1177. Black Sabbath / Volume 4. 1972. 4/5

If you go back to those first three Black Sabbath albums, it is still amazing to hear just how awesome they are, how brilliant the song writing is, and how amazing the playing from those four musicians is. Sure, there is some quirkiness about a few of the songs, especially I guess from the self-titled debut album when they were still coming out of the hippy happy late 1960’s period. But from that had come songs that as influential today as they were when they were released - “Black Sabbath”, “N.I.B”, “War Pigs”, “Iron Man”, “Paranoid”, “Sweet Leaf”, “Children of the Grave” - and practically every other song. All three are outstanding albums, fuelled by alcohol and marijuana.
Following the end of the tour to promote “Master of Reality”, the band headed back into the studio in the US to start the process of coming up with their fourth album. By this time however, their tastes had changed, and cocaine had come onto the scene. Both Ozzy and Tony in their autobiographies describe how speaker boxes full of the white powder were delivered daily to the studio as the band worked. Is it any wonder that the blizzard of white found its way into the lyrics of several songs recorded for the album.
Was it a deliberate ploy to make any significant changes to the style that the band employed in their music for this album? No one really seems capable of making a wholehearted answer of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to that question. There is of course still plenty of the aggressive style in their music on some of the tracks that eventually made the final cut for “Volume 4”. But there is also little doubt that there is a little more experimentation in the track list. And for some people, myself included, it feels as though it was a bridge too far, or at least too quickly. Tony Iommi himself was quoted as saying in 1975 that the album "was such a complete change – we felt we had jumped an album, really ... We had tried to go too far."
Having said all of that, is the album really that much different from what had come before it? The first thing that I have to say is that this is still a great Sabbath album, don’t be fooled into thinking it isn’t. But it is different, and the songs are different, and that could be for several reasons. It could be that the band wanted to head in a slightly reformed direction with their music. It could be, as has been suggested in several forums, that it was the change in drugs that the band were using at the time that created these musical changes. And others believe it was just the next step in the generation of the music.

Let’s go about this album two ways. Firstly, just put it on and listen to it from start to finish. Conclusions? Another great Black Sabbath album. Like the albums that came before it, the great songs are broken up by little musical interludes that aren’t really songs but are labelled as such. And some of those make you wonder “uhhh... why?”. But by the end of the album, you’ve heard great vocals, great riffs, great drumming, and you leave happy.
OK. So that’s the easy version. Here’s another version.
The album opens with “Wheels of Confusion”, a song that goes through three different phases from start to finish. It could almost be three different songs put together, or at least three different sections that eventually were melded into place. Bill Ward’s drum bashing through the middle of the song is amazing. Those drummers from that era – John Bonham from Led Zeppelin, Keith Moon from The Who, and Bill Ward, never left any skins left on the shells. How their sticks survived at times in beyond belief. The mood is fantastic and is a great opening to the album. This is followed by “Tomorrow’s Dream” which continues in the same instance, with a great riff from Tony and amazing complementing bass riff from Geezer.
“Changes” is the immediate first change to what is going on. The song is all through piano and keyboard, and Ozzy singing over the top. It isn’t a ballad as such, but a piano based thought piece. Apparently, the story goes that there was a piano at the home that the band were writing and recording this album, so Tony taught himself how to play the piano while he was there, and then came up with the chords that make this song. I mean, really, it must suck to be talented, right? That’s an amazing thing to do, to just teach yourself an instrument, and then come up with the chords that produce a song that is such an amazing piece of Black Sabbath history, because it is so different. Fantastic lyrics written by Geezer as well, and Ozzy sings it perfectly. Amazing.
“FX” is a waste of space. I mean, what is it doing here? It fills in one minute and 39 seconds on the album, and more or less just acts as a go between, from the quiet serenity of “Changes” to the smash ‘em and crash ‘em that returns with “Supernaut”. Surely there was a better way to do this. Probably just by not adding it. Tony has said in the years since that he agrees with this sentiment. Anyway.
Yes, then “Supernaut” crashes back in with Tony’s brilliant riff and Bill just smashing away on the drums, along with his own solo piece in the middle of the song. This has always been a great song, and sonically here it is brilliant. Tony’s guitar sound is perfect, surprisingly fitting in to close out the first side of the album excellently.
Side Two opens with the amazing “Snowblind”, a song that remains one of my favourite all time Black Sabbath tracks. No prizes for guessing what the lyrics are about, but everything about this song for me is a work of art. Bill’s drumming, Tony’s iconic riffing, the three different main riffs that make up the song are just outstanding. Geezer’s bass guitar, following its own path separate from the guitar but somehow drawing the whole piece together, and Ozzy’s great vocals, able to move between the manic and the serene. It’s a great song, a triumph. “Snowblind” was also the title the band wanted to use for the album, but the record company shied away from it. For some reason...
The rest of side two is still great, but it is a different level to what has come before it. “Cornucopia” and “St Vitus Dance” change things up a bit again. “Laguna Sunrise” is Tony’s instrumental piece, apparently written after waking up and watching the sunrise over Laguna Beach where they were writing and recording. And “Under the Sun” completes the album in a jaunty vision of what has come before it.

You may well have already guessed that I had a hard time getting into this album when I first got it. Unlike the first three albums, which are full of songs that everyone knows, “Volume 4” has relatively few songs that well known to the average fan, and that along with the change in out and out heavy songs at the time that I got the album threw me a curveball. It was also at a time when my real music focus was on the ‘modern’ heavy metal that was coming out in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, and at the time that didn’t fit my listening profile.
Over the years that of course changed, and the more I heard “Volume 4” out of the mix of these other bands, the more it grew on me. And much like the band themselves went on to suggest, it is an album that perhaps came too early in their career to be completely understood. And in retrospect, given the changes that came on the albums later in the 70’s decade, this is much less of a change than came then.
In recent years, this album has become a regular one that I pull out to listen to, much to my surprise. During the covid lockdown weeks and months I actually listened to the whole Black Sabbath discography, and went about ranking all of the albums in order (my order of course, which disappointed many people, and brought back the argument over what constituted a ‘real’ Black Sabbath album – but more of that down the track on a future episode). During that period, I ranked this at number 9 overall, which I think is probably still reasonable. It is far better than some of the later albums that came with different members, but isn’t quite at the level that ranks it as one of the greatest. But what I remembered during that period, and have again over the last few weeks, is what a solid and joyful album it is to listen to. “FX” is a mistake, but Black Sabbath didn’t make many of those in these years.
On its release, this album reached number 1 in Australia, the only country it did so. And last year it received a Super Deluxe release with demo versions and a brilliant concert as recorded at the time, which I spoke about recently on the episode reviewing their “Past Lives” album. All of this makes for a great Sabbath album, one that still stands the test of time, 50 years on. In fact, you will scarcely be able to believe that this ground breaking album and its amazing tracks can possibly be 50 years old.

1172. Elf / Elf. 1972. 3/5

Elf came into being over a period in the late 1960’s, with Ronnie Dio and the Prophets making a name change to become the Electric Elves, along with the addition of a keyboard player. This was eventually shortened to just Elf. The band was in a car accident not long after, putting all of the band in hospital and taking the life of their guitar player Nick Pantas. Eventually the line-up settled, with Ronnie James Dio on vocals and bass, David Feinstein on guitar, Gary Driscoll on drums and Mickey Lee Soule on keyboards. The band ended up coming to the attention of Deep Purple members Roger Glover and Ian Paice, who saw the potential of the band. Not only did this end up with Elf being a frequent opening act for Deep Purple over the following three years, it also led to Glover and Paice co-producing the band’s debut album.
I love how on this album, all of the credits for Ronnie’s work are credited to Ronald Padavona. In an interview in his later years, Ronnie claimed that he did this on this album (and only this album) so that his parents could, just once, see their name on an album. It is also interesting to note that guitarist David Feinstein is Ronnie’s cousin, and his guitaring on this album, when given the real chance to shine, is exceptional.


The album opens with “Hoochie Koochie Lady”, a title that leaves you in no doubt as to the heritage behind the music. Very much in the boogie style that a lot of Ronnie’s previous work had been, it is upbeat enough even when it is not what you probably expect coming into the album. This is followed by the similarly styled “First Avenue”, one that does tend to over harp on the title of the song by the end.
“Never More” is a real Deep Purple type tune, much more in standing with the hard rock scene that the band grew towards, with guitar and keyboard combining beautifully. Whether this was written to appease the two producers I don’t know, but the change from the opening two songs is significant. This is followed by “I’m Coming Back to You”, which has an early Elton John feel about it with the keyboards and complementing guitar riff. It mightn’t quite pop like it could but it is an entertaining track.
“Sit Down Honey (Everything Will Be All Right)”, with its piano heavy riff as the base of the song, reminds me remarkably of the song “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger. Now his song wasn’t written until 1979, with this being back in 1972. I wonder if there was any inspiration for that track from this song, because there are some very similar pieces between the two. Even Feinstein’s guitar solo at the close of the song has that same sort of tune to it. Perhaps it is just the style of the song that Seger was trying to copy for his tribute to the time, but it is an interesting comparison.
“Dixie Lee Junction” is a strange song. The first half is very Led Zeppelin-ish in its guitar and vocals output, before it concludes in another full blown boogie and blues number, again giving Ronnie a rather easy job on vocals to just bounce along his lyrics with the music. It’s almost two songs combined into one. Very... strange. More was to come with “Love Me Like a Woman”, which sounds like it is straight out a blues hall in the 1930’s, or even a saloon from the 1800’s if you ignore the slight injection of electric guitar, which does come in strong at the end of the track.
The album concludes with “Gambler, Gambler”, the third hard rock song on the album, still heavily blues influenced and with that boogie piano, but the guitar and vocals make it worth the wait.

It is amazing just how much your feelings about an album can change over a period of time depending on how much you are listening to it, and probably in the environment you are listening to it. Anyone growing up with this album, taking in the music of the day, would have a much easier time of getting on with the album than, say, someone going back as being a fan of Dio and listening to it. And for all of us growing up in the 1980’s that’s the predicament we found ourselves in. And as with all of Elf’s three albums, though I listened to them when I first got them in the 1990’s, there was no real joy there, and the quickly found their way onto the shelves.
Coming into the past few weeks as I prepared to record this podcast episode, I have listened to this album more than I have collectively previous to this. I have let it go, let it play, and after several go’s around I found a way in. Those opening two tracks with their boogie rock feel can dictate how you feel about the album just as it is starting. Especially if you are not really a fan of blues or boogie rock. But after repeated listens, I found my way in, through “Never More” and “I’m Coming Back to You”, which are a much better hard rock sound than those opening two songs, and that allowed me to get through to the end of the album. And then, over more repeated listens, I found the album was much more enjoyable than I had ever felt before.
It is true that it still isn’t my style of music, and that will forever be the case. But there are some things you can hang your hat on. Ronnie’s vocals here are amazing. I mean, they always are, but here they are supreme. It’s a different style of song that he is singing, but purely listening to him sing is always worth the price of admission. And David Feinstein’s guitaring is great. I think he has some really good moments on this album that actually lift the songs when they come along. The drums and keys hammer together nicely, and overall all come together in a good style.
This won’t be to everyone’s taste. Realistically, it isn’t to MY taste. But 50 years on it still has some persuasive argument about it, such that it is worth listening to even just a couple of times to experience where one of the greatest vocalists of all time really began to come of age. That alone is worth a few moments of your day.

898. David Bowie / The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. 1972. 4/5

On any list of 'world's best albums' or 'albums you must listen to before you die' you will find the name David Bowie a number of times, and especially this album. Few people who have a love of music in general would not know the name of Ziggy Stardust, even if they are unaware of the full history of the name, the character or the album. As it turn out, I am not overly au fait with everything David Bowie myself. I know all of the singles he released, and I know the more famous of the other tracks that weren't, but when it comes to a detailed knowledge of all of his albums, I am as much the apprentice as others.

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars is one that I have a better knowledge of in his discography. It wasn't until ten years or so ago that I actually obtained it and listened to it in full, rather than the snatches of pieces I had heard through the ages. I had listened to the album plenty of times before I was informed that it is a concept album, loosely telling the story of Ziggy Stardust himself. OK, so I had sort of pieced together that it was a little like that, but I never really went looking for that in the lyric and the music. I approached it from the start as any album, and while the songs do tend to segue seamlessly into each other with a modicum of ease, the 'story' never really stuck with me.
I love the way that the opening track "Five Years" builds its way to a peak, letting the listener come into the album with the band, slowly but surely increasing the urgency of the message to everyone. "Soul Love" does a similar thing, building to a high point in the middle of the song before fading back out towards the end. "Moonage Daydream" delivers an unbelievable solo section at the back end of the song, combining guitar, synth and keyboards to give off that impression of being in space. This then moves into the excellent "Starman" which again combines that amazing "Bowie" sound of both acoustic and electric guitar with synth through the background that he uses so well, along with his perfect vocal. Awesome. "It Ain't Easy" is a cover of the Ron Davies song, and which is wonderfully "Bowiefied" from the country rock song it is to a glam rock hybrid to close out side one.
Side two starts off with "Lady Stardust" which to me is just an average run of the mill song, but this then moves into "Star", a more upbeat song, driven by the piano chords and background "oohs" and "aaaahs" as Bowie does his thing over the top. Wistfully wonderful. "Hang On to Yourself" has never really worked for me. It's just a bit off the beaten track, a bit too repetitive and has never grabbed me. "Ziggy Stardust" is similar but different, and quite possibly just for the way Bowie sings it. There is again nothing too special about the song, except it is Bowie's vocals that are absolute centre stage, and they make it what it is.
My favourite Bowie song of all time is still probably "Suffragette City", with that great opening riff, the sax through the song with the piano backing, with Bowie singing at himself. It is spectacular, just one of those songs that grabs you from the first time you hear it and it never leaves you. That is "Suffragette City" for me. The album concludes with "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide", which details the final demise of Ziggy Stardust, ending the album in much the way it started, as a musical show more than an album itself.
Even now this is an album that almost demands you are in a mellow frame of mind in order to listen to it and get the most out of it. The ebbs and flows of the music - but it's not the kind of album you put on at a rousing party, it's the kind of album you put on when everyone has left, and you just want to sit down and relax for a bit and enjoy the relative serenity. This is the atmosphere where you can derive the most from what the album delivers.

This is rightly held up as an all time classic. If I was a music historian over all genres of music I would give this full marks. On a personal preference level, I lean much more towards the heavier side of music, and as such rate it here in a way that distinguishes it from all of the other albums I love. So while I may not give it five stars here, you can be assured that I still think it is an album that everyone should experience, just for the genius of David Bowie.

Rating:  "Wham bam thank you ma'am!".   4/5

889. Alice Cooper / School's Out. 1972. 2.5/5

It's a given fact that you cannot judge an Alice Cooper album by the singles that are released from it. Oh, you'll know those songs, and you will love those songs. But you cannot judge the album they come off by those singles, because in most instances they will be of a completely different style from the rest of the album. One of the best instances of this is the album School's Out, an album that is mostly ignored in the discography of Alice Cooper because the only song anyone knows or has probably heard from it, is the single of the same name. And this couldn't be further away from the style of the rest of the album if it tried.

Everyone knows "School's Out". I may have started school a few years after this album was released, but one of my endearing memories of primary school was the consistent scene on the last day of school term, when the school bus was decorated with toilet paper flowing out the windows and the chorus of voices all singing "No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers, dirty looks" all the way to my drop off stop. Everyone who has been to school knows this song. It is a classic, it is a schoolkids anthem. Its popularity is what possibly detract from the remainder of the album.
Both "Luney Tune" and "Gutter Cat vs the Jets" are the kind of up tempo acid rock songs that fans of Alice Cooper can get into. Sure, the second half of "Gutter Cat vs the Jets" is a little too much West Side Story for anyone's liking, but overall both songs are catchy and likeable. "Street Fight" is an extension of the West Side Story theme following on from that song.
For most of the rest of the album however, there is a definite slide into stage musical theme (albeit a messed up Alice Cooper version of such a theme) about the songs. "Blue Turk", "My Stars" and "Public Animal #9" as songs are all tolerable the more you are familiar with them, but I know that it took more than a few listens for me to appreciate their uniqueness. "Alma Mater" and the unusual "Grande Finale" continue the path which we have found ourselves on, and as with the other songs on the album it feels as though they have been composed in an altered state, such is the mix in musical style and emphasis within the recording of the album.
It was pretty much twenty years after its release before I actually heard the entire album, mostly due to my age on its release and the plethora of other albums of other bands I was delving into before finally catching up with this. I fell into the same trap that I have tried to help others avoid here, by thinking that the entire album was going to be short, sharp repartee songs much like the title track, rather than a lengthy, drawn out drama played out over the course of the album. So while I have come to appreciate these songs in time, and accept their place within the album and the discography of the band, that still doesn't make any easier to love on a scale that I do other Cooper albums.

In the long run, School's Out follows a familiar path with other Alice Cooper albums that have a running theme throughout, or are concept albums in their entirety. You can take the story aspect and enjoy it for what it is and be satisfied with the direction the music takes you. In most circumstances with Alice's music, I find this to be a hindrance, and I certainly find that to be the case here. As clever as it may be to have this album with the storyline attached and the musical pieces written to suit, the fact that it appears unable to stand up to the famed title track means it will forever be trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Rating: "Just a little insane a couple of shots I can't feel no pain". 2.5/5

840. Eagles / Eagles. 1972. 4/5

I enjoyed music from a young age, and remember it quite often from at home and especially in the car on long trips. My mother would often make mixed tapes from songs recorded off the radio onto cassettes, that would then be played over and over. I reckon I could still name a lot of those songs that she had on those tapes. There was also the tapes done by bands, and in particular greatest hits compilations, that also came into the mix. Despite my own musical tastes branching out into a different stratosphere from all of these early influences since then, most of that music stayed with me, to the point where some of those bands still became favourites for me. The Eagles is one of those bands. I eventually came around to owning all of their albums myself, and this was their debut release.

What becomes glaringly obvious on this first album is that this was when the band was truly a combination of musicians where everyone contributed to all parts of the recording. All four members contributed to writing the songs on the album, along with others from outside of the band such as Jackson Browne, Gene Clark and Jack Tempchin. All four members not only contribute harmony vocals in back up, they all take a turn as lead vocalist on separate songs. It is a true collective effort, and while sometimes that can be to the detriment of the end result, here it works really well. Certainly there is little doubt about where the strongest elements are, but as a whole this album works well within these confines.
The lesser known songs here, the ones that were not released as singles, all hold their own strength in the framework of the album. Glenn Frey's "Chug All Night" does just what the title indicates, and chugs along much like the opening track, with the country guitar taking prominence. "Most of Us Are Sad" was written by Glenn but sung by Randy Meisner. Like many of the songs Randy sings, the tempo is slowed down and he has the harmony vocal behind him, which always helps emphasise the emotion behind the tune. this then segues straight into "Nightingale", which was the song contributed by Jackson Browne, and was sung by Don Henley. The tempo picks up noticeably, and while the previous song was sweet and gentle due to Randy's vocals, here the song is immediately more in your face with Don's harder edged (for country rock) yet brilliant vocals.
"Train Leaves Here This Morning" was sung by Bernie Leadon, and co-written with Gene Clark, and also settles on the easy listening side of the Eagles catalogue, concentrating on the softly sung vocals and harmonising backing. "Take the Devil" was performed by Randy, whose vocals really come to the fore here over Glenn's country rock guitar. There's nothing gentle in the vocals here like in "Most of Us Are Sad", and while the song itself flows from calm to loud, Randy's vocals are the dominating influence. Te mood changes again, with bird tweeting and Bernie's banjo leading us into "Earlybird" which is a co-production from Bernie and Randy with Bernie taking on the lead vocal as well. There's a nice switching between the banjo and Glenn's guitar on this song, with the banjo giving the song an uplifting feel. "Tryin'" was the second song Randy wrote and sang, and is the closing song on the album. This is the rockiest song that Randy sings on this album. In fact, his three songs seem to span the entire range of the Eagles album. Don has a more rock beat to his drums, and the guitars are allowed to indulge themselves a little more than they have on other songs. A great way to finish the album.
The three singles are the best known songs off the album, and are dominant figures of the band's early recordings. "Take It Easy" is sung by Glenn and co-written with Jackson, and is still one of my favourite Eagles tracks. This is followed by "Witchy Woman", written by Don and Bernie, and sung by Don. Surprisingly it is the only song on the album that is credited to Don Henley. Those gravelly vocals still make this song a beauty. "Peaceful Easy Feeling" also flows on like it's title, sung by Glenn and written by frequent co-writer Jack Tempchin. The lyrics mirror the music here, as the whole song conjures up a peaceful easy feeling when you are listening to it. There is a real country twang both in the vocals and in the guitar, and Don's gentle drum beat.

This is still a terrific album, a much more country influenced album than they were to morph into as the albums progressed. It is very much an easy listening album, with few moments that really make you sit up and consider rocking out to. But that doesn't detract from the fact that the songs are strong and well written, and those vocal harmonies are still the star of the show.

Rating:  "Raven hair and ruby lips, sparks fly from her finger tips"  4/5

814. Deep Purple / Made in Japan. 1972. 5/5

When it comes to nominating what the greatest live albums of all time are, this one generally comes close to the top of the list. In an era when bootlegging was beginning to take a stranglehold on the record market, allowing fans to hear their heroes in their live element whenever they wanted rather than having to wait for them to tour, this live release was almost in response to this occurring. In trying to capture a moment in time that was from all reports only ever to be released in Japan, it became a worldwide phenomenon, and sent Deep Purple's fandom racing to the stars.

The best part about live recordings is that they aren't perfect. There are mistakes, there are flips and flails and other such occurrences. the songs are played faster, or slower, or harder, or softer. The vocals are not pristine like they are after any number of takes in the studio, they are the real thing. You can't hide live if you can't sing. A live album is not supposed to be a carbon copy of songs as they are performed on studio albums, it is supposed to be expressive and entertaining, because when you go to see a band live, that's what you expect to see. And so it is here on Made in Japan.
The setlist is just terrific. "Highway Star" kicks it all off at great pace, before settling into the amazing mood swings of "Child in Time". If you've ever heard this song on the studio release, you will appreciate how good the song is, and how well Ian Gillan sings it. Until you hear this version, where Gillan's vocals are just amazing, reaching heights that are almost unobtainable, before the brilliance of Jon Lord's Hammond organ and Ritchie Blackmore's guitar turn this song into a live monster. This version is so much bigger and brilliant than the original version. The middle section where the keyboards and the guitars rumble through is a magnificent sequence. Then it's in to "Smoke on the Water', when it was still new and fresh and exciting for the band to play. This is followed by "The Mule" which, for all intents and purposes can be seen as a lost section. "Strange Kind of Woman" starts off the second piece of vinyl, before the two long and extensive versions of "Lazy" and "Space Truckin'" complete the album in style.
OK, so you can't always have everything your own way, and the fact that there are only seven songs on this release ha always been disappointing. Now, there could have been a lot more songs, covering their back catalogue to this point of their career, but the 1970's was rife with bands who performed free-form musical extensions of their songs. Now this isn't something that should be frowned upon in a live setting. In fact it is the perfect opportunity to do this kind of thing. The play off between Gillan's vocals and Blackmore's guitar is entertaining, as is the same play off between Blackmore's guitar and Lord's keyboards. That's a great element of the live performance. However... is there a need to stretch songs sooooooooo long that it becomes a drag? That the song itself is forgotten because the musical interlude has moved so long and so far away from what it began that you can forget about what song was actually being played? It's a bugbear of mine. Do we need a drum solo on a live album? In the modern day these songs get the skip button automatically, but it was more difficult on vinyl. as a record of the live gig played, yes, you do need to record it. When you are actually listening to the album though, do you want to listen to an eight minute drum solo? And as a case in point in taking the freeform too far, the conclusion to "Space Truckin'" is the best example. The original version of this song goes for four and a half minutes. Perfect. Brilliant. The version here stretches to almost 20 minutes. Again, as I have already stated, being alive album there is no problem with that situation coming about. But I'd have preferred to have heard another two or three songs played rather than fifteen minutes of expansive movement. I'm not trying to suggest it spoils my enjoyment of this album - it doesn't. I do love to hear Ritchie and Jon and Ian doing all of this stuff, showcasing what they can do. It's just that sometimes there is too much of a good thing, and some things can at times appear to go on just a little too long.

The great thing about this album is that you can hear how much the band is enjoying itself, and how innovative the musicianship is when these songs were still new to them and they could enjoy playing them without feeling as though they HAD to. It is a great live release. But the greatest live album ever? Well, straight off the top of my head I can think of Iron Maiden's Live After Death, Slayer's Decade of Aggression: Live and Ozzy Osbourne's Tribute which would rank higher with me, but it is certainly a classic, and a wonderful reminder of this band's golden era.

Rating:  Wait for the ricochet.  5/5

809. Deep Purple / Machine Head. 1972. 5/5

From the very beginnings of my time, certainly as a kid listening to the radio and the many mixed tapes my mother would make from the radio and then play whenever she could, music has been a part of my life. Sure, it took awhile for my own tastes to evolve into what they finally became, but music was there. And while it was never anything more than in the shadows, there was always a certain riff, a certain snatch of music that I was always aware of, but was never really certain of what it was - just that I knew it, and I SHOULD know it. It wasn't until my teens that I found out what that song was. It wasn't until later than that moment that I discovered the album and band that it was from. And then it was that I fell in love with what is surely one of the most beloved and important albums of all time - Deep Purple's Machine Head.

No doubt a lot of people can't see what all of the fuss is about, and many will also cite other albums as being more influential, such as Fireball and Deep Purple in Rock. Both are great albums, and I love them both as well, but the whole vibe of Machine Head flows brilliantly from song to song. There are no dead spots, no halt in proceedings, no point where you begin to drift away. The whole band is at its peak, as are the individuals within. The writing and recording of the album is a great story in itself, and anyone who has not seen the excellent edition of the Classic Albums series dedicated to this album should do so, as it is well worth watching.
It is almost impossible for me to try and review an album that is for the most part considered a classic. As with all albums of this magnitude, while the best known and legendary tracks are the ones that always stand out and draw in the punters to take in the album, it is the 'secondary' tracks that really make this as good as it is, because they have to be able to attract interest after those big singles or best known songs have done their job. Those songs here are superb. "Maybe I'm a Leo" jaunts along in a completely different rhythm to the opening track, but still adequately portrays that beautiful Deep Purple style, especially Jon Lord's keyboards and Ritchie Blackmore's guitar. "Pictures of Home" is a pearler, a real forgotten gem. It still ranks as one of my favourite Deep Purple songs. Everyone gets a chance within the song for their own little 'solo' break, so that they can showcase their wares. Terrific stuff. "Never Before" was the first single released from the album, which although it was perhaps a little strange in choosing it for such a purpose doesn't make it a poor song. Just not a single.
"Smoke on the Water" is of course the most famous song on the album, containing Ritchie's immortal guitar riff that every kid who ever picks up a guitar learns to play. It is still a great song, not only for the brilliant job of the rhythm section of Ian Paice and Roger Glover and the great vocal effort of Ian Gillan, but especially the duelling between keyboard and guitar. "Lazy" is stolen by Lord's magnificent Hammond organ for the first half of the song, before the guitar comes in to have its say.
The album is bookended by brilliance. The short, sharp and heavy tones of "Space Truckin'" careers the album to its conclusion, its overtones of a convoy through the stars combining quite wonderfully with its partner song which opens the album, "Highway Star". "Highway Star" is still one of my top ten songs of all time. As much as I always enjoyed "Smoke on the Water" opening up side 2 of my vinyl copy of Machine Head, it was this opening that blew me away when I first placed the album on my record player. You could list fifty other songs at least by Deep Purple, and I would agree that they are great songs, but for me nothing comes close to matching "Highway Star". It is pure joy to hear it. The song barrels along like its namesake, and the individual solo spots by the keyboards and the guitar are sensational, topped off by the magnificence of Gillan's screaming vocals. Legendary.

This is still my favourite Deep Purple album, and that is not just an easy choice out of the dozen other albums I could name of theirs that could be in contention for such a rating. This has everything you could want as a fan of the group, and there are no weak songs here, no filler. Better yet, everything here still stands the test of time, and sounds as wonderful today as it did on its release, and certainly as brilliant as it did when I first discovered it some thirty years ago.

Rating:  Yeah it's a wild hurricane - all right, hold tight, I'm a highway star!  5/5