Send "Deep Purple " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Purple daysWith no new Deep Purple material due for release in 2011, a heavy helping of live and studio reissues will doubtless sate the appetite of many a potential Purpler and longstanding Purple People. First up it’s a trio of recordings from the Mark I era, featuring vocalist Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper. The three long players—Shades of Deep Purple (1968), The Book of Taliesyn (also ’68), and Deep Purple (1969)—are not the far cry from the later DP outings that some might have you believe. After all, three of the group’s long-running—and most critical—elements, keyboardist Jon Lord, drummer Ian Paice and mercurial guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, were already in place. Although Evans had a voice perhaps more suited to heavy pop rather than heavy rock, the results of the original quintet are both respectable and consistent. Of the four originals on the original release of Shades, “Mandrake Root” is perhaps the best. Although it’s highly reminiscent of “Foxy Lady” and not that far removed from an American hillbilly song, it’s indicative of later pieces such as “Highway Star” and “Lazy”. The album also includes the group’s first hit single, the Joe South-penned “Hush”, which is perhaps overly familiar to most listeners but sounds amazingly fresh in the context of the larger album. A psyched up version of “Help” is more than a curiosity—it’s evidence of the band’s mastery at interpreting the works of others and Lord’s keyboard work at the beginning, along with Blackmore’s sensitive arpeggios remind us that Purple was about subtlety as often as it was about lack of it. Five bonus tracks round out the reissue and the best of the lot is easily “Shadows”, an outtake from the studio sessions. Eerie, earthy, and almost entirely out of place among the other early tracks, it’s a glimpse at what might have been. Live readings of “Hey Joe” and “Hush” are interesting artifacts but lack the real surprise of the aforementioned “Shadows”. The Book of Taliesyn advances the quintet’s individual identity even at the expense of hit material. The opening “Listen, Learn, Read On” tackles occult themes and predicts both Uriah Heep and Spinal Tap. The covers are kept to a minimum this time out—Neil Diamond’s “Kentucky Woman” (which, again, would remain a live favorite well into the Ian Gillan era), a strange but welcome reading of “River Deep, Mountain High”, plus “We Can Work It Out”. But it’s the Blackmore and Lord showpiece, “Wring That Neck” (sometimes listed as “Hard Road” on early U.S. pressings of the album) that solidifies the group’s identity and is perhaps the first real Deep Purple composition. (That it is an instrumental and thus untouched by Evans says quite enough, thank you.)...full text |
| Blindedbysound |
| After Deep Purple's success with Shades Of Deep Purple, the band did not stray far from its formula for their second album The Book Of Taliesyn. Like its predecessor, The Book Of Taliesyn is roughly half cover songs and half originals and it is being rereleased on CD along with all of the other Mk. I albums with a number of bonus tracks. Book sees the band adding a harder edge to their sound, one they would expand upon with later lineups of the group. The album opens with "Listen, Learn, Read On," a driving song with killer drumming by Ian Paice. The band wasn't fully out of psychedelic territory yet however as the song has trippy, echo-laden spoken word verses. Many years later, the song's title also served as the name of a rarities box set. Up next is the instrumental, "Wring That Neck." With its tandem guitar and organ lines, the song has remained a fan favorite and one the band still trots out live on occasion. Their cover of Neil Diamond's "Kentucky Woman" was not as successful as "Hush" had been, but still managed to crack the top 40. The song is heavier than Diamond's original and the guitar riff borrows heavily from Mitch Ryder. The Ike and Tina Turner classic, "River Deep, Mountain High," is reworked here into a 10-minute psychedelic epic that includes a lengthy organ intro from Jon Lord that quotes "Also sprach Zarathustra" (2001 was a new movie at the time) and shows Lord's interest in mixing classical with rock music. Along those lines, "Anthem," a pretty ballad with great vocal harmonies includes a lengthy orchestral part in the middle of the song. Bonus tracks include the studio outtake "Oh No No No," a strong track co-written by Mike Leander and Leon Russell and a sizzling live take on "Wring That Neck" from the BBC....full text |
| Classicrock |
| The original lineup (Mark I) of Deep Purple -- lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, vocalist Rod Evans, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Jon Lord, bassist Nick Simper -- released three albums in 1968 and 1969. The reissues (7/26/11) of Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Talisesyn, and Deep Purple provide historical perspective on a band who found a place in the mainstream by being different. Because DP tended toward long tracks, and because space on vinyl discs was limited, the originals of these albums had only seven or eight tracks. Each of the reissues features additional tracks of B-sides, alternate takes and outtakes. 'Shades of Deep Purple' - 1968 There were several things about Deep Purple's debut album that made it stand out. As was typical at the time, half of the albums eight tracks were covers but two of the four original songs were instrumentals, including the lead track. The album, with generous helpings of progressive and psychedelic rock, went nowhere in the U.K., the band's home country. But it was an immediate success when it was released in the US. DP gave the covers distinctive arrangements with long instrumental intros and a hard rock delivery. Takes on the Tracks 1. "And the Address" - lead-off instrumental written by Blackmore and Lord 2. "Hush" - released as a single in the U.S. prior to the album's release, written by Joe South, recorded in 1967 by Billy Joe Royal 3. "One More Rainy Day" - ballad written by Lord and Evans 4. "I'm So Glad" - cover originally recorded in the '30s, also covered by Cream on their first album 5. "Mandrake Root" - written by Blackmore, Lord and Evans, originally intended to be an instrumental, lyrics were added after the recording sessions began 6. "Help!" - psychedlic treatment was a disctinctive twist on The Beatles' version 7. "Love Help Me" - written by Blackmore and Evans, a Beach Boys-ish pop number...full text |
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