tap your foot along to Thunderbird I’d be amazed! Interestingly, the track is a cover of an ucopyrighted track – the writers of which deciding they should have copyrighted it when ZZ Top made it a staple track of their set only to lose out in court to ZZ.

Another staple cover for bands is up next with the Elvis classic Jailhouse Rock which has been covered by a plethora of the great, good and not so good over the years. However, where most bands take the speed up a notch, ZZ Top play it cool and hold back the tempo tendency and add a southern twist to the track which works really well and once again, the urge to get up and dance tends to sweep over the listener.

Jailhouse Rock drifts into the four-track min-opus Backdoor Medley which spans the tracks Backdoor Love Affair, Mellow Down Easy (a Willie Dixon cover), Backdoor Love Affair No. 2 and Long Distance Boogie. Mellow Down Easy is largely a highly repetitious drum pattern with Hill and Gibbons repeating the title as a mantra for several minutes and is definitely the low-point of the live side of the album. Fortunately, as the medley progresses there are some great passages of driving guitar soloing from Billy Gibbons.

The studio side of the album opens with the straight 4/4 mid-tempo Nasty Dogs And Funky Kings which veers more towards hard rock than much of the material on Fandango but that is in no way a criticism as it’s an excellent track with an extended guitar break mid-way through and riff that wouldn’t be out of place on the album of many a classic 70s hard rock band and has just a whiff of Oh Well, the Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac classic to boot!

Blue Jeans Blues takes the mood right down to slow blues . . . and boy have they got the blues here: after the break-up of a relationship, all he’s got left is his old blue jeans! This is textbook slow blues with some great soloing from Gibbons with, as it should be , a simplistic backing track from Beard and Hill.

Balinese takes the mood back up to Sweet Home Alabama territory and it sounds like Frank Beard has dropped the actual snare from his snare drum and cranked-up the skin tension which is probably of no interest to anyone other than a drummer . . . but I am one so thought it worth a mention!

Mexican Blackbird once again drops the tempo to a drawling southern blues with slide guitar and a tale of a mixed-race woman of questionable morality but ultimately of good nature. Plenty of slide soloing, one of Gibbons’ fortes, abounds throughout and lyrically it is replete with double entendre and harmonica too for good measure.

Heard It On The X sets off at a furious pace and pays tribute to Mexican radio stations that could be picked-up across the border in Texas and to which the band used to listen.

For me, the real standout classic from Fandango – and the track which would be a live staple to this day, is Tush. A mid-tempo boogie shuffle with two great slide breaks from Gibbons and played with such bounce that it makes you want to get out of your chair (presuming you’re seated when listening that is, of course). The track has been heavily covered and always proves a live favourite by whoever performs it – I particularly remember the Redbeards From Texas cutting a particularly good live version in their shows in the mid-1980s – a great way to close the album.

As was said at the outset, ZZ Top went on to really lose their roots during the 1980s which coincided with their commercial peak but I would definitely argue that Fandango, and their other early-mid 70s releases, really capture the band at their best and that those of you put off by gimmicky beards, spinning guitars and the whole hutzpah of Legs and Gimme Some Lovin’ etc from Eliminator and Afterburner should put those prejudices to one side and give one of the finest proponents of powerful southern blues rock a listen. To make matters better, the 2006 re-issue features the original mix of the album as heard on the vinyl release along with three more live tracks (including Tush) which is another reason to now give the album a spin!

• Dusty Hill – Bass/Vocals
• Billy Gibbons – Guitar/Vocals
• Frank Beard – Drums

James Gang - Rides Again (1970)

Rides Again was soon-to-be Eagles member Joe Walsh’s second album with James Gang and the first to feature bassist Dale Peters. Whilst touring the UK supporting the Who to promote this album, James Gang never made much of an impact outside the US but are of importance in the rock family tree for being Joe Walsh’s first band and for largely launching the brief career of Tommy Bolin following Walsh’s departure . . . and for writing the odd one or two cracking tunes, some of which appear on Rides Again.

From the tortuously bent note that introduces Funk #49 things get off to a great start with a funky rock riff par excellence and a great vocal performance from Joe Walsh on what is one of, if not the most well known early James Gang tracks (however, please note that the video clip below shows a later version of James Gang performing the track after Walsh’s departure to join the Eagles with the late Tommy Bolin on guitar). A great way to start the album with a real classic and certainly a hard track to follow!

The oddly-spelt Asshton Park is up next with an upbeat blues jam intro feel with Walsh noodling around a central melody with a heavily delayed guitar throughout this 2 minute instrumental. Asshton park is followed by the heavier Woman which is a more plodding riff-based track featuring some nice drum breaks from Fox and a strong solo from Walsh.

Another gem is up next with The Bomber which is again a riff-based ‘heavy’ number which Walsh kept as a live number beyond his departure from James Gang. The mid-section is particularly interesting as the mood drops to a bass melody accompanied by drums with Walsh playing an atmospheric slide guitar solo over the top which continues for the majority of the rest of the track before a brief return to the main riff for the out-tro. Interestingly the track also featured a segment of Ravel’s Bolero but this was edited out at the request/insistence of the copyright holders!

Tend My Garden is one of the weaker tracks on the album and is a more commercial, mainstream US rock track of the period and seems a little limp following the preceding tracks . . . although it does feature a Hammond organ which is always a plus. As the track fades out, fading-in we get the second ‘garden’ themed track in Garden Gate. This short track features Walsh on vocals and acoustic and is a pleasant diversion into a folk styling for the duration of the number.

For There I Go Again, Walsh is again on acoustic guitar on a very mellow number hovering in Byrds/CS&N territory with a country lilt to proceedings. Thanks follows and opens with an acoustic guitar ‘riff’ heavily reminiscent of Funk #49 but then panning-out into a folk leaning number that is pleasant if not immediately as grabbing as some of the earlier tracks on the album.

The album closes with another acoustic-based track: Ashes the Rain and I which begins with a picked chord over which Walsh plays a melody on a second guitar. A very melancholy intro ensues which largely sets the mood for the rest of the track which later includes a full orchestra.

Rides Again is a good album but, to use a football analogy, is an album of two halves with the first four tracks being powerful hard/blues-rock tracks with Funk #49 in particular being very strong. The album then drifts into acoustic country/folk territory which is ok but for me rather lowered the tone to one of mediocrity. However, on the positive side Walsh is in fine form both vocally and on guitar and I’d definitely recommend giving James Gang a listen – especially for those of us in the UK who may not be as familiar with their pedigree as those from the US – to hear some good riffing rock and Joe Walsh before he became an Eagle!

• Joe Walsh – Guitar/Vocals
• Dale Peters – Bass
• Jim Fox – Drums

Fastway - Fastway (1983)

When talent was being handed out, some people got greedy, and when the opportunity for a musician to display that talent traditionally confined them to the work of one band, some musicians wanted more: “Fast” Eddie Clarke was such a musician. Not content with being a member of and writer for the classic line-up of Motorhead (Bomber, Overkill, Ace of Spades etc), Mr Clarke felt the need to spread his wings musically and form a hard blues-rock band with a commercial tinge, the result being Fastway. This being their 1983 debut album the band set about announcing their presence with a ‘bang’ and that they did with 10 powerful tracks featuring Eddie Clarke’s trademark riffing and Dave King’s powerful and upper register vocals proving a powerful combination. Oh yes, and UFO’s Pete Way was supposed to be on bass (hence the band’s name) but wasn’t due to a contractual obligation with bass duties falling to Mickey Feat.

Easy Livin’ gets things started and showcases the band’s style well presenting blues-based commercial hard rock – no mean feat in itself, especially to pull it off (many have crashed and burnt) which Fastway do with great aplomb. Easy Livin’ motors along powerfully with a great vocal melody and hook and typical rhythm guitar approach solo from Clarke as used with great effect in his previous band. Don’t be put off by the vocals on the video version below from 2007, Dave King’s vocals are excellent here but by the time the video below was made he had long since flown the Fastway nest to form US band Flogging Molly.

Another heavy blues riff opens Feel Me, Touch Me which is a mid-tempo shuffle/boogie but with the vocal line very much in the hard rock field . . . it strikes me here that, for those of you who have heard Rush’s first album, imagining that with a better production will give you the ball park Fastway were playing from. This is loud but very musical, hard and melodic rock at its best.

All I Need is Your Love continues the driving feel of the previous tracks with again a strong vocal from King who really shines throughout the album and Eddie Clarke turning in a good solo towards the end of the track.

Another Day has an acoustic guitar and vocal intro – yes, old “Fast” on an acoustic (whatever would Lemmy say?). Somewhat expectedly, this then fades into a stomping rock track but not at all in a clichéd/cheesy way as did 99% of 80s bands, this works well and seems a logical progression for the track which turns out to be one of the more straightforward heavy numbers on the album.

Heft opens with a menacing strummed bass chord riff leading into a very slow, pounding track more in-keeping with NWOBHM that is sparsely orchestrated and heavily reliant on King’s rather snarling vocals. Clarke digs out the old wah-wah for the solo which is a definite plus as was his trademark on many a classic Motorhead track.

We Become One sees Clarke moving into more Tony Iommi-esque riff territory which he somehow connects to a boogie shuffle rhythm guitar piece at the end of each verse effortlessly before the track moves into full shuffle mid-section again taking the form of a more updated NWOBHM track. On another album this would be a standout track but here, thus far, every track is of equally high merit!

Give It All You Will opens with a neat drum break from Jerry Shirley leading into a driving riff from Clarke on a more commercially-edged US-tinged rocker. Next-up is Say What You Will which is an up-tempo shuffle driven by a Clarke riff that wouldn’t have appeared out of place on Ace of Spades however here it is moulded into a strong boogie track with Dave King once more providing a great vocal track. For fans of Clarke’s previous works this will be one of the more appealing tracks on the album as even the solo, albeit brief, is very reminiscent of his work with Motorhead: think No Class minus Lemmy . . . if you can!

You Got Me Runnin’ has more of a US hard rock flavour to it and the crunching guitar of Give It Some Action closes the album.

For the CD reissue we are also treated to Far Far From Home which was originally a promo single and included on some original pressings of the vinyl album. It sits somewhat at odds with the rest of the album however, in that it is a very slow blues track – with a heavily crashing chord rhythm guitar from Clarke of course – with Kind singing his heart out. The track is somewhat reminiscent of Grand Funk Railroad’s classic Heartbreaker which can only be seen as a positive boon. Clarke gives a strong solo to the track too but I would question why this particular track was used as a promo single as it’s not the most reflective of the overall style of Fastway but is excellent nonetheless!

One thing worthy of mention here is that when a guitarist ‘goes solo’ you often end-up with a Rising Force where the band is merely a backing group and the ’songs’ themselves merely vehicles for endless shredding and guitar histrionics. This is definitely not the case with Fastway where Eddie Clarke largely gives the spotlight to vocalist Dave King and has crafted a very strong set of songs . . . that’s right, songs . . . not guitar instrumentals with the odd lyrics thrown in. This is a stunning debut from the band and one that did provide a springboard for reasonable success on both sides of the Atlantic and deservedly so. If you’re a rock fan – and I assume you are if you’re reading this – you should definitely add this album to your collection.

• Dave King – Vocals
• “Fast” Eddie Clarke – Guitar
• Jerry Shirley – Drums
• Mickey Feat – Bass

Skid Row - Skid (1970)

Where’s Sebastian Bach I hear some of you ask? No, no Seb Bach here – this is the original Skid Row from Ireland, featuring a very young Gary Moore, from whom Mr Bach’s band bought the rights to the name back in the 1980s! Anyway, enough of that . . . Skid is the 1970 debut album from Dublin-based blues-rock band Skid Row and features an interesting mix of quirky, heavy blues numbers largely penned by vocalist/bassist Brush Shiels with an 18 year-old Gary Moore providing some outstanding guitar work throughout on what was his debut release too with his first professional band.

Mad Dog Woman opens the album and is a powerful mid-tempo blues number much akin to Cream and Colosseum with Gary Moore providing a solid guitar track and Brush Shiels slightly obtuse lyrics and a very involved bass to fill-out the sound of the three piece. The mid section also features some nice drum flourishes from Bridgemen and is followed by some great runs from Moore. From the outset, what makes Skid Row a step away from the run of the mill late 60s blues movement is in their ability – largely through the writing of Shiels – to provide multi dimensional blues rock numbers, with each track having distinct sections with differing riffs and, in many cases, tempos.

Virgo’s Daughter is s semi-native American Indian riff and melody which runs into a fast-paced bongo-accompanied track with Shiels and Bridgeman in the driving seat and Moore’s guitar reverbed into almost obscurity until the track drops for some syncopations and a new riff emerges and the track is off in another direction with an urgent shuffle mid-way through featuring Moore’s solo which is then followed by a brief passage around a Yes/Crimson type run and then back into the ‘Indian’ riff as at the opening until fade: this is some track and reflects the fact that the album as a whole is full of surprises and flies in the face of convention.

Heading Home Again drops the mood completely with a Blue Grass/country guitar intro and melody which, based on the preceding two tracks, you keep waiting to burst into something completely different but here the surprise is that it sticks to the same melody and structure throughout! The track features a couple of nice solo spots from Moore, the latter of which explores more of a jazz structure but fits very well.

An Awful Lot of Woman is a real standout and has a frantic riff (see video below) and amusing lyrics from Shiels and just when you’re thinking it’s odd syncopated time signature is going to be the mainstay of the track it shifts to a standard 12-bar boogie with Moore providing some great runs before the track returns to the opening riff: sadly this track is ony 2 minutes long which is a real pity!

Unco-Up Showband Blues moves into a more mainstream slow power-blues category with Shiels bemoaning the rigours of having a job with an Irish showband . . . not quite the outright despair as frequently experienced by Muddy Waters etc but enough to make him get the blues! This is a heavy plodder of a track with an extended guitar solo and is definitely a nod in the Cream direction but with the guitar work a lot less one-dimensional . . . did I just say that? Oops, I do like Clapton too! Then, four minutes in Moore and Shiels trade solos with only a hi-hat for accompaniment: once again not really expected but great all the same.

For Those Who Do opens with a furious run from Shiels and Moore and then slides into a mid-tempo track featuring periodic bass/guitar crescendos and frantic instrumentation – especially from Bridgemen who provides a drum solo towards the end of the piece.

For the Man Who Never Was Skid Row return to a rather circuitous and somewhat dissonant bass and guitar riff over which Shiels provides a rather conventional vocal line and there a plenty of instrumental breaks as the track progresses with some good harmony guitar work from Moore.

Felicity takes-on a Moon Dance type of rhythm and approach (interestingly, drummer Noel Bridgeman went on to play with Van Morrison post-Skid Row) with Moore providing some fast, running solo lines in this 10 minute opus and Shiels filling in the gaps with some strong bass chord work and a great rhythmic bass solo that’s very much in-keeping with the piece . . . no shredding here! Then a picked bass melody introduces a mellow vibe to the track with Moore providing some heavily reverbed solo flourishes before the track appears to fizzle out with some disconnected chords and off-key noodling. Cue a blast of really high-tempo with frantic soloing and the track is off in a completely different direction with Gary Moore providing a question and answer style guitar solo with a double tracked lead (one reverebed, one dry) for an extended period of sheer quality musicianship. Then it all drops to nothing once more with some short unaccompanied soloing from Shiels and then Moore before the finale where the full band thrashes it out.

Well, what an album! Skid works on so many levels it’s difficult to know where to begin. Firstly, the musicianship of the three members of Skid Row is first class and secondly the writing of Shiels is very strong and has an imaginative streak that adds a real left of field element to the majority of the tracks. Furthermore, bar one track, each number features multiple segments that, in some instances, bear next to no resemblance to their preceding parts but somehow blend together to make each track work excellently as a discrete piece. Whether you’re a Gary Moore fan, a blues fan, a Thin Lizzy fan or just a fan of strong musicianship (of guitar, bass or drums) you could do a lot worse than check out this album from a band for whom the term ‘underrated’ was invented and one of the rare albums that is, in my opinion, flawless.

• Brush Shiels – Bass/Vocals
• Gary Moore – Guitar
• Noel Bridgeman – Drums

Brian May - Star Fleet Project (1983)

At just under 30 minutes in length, the mini-album Star Fleet Project is short, but certainly sweet, and is the debut solo project for Queen’s Brian May. The increasingly hard to find album, however, is not a Brian May solo project in the same way as his post-Queen works but is rather a jam session collaboration with some of May’s friends. Whilst this may not seem like a concept that should make it to vinyl, when you realise that among these ‘friends’ is guitarist Eddie Van Halen the project becomes all the more alluring.

Inspired by a Japanese children sci-fi animation series that was avidly watched by his child, May set about writing the Star Fleet theme into an extended full ’song’ and this piece forms the opener to the album and was also a single release. The version here is not the same as the single version, the video for which can be seen below, but is a longer more improvised version with extended soloing.

Next-up is Let Me Out, which wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a Queen album to be fair, and is a slow shuffle with some crashing chords and May taking lead vocal duties: there are even some Queen-esque vocal harmonies on the chorus for good measure. There’s a nice little guitar solo from May and then just as you think the track is about to fade, in comes the solos with Eddie Van Halen and May taking it in turns to run through a number of solos and it’s not long before Van Halen is into his stride with his runs but here they are in a more understated bluesy style to suit the number: but for fans of his speed-picking, he does squeeze a bit in too! May also really makes his guitar really screech here on the solos before the band return to the chorus for the outtro.

Side 2 of the old vinyl features just one track, May’s tribute to Eric Clapton, Blues Breaker which is a 12 minute slow blues instrumental jam with May and Van Halen again trading solos. However, unlike Clapton, Van Halen throws in some tapping and rapid runs as the track progresses whilst May, never the speed freak, keeps it simple but effective. Finally, Fred Mandel gets a piano solo spot too before the track double-times for the final bars.

This is a very interesting album indeed recorded when Brian May was in between the ill-received funk-oriented Hot Space and the reinventing Works albums by Queen and works extremely well as an intentionally minimally-produced set of jams. Eddie Van Halen and Brian May have two of the most distinctive guitar styles in rock so it is interesting here to hear both of them adapting their styles to blues – a style that heavily influenced both players – and trading solos throughout. If you can get hold of a copy, I’d highly recommend it!

• Brian May – Guitar/Vocals
• Edward Van Halen – Guitar
• Phil Chen – Bass
• Fred Mandel – Keyboards
• Alan Gratzer – Drums

Fleetwood Mac - Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (1968)

Originally meeting as John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, when the idea was mooted of going it alone Peter Green suggested the band should be named after drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie. Jeremy Spencer completed the lineup as rhythm guitarist and this album is their debut release and a million miles away from their saccharine later offerings with Stevie Nicks et al. Here it’s blues all the way with Green really showcasing his vocals and influential guitar playing to great effect.

My Heart Beats Like A Hammer opens with some bottleneck and shuffles along with a powerful vocal and is lyrically on familiar blues territory opining a lost love – some good bottleneck soloing ensues too. Merry-Go-Round is a slow blues number climaxing with a heart-felt solo from Green.

Long Grey Mare is a uptempo number featuring harmonica from Green followed by the piano intro to Hellhound On My Trail which remains a slow blues piano and vocal piece throughout: Jeremy Spencer tinkles the ivories here.

Elmore James’ Shake Your Moneymaker is up next and is a break-neck shuffle with Green belting out the lyrics with plenty of slide guitar to boot and is a standout track. Things then mellow to a syncopated bass-drum riff driven track featuring Green’s harmonica once more which, as there is no guitar on the number, also provides the solo.

No Place To Go is a more forgettable tune but My Baby’s Good To Me sees the band back on track, shuffling along with the bottleneck re-emerging for some nice flourishes before the Black Magic Woman-esque If I Loved Another Woman kicks-in featuring a lengthy Green solo with heavily reverbed guitar sound.

Cold Black Night is slow Delta blues penned by Jeremy Spencer, followed by Green’s acoustic The World Keep On Turning. The album closes with the boogie of Got To Move, another Elmore James number.

This album is interesting as Fleetwood Mac were later to become huge but with a style that bore absolutely no resemblance to their earlier albums. The Green-era of the band was popular too but to a different audience and, as can be heard here, largely revolved around traditional blues in very much the style of Elmore James. If ever you wanted to hear musical contrasts, listen to this then put on Rumours or Tango In The Night – would you know there was any connection between the two bands? No, I didn’t think so!

• Peter Green – Guitar/Vocals/Harmonica
• Jeremy Spencer – Guitar/Piano
• John McVie – Bass
• Mick Fleetwood – Drums

Whitesnake - Come And Get It (1981)

Whilst during the late 1980s David Coverdale may have stretched his musical credibility a little too far being at the forefront of the ‘cock rock’ minefield, back in the early 1980s Whitesnake were a hard rocking blues-tinged band producing unsurprisingly Deep Purple-esque rock numbers – albeit with largely one-dimensional lyrics courtesy of Mr Coverdale – as the band featured ex-Purple drummer Ian Paice, ex-Purple keyboardist Jon Lord and, of course, Coverdale himself.

Come An’ Get It is a prime example of this era of Whitesnake and is a very strong album. Coverdale is vocally in very good form, Ian Paice hadn’t descended into the plodding metronome that would blight his later career (checkout the drum breaks on Hot Stuff, for example) and Jon Lord had remembered where he kept his Hammond. The twin-guitar work of Bernie Marsden and Mick Moody also provided some great riffs and bluesy, soulful and harmonic soloing.

The title track kicks-off Whitesnake’s fifth studio album in style, followed by the up-tempo Hot Stuff and ‘hit’ single Don’t Break My Heart Again which reached number 17 in the UK charts with the album itself attaining the number 2 spot.

Other standout tracks are the Quo-esque rock and roll Wine, Women And Song (that’s Quo-esque when Quo were at their ‘Hello’ period), the powerful Child Of Babylon and the semi-acoustic ‘Til The Day I Die.

Quite what happened to Whitesnake a couple of albums later is a moot point but certainly for those of you who wish to hear them at their bluesy and most credible best, this album is essential listening.

• David Coverdale – Vocals
• Micky Moody – Guitar
• Bernie Marsden – Guitar
• Jon Lord – Keyboards
• Neil Murray – Bass
• Ian Paice – Drums

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

Deep Purple - Slaves And Masters (1990)

I have to say that a glimpse of the cover alone should be reason enough to give this Deep Purple album a wide birth! However, before die-hard Purple fans feel too aggrieved, I too am a long-time Purple fan and as such soooo wanted to play this album and feel the same excitement I did when I first put Machine Head on the turntable some 25 years ago, but alas, it was not to be.

The album features the ‘classic’ Mark II lineup minus Ian Gillan with extremely able ex-Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn turner providing the vocals. As a concept, that sounds quite good but when put into practice what was actually achieved was a dismal affair indeed.

The band sounds like they were merely going through the motions – Lynn Turner himself admits that the band were under pressure to update their sound and be more ‘commercial’ and so we don’t get any of the distinctive halcyon days Purple sound here, rather a bland and uninspiring AOR album. Jon Lord’s grinding Hammond and Ian Paice’s quick-fire rolls are sadly absent throughout – as are apparently a lack of ideas.

Never has the old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ been ignored more completely than in their post comeback output with this being a prime example.

• Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
• Roger Glover – Bass
• Jon Lord – Keyboards
• Ian Paice – Drums
• Joe Lynn Turner – Vocals

Rainbow - Long Live Rock And Roll (1978)

One of the finest proponents of blues-based hard rock during the latter half of the 1970s, Long Live Rock marked the end of the Ronnie Dio era of the group which, including this one, spawned three powerful studio albums.

Despite internal turmoil within the group which would lead to Dio, Bob Daisley (bass) and Dave Stone (keyboards) departing from the group shortly afterwards, the album itself is a classic of its day that still sounds good when cranked up on the stereo!

Kicking off with Cozy Powell’s pounding intro to the title track (Cozy being the only member other than Mr Rainbow Himself, Richie Blackmore, to make it to another Rainbow album) the album thunders along with the trademark guitar/Hammond sound developed in Deep Purple giving a thick and heavy sound to the tracks with Dio’s powerful voice belting out the lyrics with his usual gusto.

Personal standout tracks are the title number and Kill The King which was an earlier Rainbow track that appears on the live ‘On Stage’ album a year prior to this release.

Whilst Rainbow progressively became more and more commercial following Dio’s departure – the three albums with Ronnie Dio were consistently prime examples of 1970s rock at its best and perhaps if Blackmore had been a little less irascible maybe this album wouldn’t have been the swansong of the group’s strongest lineup!

• Ronnie James Dio – Vocals
• Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
• David Stone – Keyboards
• Bob Daisley – Bass
• Cozy Powell – Drums