SHADES OF DEEP PURPLE

Madrake Root and Hush are still personal favourites. Like many I was introduced to Deep Purple Mk II and discovered this album after. 1968 was too early for me to remember and it's always hard to palce such an album in context: comparing it to the albums in the harder and heavier environment of the 1970s is a tad unfair.

The covers of Help (dodgy) and Help (better) are best avoided. I find I'm So Glad hideuosly annoying and inane, but that's probably a product of Thatcherism and middle-aged scepticism, or maybe it is inane

For the most part the album is unremarkable: however, Jon Lord is stamping his Hammond across the board, and the outrageous talent of Ian Paice is hinted at. Blackmore while impressive is yet to emerge as the force which is unleashed in Mk II.

it's a good album but by no means essential.