Machine Head

Heavy metal is not really my thing but I was hopping to be surprised here but I got what I expected, disappointment. There was nothing new or interesting on this album except maybe for the distorted organs on Lazy. Don't even start with it was ahead of it's time. Music from the late 60s / early 70s was a golden age of experimentation and all I got was this blasé, generic, uninspired album. Somehow this album was borderline on being so laid back and meandering it might as well be a Grateful Dead album. It just needed more direction, vision, organization, something, anything to be on par with even with it’s contemporaries. There are hits of great things in this album like the layering and the occasional bass line. That and Lazy are the only saving grace on this whole album 2/5.

This came out in the spring of my junior year in high school. Smoke on the Water was a Top 5 hit on AM radio, so when this came up today it made me wonder why it wasn’t in our rotation for when we played cards. After listening to it I know why. Pretty lame playing, horrible lyrics, and beyond the riffs the songs weren’t great. Even SOTW, while it has the iconic guitar riff, is a fairly plodding song for a rock anthem. Sadly, this is the first of three albums by this group we will have. Three albums????

Pas mal. Smoke on the water c'est surcôté. Par contre lazy est très sympa.

3.5

Very fun with some extremely high highs … and then a bit of meh filler. Overall really enjoyed it 4

It was clearly influential. Iconic blues/rock sound. Nothing groundbreaking contemporarily, but clearly for the time, it was excellent

The majority of the album is held up by the classic that is Smoke on the Water.

The cover does not give off encouraging vibes, man and it is with a sigh I press play on the latest installment. And immediately my preconceptions are blown away as the energy rush leaps out of the speakers. This sounds great. If it ended at about the two minute mark before that organ solo kicked in... If. But it didn't. Instead what sounds like something clown in a cape from a parody movie noodles away for an eternity (probably about way less than a minute but it feels like a lifetime). The song comes back and just when I'm hoping it might get back on track, the guitarist picks up the gauntlet the organ player put down for the dullest soloing ever and challenges him all the way. The next few songs plod on in away that I'm sure conasouirs of the genre might enjoy but to me is just dull. Then, like a beast of an ocean liner, Smoke glides into on one of the great riffs. This moment could flip this thing around. Most people know the story behind the song but the joys of a riff like that is being to busy playing air guitar while going ner ner ner, ner ner ni-ner to pay any attention. Unfortunately, a side effect of doing this thing is digging a little deeper and I make the istake of looking at the lyrics which read like 10 year Old's "My News" story. Worse is yet to come because either the beauty of the riff or the boringness of that 10 year Old's story about a fire has annoyed the organ player and they've decided on the next so g to make everyone get a migraine. Thankfully there is only one song left and it is called Space Truckin'... and while, I'd have previously thought NO ONE can fuck up a song called Space Truckin', these guys make me actually worry. In the end, I don't what is more surprising, that ultimately they don't or that coming up to the 3 minute mark, how hard they try to! Final thoughts is that the pluses of the first few minutes of the Highway Star, the riff of Smoke or the almost glorious stupidity of Space Truckin' are heavily counter balanced by a lot of drudgery... But to give the good bits some credit, the take a previously nailed on 1 and elevate it to a VERY VERY generous 2/5

Really stupid lyrically but just very cool.

I find this kinda sound quite boring.

highway star: cool guitars sounds, and that solo goes crazy. update further into the song: second solo also goes crazy! great album opener maybe I'm a leo: not for me even though I am, indeed, a leo pictures of home: this is a banger, the melodies take you elsewhere. the organ then bass solo is the coolest thing i've heard so far never before: the guitars harmonising with ian gillan's voice in the bridge were angelic, otherwise the song is alright smoke on the water: this song gives me guitar lessons ptsd but it is a great one isn't it? my bass enhancing headphones made me listen to it from an entirely new perspective lazy: i don't usually enjoy heavily instrumental stuff so this was a tad long for me but that intro, wow! very rhythm & blues, i liked it space truckin': the main guitar riff is amazing but the drums really make the track. I will always enjoy songs about space when a blind man cries: it's fine overall: enjoyable experience while my flight was delayed at berlin airport. i loved the organ/piano solos. in the end it's dad rock so i can appreciate it for what it is but ultimately not my style of music

3.5 - cool hard rock/proto metal. More “wow this is really influential” than something I’ll go back to all the time, but still a fun listen.

yes

Other than smoke on the water I felt kind of meh about this one

Love early metal like this.

¿Y si dijera que Smoke On The Water está un poco sobrevalorada y que aun asi es la mejor canción del disco? No está mal, muy rockerito muy de su epoca, pero tampoco me ha dicho nada.

This is like a mix between Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Super dad rock vibe

Classic album. Influential on metal but I’d call it a “heavy rock” album, but would rate it among best of genre. Highway Star is still a banger and one of my favorite driving songs. Smoke on the Water is a great song even if it doesn’t have the lasting power of others. The deep tracks are what really makes this album great. I’m always happy when Lazy comes on random play.

While Smoke on the Water is a genuinely fun song, with a very cool use of storytelling to put forth a sick, legendary riff, (that's been so played that it's genuinely morphed into a guitar meme at this point...) the rest of the album feels very cut and dry 70s heavy-ish, faster tempo'd rock. Heavy Metal? I mean it's part of the foundation of it, but you can look at Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin as more realistic influences for heavy metal's earliest beginnings. With that in mind, I think this is fine to have on here. I have no complaints, as it comes in at around 30 minutes and never really lets off the gas pedal. It starts great, it has a great hit on it and it wraps up really well. A good album...not something I would rush to have people listen to before they die, though...somewhere around 6-7/10...not quite that 4 star mark

not a fan of the style but respect it nonetheless

Meh, another rock album.

Gillan, Blackmore, Lord, Glover, Paice. You don't come across many lineups better than that.

I haven't listened to much Deep Purple outside their big hits. This was a pretty good album, very enjoyable. I'll say 3.5 rounding down to 3 because I won't likely come back to this

I enjoyed myself, but I'm not sure how much. I knew Smoke on the Water, obviously, and the rest of the songs were alright.

Solid seventies rock

Some good songs but mostly just classic rock

Actually fucking awesome

Such a head banger. The rock musicianship is second to none throughout and the energy the band create is amazing. I do think it's an album of huge standouts - Highway Star & Smoke On The Water are the obvious standouts, and whilst there's not a bad track on the record a few of them don’t have the same lasting impact as others. 8/10.

Fun to hear again and some iconic tunes.

So much fun to listen to!! Almost a precursor to power metal with highway star. Synth solos always tempt me with a bonus point. Oddly, smoke on the water almost ruins an album that was otherwise pushing boundaries. An absolute classic

c'était moins pire que ce que j'attendais

Heavy Rock at its finest. Great organ work. Phnar Phnar.

smoke in the water banger! c

I always liked the driving rhythm and organ crunches of Deep Purple, they stand out above a number of their peers from this era. Cool band, good albums.

1972 - 6th studio album - British hard rock/heavy metal - contemporaries zep, floyd, and sabbath - most commercially successful album and charted for over 2 yrs; band felt their studio albums didn't sound as good as their live performances & wanted to record on a stage. I did NOT want to listen to this, ugh. "Smoke on the Water," I get it, I don't need any more Deep Purple. One song is enough. But "Highway Star" was SO good? Like, SO good? And then I was just on my little journey. I get it. Ritchie Blackmore is insane, the riffs are so captivating. And the buzzy, distorted tone of the guitar is singular. Drumming also caught my ear, Ian Paice is DOING THINGS. There wasn't a track I didn't actively enjoy. I cannot believe I can easily rate this a 5.

This is really not for me. Just feels like really basic rock music with a cool solo every now and then. All the songs sound the same so it just drags on for ages. At least it’s a short album so it’s bearable. This album would fit the mood of cracking some beers with the boys which I’m sure was its main purpose when it released, so it has some value there. Pictures of Home was the best one, I quite like the solos. None of the other songs really stuck out to me. Quite a shame because these guys are quite highly regarded in terms of rock music.

They did that one thing (Smoke on the Water) and that’s not enough to make up for how boring this is.

It was good but I don't feel strongly about it

peak boomer rock

Those are some pretty sick solo's ngl

Metal was at its best when it still had one leg in the psychedelic blues that had spawned it. There's a sense of grandeur without one instrument to taking up all the space. A true jam was never far off. It's got smoke on the water, highway star and space trucking, excellent guitar legend material. Not everything is as inspired but all of it will make your car ride much more fun.

Deep purple is not a band that really wows me in any way. Like I get that they're influential, but to me, this is just a drop in the ocean of dad rock. Obviously I know smoke on the water. But everything else sounds exactly like how I expect. I suppose, in a technical sense. This is a good album. I mean, it was obviously very influential for its time. But for me, listening in the modern day, I just don't have any sort of connection with this at all. Fav Track: Smoke On The Water

Está "Smoke on the water" y es un álbum seminal del heavy metal y el rock duro. Hoy en día no suena tan impactante, pero el mérito no se le puede quitar.

Glorious metallic blues. DP set out to capture the sound and energy of their live set with Machine Head and I would say they did so in spades. Lord's loud Hammond organ and Paice's tight drums compliment Blackmore's powerful, competent guitar; Gillan's vocal work is excellent, ranging from sultry growls to powerful rock shouts. A brilliant effort. Key tracks: "Smoke on the Water," "Lazy," "Space Truckin'"

Just a perfect rock album. It’s amazing that Smoke on the Water, being their biggest hit is not even close to the best song on here. These guys and Blue Oyster Cult had the heavy rock formula down on the seventies.

Amazing album the hits are cherry on top even without the known songs this would be a work of art

6+ / 10

Great High energy start to this album with Highway Star! Smoke on the Water is ok, simple but memorable. Space Truckin was fun as well. Overall an interesting album.

"If you're leaving, close the door..." - When a Blind Man Cries is an absolute masterpiece, not to mention Smoke on the Water, as one of the most recognisible tunes of the hard-rock genre ❣️

Masterpiece

Cooles Album

gut zu hören, mehr nicht

One Hit Wonder

I have realized that I am a Deep Purple fan. Thanks!

Classic album, a mainstay of 1970's classic rock. Smoke on the Water, etc. I'm not a huge Deep Purple fan, but appreciate them for what they are.

I get it, I respect it, and I also dislike basically every song.

Something I've been realizing about my taste in hard rock is that the sillier it is, the higher chance I'll like it. Deep Purple aren't exactly silly, but they don't take themselves super seriously, and that makes me like them a lot more. It's hard for me to dislike an album where one of the songs is about driving a truck through the solar system. Combine that with the fact that the band combines this with some genuinely excellent guitar work, particularly in the solos, and you're in for a great time. If there's one minor nitpick I have, it's that I think the production wasn't as heavy as it could have been, which ended up really limiting this album's sound. Still, the songs at the core were fun enough that I can't complain.

Some pretty insane guitar work throughout the album; the impact of SMOTW probably pushes it just close enough to 4 that I'll round up.

Great guitar riffs and memorable lyrics, earworms throughout the majority of this album. Almost got a 5.

Overall decent album, very motown (if that’s the correct terminology) and classic 70s rock. Not that into it, but enjoyable.

*Great fuzzy guitars and solid 80's rock sound

Not a fan of this genre, so it was a miss for me.

A fine mix of classic metal, hard rockin' blues and the greatest riff of all time. 4/5

It’s not bad I like space trucking probably better than smoke on the water 😂

Un mélange de les zeppelin et de black sabbath. Des solos incroyables, de clavier entre autre. Les riffs sont délicieux

Just a really good album by a really good band.

Amazing album, an all time classic. I love the blues/prog vibes this album carries.

macht Bock!

What a cool album. I had never heard of her before and this was a good listening experience! Will go back to this one

Super solid, blackmore solos are fabulous, the band has their own unique sound somewhere in the blue hard rock metal sphere. I'd heard these all before but been a while since I revisited the ones that weren't singles

7/10

liked it

One of the great classic albums of all time

Harder rock than I care for. The classic Smoke on the Water is a partial redemption.

Another one of the Godfathers of heavy metal. Dare I say I actually liked this more than most of the early Sabbath I've heard? Of course there's the iconic opening riff to "Smoke On the Water". "Space Truckin'" may be the dumbest song I've ever heard, and I loved it. Really fun album

Interesting how this was my final album as opposed to the Beatles album we had just before. Also fitting that its an album I used to hear my dad play on vinyl when I was a kid. It's classic rock, but iconic enough to be a cut above the rest. I only knew Highway Star (thanks Rock Band!) and Smoke on the Water, and truthfully its all I'm going to remember from this album moving forward. I'd still place it as an enjoyable listen, despite it venturing into psychadelic rock too much for my liking (Lazy is horrible). You get your fill of guitar solos, drum solos, and tons of meandering lyrics. Its a reflection of the times and where this kind of music was at, so its unfair to knock it too much for those reasons. If you like classic rock, you'll surely find something you enjoy here. As I sit back and ponder this list, I have to say it was overall a good experience and I'm glad I partook in the entire thing. Most of the entries were pretty moderate listens, and really if anything, it reinforces how much our individual tastes color our opinions, certainly for something like "1001 albums you must hear before you die." I think it would be impossible to keep your personal taste out of it. Honestly, you could've kept it at a lean 500 and you probably would've still had some filler. If there is one thing I am thankful for, I got to revisit a lot of memories from my youth through the varied selection of music. My dad playing classic rock albums on the basement stereo, my brother blasting 90's grunge through the bedroom wall, to my own memories discovering music as an adolescent (though the list was a bit lacking here). It really was a trip down memory lane, and I sat through so many albums I'd heard before, but never really listened to, if that makes sense. It definitely opened my eyes to a lot of genres I'd never thought to give a chance, and for that I'm grateful.

🚨Final album alert🚨 Machine Head is a groovy rock album with shredding guitar solos and iconic hits. Even most of the non singles were enjoyable. They should have toured with Boston. That combo would have been perfect. It’s also pretty fun that the last song I’ll hear as a part of this experience is “Space Truckin”. Sure why the hell not Driving home, listening to “Highway Star”, reflecting on this journey and I can say I’m glad I did it. While this list is deeply flawed it has introduced me to some incredible artists/albums I probably wouldn’t have found on my own. Still, I can’t help but feel like the initial idea sounded good on paper but was too daunting for the author once he started. British classic rock. Pick any of those 3 words and that’s the backbone of the whole damn list. Machine Head is a very good album but we also got 2 other much less good Deep Purple albums earlier on this list. With how much music exists out there did we really need 3 Deep Purple albums? The Smoke on the Water band? This list is a lot like a double album (which as I’ve learned from this list… I mostly dislike). There’s a 5 star project in there but there’s so much bloat and indulgence that it weighs the whole experience down to a 3 star. But overall… not bad and actually totally worth it! Slow walkin Walter. The fire engine guy

Yeah this is great no complaints and it had enough variety throughout.

Deep Purple are such an interesting case of a band when it comes to popularity. "Smoke On The Water" is such a hugely famous track that I bet if you asked a bunch of random non-rock fans if they knew the song they would say "yes" but they wouldn't know the name of the band that wrote it. Meanwhile, Deep Purple have written some really solid tunes outside of just that one, and we are lucky to get their arguably second best song on this record as well. "Highway Star" is a classic rock staple. It's got incredibly impressive musicianship throughout, it's got great energy, it rips, and it's got a seriously strong memorable hook with. I couldn't imagine being a teenager in the 70's and hearing this song as the first track on this album. I would have called every radio station on earth and begged them to play it over and over while I sped around town. "Smoke on the Water" is famously one of the most learned riffs of all time... maybe even considered mandatory for rock guitarists, or guitarists in general. It's perfect in its simplicity, it's amazingly catchy, and it's hard rockin'. There's really not much else to add or remove from it. It's simply a perfect rock and roll riff. And amazingly, the rest of the track supports it wonderfully and doesn't hurt it in any way. It it's really a 5/5 album for me. It has the most famous rock guitar riff ever, it's got a huge classic rock staple in "Highway Star", and the rest of the album doesn't have any weak points. It's not a "good" album that has two standout tracks. It's a great album that has two of the best classic rock songs ever written.

Some good and wholesome jammy rock that doesn't overstep itself. Infinitely more bearable than the live album, and I'm gonna choose to rate this without the context of Made In Japan. Same as before, the virtuosity shines through on the individual instrumental performances, except this time without 30 minutes of added fluff. The concision is appreciated. This album is Dad Rock personified, a nice album to throw on while changing your oil or spark plugs. Still, ultimately nothing to write home about. Enjoyable nonetheless. 7/10, a high 3 for me, but I'm not quite ready to award the full 4 stars here. Favorites: - Highway Star - Maybe I'm a Leo - Smoke on the Water - Space Truckin'

I’ve heard most of this album from the awful Deep Purple live album earlier in this project. This was a better experience and still a good album but my experience was tainted due to the live album preceding this one.

Good

I liked this a lot better than their other album on here. They toned down the screeching and pumped up the jams and riffs. Solid album. Likes: Highway Star; Pictures of Home; Smoke on the Water

Smoke on the Water is such a classic track, and thankfully one I really like. The whole album is pretty decent, even if it’s not really my thing. Solid 3, but if I liked Classic Rock more I could certainly imagine this would score higher.

Deep Purple are never as heavy as I expect them to be and I always enjoy it more than I expect

Actually really like deep purple their stuff is so cool

Definitely one of Deep Purple's best albums. This is one of the albums that defined hard rock! Ritchie Blackmore is amazing! One of the greatest albums of all time!

Deep Purple have this weird effect in me. I really dig them when I listen to them. The organ particularly. And then, as the album goes on and maybe I go and listen to something else, my desire to listen to them again fades very, very quickly. I'm still in the "digging it" phase as I write this, so better log in the 4/5 before I change my mind.

Essential. 5/5.

Three rock classics ["Highway Star," "Lazy," and "Smoke"] with a stretch of obvious filler in between. The strength of the highlights makes the album worthwhile, but my rating is solely based on the record's influence, and not on its continued listenability. I am curious to listen to more of their discography because I was expecting to like this more.

I don’t usually notice/appreciate guitar work, but this was impressive!

Principal: [Deep Purple], what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent [album] were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

muy bueno. me sirve haberlo escuchado antes de que vengan en noviembre (tendré ue ir cueste lo que cueste)

Meat and potatoes classic rock. Important, fine to listen to.

Pues me lo esperaba peor. Cuando empecé a escuchar rock esto era bastante reciente y no me pareció nada atractivo, ya sonaba un poco viejo. Pero ahora le encontré un valor más antropológico…🤷🏻‍♂️…me gustó más que el de led zeppelin

High energy and serenity. What else do you need?

C'est du rock psychedic en effet. Ils sont bien dans le thème. Ba écoute, pour travailler, ca va. Je "don't feel it" la musique mais bon je peux comprendre pourquoi les gens peuvent aimer. Bon après entre les autres groupes de rock, je ne vois pas trop comment ils se différencient. J'essaie de comprendre a quel point c'est culte mais je n'y arrive pas. Ok enfaite le smoke on the water est tres cool. En effet, cette chanson est culte. Je jouais a lapin cretin sur la wii et y avait cette musique.

Best Deep Purple album out there.

I used to own this album on CD. I would listen to it on the bus with my friends going to and from school.

This is basically the epitome of classic rock. Even outside of smoke on the water. This is just a great rock album