Deep Purple Mark I Albums 5/03/2026
Deep Purple Before Deep Purple
Coming with retrospect from the first review I completed, it was a very difficult album to actually talk about. Finding the words to describe what I was hearing was incredibly hard despite the enjoyable experience I had with the Stare Kits. When I decided to start talking about music on this website, my goal was not necessarily to talk about the obscure. But to discuss the overlooked and my personal experiences with them.
So for my second review, I decided to put the spotlight on something that may be known by many but is often brushed off. Deep Purple's first lineup, referred to as Deep Purple Mark 1. This lineup comes right before all the greats they are known for; Child in Time, Smoke on the Water, Strange Kind of Woman, etc. As I usually do, I took some time and listened to the albums again and started typing my thoughts out as I was listening.
The Review
I can speculate all day about why people don't really talk about the Mark 1 lineup, and I won't. I want to talk about why I want to talk about them. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that the first three albums are overlooked masterpieces or better than any other lineup and their albums. But they do have their own thing going on that stands out on its own.
It's a weirdly good mix of psychedelia, hard rock, and classical arrangements. Sometimes they combine aspects of that mixture, other times they just make a good rockin' ear worm. When you start listening to these albums, you start to see the progression that would eventually lead to what they were known for.
Shades of Deep Purple, their first album is most reminiscent of popular rock music at the time. Though they were experimenting a little bit, you can tell it was played safe. But not in a bad way, they start with a bang. And The Address, the album's opener is a fantastic instrumental. The brooding organ intro slowly building in intensity, Leslie screeching at the end. Before Blackmore's guitar and Lord's organ duke it out in a hard rocking back and forth, even Simper's thumping bass is a highlight to me. And though it would be re-recorded in 2020, the original is still the best version in my opinion.
Hush, one of the original lineup's many cover songs, is probably one of the most well known Mark 1 songs. Often the only one people know of, at least when I hear them brought up. It's the epitome of the classic Psychedelic pop rock that was floating around at the time, but mixed in with a hard rock angle. It's a heart pumper with percussive blasts of Lord's Hammond and a really good solo towards the end. Blackmore has some really good guitar licks here.And I just have to note throughout the whole album how much the bass guitar absolutely kills it, I think it's understated how much Nick Simper's bass contributes to this album as a whole. There's some more original songs and covers on this album, but you can easily listen to it yourself. I consider the Mark 1 lineup's first album a fun album and like all music I talk about, I want people to engage with the music themselves. So if the first album sounds like your thing, go for it.
On their second album Book of Taliesyn, it becomes clear that they are willing to take risks. Listen, Learn, Read on immediately reads hard rock with a psychedelic framing, the guitar solo especially sells it. I personally think it's a good album opener, but I can understand if it's not for everyone. After the opener's said and done, you start to see Lord's classical influence everywhere, even in the covers. It is almost non-existent in Shades of Deep Purple, but it's everywhere here. Wring that Neck is fucking awesome, I feel very strongly about it. I can't really tell what it is, but the organ is doing a lot of work here, very trebly and just... fun.
The Kentucky Woman cover has an organ solo designed to stop and accelerate your heart with a fast, wobbly, trebly whirl of pure Hammond. It's the most organ rock thing to hear. As I listen to the album now, my thoughts immediately urge me to encourage you to go and listen to the album yourself. Even if you stop after Anthem, easily one of the best songs on the album. You've listened to best the album has to offer.
The last album from the lineup is a self titled album, can we talk about how weird that is in general? I never understood that, why name your album after your band. It's a bit confusing, especially if it's your third album. So then what do we call it? The Third Album I guess. That aside, I am also a fan of this album. It seems they really pushed that classical music feel with this one, and weirdly enough, the album's opener very clearly pushes into hard rock territory. A strong departure from previous albums. Chasing Shadows, at least in my opinion, isn't as strong of an opener compared to their other albums. But it is still a very fun track and worth listening to. It has this very dark atmosphere, something that is present throughout the whole album. I noticed an increase in percussion presence, and the shift is noticeable from the opener. But beyond talking about the opener, if you were following along to this point I think it's best to explore on your own terms.
It's a pretty big departure from anything Deep Purple has made in the entire history of the band. They push the classical influence very, very, very hard. After Chasing Shadows, the album feels like listening to an orchestra playing arrangements with a string quartet, only for the conductor to rip out a Les Paul and just start shredding. The pianist is playing a beautiful melody and then gives up. Knowing what needs to be done, the pianist then takes a sledgehammer to their piano, smashing it to pieces, and pulls a Hammond organ from backstage and starts slamming keys. A violinist plays a very solemn tune and stops mid bar, decides this isn't for them. The unsatisfied musician tosses the violin with disregard and pulls a bass guitar from thin air behind their back like they've always had it. It's a mismatch, but it's one that surprisingly works very well. What I think you should do as a reader, is listen to the album blind.
As I sat down and listened to these albums again, it reminded me just how easy something can get glossed over. The first iteration of Deep Purple isn't just forgotten, they are ignored and often skipped over. I honestly don't think that's a fair take to say skip to Deep Purple in Rock, because there is something here. Something that some people may actually like, I know I did. Bringing my attention to things like this, is a labor of love from me to music as a whole. It's a friendly reminder that even the most well known bands can fall victim to ignorance, and if there is anything to take away from this, always engage on your own terms.