DEEP PURPLE: In Rock (HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Deep Purple sounds today to our ears like an irremovable figurehead in the world of Hard Rock. However, in 1969, Deep Purple was going in circles. Ritchie Blackmore, the leader, feels cramped in the classic Rock that the formation delivers and wishes to change the air. The decision is radical. The bass player and the singer are fired and replaced without really being informed. After a "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" with a rather mitigated reception and the bankruptcy of their American label, Deep Purple takes almost one year to finalize what will become "In Rock", and will open them a highway towards the success.

The intro to "Speed King" barely gives us time to prepare for what's to come, with a furious rush of sound that leads into an organ bridge, and then the powerfull riff and the devastating chords ripped by Ian Gillan's burning voice and an energetic drums. This is also the strength of Deep Purple. The drums are not a throbbing background. Their music is square and rhythmic in nature, and Ian Paice has the luxury of flying over the compositions with a subtle and jazzy playing. The fire is gently extinguished by the bass and the organ that goes into a melodic solo, soon joined by Blackmore.

The amazing "Bloodsucker" presents a Rock n' Roll rhythm that seems to hesitate between its cyclic riff and numerous breaks, perfectly interpreted by a roaring Ian Gillan. Then comes "Child In Time", borrowed from "Bombay Calling" of It's A Beautiful Day in which the band manages to synthesize all its talent. The keyboard of John Lord is magnificent of presence and sobriety. An example for many bands using excessively the most diverse synthesizers, to obtain only a soup. The sound of John Lord is made of pure English silk. He is very delicate helped by Ritchie Blackmore, who strikes his chords more and more violently as if it was a war march. And what about Ian Gillan. His warm voice of the intro is soon filled with an anxiety, then with a real terror. We feel in turn the panic, the pride, the sadness in his singing, and soon he seems inhabited by madness, delivering cries like howls of beasts, but mastering to perfection his unusual vocal organ. The first crescendo leads to a liberating, orgasmic solo, played by a Ritchie Blackmore in a state of grace. Then they leave again. Gillan rises higher each time, and the second crescendo is apocalyptic. In the absence of Blackmore's catalyzing solo, the finale collapses in a joyous eruption of molten notes.

"Fly Of The Rat" comes next with its fast tempo and his break a la Hendrix. Gillan's vocals are reminiscent of Greg Lake on this track, with the same English elegance, even on the most aggressive parts. "Living Wreck" is another killer, thanks to the groove of Roger Glover's bass. The guitar is raspy and nervous, and breathes great energy into the track. On the solo, Blackmore makes his guitar sound like an organ. Same thing on "Hard Lovin' Man", carried this time by the organ, very Rock conclusion to this real jewel.

In spite of the youth of the formation (Mark II dates from 1969, the group from 1968) the formation shows an incredible coherence. Each musician is precisely in his place and delivers the right performance at the right time. They are all prodigies in their fields and the individualities fade away to serve the group. The music is worked without ever going too far in the experimentation and by being satisfied to make sound perfectly each title, each arrangement, each solo... Such an approach, with such musicians, such compositions, and a production perfectly adapted to the group could give birth only to a type of album: a masterpiece. - Official website

DEEP PURPLE

IN ROCK

WARNER

HARD ROCK