In 1968 a band out of Hertford, England appeared on the scene that would soon enough change the face of rock n' roll music as we know it forever with some of the most powerful riffs, melodic solos, and expressive vocals to ever grace our ears. This band was Deep Purple. Before songs like Smoke On the Water, Highway Star, or Space Truckin' however, they were almost an entirely different band altogether; as the band has evolved and changed a great deal over the years in their sound and varying line-ups.
The band's first line-up of Rod Evans on vocals, Nick Simper on bass, Jon Lord on keys, Ian Paice on drums, and Ritchie Blackmore on guitar released its debut album Shades of Deep Purple in 1968 on Parlophone Records. The 8 song album featured 4 original songs and 4 cover songs reinterpreted in a more psychedelic and progressive style (styles which were gaining more and more popularity at the time). The most notable cover song from this album that still gets some attention to this day would be their reinterpretation of Hush, by Joe South.
In the case of Hush people are actually more familiar with the Deep Purple version (whether they realize it or not) more than they are the original version. What always puzzled me about this version is that it starts off with a very faint sound of a wolf howling at the moon before the actual intro of the song comes in. I'm not entirely sure why that is there. However, the song itself is fantastic. It's your basic love song, but the upbeat late 60's pop-rock vibe to it with the marriage of Hammond organ and guitar works out beautifully. Plus, the vocal melody will leave you singing "Na na na na na na na na na na..." over and over.
Mandrake Root was the first song that Deep Purple ever worked on together as a group. Though the beginning section does have a verse or two of vocals it fairly quickly goes into the long drawn-out instrumental psychedelic odyssey that it is known amongst Deep Purple fans to be. There are many trade-offs between organ and guitar in terms of being the focal point while the rhythm section gives you the feeling that you're in the middle of a jungle running from something. Either way, it was a great way for Blackmore and Lord to showcase their chops while still within somewhat of a structured piece of music.
If you like adventurous music that feels like it could take you anywhere, Shades of Deep Purple is right up your alley. There are some familiar classic rock songs that have been turned into intriguing psychedelic acid trips - in a good way of course. I particularly enjoy how they completely redid Help, by The Beatles, except for the vocal melody itself. Despite the album sounding fairly dated (the timbre of the keyboards really gives it away), it is still a fun way to go on a trip without even having to leave your living room.
Shades of Deep Purple, by Deep Purple receives 4 out of 5 stars.
Track List:
1. And the Address
2. Hush
3. One More Rainy Day
4. Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad
5. Mandrake Root
6. Help!
7. Love Help Me
8. Hey Joe
Buy the album on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Shades-Deep-Purple-DEEP-PURPLE/dp/B00003INJ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426825743&sr=8-1&keywords=Shades+of+Deep+Purple
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