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