Reviews (page 8 of 13)
wow! Not a fan of Child in Time! Too much wailing at the start. Not a fan of Hard Lovin' Rest of the album was pretty good. Nothing amazing, nothing horrible.
A bit screechy for me, would give it 3.5 if I could
Fine, but not my cup of tea. Nice to hear their range of musicianship beyond "Smoke on the Water" 😂 🤙🤙🤙
For me there were no particular standouts on this album. It was just quality rock n roll from start to finish. That said there were moments that it felt like I could have been listening to a Spinal Tap song. Take that however you want.
3/5
Their two most popular tracks on this album are also their longest 😆 Old school stoner rock.
coolt albumomslag, lagom lökigt black night var bara en singel som inte var med på skivan. ganska svag utan den kul tokgitarr i början av speed king. bra öppning på skivan
Good Ol classic rock. Okay to come back to sometimes.
nice rock album, but need to relisten cus i feel like i didnt pay too much attention to it when i was listening on the erg
Child In Time
It was alright. Nothing I am too eager to play again. Nothing I was in a hurry to be over. 3.5
Cooooool 😛
Deep Purple did one thing well, and that was consistently producing quality hard rock jams. This particular album doesn't have the mega-hits that are found in "Machine Head", but it still provides a showcase of instrumental talent, balancing between hard rock and early heavy metal (dat organ tho). In typical 70's rock fashion, some of these tracks drag on a bit and delve into wandering solos. that's not too bothersome if the guitar/drum playing is competent at least.
This was fine but nothing about it really grabbed my interest.
Don't think I'll listen to it again. It's literally fine.
Hefty and hard. They knew what they and their fans wanted.
Sounds a bit generic/samey rock/metal to me, but maybe it wasn't at time. Would be great in a certain context, if feeling a certain vibe, i.e., driving on an open ride at high speeds Favs: Speed King
Pure testosterone-fueled rock-n-roll. A little too much powerchords for my taste.
Man…I remember this album when I was a little boy. My older brothers had this on eight track! I remembered thinking it was pompous (even though I didn’t know what the word meant) when I heard it then. I honestly love the guitar work and solos, but holy shit, the organ ruins every song!
Great guitar solo in Child in Time. I like Into the Fire. Flight of the Rat is good. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): Flight of the Rat, Into the Fire
Listened before - nothing special
C'est pas une folie mais ça reste sympa à écouter
Great guitar solo in Child in Time. I like Into the Fire. Flight of the Rat is good. Listened before? N Saved to library? N Favorite track(s): Flight of the Rat, Into the Fire
I loved the first minute of "Speed King". That's how you start an album. The rest of "Deep Purple in Rock" is fine. Blackmore's guitar skills should be appreciated more. This album could do without the keyboards. 3 stars for "Deep Purple in Rock".
I really like Child in Time but the rest of the songs are just alright. Overall, not a bad album and just overall great Child in Time experience.
I can understand how this would have been a big hit at the time, but listening to this and comparing it to the music that came after made it hard to enjoy
I’m liked the organ, music was alright
best album so far had some good rock songs but a lot of the songs were too long
Не, я этого не понял, хоть какими бы легендами они ни были.
Deep Purple rock really hard. I love the prominent organ (in Living Wreck it sounded like some kind of wildcat?). Ritchie Blackmore's guitar hooks and solos are great and so are the operatic vocals. In high school I listened to their live album Nobody's Perfect a million times and still love it. I don't know why but for some reason In Rock doesn't hit like that album does. In Rock definitely sounds like an album that would be good live but it just doesn't have the same bite. Or maybe it just doesn't have all the hits. I'm not sure.
Find rock. Nothing too special but Flight of the Rat was good
Lyssnat en del och det pendlar fram och tillbaka. Som vanligt gillar jag rytmen och soundet men det lyfter inte riktigt helt. Ian sjunger som vanligt grymt, för det mesta. Living wreck är nog bäst. Men det landar trots allt på en trea.
Child in time was amazing and the real standout here, the rest was pretty forgettable/generic sounding hard rock to me. Not bad but I will only be revisiting one song on here.
Listened in the truck via YouTube music. Fun rocking album. Lots of long jammy songs.
Solid listening.
Serviceable rock, but not as good as their live album.
A very pleasant jam album. Spotify rolled me into radio at the end of this album and it took me a bit to notice.
7 songs in 42-ish minutes... including a 10 minute song and two more over 7 minutes each. Probably more like 3.5 stars. I doubt I'll listen to the whole album again, but I wouldn't be opposed to it. Overall vibe is great.
I understand why this album would be considered important. Really great guitar work. “Bloodsucker” is the standout track for me. Unfortunately the organ ruins most of the songs whenever it shows up, even though I understand this was a popular sound at the time.
3⭐️/5 [07.28.2025] 01.12.2026
Ehh... it's not bad, but this really does nothing for me. Some of the solo sections are cool, but when ever there is singing it is some of the blandest classic rock on this list. Mid 3.
Harder rock than I usually listen to, still grear
Killer organ
Solid hard rock album with progressive twist. Songs pretty much based on hooky bass/guitar riffs and especially Roger Glover's bass playing is really groovy.
I'm quite sure I had a copy of this album in my vinyl collection, but it's nowhere to be found. It's a decent hard rock album, it's not heavy like Black Sabbath or Paranoid, but it has it's moments. I've not personally been a huge fan of rock star virtuoso's, so all those shiny solos, fast finger licks and vocal feats are sort of wasted on me. I am a huge fan of atmosphere and mood however, slow ascents into feels, distinct transitions between ambiences and tones, which is what I prefer in music and this album has it on occasion.
#649. I mean, this isn't something I'd listen to all the time, but it does fuck. 3/5: he'll yeah
I’m surprised by how much I liked this. I wasn’t really into the vocals but the guitar and drums were really good. This might be my favorite of the classic rock we’ve had so far. 3.5 rounded down.
3.5! Good jams, but no Zeppelin or Sabbath
very deep
Enjoyed this, but again had a lot there that I could take or leave. Highlights: Child in Time, Into the Fire
This album is 43 minutes of high energy from start to finish Fav songs: Into the Fire
Very solid classic rock, but nothing to write home about. Heavy on the organ, but that's kinda Deep Purple's signature anyway. Child In Time is the obvious standout, but don't sleep on Speed King or Hard Lovin' Man. It's the wonder of nature, baby!
This was good. I like a bit of 70s hard rock and this was a great example of the genre. I don’t know how much I would listen to this again but it was a solid 45 mins.
Having heard quite a bit of their later work, I'm surprised I didn't like this album as much. Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord remain virtuosos on their instruments, but I don't think the song composition was quite there yet.
Deep Purple in Rock is fun. They're all over the place in every song, but in a very consistent way throughout the album. There's so much SoCal vibe on this which is quite a feat for a band out of London.
3,4/5
Probably incredible impressive for the time. Unfortunately now, it just treads the same ground as a lot of other hard rock albums. I feel as if I’ve heard all of this before.
Alright, not life changing
Catching up so probably didn't give it a fair shake, but it was fine, didn't jump out at me.
Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: 🗿🗿🗿🗿🗿 Production (2018 Remaster): 🙄🤔🤷 Music: 👶⏳🔥 Rating: 💜💜💜(💜)/5
Not their strongest or most listenable in my opinion.
This album isn't as bad as I thought it would be when I saw that it was hard rock and metal, which I didn't have a good track of reviews for. I guess I just appreciated the riffs of metal rock without all the screaming lol.
Good its a strong 3 i dont give 4 cause it lacks some emotion
Each song is too long. Needs an editor. FS: Child in Time
As before. Slammin guitar. Vocals not for me
increible album para depilar a mariola
It's notable and important just how heavy this album was in 1970. At the time, rock & roll sounded like the Beatles. This was weird, it was loud and it was distorted. It was also highly technical, instrumentally. Deep Purple were, therefore, an influential band and they're still a pretty fun listen (if you don't mind the extended instrumental parts). Probably only one Deep Purple album needs to be an essential listen though -- and that's probably Machine Head. If you like your rock on the heavier side, definitely check this out. If you're more into pop or R&B or jazz, this album isn't going to convert you. Probably only essential listening if you were buying records in 1970.
First few songs did nothing for me - they were not musically exciting until "Flight of the Rat". I could hear what would become the "Deep Purple sound" - great guitar riffs with a great rhythm section keeping it all together. I thought "Into The Fire" and "Living Wreck" were highlights as well. Oddly enough, I heard a lot of Rage Against The Machine in those two songs - they both had a heavy groove. Overall, the album was OK with glimpses of what would make the band great over the next few albums.
Deep Purple have such a defining sound, but in that same regard I do sometimes get a little over the, erm... cacophony. Yeah, that. I still quite enjoy them and this album was all ones I'd never heard before, because really I've mostly listened to Machine Head by them
Damn, that’s pretty heavy for 1970
Welp, I wrote a whole track by track review and then fucked up when pasting or something and now it’s lost. Best I can remember, my rating of this album is essentially “better than I expected” + “more interesting than Smoke on the Water.”
Some impressive musicianship but not really my thing.
[2.75/5] Final impression: If the entire album was Child in Time, probably a 3. The instrumentals are good, but most of the tracks sound the same, and the vocals can be grating at times. Listened to on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/3llL1qaL2RvtyQAthAuRFS]. Speed King - The interlude in my right ear halfway through went hard. Bloodsucker - Pardon, what did he say on that first line. Guitar riff interlude went kind of hard at least. *Child in Time - This is the track I've liked most so far, and yet it still manages to be boring for most of the first half. Easily the most notable and most engaging track of the album so far. Flight of the Rat - Nothing all that notable. Possibly the weakest track on the album. Into the Fire - It's fine. Living Wreck - Stronger than the last two tracks put together. It's good. Hard Lovin' Man - The in-your-face organs make this one of the most unique tracks here. It earns points for that alone. Solid finale. Overall notes: I fear I could listen to almost any track on this album 7 times in a row and it would be more or less equivalent to listening to the actual 7 tracks that make up this album - except Child in Time, which is carrying the entire rest of the album on its small, child-sized shoulders.
Alright 3/5
Nice rock vibes 3
Tasty early metal
Meh
Their fourth album. Hard Rock / Rock. Speed King - I love the bass licks on this one. A hugely influential sound that went on to inspire many Hard Rock and Metal Bands. Somewhat "Spinal Tap" at times but also some great drumming. Child In Time - whilst an epic track it is also overblown, pretentious and self indulgent. However that's ROCK ! Right!? Decent album if a little cheesy.
Cool
Joda, funker. (Begynner å ane kjønn og alder på de som har laget lista.....)
Fun album with some funky tunes as well as some toe tapping parts.
Cool stuff. I can’t say any particular track really jumped out but I enjoyed it overall, a good classic rock sound. (3.5 stars)
Cover 4 Some good songs. Musicianship is awesome.
It's loud and proud, like it’s shaking its fists at the clouds. 😂 Big guitar, big organ, big everything. It sort of lives in the same universe as early Zeppelin, but messier and more gung-ho. “Child in Time” feels like a whole journey packed into ten minutes. I’m not exactly rushing back for a third listen, but it did its job, left me entertained and slightly deaf. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Child in Time - Into the Fire
Child of Time is an amazing song, Flight of the Rat has some great drumming. But outside of that nothing else clicked for me.
Good band in their days. Good keyboard and guitar playing. A little heavy on the rock side for me. Good album.
Not the typical music I gravitate towards but I have to say the instrumentals were interesting and there were some excellent guitar solos. They get a 3 for 1st listen, but I think this would grow on me if I gave it a few more chances. Pleasantly surprised.
Surprised DP weren't in more guitar hero games as the guitar suitably rocks. I had a copy of this on vinyl which used to be my uncle's, although I'm not quite sure where it is. Child In Time made me laugh as it sounded like a Spinal Tap song. Most of the songs were too long.
3/5. Not as fun for me as Black Sabbath was. Too many long meandering heavy metal instrumentals.
mid 3, non offensive music to my ears good rock
im sure this blew minds in the 60s but today it feels like a wanky prog album that has interesting moments here and there but fails to dwell on them
good but sounded like a lot from this time
It was fine
This is certainly a bit wanky and silly, but it's still a pretty fun time.
Recognized Ian Gillian from Jesus Christ Superstar! Great voice, but uses wayyyyyy too much falsetto. Instrumentals I also really liked, just didn't pair with the voice.
Good Drums, nice guitars. The other stuff is not for me.
Decent, cool riff. Wierd mix.
3 - Child in Time bekend van Oudjaarsavond
For some reason I’d always thought Machine Head was their debut album. This may not be as strong as that, but even hear you can hear the echoes of Metal starting to come forth. Child in Time feels like it could’ve come out decades later and been contemporary. 3.5 Stars.
Enjoyed this more than I expected.
3.5
I've never been that into Deep Purple outside of a few songs. I sort of see them as the genesis of a lot of styles and tropes in hard rock/metal that I really hate -- unfocused songwriting, extended wonky solos, vocal histrionics, etc. While some of these songs have a decent framework, there's a lot of aspects of it I just find irritating and don't get a ton of enjoyment out of it overall. I think "Speed King" is decent, and "Living Wreck" is pretty cool. I can see why people love "Child in Time", but it's doesn't quite get there for me. Light 3 stars.
Totemic early 70s hard rock album that is nonetheless quite creaky in places with a lot of sloppy shrieks and noodlage. Speed King and Child In Time hold up as true colossus classic rock tracks whereas the rest is all a bit chalky and crumbly. High 3.5.
My knowledge of this band until about ten years ago consisted solely of "Smoke on the Water" and I just imagined all of their music sounded like that, so I didn't explore any further. Then one year at the neighborhood Christmas party I was talking to a guy who is a big classic rock freak and he was extolling the virtues of these guys and he loaned me The Very Best of Deep Purple. It had two of the tracks from this album ("Speed King" and "Child in Time.") I think this band is essential for an understanding of rock music, but I don't think I agree that this particular album is one you need to hear before you die. A greatest hits collection like my neighbor loaned me would definitely suffice IMO. (Although "Flight of the Rat" and "Into the Fire" were not on that collection and I think I liked those songs the most from this album.) There are times when I'm listening to this band that I feel like what they were playing was so ridiculous that Spinal Tap HAD to have been at least partially inspired by them.
Standard metal. I gave them credit for Machine Head, which felt ahead of its time being 2 years after this, but this doesn't feel special. Standard hard rock that, like Machine Head, tends to go on too long. Certainly faster than the Black Sabbath I just reviewed from the same year, but I'm not surprised that caught on and this didn't. I may be dinging them for feeling old in a way that they weren't when they were knew, but Led Zeppelin IV is just a year away and that's head and shoulders and chest above this. The energy is there, it just feels kind of like something I'd think would kick a lot of ass when I was 12. Unkind 3, it still rocks: speed king is a winner, for instance, and the album has its moments, even with its goofy dated bullshit and often overwrought vocals and organ overload - I like organs but man it's like more cowbell.
Interesting
Continuing to redefine the concept of mediocrity. Are there really multiple AC/DC, Deep Purple and R.E.M records on this list and only ONE Prince album? Jesus wept.
Not bad but far from my jam. Very ambivalent towards this. 6/10
Favorite song: Chid in time. Overall score: 7,6/10.
1. Speed King: intro is great, the organ is brain-tickling. I'm not the biggest fan of the vocals personally. The chorus riff is awesome, same with the bass. The organ solo versus the guitar is my favorite part of this song. Lyrics don't hit for me. 2. Bloodsucker: A Black Sabbath riff is evident, and the influence is apparent here. The drumming reminds me of a storm. Lyrics about wanting to sleep with someone and use them, only to move on to the next. Boring and toxic man shit. The shrieks made me giggle. MORE ORGAN V GUITAR!!!! 3. Child in Time: immediately vocals are better, soft beginning. The percussion and organ are haunting, along with the lyrics. This song is anti-Vietnam War and I think framing it as talking to a child is hard-hitting. "I wanna hear you sing" = everyone needs to scream their protests. Also noting the buildup before the solos and into the heavier, war-related drumming. It all picks up so quickly, relating to the intensity of the global climate. This resonates still to this day. "Sweet child, in time, you'll see the line"; "Blind man shooting at the world." The guitar is insane on this track. Picks up at the end to emphasize the gravity of the urgency for peace. 4. Flight of the Rat: this one is about a tyrant leaving the people quite content. The drumming is crazy, keeps the energy up, matching the people's happiness from freedom. Ian Paice (drums) eats this track up, Ritchie Blackmore (guitar) also does, love the whammy. "Now I'm free, I can see, I can see" - I can only hope that the world can be freed of the tyrants that continue to oppress and divide us. "Please stay away" = me to all capitalism, fascism, conservatism & oppression. 5. Into the Fire: the guitar tone stands out a ton. I love the overall heaviness of this track from the beginning. This riff is sick. This one is a metaphor for drug use, directly from the song title. Crazy this came out in '70. 6. Living Wreck: the distortion on the main guitar is wild, I feel like it adds to the weirdness of the lyrics -- essentially I think he wants a woman he's seeing to change herself because she's freaking him out? I guess she's way too odd for him or is lying/masking as something she's not?? Pretty harsh "you know you're a living wreck" made me... ooooof. The guitar is very basic but complements that organ going crazy, the bass is fire. Drums are amazing throughout this whole album. 7. Hard Lovin' Man: the screaming on this track is really good, Ian Gillan does have such a distinct voice and range - I have grown to appreciate it as I've continued to listen. Maybe not my cup of tea still. Haunting lyrics and wild organ noises, experimental for this time, I would think. The fast arpeggios hit.
Not my favorite album of them, but I love the band.
3.75
I preferred their live album to be honest. In this album their music just started to feel quite samey, and it turns out those long drawn out guitar solos aren't just live! Rating: 3
Most Deep Purple songs are just a half regurgitated blues riff extended in a not very exciting way. Child In Time is great in all its ridiculous operatic glory. And I could easily have gone a lot more of Ritchie doing his Hendrix in noise mode impersonation as per the intro to Speed King. It's a weird thing that Ozzy is regarded so much higher than Ian Gillan (correctly in my mind) but Gillan is way more influential within Hard Rock and Metal. Gillan leads to Rob Halford and Dio, leads to Bruce Dickinson and the like. Even the guttural deep vocals of more extreme metal is simply an extension of the arms race between singers and guitarists in Metal that has its roots in Gillan/Blackmore. I can't think of anyone who really mimics what Ozzy does.
Solid Edit Feb 26 2026: 4 --> 3. I find it generally plain. I also gave ZZ Top Tres Hombres a 2 today
It's a pretty forgettable allbum. There seems to be a signature organ riff going on with this band, but Jesus Christ superstar as a lead singer is pretty solid. A for singing c for the music.
Solid 70's heavy. Can certainly see the direction the heavier bands from rock are going, compared to the pop rock bands from the late 60's.
It's fine.
Sounds like Deep Purple; nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I think their style gets a little monotonous. I've lost track of how many times they do a "kooky little chromatic riff". Not mad at it, just not in love with it. 3.4/5
It's totally fine. I just resent how much they're on this list instead of better or more unique things.
Я не понял что только что услышал, но было круто. Вроде.
This just passed right through me.
3.2
Great musicianship, lots of screaming and whooping. Twas ever thus with your early heavy metallers. There's a really nice epic feel to a lot of it - the start and end of Flight of the Rat is a case in point - but it's drowning in a sea of sixteen year long guitar solos and falsetto horrors.
That’s some vintage 70’s Deep Purple; simple bass chords, driving lead guitar, and screamin’ vocals. Never heard In Rock before, but it is identical (in my memory) to their other albums I have heard. The album improves as it progresses, strong finish from Flight of the Rat (love the drum solo) to the run out of Hard Lovin’ Man. The Mount Rushmore cover art helped get these Brits on the 1001 Must Listen list (3.1*s)
Outside of Smoke On The Water my prior exposure to Deep Purple was cursory at best. I figured they were just another 80s band that had a couple hits and faded out. Surprised to see that they are a RnR Hall of Fame member. I wasn't really on board with the first couple of songs. By the end I'll admit it had won me over. It's nothing amazing but I ended up enjoying In Rock. A couple long jams get a little redundant as they sound like they use the same drumlines over and over, but the guitar and keyboard work stands out at times and reels you in. Overall In Rock is a decent formula for a hard rock album. I don't plan to come back to In Rock or really venture further into Deep Purple but it was fine use of 40 minutes. 2.72 stars
Its not terrible but is drastically let down by just having much less concise songs.
It was alright
Understanding the era this came out during, I can appreciate that it was pioneering for its time (they were Led Zeppelin contemporaries), but compared to Zep there is just something missing. Comes off feeling loud for the sake of noise at times. It is totally fine music (the highs are great, the misses are big), there is just nothing to me that sets this apart from the music it inspired later on. It also leaves me feeling emotionally flat overall. - Intro is fine, up-tempo rock. It does have me tapping my foot... - A few of the songs are pretty annoying tbh - 'Child in Time' is quite the rock ballad. In a different mood I would really enjoy it. Annoying rock noise at the end though - Kinda reminds me of CCR mixed with Zep. The hard rock sound of Zep but the 'tight' rhythm of a CCR song
I can't believe they blew up mt rushmore for this. Rating Scale: 1 - Didn't Finish / Won't Listen Again 2 - Didn't Enjoy / Won't Listen Again 3 - Average / Enjoyable moments but probably won't listen again 4 - Enjoyable Album / Will listen again 5 - Excellent Album / Will frequently listen again
Traditional hard core rock. A little much for work background music
This was a weird one, because there were lots of bits here and there for me that I liked, but the sum of the parts didn't really land with me. I suspect it woulda been more impressive in its day. Some of it slaps, but in the end I added no songs because there were no whole songs I liked.
A roadmap for early heavy rock music
I liked it, I’m just not sure I’ll ever revisit it.
Awesome guitar tone, great vocals and just a cool rock sound. The organ was a little much and the super long run time of multiple songs was the down side for me. 3.5 rounded down for the organ solos.
Pretty fun!
Not bad!
You can hear the seeds of Machine Head here but they haven't grown fully yet.
Great classic rock
Is this referring to Prince? I wouldn't say he was a Rock Star.
It’s alright, well written but doesn’t grab me
Average rock
Leuke dingen gehoord
1st impressions sounds like if KISS could play guitar. 2nd impressions (halfway through the album) sounds like David Bowie. damn i didn't know Deep Purple were doing it like this. this was pretty good actually
Good classic rock. Some parts were a little basic 70s rock to give it really high marks but a good album
Not my favorite Deep Purple album, but enjoyed it well enough.
I liked it, but started to feel kinda same-y part way through.
Stabilt album, men de låtar som stack ut var de som jag hört tidigare
Hard organ
The guitar and groove were cool for me, the singing and overall sonic aesthetic didn't really do it for me.
Speed King always hits
I love the energy and the fuzzy, driving guitars! I don't love the organ. I'm relatively new to Deep Purple and really only know Machine Head, which checks all of my boxes. Deep Purple In Rock seem to trend more toward some of the tendencies of the 60's, while also attempting to move forward with their sound. As one might expect, there are growing pains, and the album suffers from a lack of truly great songs, but they're putting the pieces together and it's exciting how close they get on tracks like "Speed King".
A very nostalgic experience. I listened to this album in my childhood. This is some solid rock imo
Classic Rock
Ok
Just like yesterday: I like the music, I don't like the singing. The aah-aahs in Child in Time were especially jarring. But the music is incredible.
It's cool and fun. I can hear a lot of bands that came after this album drawing inspiration from it. Wolfmother in particular. 3.7/5
3.5 Ya know weirdly this project has given me a greater appreciation of Deep Purple. Before I just thought they were one of those “classic” classic rock bands with one big hit and everything kinda sounding the same. And, like, I’m not totally off but I LIKE the way they sound! That singer can wail! I like that it’s all a bit dramatic and indulgent, and the songs are often fun! And it’s under an hour!
It's ok. A cool classic rock album. I like better Machine Head though. I think they still need to mature musically here to achieve real songs. Sometimes I hear loud guitar solos and screaming out of place here. I think they evolved a lot by the album Machine Head. This album sometimes feel like a Jam session. Still, this one is really good. I'm just not so much into this kind of rock n roll. It's a 3.5 for me. The playing is really passionate and tight. I love that! But I don't see myself coming often to this album
It was fine. Unmemorable, but fine. Into The Fire and Living Wreck the highlights, but an hour after listening I probably couldn't tell you anything about them, either.
Pretty alright, a bit long and slow on occasion
first new album!! never heard before, pretty short and fun listen. wouldn’t necessarily call it my cup of tea for every situation but i can definitely see the appeal and would listen again
I mean, I can see why it was popular. 3/5
Cartoonish and over-the-top 70's ROCK and I don't hate it.
In trying to catch up on albums, I listened to the first few songs of this before the nick cave album about his dead kids that followed, then returned to the back half afterward. A dead kid sandwich, if you will. Anyway, in contrast to that extremely not fun or playful in any way album, I really appreciated these guys just rocking away without a care in the world. Just having fun out there. We’re never gonna die.
On the right day, im a Deep Purple guy. Some of these songs are pretty gnarly rockers. Bloodsucker and Fight of the rat are my favorites In general, Jon Lord’s keys are what makes this unique music to my ear. The backdrop of keys is clear and the solos are super funky. 2.5 stars are rounding up
I’m not sure there is a ton on here that I need to come back to - maybe Child in Time or Bloodsucker - but this was pretty damn fun. Big time Spinal Tap vibes from the hilarious cover art, to the gratuitous drum solo. I kind of love it.
Thick, grinding rock. I walked out of the room at one point while he was screaming over the top of full throttle rock; when I walked back in he was (still?) screaming. Like an over-cooked roast, it's hard work, but a meal nonetheless.
Reviews by way of errant thoughts: -I've liked Deep Purple from the ubiquitous Smoke on the Water to deep cuts like Lazy, but I think at this point in my life I've had enough of this sort of thing -If my dad had been a big fan of Deep Purple and seen them in a memorable concert instead of Grand Funk Railroad, would I like them more than GFR? -These guys seems kinda stuck halfway between bands like GFR/early Led Zep that were updating old genres like blues and folk in a hard rock format, and bands like Black Sabbath that were really pushing boundaries into heavy metal. I know these guys are also heavy metal-ish, but the organ just doesn't do it for me. -Maybe I just don't like organ in rock music. -Or maybe it just comes down to the fact that the songwriting just isn't as good. They're good musicians but the songs aren't really compelling. -All that said, the breakdowns are good, and are probably when they're at their best. I would be curious what this band would sound like if they had leaned more into the jam band or psychedelic aspects and less riff rock. -I guess if I had heard this album when I was 13 - or if I was alive when it came out - I bet it would rip. But me hearing it in my late 30s in 2025, that's a no from me dawg.
this is not spinal tap
Fairly typical classic rock. Definitely sounded way newer than 1970. Didn't like when it devolved into the cacophony of sound occasionally. Overall not bad. Got my toe tapping sometimes.
I'd give this some credit as at least a 3.5 rounded down. It's good, old fashioned rock music. It's just, unfortunately, also headache music, and frankly not Deep Purple at their best.
Deep Purple are one of those bands that helped define late 60's/early 70's heavy metal rock with music steeped and rooted in blues and hard rock and played with vigor, especially in the capable hands (and fingers) of guitars Ritchie Blackmore. I'm more familiar with a later album, Machine Head that yielded hits, Highway Star and the overplayed classic (?), Smoke On the Water, which every aspiring guitar player (forcefully) encountered at some point in their life. Deep Purple In Rock is a heavier and loud record and if you're a fan of overlong songs, expanded guitar noodling and unnecessarily drum solos this might appeal to you. Though there are only seven tracks, it got tiresome towards the end and felt longer than it is. While I wouldn't consider In Rock as Purple's essential record, it does rock hard and banging your head is essential for enjoyment.
Decent, fun. Does this album need to be in this list? It makes sense for their album Machine Head to be on this list, but not this album.
Hey, look. All my criticisms on all the very similar albums we’ve listened to still hold. But at least this had some more interesting songs and guitar playing on it. And the last few songs actually pulled this up to a 3.5 for me. But 3.5 is not 4. I hope now we get something different tomorrow. Let’s see…
Surprisingly a bit heavier than I anticipated (based solely on 'smoke on the water') and that's not a complaint. It was alright 70's era rock
A down the middle hard rock record. It was completely serviceable. Occasionally thrilling. 3/5
Kudos for being a pioneer of real rock, not something I’ll go to often tho.
I enjoyed this by thinking about it together with some of Black Sabbath's early stuff. While Black Sabbath shows us the blues rock to metal evolution, Deep Purple In Rock shows us the psychedelic rock to metal evolution. I'm not sure I actually like this album, but I'm.glad I've listened to it.
Interesting.
It's ok but I didn't find it super enjoyable.
No private session used for Spotify. I have never sat and listened to a Deep Purple album before, now I have and it what I expected. Rock igniting Heavy Metal, the heavy metal organ never really took off, but I'm good with that.
I like the riff rock, I dislike the prog rock. Only the strongest neutral feelings.
Drums on end of flight if the rat were epic. Some of it I zoned out but some was good.
I can hear the influence on other artists, I just happen to like them more. 3/5
Best appreciated leaning against a Trans Am, drinking Miller High Life.
3 - not as easy of a listen or as captivating as their more iconic work but filled with great riffs and interesting concepts that show a bit more experimentation than a more popular side of rock that they delve into on other records
3.3 stars rounded down
Dad rock dad rock dad rock dad rock
Some nice grooves here. This gets closer to classic Zeppelin than I would have guessed. I don't have a lot of time for '70s hard rock, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. This is an -exceptionally- heavy album for coming out in 1970.
7.2
classic rock
Never listed to Deep Purple before this project. I love Machine Head. This album doesn't grab me in the same way. But three stars to any band who knows what it wants to sound like and goes for it heart and soul. No pretense or affectation anywhere around these guys.
6.5/10
lol this album cover looks like I photoshopped it. But the music is some decently fun hard rock. They have some good jam chops. Speed king is cool. Child in Time is cool. like some proto boston/prog stuff. Not as technical or honestly in my wheelhouse but more interesting than I'd expect from this group which has some classic dad rock singles.
Feel like I’m being hit over the head with a guitar by someone’s younger brother. Like the playing but there’s no substitute for decent songwriting.
deep purple is one those bands I've heard about but never actually gave them a try but I like what's going on. the opener 'Speed King' is a great start with some incredible bass playing and 'Bloodsucker' is great too which I was surprised at with only 80k streams on Spotify. Hendrix-esque riffs combined with hard rock screaming makes a great sound. 'Child In Time' is the real standout here with its growing intensity for roughly 3 minutes until it kicks in with another great Hendrix-esque riff and at times Bowie-like singing. However the album did fail to keep my attention at parts, with some tracks blending into one another due to the formulaic nature of their songs. 6.5/10 Would re-listen Top tracks -> Speed King -> Child in Time
Not available. Womp womp
They're good at what they do. Fun if a bit rough
Respect but before my time.
I was really digging it at first but then seemed to plateau. Not their best album but you can tell the foundations are there for much better work.
Definitely know Deep Purple, never really listened to a full album of theirs. Interested to see what they sound like. Pretty cool. Pretty out there rock n roll.
I like the pace of this album, but could do without the screetchy parts
favorite songs: speed king, child in time, flight of the rat
Heavier band than I initially remember, they got that dog in them, intro song to the album really sets the tone from the start. 7.4/10.
Thought it was going got be more standard classic rock but was a bit more interesting, child in time my hilight
great blues rock, might actually get that one
Oooh early metal! As someone who likes metal but never really understood it's classic era, I'm always excited to learn more about this stuff. But this one is more a historical curiosity the anything that gets me really going. Several of these songs have stuff going for them, but they never come together quite right. The end effect is that I was a bit bored. 2.5 stars rounded up because of historical import.
I was just kind of ... meh during this album. Nothing that was really thrilling for me.
not my favorite - not super big into hair metal.. cool it was so influential on that genre though.
This is a 3.5 for me. Much better than anticipated.
positively surprised
Até que eu achei bom. Se eu vivesse na época, acharia o maior barato. Mas hoje eu ouvindo, foi legal de se ouvir. Gostei de Child In Time, Into The Fire e Hard Lovin' Man. No começo tava dando nada, mas no final ficou bem legal.
Meh not my fav
Deep Purple is pretty much quintessential 70's hard rock. There aren't any standout tracks here IMO, but it is an okay listen. Sort of generic, but not bad.
i saw this was the pick today and thought "oh god not another heavy metal album..." but it actually wasn't too bad! idk if i would even really call it heavy metal, certainly not in the same way as 80s or 90s metal, although you can see the origins of that sound in this music as well. but i think i liked it more because 1) there was rock screaming, but not actual screaming like on Roots or In Utero and 2) the sound and energy was more balanced with some breaks/lulls compared to the full hour of balls to the wall insanity of Appetite for Destruction. i still think that the songs were about 2-3 minutes too long and i started to get a bit bored toward the end of the album but this was still miles better than what i expected at the onset
Voor: Oké, cool. Ik vind Child In Time een absoluut verschrikkelijk kutnummer, maar misschien is de rest van dit album wel goed. Na: Oké, wijs album I guess. Machine Head is veel beter, maar hier staan er ook wel nog wijze nummers op. 3.4
Not bad, pretty much on par with many early 70’s rock bands. Not my favorite sound but I get why people like it
Not bad, but nothing super exciting or original. Much like many albums on this list.
This is the most like... medieval a rock album can sound? It def gives the vibe of being from the early 1970's, as the effect pedals and the synth are super limited for the time, but they did do well for what they had on hands. Probably the most "above-average" album i've ever heard lmaooooo Fav Song: Child in Time
Really amazing music with amazing drum parts, an amazing piano solo in Speed King and just music that rocks. Favourite - Speed King
It's OK. Early hair metal. Not my favorite Deep Purple, but not bad/
Good
Not bad, third song was decent but the first two haven’t aged amazingly
I never did get into the bands like Deep Purple and Blue Oyster Cult and Iron Maiden, etc. Not to say I dislike them, they were just never my thing. This album falls into that pretty well. It serves a very important place in the landscape of music, but I just don’t see me listening to it again. It definitely does rock though.
I’m not currently in my early heavy metal bag but I can see the influence of this record and the quality of the music. Lots of very interesting interludes throughout the record!
Są dobre momenty, ale całość jest dla mnie przekombinowana i przekrzyczana. Plus za solówki gitarowe i ogólny kunszt instrumentalny. Wiem, że dla niektórych to czysty geniusz i sztuka. Dla mnie? Nie moja bajka. 6/10
Prog rock, but harder
I don't feel any pull toward listening to this again.
Starting the record off with dueling guitar/keyboard certainly gets my attention.
3.25
I like how they incorporated some jazz elements into the album. I would return to this album.
Probably don't rate it as much as I did back in the day, but still goes alright.
Fav: Child In Time Least Fav: Bloodsucker Only knew Speed King from this album, but Child In Time is the real highlight. The rest is decent enough, but I fear I may have forgotten about it by next week
Rough and rowdy heavy metal. The music is loud, fun, sometimes cheesy and occasionally a bit much for me. But there are moments of brilliance, especially in some of these lengthy jams and solos. Deep Purple were clearly a great live band and they capture that fun in the studio too. Looking back at past 1001 albums, we listened to a live Deep Purple album a while back that I liked a little more than this.
Solid classic rock, with particularly good energy. "Child in Time" is the standout track here, and one of Deep Purple's best. One thing I particularly like is that there is a lot of confidence in this band and performances. Sometimes I'll hear some cocky classic rock band and funny enough I feel like I can tell when a guitarist doesn't feel super confident in his playing; maybe their notes lag ever so slightly behind, maybe there's some tentativeness in the plucking. But here, like in the solo on "Child in Time" and specifically at 5:47- there is some real genuine confidence and it makes for a really wicked listening experience. The distinctly different section that comes immediately after is also really excellent. Of course, this album doesn't really come close to "Machine Head", and if that album is a 4 then it's hard for me to rate this higher than a 3. Still an enjoyable listen though.
This feels like pretty standard rock. I don’t really understand the cultural significance of this album for it to make this list- I could hardly even find it on the artist’s (who I’ve never heard of) account, much less the search bar. It was tolerable though, I kind of liked it. Child of Time was good. I’ll give it a high 3 stars.
Ok
Never listened to a Deep Purple beyond Smoke on the Water and Space Truckin'. Much more fun than I expected.
Was good (dated) rock n roll.
you can hear a lot of bands musical stylings and signature sounds while listening to this album, but in my opinion they just do it a little bit better.
Better than most rock or hard rock I’ve heard. Child in Time is kind of a banger.
This is classic Abhi in music league. I don’t think it’s my go to for what I’d listen to but it’s clearly well done and pretty good
6/10 - It sounded like rock music. It was decent for the gym but I did not love the sound
Better than I expected
Not dad rock in general but MY dad rock specifically. Brings me back to rocking out to whatever CD he had in the car driving to school, or whatever he was vibing to on his iPod Classic once he got one of those (he uses it every day!) A fun 45 minutes, not something that I would go back to personally, there’s other prog that I like better.
3.5
Enjoyed
Jam bandy groovy guitar focused riffs. It's alright.
I can't help but be impressed by this balls to the wall album. It seems ahead of its time for 1970, and I'm curious to hear what their earlier stuff sounded like. Great drumming. I enjoyed the wah-wah interlude on "Flight of the Rat" among many various other cool moments. 3.5
Great riff rock. I enjoyed the drumming a lot.
This is the first one I’ve never heard before! In fact I’m not sure I know anything from Deep Purple except the opening to Smoke on the Water… I think that’s them? So after listening to it I am whelmed. I can understand the energy and the musicianship on display, and this must have been a very compelling album when it came out in the context of its era. Listening to it in 2024, it’s good, but perhaps too influential because I feel like I’ve heard all of it before.
The Good: Using Mt Rushmore to push through the ROCK aspect! The Bad: this rock is too hard… The Ugly: the blood-soaked bandages caused by the headbanging… Blackmore is an insanely good guitarist, Gillan knows how to belt out a scream, Glover and Paice keep the groove and Lord is doing the organ thing… it is all very impressive for the period of time. There are people out there whom will swear by this, put the album on an altar, while ceremoniesly sacrificing a goat, or maybe a joint… Me, I can listen to it only so long before the music starts effecting my nervous system… Child In Time is a lovely tune, and overly used media, but WAY TOO LONG, and that is how the album feels to me… 3*
No single song stood out, but I like the sound of the entire album. The guitar is really good.
Deep Purple In Rock is a nice slap to the face and gives you a glimpse into what was really the start of the metal scene in the early 70s. Punchy and raspy vocals and the face melting guitar riffs make for a fun ride. Best: Into the Fire Worst: Flight of the Rat
More dad rock, but an extra point for Jon Lord’s moustache
Fun listen, had a good time. Child in Time a fav, obvious pick tho cause it looks like their most popular song off this album. Probably a 3.5 but closer to a 3 than a 4, so
I like Deep Purple and even a couple of the bands spin off groups are in my worth listening to pile. I find that they are among the defining groups of a genre and an era. 70's rock, pure and simple. I struggle a bit now, however, with where they fit today. They are exactly like those 80's bands I struggle with because they still remain SO 80's. Like maybe nostalgia or some themed party or? It isn't all bad, if one is in the mood for 70's rock or just likes the genre in general than sure. I just was surprised that I felt like they were kind of dated for some reason...
With virtuosic instrumentation and heavy distortion, Deep Purple In Rock is an essential album in the creation of Heavy Metal. Not quite as streamlined and memorable as their seminal Machine Head a few years later, this record still has a lot to offer, including the epic Child In Time - with its slowly building structure and iconic falsetto vocals propelling the song into legendary status. However, occasionally throughout the album Ian Gillan's vocal stylings can be a bit grating, with his shrieks and howls bordering on excessive. Meanwhile, Ritchie Blackmore's skillful bluesy guitar playing in conjunction with Jon's Lord's heavy organ give the band their distinctive sound. While not the best of their career, this is a solid record that gives a glimpse into what the band would become. Highlights: -Speed King -Child In Time -Into The Fire Lowlights: -Flight of the Rat -Living Wreck
3.5 rounded down ROCKIN NUUUUUUUTTZZZZ highlights: speed king, child in time, flight of the rat (mar 18 2026)
Not a huge Deep Purple guy. The playing is tight but something about them rub me the wrong way. Vocalist definitely seems to have inspired David Lee Roth - very similar style!
Deep 70s classic rock.
Classic ROCK, but not much more than that.
Classic, OK.
It was alright, but blended a bit eventually
I enjoyed it, but there are other Deep Purple records I prefer.
It's an OK album. Pretty confident as a debut, but not as polished or fun as some of my favorites by them. Child of Time is a good song and the build up throughout has a nice payoff, but my favorite here is probably Flight of the Rat, I liked the drum solo at the end. A pure rock and roll band, solid listen but nothing very stand out for me. I'm sure this hit differently in 1970.
A modern update of the classic South American/European tango as filtered through modern electronic production techniques. Interesting, from a technical point of view but loses its emotional impact the longer the album goes on. My favorite track: "Triptico"
I gave my previously generated Deep Purple album a 5, so I think my expectations were a little let down by this one. It was decent, but I really hated the weird bass-y synths. I can’t get past em.
Child in Time was the only notable song for me, rest of the album was enjoyable, although I could never see myself returning to this, although it is pretty groovy. Low 3
Track reviews: 1. Speed King - Great song (jojolion reference?!?!) / 2. Bloodsucker - Pretty good / 3. Child in Time - I appreciate it for what it is and for the album but I don't care for it too much / 4. Flight of the Rat - not very good / 5. Into the Fire - it's okay / 6. Living Wreck - okay / 7. Hard Lovin' Man - not good / I listened to this twice to get a feel for it. 2.5, but I'll give it the bump to 3 ig. I'm not sure about sound quality, but you should listen to the original version because in the remaster they add this yap to the start of speed king for the album but it isn't part of the song and is clashing.
If someone wanted an archetype example of a hard rock album from the 70s then look no further. I mean there’s even a drum solo! Not my bag at all, but clearly delivers for a certain listener.
Didn’t love the start but by the middle it warmed up. There were some songs like Child In Time that had parts I loved but were overall too long. Other parts got too screechy and noisy for my tastes, but it seems like that’s par for the genre. Last song was really good. Favorite song was: 7. Hard Loving Man 6/10
Uh, tough one. Ne znam šta bih rekla, ne volim ih baš. Instrumentalni dijelovi mi dobro zvuče i imala sam mali rollercoaster kroz album gdje su mi neki dijelovi wow i onda mi se drugo ne sviđa uopće. Nakon nekog vremena sam skužila da je to većinom zbog vokala, jednostavno mi ne paše ni za uho ni za glazbu koju sviraju. Znala sam, naravno dosta stvari s albuma, ali ga nisam nikad poslušala u cjelosti. Pošto nisam njihov fan i ne znam puno, nekako mi se čini da su htjeli biti Pink Floyd, a završili skoro kao ono, AC/DC djir. Vjerujem da bi mi raniji albumi možda bolje sjeli, ne znam, ovaj heavy metal rock djir ne mogu baš više uživati, uz rijetke izuzetke. Ima tu puno legendarnih pjesama, daleko od toga. One orgulje u Dijete u Vremenu baš izuvaju iz cipela. Jam Stew instrumental mi je vrhunska. All in all, bit će to 3/5 ili 6.5/10.
Shreddy shreddy shreddy byeowwww
A fine album, with some gorgeous songs on here. Unexpectedly sexy and soulful too.
Heavy riffs, screeching vocals and keyboards and organs. I do not mind 7 to 10 minute tracks however this is an album of long tracks. Sounds like they were having to much fun in the studio, I would class this as a more sit down and savour rather than a casual listen. Overall solid work. Stand out tracks: - Bloodsucker - Child in time - Into the fire
its pretty good
🎧Sick album cover. Music sounds exactly as you would expect from looking at it.
Well, that's another Deep Purple album behind us now (only one more to go). :) I actually think this album is better in some ways than "Machine Head", at least in terms of consistency across the album, but it doesn't have anything to compare with "Smoke on the water", and it doesn't have the bizarre production storyline, and it has waaay too much noodling. But it's brief, I'll say that.
Super okay. No notes.
Maybe it can grow on my eventually but my first impression is that I might not really enjoy it much
Hippie rock. Just barely a 3 for me.
Like it 3/5
Machine Head is a better album.
My kinda music.
You either are a huge fan of Deep Purple or you ain't. I ain't.
I have only hears one or two songs from Deep Purple before and I have to say this was ride. I like 70s and 80s rock but a lot of albums from this era were very experimental and this one is no exception. The guitar feels very familiar but the singing (if you can call it that) and the long keyboard parts is something I didn't expect from this band. After all that said, the album was a nice listen and a fun ride from start to finish.
If you love 70’s psychedelic stuff, you’ll love this
This is what the cool kids in 1970 were listening to, huh?
Great album, lots of awesome heavy riffs mixed with interesting chord progressions to give a little something for everyone. Ambitious keyboard + guitar work, and what's not to love listening to the OG Jesus Christ Superstar wailing away? 3⭐️
Good classic rock
Screeching guitars galore. This is where it all began – the album that laid the foundations of hard rock. While undeniably iconic, I personally prefer the more polished evolution of the genre of the raw sound of this album. Give me Def Leppard or Whitesnake any day!
No stand out.
Again, Deep Purple surprised me. Nice album.
War noch nie Fan von ewig langen Gittarensoli, Drums haben aber geniale Beats. 3.5 Sterne, in dem Fall abgerundet auf 3 Hard Lovin' Man: Was ein gepiepe 1/10 Highlight: Child in Time
Good album. Starts with a melody and then bang!
Great album. I giggled a lot thinking of my dad listening to this, he wouldn't have liked the screaming.
This is pretty much a league-average early 70s rock CD. But there was just a ton of great music being made back then, the average product is pretty good. Purple have a pretty good singer (he's more enthusiastic than virtuosic - boy can that guy scream) but they get most of their highlights from some really great performances from Blackmore and whoever the organist is. You get a taste of that right on the first track, when the real hook (coming just a minute or so in) is an extended instrumental between those two. Aside from those two's instrumentals, it's pretty by-the-numbers heavy riffs (although Blackmore's riffs are solid) and thumping drums and bass. What it's not is catchy - in part because vocals are not emphasized, there aren't a ton of great hooks. Even the standout track, "Child In Time", is substantially Blackmore solos. Which is great, I love Blackmore's style, but it doesn't make for as good an active listen. Still a quality CD.
Liked it marginally more than the other Deep Purple one. Funny cover too. It’s not real though