Machine Head

Oh my god please stop giving me shit old dad rock.

One of the giants of rock and the album that out them there. The legendary first chords learned by a generation of guitar players was the opening riff from the rock anthem Smoke On The Water. Richie Blackmore's guitar icon status aside, the secret sauce of Machine Head is Jon Lord's revolutionary sound design created by piping his Hammond organ through a Marshall amplifier, giving Deep Purple a key component of their signature sound. A landmark album front to back.

I mean, "Smoke on the Water" amirite? I feel like you get an automatic 2 star bonus just for that song. That said, I can see why this band is often (erroneously) included on one-hit-wonder lists. Their songwriting is, for the most part, mediocre. It's just generic 70s, white-guy, early-metal. The guitar solos in particular are just really REALLY uninspired and boring. But this band was a powerhouse band that was instrumental in moving metal into the mainstream cultural conciousness. This album is an integral piece of the heavy metal story... but it's not the most important or impressive piece. I ALMOST gave this 3 stars but the insane keys intro for "Lazy" tipped it over to a 4 star review. That track is tasty as hell. In fact, the album is back-stacked with the last 4 tracks (starting at "Smoke on the Water" and ending with the non-album b-side, "When a Blind Man Cries") being head-and-shoulders better than the first 4 tracks.

Deep Purple made great albums before and after Machine Head but it is here where everything worked. Like all classic albums, this one is defined as much by the deep cuts as much as it is the singles and the ones that endured on classic rock radio. The single and the track that everyone knows, is "Smoke in the Water", as memorable a classic rock song as any thanks not only because of Ritchie Blackmore's iconic guitar riff but by its chorus, Jon Lord's keyboard lines, and Ian Gillian's powerful vocal. Nearly as memorable is the soaring "Highway Star", where both Lord and Blackmore shine like the sun during their solos, and the glorious riffs that carry the excellent closer "Space Truckin". The aforementioned deep cuts are all killers as "Maybe I'm A Leo" is carried by another killer riff while "Never Before" is defined by its groove and Lord's magical keyboard lines while the driving "Pictures of Home" is anchored by the superb rhythm laid down by drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover and features more Blackmore goodness. Finally, "Lazy" is a tour de force for Lord that is one of those great tracks that is most appreciated after hours. Deep Purple made a ton of strong albums but Machine Head is their Mona Lisa.

cheddar. a big block of cheddar. i like cheddar, i don't like this album. 70s rock by numbers. cheesy in a bad way, like vegan cheese. a 1 star rating is harsh as i sat through it without feeling existential dread, so it's getting a 2.

Deep Purple in Rock was the first album I ever bought. My brother bought (or borrowed long term) qMachine Head shortly after. The cover screams I'm stoned. The marker of a Deep Purple classic is a song with a guitar solo followed by (or preceded by) an organ solo. This is the case on Highway Star, Lazy, Pictures of Home and Smoke on the Water (although in Smoke . . . the organ was just on the fade out as Ritchie did an extended guitar solo.) Ritchie Blackmore was a very capable guitar soloist but all bands had one of those. Jon Lord's organ playing is the unsung hero of this band and what set Deep Purple apart from the many three instrument bands. I'm not sure this band would have been as successful if they were from an era when songs had to be no more than 3 or 4 minutes long since they need 5 minutes to allow both an organ and guitar solo and need even longer to have a third instrument solo which they do with the mighty fine harmonica solo in Lazy. I like how in the lyrics to Smoke on the Water they call the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio the "The Rolling Truck Stones thing”. Guess they didn't feel the need to give The Glimmer Twins any free advertising in their song. They wanted to record in a place that gave this album the energy they had when playing live. imo using the Rolling Truck Stones Thing accomplished that goal.

An absolute masterclass in rock musicianship and virtuosity without becoming overbearing or wanky. Every band member brings a tour de force performance, complimenting everyone else perfectly and the only negative is that they didn’t include When A Blind Man Cries on the original release. Best track: Highway Star

5/5. Classic. In 2022 it will be 50 years great. Standouts: Highway Star Smoke on the Water Space Truckin' Lazy

Makes me jizzum in my tighty whiteys

I had this album back when I was a teenager and I figured when it came up on 1001 I would give it only a 4 because I had grown weary of Smoke on the Water and Space Trucking, and the lyrics are a bit lame. However, there’s something about the instrumental passages, the way they’re structured and the interplay between the organ and the guitar that is sublime, especially on a track like Lazy, which seems like a cross between the Allman Brothers and Phantom of the Opera, And Richie Blackmore's guitar solos are so melodic and memorable. And you know (unlike many of the metal guitarists of the 80s and 90s) he’s not propping his guitar up vertically on his knee when he’s playing them. It’s a 5 for me.

Fuck you Jake this album is fantastic. One of the most foundational albums from one of the most foundational heavy metal acts of all time, incredible performances from all players, Blackmore bringing in the classical music ideals, Paice being the most underrated drummer ever, and just loads of fun songs. 2 stars my ass ya scrub.

Well I first discovered Deep Purple in the late 1990s and it has probably been a decade or so since I took the time to listen to them. Highway Star was always one of my favourite tracks, but honestly, listening to it again this time I'm utterly blown away. This is from 1972, nobody had done Heavy Metal before Deep Purple, Led Zep and Black Sabbath and this album absolutely exemplifies the genre. Love it, and although Smoke on the Water has become a massive cliche, this album rocks so goddamn hard. Amazing!

Love this album! Every song is a winner - (evidenced by the fact that each track gets its own Wikipedia page - thanks for pointing this factoid on previous albums Emily!) Smoke on the water is overplayed for a reason and is still listenable even after about eleven thousand listens… 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

Highway star : Why is that guitar solo so muddy ? Pictures of Home - Bass solo is amazing Never before - THE STEREO IMAGING ??? Holy hell if I close my eyes that guitar in the intro is right in front of me, a little to my left that's sick, tickles my brain SMOOOOKE ON THE WAAAATEEEEER tun tun tuuun - tun tun tunuuun - tun tun tuuun - tun - tuuun Lazy - That song sounds so jazzy I love it. That ride playing through the song, that swinged rhythm in the intro, hmmmmm juicy Space Truckin' - Absolute headbanger What happens in the stereo field in this album is insane, so much clarity in the space So much of the guitar melodies are legit earworms

"Smoke On The Water" is the ubiquitous track here, and the only time I purposely listen to is while watching the Season 2, episode 1 episode of The Sopranos. There's a scene of Tony Soprano driving happily while hearing Smoke Of The Water on his car radio. But then T has a panic attack when the song starts to skip (the man did not appreciate having his music interrupted), which means he was listening to it on Compact Disc. I'd be inclined to suggest it was this album Tony was enjoying, but knowing the character, it was likely a Best Of Deep Purple CD. Of course, his panic attack causes him to pass out and crash his car. "Smoke On The Water" is right in Tony's wheelhouse. Dude loved him some early '70's classic rock, so much so that his wife Carmela chooses to play "Smoke On The Water" when a doctor suggests she play some of Tony's favorite music while he's in a coma in a latter season episode. If I came of age during the late '60's/early '70's like a young Anthony Soprano, I would have been all into some Deep Purple. Instead, I only knew of them from songs like "Hush" and the aforementioned "Smoke". This album pretty much slaps from start to finish. I never noticed the "Frank Zappa and The Mothers" line during "Smoke" before listening to this album (in my defense, the song skips for a crestfallen Tony right at that line, where all we hear is "Zap Zap Zap Zap Zap Zap"). After listening to this album, I find myself wanting to stand up and yell a Tony Soprano line from the end of one the series' final episodes: I get it!

DP is a very talented bad and very under-rated. John Lord and Ritchie Blackmore playing over a driving rhythm section (Glover & Paice). This album really captures that.

Machine Head This is really only about Highway Star and Smoke on the Water - both songs clearly stand well above the rest on here. Those other songs aren’t bad, and there are some good moments among them, but they did pass me by rather unmemorably. Never Before does have a nice psychedelic middle eight and Space Truckin’ is decent enough. The organ/keys do give them a point of difference and I can appreciate their influence on metal/hard rock, but it does feel more like they established the rather generic template for it, which adds to the slightly forgettable nature of it. Overall, one of those albums that’s fine and doesn’t elicit a particularly strong reaction or many other thoughts beyond liking some of it and not being that fussed on the rest. For Highway Star and Smoke on the Water I’ll give it 3. 🟪🟪🟪 Playlist submission: Highway Star

Smoke on the Water might be the dumbest riff of all time. Highway Star, though? That song kicks ass.

Minus one point for having smoke on the water on

super cool

FUCK YEAH

This album has a lot of hype behind it... and it deserves every bit of it. This fuckin' rocks! Space Truckin' alone earns it 5 stars.

First of all, let's be honest: I've always preferred other heavy bands of the late '60s, such as Cream, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer, and the like. That said, this album is a beast. I've read other reviewers complaining about this being dad rock. That's for sure true, but what's the deal?? It's probably one of the heaviest and best dad rock albums ever. Highway Star, Pictures of Home, Smoke on the Water, Lazy, and Space Truckin' are masterpieces. That's 5 out of 7, more than 70% of the album. 5 stars!

Classic dad rock album with great guitar playing and a nice proggy sound throughout. Bit cheesy, but that's part of the fun.

Classic early heavy metal. Almost a greatest hits album.

One of those records you can listen over and over, and one of the most complete metal albums I've ever heard, from the beginning to the end.

Realy cool 4.5

I was waffling between 4 and 5 stars for this until Lazy came on and sealed the deal. Fuck, this was good!!! I love how well-integrated hard and crunchy guitars seamlessly meet the organ/synth piano. Sometimes, in a solo, it's easy to understand just how hard the musician is working in their solo, at the bleeding edge of their skills. Deep Purple make every solo sound like they're barely working at all; they're so natural and easy sounding, which is I think the biggest compliment i could give them. They're such skilled musicians that all these passages and phrases that helped give birth to a genre seem to just fall out them. Amazing It's so easy to hear some of the initial stirrings of heavy metal in every song on the album. 5

Opens with a song about a car, how 70s is that? Yes, this is the album with Smoke On The Water on it. But that's probably the worst song on be album. Just good, groovy, bluesy rock from top to bottom. Loose, but tight, simple, yet heady. Excellent.

5/5

Great stuff.

There’s something about classic rock that always hits

Good good good

an all time classic. dad rock that actually sounds good

clássico dos clássicos!!!!! Obrigatório.

Thoughts before listening: Deep Purple put out some of the greatest classic rock radio songs of all time, but I've never dug deeper than these massive hits. I know they are very influential on the hard rock and metal scenes, so I look forward to listening to this full album. Review: "Smoke on the Water", "Highway Star", "Space Truckin'" are quintessential classic rock that set a blueprint for much of what would follow through the 70s. The rest of the album maintains this high level with "Pictures of Home" especially standing out as a new to me banger. I especially enjoy the extended instrumental sections throughout these songs, mostly led by Richie Blackmore's outstanding guitar work although Jon Lord's organ/keys (especially on "Lazy") is a nice addition not always found in 70s hard rock. 5-stars

Pictures of Home & Lazy

Classic album from classic line up

One of the best albums ever made. Just perfect.

this is one of the first albums i personally think of when i think of TRUE early metal music. big hair, big beats, and the biggest guitar strums. the energy is just... BIG. that's the word i'm using to describe this album. this album is ambitious and it's so LARGE in terms of sound, impact, and historical value. rock on baby, rock on i say. get yourself a damn motorcycle and speed across the highway.

Headphones and intoxicants take this record from a 4 to a 4billion.

2nd best LP of '72

When I think of golden age classic rock, this is it.

Break Glass if you Need to Rock

One of the greatest hard rock records ever

Realmente buen rock, suena único y coherente el proyecto, me encantó

Tremendous classic rock album, amazing riffs, keyboards, it all sounds great. An influence on many albums to come.

Literaly the best Purple Album out there!

I always enjoy listening to this album. Great!!!!!

No question

A straight up classic.

Classic!

I know earlier in my journey, I praised Deep Purple's In Rock as setting the blueprint for the group's later output. Now we got the arguable best of those albums. There's not much here I can say about Machine Head that hasn't already been talked about over the years. Every track is an absolute banger, including the deep cuts like the swaggerous "Maybe I'm a Leo" and Jon Lord's fuzzed-out Hammond organ introduction into the titan instrumental showcase "Lazy". Every one in the band shared the spotlight and exemplified their musical strengths, from Ian Gillan's high vocals from the get-go on "Highway Star" to the rapid-fire percussion of Ian Paice on closer "Space Truckin'" and of course Ritchie Blackmore's iconic riffs and soloing all throughout. Deep Purple would continue as a group through various lineups and some excellent songs to be sure. But it can't be denied that Machine Head is their magnum opus, and absolutely earned its place on this list.

I know the first song from Rock Band lolol

Bam! Klaar met de jaren zestig, bloemen in het haar en andere liefdoenerij. Deep purple leidt de weg en gaat raggen. Perfecte snelwegscheurmuziek of gewoon voor een wild dansje in de keuken. En dan begint Smoke on the water en dan gaat de volumeknop nog even een tandje hoger! Goed bezig, heren.

Man, wat hadden wij behoefte aan een kwaliteitsplaat! De eerste klanken maken het gelijk duidelijk. De komende 40 minuten krijgen we klassieke powerrock. Ik hoef niet uit te leggen dat dat zeker niet ten koste van de muzikale kwaliteit gaat. Wat een start! En toch raak ik even in een dipje. Nummers 2 en 3 doen mij niet zoveel. Gewone 4+ sterren kwaliteit. Never Before prikkelt het minste. Waarom is dit ooit een single geworden? En dan, mooi halverwege de simpele, maar geniale eerste klanken van Smoke on the Water. Een hoogtepunt? Welnee. Dat komt er direct na. Met de snelle jazzy klanken van Lazy. Het volgende nummer Space Truckin' heeft de pech dat het op zijn album vergezeld is door drie stevige concurrenten, waarin het zijn meerderen moet erkennen. De eveneens simpel klinkende maar zo fijne basis van het refrein zou zomaar voldoende geweest kunnen zijn om ook een single te dragen. Deze gaat binnenkort in de herhaling in de auto. Pedal to the metal!

Ouderwetse boomer hardrock plaat, een klassiekertje. De derde en laatste van Deep Purple die we mogen aanhoren. Ik heb weinig over de muziek te melden gehad bij de vorige twee platen, dus ik moet weer aan de bak eigenlijk. Wat hier gewoon erg fijn aan is, is ten eerste dat het allemaal lekker uptempo is. Vervolgens de gelaagde muur van geluid, die wordt veroorzaakt door gewoon lekker veel instrumenten te gebruiken. Een aanwezige bas, goede drumfills, uiteraard de gitaren op distortion, een gierend hammond orgeltje, de stem die voor extra gelaagdheid zorgt. En als laatste natuurlijk de muzikanten, want die kunnen allemaal een potje spelen. Dit is gewoon top, hun beste materiaal. Ik had nog wat sterren over deze week, maar ook zonder die extra sterren zou ik hier de maximale score voor over hebben. En dat is maar goed ook, want ik had sinds de laatste 5 al 4x een 1 genoteerd. Gelukkig is die negatieve streak nu doorbroken.

Extraordinario. Poderosísimo, lleno de hits increíbles. Smoke in the water es genial y ni siquiera está entre las mejores del disco. Una gloria.

Machine Head by Deep Purple is a rock classic from 1972. It's packed with legendary tracks like "Smoke on the Water" and "Highway Star," featuring powerful guitar riffs and incredible musicianship. The raw energy and innovative sound of this album have left a lasting impact on rock and heavy metal. It's a must-listen for any rock fan!

Album 586 of 1001 Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972) Rating : 4.5 / 5 Awesome album. That about covers it. Great tunes and great musicianship. Near perfect album.

Loved it! Songs of my youth.

Очень хороший альбом. Сразу два раза прослушал. Чувствуется как закладывалась основа утяжеления рока как жанра. Две супер песни: smoke on the water и when a blind man cries. Короче база

Someone must have laced these guitar solos with something because I am obsessed.

This is an old friend I've not listened to in a while. It's a great album. With, of course, their most iconic track. Smoke on the water. This version however also includes the beautiful 'When A Blind Man Cries'. Though it was not included on the original version of the album. Apparently Mr Blackmore hated it, and refused to let them use it. Well this is the second album from the classic mk II line up in this list. Roll on the third, Fireball. Well I suppose you've guessed what score I'm giving it.

Really fun energetic album. Guess I’m the age that enjoys the lame dad rock that other reviewers hated.. plenty here to enjoy. 4.5/5

After four 1 star reviews in the last week this album is a breath of fresh air and very welcome break from the dross I’ve been served up. In their early days and from the time this album was a product of, I was a big Purple fan. Having said that this is probably my least favourite album from that era. Their other albums from that period contain a lot more decent tracks than the ones making up this album. Machinehead benefits from containing what is arguably Purples most famous track, Smoke On The Water. The riff of that track is instantly recognisable and again arguably one of the top guitar riffs ever. Inclusion of that track alone makes this a five star album but it is admirably backed up with two other gold standard tracks Highway Star and Space Trucin’. Beyond that though for me the standard of the tracks are not top Deep Purple fayre but enough for me to give it its obligatory 5 stars. 5/5 1/11/24

Granatenmäßiges Album. Hörenswert.

It rocks

When it comes to early heavy metal, I would argue Deep Purple had as much of an influence as anyone, including Black Sabbath. Machine Head is unquestionably the best album they released, which is an exceptional compliment, considering the quality of music they have continued to release into the present day. The album kicks off with what may be the greatest driving song ever recorded, “Highway Star” Big drums, scorching guitar work, and unbelievable organ. The album also includes the first song everyone in the world learns to play on their first electric guitar, “Smoke on the Water” is still a great rock n roll song, despite the overplayed intro riff. Shortly after that we hit the second greatest driving song ever written, “Space Truckin’” As far as early heavy metal/rock n roll goes, in my opinion, this is about as good as it gets. 5 stars

When I was a kid, my dad told me about a trip he took to Montreux, Switzerland to see Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in an old casino. In the middle of the concert someone a little ways in front of him launched some sort of firework or flare, it started smoking in the rafters and soon flames engulfed the ceiling. They evacuated and he stood on the lakeshore with his friends and watched the building burn. As he told me this story, he fished out a cassette and put it in the stereo. "A few months later, I was listening to the radio, and someone had made a song about it," he said, and then he pressed play.

Die Maschine rattert, poltert, gibt Gas, schmettert, stampft, zeigt wo und wie es lang geht. Die Soli unbeschreiblich gekonnt arrangiert und verspielt. Soviel Spaß schwingt in die Ohren bis zu den Zehen. Jede Sekunde sorgt für ein Meisterschaftsgegühl von Großen Musikern in Perfektion ausgeführt. Hier geht's lang und voraus. Die Lücke hinter sich ist groß.

Great classic rock staple.

I’ve always heard about this album, but never listened. Kicks off with highway star. What a record so far. Ok, the drum intro to “pictures of home”. Ozzy’s band clearly ripped this off for “over the mountain. This album is great and had a quite an influence. The bass playing on this record is amazing and over the top. Clearly this had to be an influence on Steve Harris.

What a great rock album. Love it.

Dancing on the fence between prog rock and riff rock, then flipping into the blues jams to mix it up (lazy). A classic from start to finish. Love the fat sounds of the guitars and bass, and their signature synth pushing into distortion making it almost like another guitar. All tubes and analogue. No rough edges to be found.

9.5/10. This is a revolutionary album that pioneered hard rock and metal music. Rainbow is one of my absolute favourite bands, so it's great to see some pre-Rainbow Ritchie Blackmore work in this 1001 album project. Although, I am disappointed by the fact that there aren't any Rainbow albums in the project. :)

Machine Head was an album my dad introduced me to when I was really young. At the time, Deep Purple was just another classic rock band in the mix, and I didn’t fully appreciate them until more recently. Growing up, they were always playing in the background, but it’s great to now look back and really understand their place in rock history. Whether it’s hard rock, metal, or prog rock, these guys definitely made their mark. And honestly, how can you not love that Hammond organ jamming along with their music?

This was really good in my opinion. I listened to this several times and will probably go back for more. 5/5

I've only heard Hush and Smoke in the Water from Deep Purple before listening to this album for the review. Highway Star - this just rocks. Awesome tempo and layered guitar bits. I just love this tune, it's so cool and I'm very glad I've discovered it. Maybe I'm a Leo - this one is already, nothing special off about it, just doesn't hit the same marks as the other tracks in the album. Pretty good guitar solo followed by a keyboard solo around the middle. Another solo at the end, okay this is pretty sweet then. Pictures of home - another awesome tune that just rips. Same vein as Highway Star that has an awesome thumping tempo. This has a bass solo too!!! Never Before - a little funkier at the start. Decent track overall, not as epic as some of the other tunes in the album. Helped somewhat by the solo around the end Smoke on the water - can't take this song seriously anymore. It was introduced to me when I was 8 and learning guitar for the first time. The riff is seared into my brain permanently. I guess it speaks to how immortal this song is that it's so simple and catchy that it's literally baby's first tune learning and instrument. Great song overall, keyboard, bass and drum bits were excellent which I hadn't paid enough attention to on this track in the past. Superb guitar solo too. Lazy - really enjoyed the keyboard section at the start. Best parts of this song are either side of the vocals. Particularly during the first section of vocals before the harmonica the bit the song went mild for me before it picks back up again. I did enjoy this track though. Space Truckin' - pretty fun lyrics in this one. Most of the instrumentals were pretty basic but this didn't stop it from being an enjoyable track. Not as good as others in this album. When A Blind Man Cries - this might be my favourite on the album. I liked the slower tempo to close the album out. Vocals were clean and showed off more talent that some of the other tracks. The guitar parts too were sensational. The more I listen to the album the better it gets. Which is taking it from a 4 to 5/5

Okay I thought I needed a really long break from 70s rock, but this album was surprisingly awesome. It has some real stank on it compared to some of the more formulaic rock I’ve heard lately. And the baseline fucking goes.

Good old rock and roll. A great album with lots of classic songs.

Boom there’s yer dinner - absolute classic

Ooft

noh jos katotaan studiohommia niin onhan tämä sakki huomattavasti paskempi kuin monet muut bändit jotka saivat alkunsa tässa ä 70 luvun aatossa ja alussa..... siitä huolimatta kaikki toimii tällä albumilla vaikka ei mitään mälliä saa minulta, en ejakuloi kuunnellessani tätä, en VITTU ala laukeilemaan tämän takia.. mutta tosiaan laulaja kuulostaa hyvältä, kitarariffit nappaa huomion, rumpu pitää tahtia ja syntikat- hmm.. oota.. ei.... hnnngg... eiiiiiiii! HNNNGGGGGGGGHHH... perkele.... lazy

Classic old rock. Was against first but surprisingly enjoyed and easy listen

Hard rock masterpiece. Doesn't try to be anything but a fun time. Every song is sick. Simple as that. I'm also remembering that I also gave their live album a five. I guess I'm a Deep Purple guy and never realized. *Heard before.

Holy shit. I only ever knew (and loved) Smoke on the Water. I didn't know the whole album was going to melt my face off.

Gehört zum Besten, was ich von Deep Purple gehört habe. Allein schon der Track "Lazy" ist der Hammer. Hier wird alles aufgeboten an Anspruch gepaart mit Spielfreude: Gitarren Soli bis zur bluesigen Mundharmonika. Weltklasse. Da habe ich das legendäre "Smoke on the Water" noch nicht erwähnt. Alles auf dieser Scheibe ist so spannend, begeisternd, verspielt und super arrangiert.

This is the best Deep Purple album. Every song on here is top tier, but “Highway Star” and “Smoke on the Water” stand above the others. Just absolute fantastic 70s rock.

What can I say?!? One of the greatest, groundbreaking rock albums of all time. Epic.

One of the best albums by Deep Purple. DP were really talented and this is their peak!

Previously rated: In Rock (5/5) ************************ Nice to hear one of the best albums after getting one of the worst yesterday (the Liars one). Everything here rocks. The guitar, bass, organ, drums, vocals. Just groovy hard rock perfection. Most people know Smoke On the Water and Highway Star, and some have heard Space Truckin', but the hidden gem here is Pictures of Home. I can't get it out of my head.

Takes just about 2 seconds to realise this album is an all time great. Fuck what an opening. And the rest of the album keeps the bangers coming one after another after another after another. Probably the greatest rock record ever made. Every song is a powerful showcase of pure talent all across the band, with solos from every instrument leaving your jaw broken from hitting the floor. I FUCKING LOVE THIS FUCKING RECORD

It's pretty dadly. Highway star is good but a little too cheesy but I like it. Lazy is the best on the album for me. Despite being cheesy dad rock, the instrumentals make up for it for me and I still love this one. Will I listen to again: 100%

Though I was raised the the classic rock tradition, I was never deep into Deep Purple. But Machine Head is a phenomenal hard rock album. Anyone who's turned on a radio or walked into a guitar store has heard Smoke of the Water, which became the centerpiece of the record. On one hand, good for Deep Purple. On the other hand, it's really the weakest track on the otherwise excellent album. It does, however, feature a very strong and confident Ian Gillian vocal. Highway Star and Space Truckin' are the other relatively well-known songs on Machine Head. Highway Star is one of the ultimate driving jams. The song was built for the highway. It rocks. It swings. It has a filthy keyboard break from Jon Lord. Oh, and it has a great neo-classical multi-tracked guitar solo with Richie Blackmore harmonizing with himself. It's one of those songs that just feels great driving down the highway in the summer with your windows rolled down. Space Truckin' is another heavy groove and a great jam. But the real star of Machine Head is the lesser known Maybe I'm a Leo. It's more straightforward than the other showpieces on the album. But the guitar riff, doubled by Roger Glover on bass guitar, is both heavy and catchy. The drums are rudimentary, but also driving, and so heavy. Ian Paice is hitting the drums hard! The guitar solos are great too. And check that groove on Never Before. The way the guitar delicately weaves through that intro bit is so subtle and effective. What a great album.

Man this album smokes. Every track is standout. Every musician is standout. The vocals are standout. An absolute classic. 5 stars all day, every day.

So good - best Mk. II era album. Have to thank the guy playing it a lunch spot in Austin. Went straight to Waterloo from lunch to get my own copy.

There's only one possible rating for this album 😉😂 God, I fell in love with this album as a teenager.. Highway Star - 5/5 ⭐ What an opener! ..Leo - 4/5 😎 Great simple riffs Pictures of home - 6/5 - Purple at their best 💜 Never Before - 6/5 - almost 70s glam rock! 😂 Reminds me also of "Free" Smoke on the water - 7/5 - Perfection. Musical nirvana 😎👍✅✅✅ Lazy - 6/5 Jazz rock. Great drums, guitar, bass and organ... and vocals too ⭐😉 Space Trucking - 6/5 - Nailed it! ♠️ ...Blind man - 6/5 Perfect. What guitar / vocals! 🌞👏 So, absolutely ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good old Classic Rock Songs Wow.

Really thought it would sound dated, but in fact, better now than ever. Innovative - along with Zeppelin and Sabbath, created the genre. Cool, catchy, and unmatched performances - Ian Paice is exceptional on here, his playing is on another level. Great band, fun tunes, and if this is "Dad Rock," good! Now I know what my favorite genre is.