Deep Purple in Rock



Deep Purple in Rock, also known as In Rock, is the fourth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 3 June 1970. It was the first studio album recorded by the classic Mark II line-up. Rod Evans (vocals) and Nick Simper (bass) had been fired in June 1969 and were replaced by Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, respectively.

Deep Purple in Rock was their breakthrough album in Europe and would peak at No. 4 in the UK, remaining in the charts for months. (The band's prior MK I albums had been much better received in North America than in their homeland.) The album was supported by the hugely successful In Rock World Tour which lasted 15 months.

Although this was the first studio album to feature the MK II line-up of the band, it was this line-up that had earlier recorded the live Concerto for Group and Orchestra. The album was also preceded by the single "Hallelujah", the first studio recording that Gillan made with Deep Purple. "Hallelujah" was a Greenaway-Cook composition released in late 1969, but the song flopped. A second single, "Black Night", was developed around the same time as the In Rock album, but not included on the album. "Black Night" fared much better, as it rose all the way to No. 2 on the UK charts.

In 2005 the album won the Classic Rock and Roll of Honour Award (given by the British monthly magazine Classic Rock) in the category Classic Album. The award was presented to Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore.

Background
While the original lineup of Deep Purple included experienced musicians, none of the five were accomplished songwriters. Thus, Deep Purple's earlier work ranged from      psychedelic hard rock built around Blackmore riffs, to classical-influenced tracks developed and arranged by Lord, to cover songs that ranged from The Beatles to Neil Diamond, among others. Conversely, Gillan and Glover had a good amount of experience writing songs for Episode Six, their previous band, and all tracks on In Rock are credited to the five members of the group.

Jon Lord used both the Leslie speaker and a Marshall amplifier with his Hammond organ, therefore the organ sound varies a lot throughout the songs. (Example: "Living Wreck" – Leslie speaker, "Hard Lovin' Man" – Marshall amplifier).

The cover depicts the band in a rock sculpture inspired by Mount Rushmore.

Later editions
In some countries, including Mexico, Deep Purple in Rock also included "Black Night," a single recorded during the sessions.

The U.S. release of the album cut the intro to "Speed King," lasting just over a minute. It remains edited on the standard Warner Bros. U.S. release, but is restored to full length on the 25th anniversary package.

In 1995 a remastered and revised 25th anniversary edition of the album was released by EMI. The remastering and remixing job was overseen by Roger Glover. The album features a number of bonus songs including previously unreleased jams. In 2013, this particular edition of the album turned Gold in the UK.

On 21 July 2009 audiophile label Audio Fidelity released a remastered version of Deep Purple in Rock on a limited edition 24 karat gold CD. Mastering for the CD was performed by Steve Hoffman. This release follows the original 7-track format with no bonus tracks.

Track listing
All songs written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.


 * Side one


 * Side two

Song information

 * "Speed King"

As the liner notes for the LP allude ("A few roots…replanted"), "Speed King" is an ode to early rock-and-roll, with frequent references to songs performed by Little Richard ("Good Golly Miss Molly", "Tutti-Frutti" and "Lucille"), as well as Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. The original UK version of the album includes the full introductory instrumental, featuring a loud free-form Blackmore guitar passage blending into a quieter Lord organ piece; the US version did not include the intro. The hard-rocking song features a midsection "call-and-answer" solo exchange between Blackmore and Lord, which presaged their live performances for years to come; it was regularly played at concerts during the Mark II era, starting as an opener, but more frequently performed as an encore. It was also the b-side of the non-album single "Black Night".

Another hard rocker featuring a midsection exchange between Blackmore and Lord, with Gillan literally screaming out the final verse. The Mark VII version of Deep Purple (featuring Steve Morse on guitar) re-recorded this song for their 1998 release Abandon, with the revised title of "Bludsucker".
 * "Bloodsucker"


 * "Child in Time"

Considered one of the epic songs of the Mark II era, especially prior to the release of the iconic "Smoke on the Water" in 1972, "Child in Time" goes from quiet sadness to bombastic rocker and back again in a track running over 10 minutes. Lord's organ is most prominent in the quieter parts, as he plays a chord structure inspired by a song by It's a Beautiful Day titled "Bombay Calling." In return It's a Beautiful Day recorded "Wring that Neck" from Deep Purple and called it "Don and Dewey". Gillan's vocals start out softly, evolve into howling and lastly demonstrate his ability to "scream in tune". Blackmore then launches into a guitar solo running over two minutes, before the first verse repeats and the song comes to a crashing end. It would be a concert staple for every version of Deep Purple that included Gillan, up until the singer's voice could no longer support it.

Ian Gillan tells on his homepage: "It was 1969 and the band was rehearsing at a Community Centre in West London; it was either Southall or Hanwell. Jon Lord was dicking around (or 'extemporising on a theme' as it's known in the trade) with a tune from the new album by 'It's a Beautiful Day', it was 'Bombay Calling'. I started singing and the words came easily because we were all aware of the nuclear threat which hovered over us at this time which was probably when the 'cold war' was at its hottest."

A hard rock song featuring a straight-ahead structure of three main power chords. Unlike the call-and-answer solo structure of "Speed King" and "Bloodsucker", Blackmore, Paice and Lord are each accorded their own extended solos on this song. This song was never performed live.
 * "Flight of the Rat"

This song was used in the movie The Damned United.

A staple of early Mark II concerts, the song starts with a hooky introductory riff (slightly similar to that in King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man"), and two main chords which are octaves of each other. Features a phased and unusually slow guitar solo by Ritchie Blackmore.
 * "Into the Fire"

A straight-ahead rocker that tells the story of a love affair that fails miserably to live up to expectations.
 * "Living Wreck"

Two power chords kick off the album's closer, before Glover's bass provides the rhythmic intro. Blackmore's guitar is folded in, then Paice and Lord join in before the vocals start. Gillan lets loose on this track and Blackmore performs a few "pre-Eddie Van Halen" guitar histrionics during the final minute-and-a-half.
 * "Hard Lovin' Man"

Personnel

 * Deep Purple
 * Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
 * Jon Lord – keyboards, organ
 * Ian Paice – drums, percussion
 * Ian Gillan – lead vocals
 * Roger Glover – bass


 * Additional personnel
 * Andy Knight – engineer IBC Studios (tracks 1, 3, 5 and 6)
 * Martin Birch – engineer De Lane Lea (tracks 4 and 7)
 * Phil McDonald – engineer Abbey Road Studios (track 2)
 * Peter Mew – Original album remastering
 * Roger Glover – Oversaw the mixing of the extra tracks
 * Tom Bender and Jason Butera – Additional studio work

Charts

 * Album


 * Singles

Hallelujah
"Hallelujah" is the first single recorded by Deep Purple Mk.2 line-up, which was released in 1969.

Side A

 * 1. "Hallelujah" – 3:38
 * written by Roger Cook & Roger Greenaway

Side B

 * 2. "April Part 1" – 3:53
 * written by Blackmore & Lord instrumental

Personnel

 * Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
 * Jon Lord – organ
 * Ian Paice – drums
 * Ian Gillan – vocals (track 1 only)
 * Roger Glover – bass (track 1 only)

Accolades
(*) designates unordered lists.