Machine Head [25th Anniversary Edition]

Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals); Richie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards); Roger Glover (bass); Ian Paice (drums).
Recorded in Montreux, Switzerland in December 1971.
Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals); Richie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards); Roger Glover (bass); Ian Paice (drums).
Recorded in Montreux, Switzerland in December 1971.
This package contains the original MACHINE HEAD plus quadrophonic mixes of 2 songs on one disc, MACHINE HEAD remixed by Roger Glover in 1998, and a 28 page booklet.
A probable contender for one of hard rock's "all-time most influential albums," Deep Purple's MACHINE HEAD has all the markings of a heavy classic. It was here that the band's combination of amped-up blues, progressive instrumental prowess, screaming guitars, and thunderous rhythms was crystallized for the ages, helping to lay the foundation for hard rock and heavy metal throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. The lone presence of "Smoke on the Water" immediately elevates the album to essential status. The song became a long-running radio staple, and boasts one of the most instantly recognizable guitar riffs in rock history.
Yet the rest of the album holds up impressively, from the adrenaline-soaked opener "Highway Star," in which organist Jon Lord and guitarist Richie Blackmore trade off dazzling solos, to the churning "Space Truckin'," another riff-driven rocker. Vocalist Ian Gillian, whose dramatic, soaring tenor set the mold for many heavy metal singers to follow, is in fine form here, as are the pyrotechnics of Blackmore and Lord. Everything from the title to the warped group photo on the album cover indicates that MACHINE HEAD will be an exercise in unabashed, brain-melting rock, and that is exactly what it delivers. It still stands in the pantheon of seminal hard rock records.