DEEP PURPLE

I've gone back and forth down through the years as to whether or not this is Deep Purple's best album and I guess it depends on whether or not I've been listening to it lately or not. There are times that I think In Rock is better but in the end I have to admit that Deep Purple is the album that I go back to over and over again and never get tired of listening to. And every time I listen, I know that I'm listening to a masterpiece from start to finish of probably one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Whether or not this makes it a progressive masterpiece or a psychedelic masterpiece or a blues rock masterpiece is up for debate. To me its all three. A rock masterpiece on all levels that is so unique in sound that until this day I have never quite heard anything like it again. April is of course the masterpiece of this album, but ever song that leads up to it is perfect. Now I know some don't like this album because its too psychedelic or whatever, not traditional prog in their minds, but to me it is quite prog when compared to anything else in their discography, other than their first two albums which simply are not very good in any case. Beyond the great musicianship there is something else that makes this album special. Its hard to quantify, whether its just the poetry of their lyrics, the mood that they set that takes you to the deepest part of your being, makes you feel that your one with the music like no other deep purple album has ever achieved. I guess you could say this album is truly deep and purple and it represents what this band what originally trying to achieve at its finest.