DEEP PURPLE

If there is an album worthy of inducting Deep Purple to the Archives, it's this one. The Mark I formation is still my favorite to date, and despite the quality of other line-up's, I do regret the departure of vocalist Rod Evans (I must say I do prefer Glover to Simper). Although quite different from the high-pitched Gillan, his voice fits perfectly in Jon Lord's and Ritchie Blackmore's playing and composing. "Deep Purple" is indeed a Progressive Rock effort, although sometimes with a heavier edge. Songs like "Blind", "Fault line/Painter", "Bird has flown", and the fantastic "April" remind me of what would later be known as "Italian Symphonic Prog", although, well... in English... I would love to give it a 5 star rating, but I'll have to settle for a 4. I do this because, although in the general musical panorama it deserves a 5-star rating, it is not a Progressive Rock masterpiece, the kind to define the genre.