Oh, la la, what`ve we got here! This album has been lying dormant for more than 40 years by me. I didn`t touch it back then. I`ve always felt meself too good for this band. Time went on without me knowing. Now the time has come for a reconsideration. 4 of the tracks are entirely new to me. All the tracks on side 1 of the LP are great. However, had I heard “Bloodsucker” while not knowing it was Deep Purple, I would have thought it was some black metal, at least 2nd or 3rd generation heavy metal, -“Metallica” or something.

Side 2 opens with “Flight of The Rat”. This is stricktly speaking glam rock. It sounds like David Bowie one or two years later. The biggest copy machine in the world! “Into The Fire” is great. “Living Wreck” is even greater. When I heard “Hard Lovin´ Man”, I thought, how could this song be conceived at this point of time? This was not a kind of rythm I was expecting to hear this early in the 70s. Had this been done before? Suddenly I thought, - yes, it had! Think of “Rondo”, by The Nice, 3 years earlier. There it was! A piece of prog, really.

A track from this album came up on Pandora recently. (I think it was Hard Lovin' Man) and I thought "who the hell IS this?" I didn't own any Deep Purple albums though I always liked Highway Star, just not enough I suppose to look into them further. Well I went out and found the LP of In Rock and yes, it's pretty smokin. Really quite aggressive even today but considering the era it came out in...wow.

Could be the first heavy metal album? Heavier then the more bluesy Sabbath debut.

great band and album

My favorite Deep Purple album was "Shades of Deep Purple" which I think came out in 68 or 70...? had the hit single "Hush" as well as cool songs like "And the address", cover of Skip James' 'I'm So Glad" and a cool version of the Beatles 'Help".......good stuff. A bit dated, maybe, but good.

^ Also a Neil Diamond cover.

-68-72 - the amount of superb music put out in those years is mind-blowing. I have so many albums from early 70's.

Ritchie Blackmore is an astounding guitarist.

Yeah Richie worked for Joe Meek and like Nicky Hopkins was in Screaming Lord Sutch's band The Savages



ROCKMAN

Some Jon Lord (Deep Purple Keyboard player) quotes [www.guerillatraveler.com]


On Ian Gillen: “Astonishing voice, but mad as a box of wasps.”



On Ritchie Blackmore: “He’s a lot nicer than his reputation. He’s a pretty good guy. . . Sitting in front of a log fire with a glass of wine there’s no better companion.”



On Mick Jagger: “Mick’s a chameleon. You never know who you are going to get.”



On Keith Richards: “a wonderful guy. Have you read his new book?”



On the Beatles: “Didn’t they invent everything (in rock music)? And on the seventh day they rested.”



Did Deep Purple invent heavy metal or was it just an explosion that was going to happen?

“I think various bands came up with strands that became heavy metal. If you like we are kind of the godfathers of heavy metal. But I think Sabbath if anyone were to be absolutely guilty of inventing heavy metal it would be them.”








Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-01-04 09:23 by howled.

Top drawer album. Absolutely defined heavy rock.

Deep Purple in Rock, my first vinyl in the Seventies from this band, Child In Time was played everywhere at the time.

Deep Purple-Chasing Shadows 1969


Lineup (Mk I): Ritchie Blackmore: guitar, Rod Evans: lead vocals, Nick Simper: bass guitar and backing vocals, Jon Lord: Hammond organ, keyboards, and backing vocals, Ian Paice: drums

Deep Purple......

Always worth listening too, purely for Ian Paices' magical drumming.

Completely underrated and one of the best drummers ever.... IMHO of course!

What a drag it is gettin' old

In Rock was the album that got my whole interest for rock 'n' roll going for real -- when I recorded it from dad's LP onto cassette when I was nine years old.

I'm still a big Deep Purple fan and love most periods of the band. I think I would put Machine Head at the number one spot. But In Rock was more revolutionary in terms of pushing the boundaries of hard rock.

They are by far one of the pioneers of Hard Rock. 'In Rock' is a classic. Back in '10 they started playing 'Hard Lovin' Man' during their shows. It sounds as fresh today as back then. Their best known album is 'Machine Head.' A true classic that should be in everyone's collection. One thing that most forget they are still touring and released one of the best Rock albums of last year, called 'Now What?!.' It top most charts world wide. Not here in the states. That should be no surprise. Why are they not in the RRHOF? They have had some personal changes. Don Airey of Rainbow/Ozzy fame is on Keyboards and Steve Morse of Dixie Dregs and his own band is on Guitar since '94. They will hit the road next month in Europe. If they play near, go!

So many great albums. Shades of, Fireball, Machine Head, Who Do We Think We Are, Burn, Perfect Strangers and the best live rock album of all time, Made In Japan!
Not many bands can have different lead singers over the years and stay popular.

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68to72
Deep Purple......

Always worth listening too, purely for Ian Paices' magical drumming.

Completely underrated and one of the best drummers ever.... IMHO of course!

Absolutely, but I don't think Paice is underrated by anyone, though.

Paice is versatile as well. He backed McCartney as part of his all-star band for the 1999 Cavern Club gig.

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Rockman
Yeah Richie worked for Joe Meek and like Nicky Hopkins was in Screaming Lord Sutch's band The Savages

Yes, like Jimmy Page, Blackmore had quite an involved career pre-fame and ultimate success. As well as being a member of the Savages, he was previously a member of the instrumental act, The Outlaws. In addition to recording and releasing a few 45’s of their own, they were Meek’s house-band and would back most of his recording acts. Check out ‘Just Like Eddie’ by Heinz, for an example of Blackmore’s fine pre-Purple work.

Forgot about Ian Paice backing McCartney at the Cavern---- very cool----
also Jon Lord had involvement with George Harrison on his 'Gone Troppo" album and was featured on the 'Tribute to George" concert & CD & DVD

"Flight of The Rat" is a bit too much "good-time-party-boogie-woogie" to my taste.

This is Spinal Tap, a parody of heavy. Two longhairs shrieking like a Banshee, and where is Jon Lord? Maybe some like Deep Purple for the fast tracks. This is how wrong it can go.

I know there are at least one gem on this album; "Mistreated". I don`t know `bout the other tracks.

Whaddaya talkin about. It's a Deep Purple classic, a great song. One of the best with DP Mk IV.

Sure, it's proto-Yngwie in a way, and not quite the same as the ol blues based things on Machine Head, but it's definitely a cool song. The whole album is great, by the way, one of DP's best of all time, IMHO.

One of my favourite Purple numbers. Great riff by Ritchie Blackmore.
The whole album is one of their best.

The city's a blaze, the town's on fire.
The woman's flames are reaching higher.
We were fools, we called her liar. All I hear is BURN!


BLACKMORE!!! PAICE!!!! LORD!!!!!!

according to wiki... it'll do...

Chart performance
Country Peak Weeks
Austria 1 36
Norway 1 22
Germany 1 13
United Kingdom 3 21
France 4 17
Finland 5 20
Australia 7 29
Canada 7 22
Netherlands 7 4
United States 9 30
Japan 11 20

Great song and riff. I know a lot worse album openers than that.

Killer song.

I think it's the best Purple song from Coverdale's years. He even plays it with Whitesnake now!

Great album opener and for sure this vinyl album is in my archive!

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noughties
This is Spinal Tap, a parody of heavy. Two longhairs shrieking like a Banshee, and where is Jon Lord? Maybe some like Deep Purple for the fast tracks. This is how wrong it can go.

I know there are at least one gem on this album; "Mistreated". I don`t know `bout the other tracks.

hähä, parody / spinal tap ist your comment, not? - KILLER SONG - best album opner ever!!