Deep Purple - "Shades of Deep Purple" (1968) - Tetragrammaton
Hello friends and welcome to another installment of Prog Rock Saturday!
We're enjoying this midsummer's weather with a few cool cocktails and the sounds of Deep Purple's debut LP.
Now don't get your wizard hats all in a bunch! Shades of Deep Purple definitely qualifies as an early example of prog-rock. With long jam-filled songs and a big emphasis on classically-inspired organ, Deep Purple started out as an English proggy-psychedelic band in 1968 and, rather wisely, evolved into a more hard rock outfit by the early 70's. Plus, founding member and organist, Jon Lord passed away this week at the age of 71 after a bout with pancreatic cancer. So hush up and enjoy a killer of a debut album!
The LP opens with the bluesy instrumental, "And the Address", which sets the tone for the rest of the album which might be described as "Cream meets the Hammond Organ!"
Next is the band's earliest hit, the classic, "Hush". With its howling wolf intro, killer organ solo and lyrics about an extremely obsessed ex-boyfriend, "Hush" helped put this quintet on the map and, to this day, remains a classic of late 60's British rock.
"One More Rainy Day" is a melodic, yet heavy ballad that sounds not too different from early Zeppelin (think: "Your Time is Gonna Come", also from '68!)
Side One concludes with a monster Hammond organ solo-- a heavy interpretation of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade-- that morphs into the Skip James song, "I'm So Glad" (previously covered by the aforementioned, Cream, on their debut LP, Fresh Cream.
Named for a hallucinogenic plant that is often used in witchcraft and demon conjuring spells, Side Two opens with the Ritchie Blackmore-penned, "Mandrake Root". In fact, their six minute cover of The Beatles' "Help"-- which follows-- sounds slowed and stoned as if recorded under the influence of a little Mandragora officinarum!
Following "Help" is a driving, trippy little tune called, "Love Help Me".
The last song on the album begins with a Bolero-style dueling guitar/Hammond B-3 organ intro (which as Tiki T. points out, reminds her of the Patti Page song "Conquest", also covered by the White Stripes!) The bolero breaks and a heavy cover of the garage rock standard, "Hey Joe" closes out the album. Great, great version of the song to close out one of rock & roll's greatest debut albums!
Here's an awesome video of the band performing "Hush" on "Playboy After Dark" in 1969...
RATING: 4.5 Dancing Playmates out of a possible 5
The LP opens with the bluesy instrumental, "And the Address", which sets the tone for the rest of the album which might be described as "Cream meets the Hammond Organ!"
Next is the band's earliest hit, the classic, "Hush". With its howling wolf intro, killer organ solo and lyrics about an extremely obsessed ex-boyfriend, "Hush" helped put this quintet on the map and, to this day, remains a classic of late 60's British rock.
"One More Rainy Day" is a melodic, yet heavy ballad that sounds not too different from early Zeppelin (think: "Your Time is Gonna Come", also from '68!)
Side One concludes with a monster Hammond organ solo-- a heavy interpretation of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade-- that morphs into the Skip James song, "I'm So Glad" (previously covered by the aforementioned, Cream, on their debut LP, Fresh Cream.
Named for a hallucinogenic plant that is often used in witchcraft and demon conjuring spells, Side Two opens with the Ritchie Blackmore-penned, "Mandrake Root". In fact, their six minute cover of The Beatles' "Help"-- which follows-- sounds slowed and stoned as if recorded under the influence of a little Mandragora officinarum!
Following "Help" is a driving, trippy little tune called, "Love Help Me".
The last song on the album begins with a Bolero-style dueling guitar/Hammond B-3 organ intro (which as Tiki T. points out, reminds her of the Patti Page song "Conquest", also covered by the White Stripes!) The bolero breaks and a heavy cover of the garage rock standard, "Hey Joe" closes out the album. Great, great version of the song to close out one of rock & roll's greatest debut albums!
Here's an awesome video of the band performing "Hush" on "Playboy After Dark" in 1969...
RATING: 4.5 Dancing Playmates out of a possible 5
RIP Jon Lord. Did many a bong to his outstanding keys.
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