Deep Purple In Rock

Now in their fifth decade, the original monsters of rock are as mighty as ever. Tim Jones and Joel McIver pay respect

D eep Purple have taken to the road for another world tour. And although only drummer Ian Paice remains from the band’s 1968 incarnation, they can still rock with the best. Along with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Vanilla Fudge, Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple formed the vanguard of the late 60s/early 70s heavy rock scene, and inspired the likes of Iron Maiden, Kiss, Metallica and hundreds of other bands, while selling over 100 million albums. They’re one of the few giants from rock’s golden era who continue to tread the boards with their legendary status intact.

Deep Purple have metamorphosed from a psych-leaning blues-rock outfit, via prog, symphonic and pomp rock into one of the giants of hard rock and heavy metal. After 1970, Ritchie Blackmore became a creative mainstay, producing guitar riffs and melodies that inspired just about every heavy rocker who followed. Some of the songs that the band created proved instant rock standards, so that few if any big name artists (with the exceptions of Bruce Dickinson, Yngwie Malmsteen and, er, James Last - Woman From Tokyo) dared to cover such revered classics, for fear of eclipse in Purple’s nuclear glare (and tribute album renditions demonstrate the truism that Nobody Does Purple Like Purple). How could anyone improve on the original …

by Tim Jones and Joel McIver
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