Machine Head

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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

Makes me jizzum in my tighty whiteys

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

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.

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!

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.

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… 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

"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.

Minus one point for having smoke on the water on

Rock & Roll del viejo. Dos megahits.

Anything with Lazy and When a Blind Man Cries on it is exceptional to start with. Then add the rock standards of Highway Star and Space Trucking. Mix in Smoke on the Water and you have a guarenteed classic. The only question that remains is whether it is better than In Rock - a question that, 50 years later, still does not have a definitive answer.

One of the most iconic rock albums of all time, and rightly so given that it contain the definitive guitar riff. But there is a lot more to Machine Head than just Smoke on the Water. The whole album is a master class of technicality and versatility. Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord combine spectacularly throughout with their relentless solos and catch riffs and Ian Gillan is on top form also. Highway Star, Pictures of Home, Lazy, Space Truckin are all classics - making this a classic album in the truest sense.

Excelente

Highway Star is my new favorite song!

Perfect commute album. The driving instrumental and booming vocals just makes you feel cool as you sit stagnate in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Easily Deep Purple's best album. Classic

Need to catch up on this one

Que buen álbum, no se como no lo había escuchado.

Been listening to this album since high school, just a classic rock album. The mkII lineup sounds the most cohesive on this album but I think I prefer In Rock and the rawness of that album to this. The biggest issue is the overplay of some of these songs over the last 50 years, Highway Star and Smoke on the Water I just don't ever want to hear again.

Duhn-Duhn-DUUUHN, Duhn-Duhn-DuUUhn, Duhn-Duhn-DUUUHN, Duhn-Duuuhn. This. Album. Rawks!! A true hard rock classic. Crazy to think this is from 1972. Every song is great, but the standouts for me are Highway Star (Metal-precursor with an awesome organ solo. You heard that right), Maybe I'm a Leo (cool track), Never Before (lots of hard rock/metal cliches both lyrically and musically, but they were one of the first so they get a pass. Also worth noting how good all of the band members are throughout this album), Never Before (cool groove), Smoke on the Water (a classic for a reason. Great song that just gets stuck in your head. Before this listen I never paid attention to the lyrics or knew what they were about it. It's funny how literal they are about their experience of the Montreaux Casino burning down), Space Truckin' (another song that RAWKS and gets stuck in your head). Hmm, yes, I did just call almost every song a standout. Easy, easy 5.

Una joya de disco, puro Rock. Nunca había escuchado When a Blind Man Cries y veo que me gustan hasta los descartes.

I have a memory of being maybe 4 years old in the back seat of the car when Smoke On the Water was probably relatively new / constantly on the radio and my dad just singing that riff over and over and over. Then years later - well before I could drive - my older cousin took me to see Deep Purple in Niagara Falls; seeing these legends up-close was pretty cool, except for when someone threw an M80 onto the stage and Ian Gillan got pissed and stopped singing to berate the idiot. Oh and it was so loud we couldn't even talk to each other on the way home. Memorable. As for Machine Head - this is DP at their absolute peak. 5 incredibly talented musicians who go well beyond any standard blues rock; venturing into jazz riffs so subtle as to not knock their train off the hard rock track. And they finally got it right with songwriting as well - good pacing and enough variety to make it always a good listen. Plus they recorded this in a hotel which is a few levels of awesome. Thing about this album ... it's kind of like Dwight Gooden's 1985 season. He/they are spoken of in legendary tones and had seemingly quickly reached a status few ever got to before and after.... but even with some great moments to come they never came close to anything like this again. As for the album it's not even 40 minutes long (perfect length) of what was for the time groundbreaking heavy driving music. The key to this band and especially on this album always was Jon Lord on the organ - so much of what I'd thought was guitar as a kid is actually him just cranked through distorted Marshall stacks. Also included: the most played (and most incorrectly-played) guitar riff of all-time. In sum: this is nonstop excellence. Enjoy the 1.53 ERA while it lasted. 10/10 5 stars

Brilliant rock album

This is a fantastic album. Highway Star is just amazing and the rest holds up as well. One of those times I'm not rolling my eyes at the "classic rock" in this list. 5/5.

5 Star Deep Purple Album. Big overlap with Made in Japan but the studio album is much better.

Deep Purple is one of my all time favorite bands. This album will definitely be a 5 star rating

New

This hit the spot. I needed some early 70's heavy metal on this Friday. "Machine Head" is the sixth studio album from Deep Purple. The band wanted a different recording environment since they felt they had been unable to capture their live performance sound up to then in the studio. So, they rented The Rolling Mobile Studio and were taking it to the Monteaux Casino after it closed for the winter season. However, at the last concert for the season, a Frank Zappa one at that, the casino burnt down. The band actually watched from nearby, saw it up in flames with smoke pouring off and across Lake Geneva. And, this was the inspiration and story to their most popular song "Smoke on the Water." They finally ended up recording at The Grand Hotel in Switzerland with a bunch of sound-insulating mattresses and inconveniences which irritated the band. Nonetheless, they recorded a great album. This is put in the hard rock/heavy metal category and is considered one of early heavy metal albums. I also caught a jam band-type style in a few of the songs. The first side starts ablazin' with the driving "Highway Star." One of the great opening songs ever. Great Ritchie Blackmore guitar and guitar solo. Great organ too. Fast Car, hot girl...Let's Rock! The first side ends with another driving song "Pictures of Home." Apparently, it's about the band missing home during the recording. Guitar, bass, organ and drum solos. Check. The second side begins begins with their first single "Never Before" which was released first since it was thought to be their most commercial song. A decent song although my least favorite on the album. It sounds like a pretty standard rock song for the time. And then we come to "Smoke on the Water" with probably one of the most recognized guitar intros and riffs in rock history. I always loved the drumming too. The album ends with my two favorite songs on the album and both to me have a jam-band feel. Heavy metal jam band if that's a possible category. "Lazy" was their second single and has a bluesy feel with the organ and guitar. Great guitar intro. The album ends with the science fiction-themed "Space Truckin.'" This song just grooves and, yes my head was bobbin.' This album pretty much sizzles from start to finish. It has very straight-forward lyrics which I appeciated. A classic in its precursor to heavy metal category and rightfully in the 1,001 list.

This album is very influential and is considered one of the most important hard rock/heavy metal albums of all time. That hard rock label doesn’t quite do this album a service as it contains jazz rhythms, acrobatic almost funk like bass, and guitar that utilizes scales and modes outside the minor pentatonic. It’s thoughtfully crafted and is a lot of fun to listen to.

It was a while since I listened to Machine Head for the last time. This is one of the albums I grew up to, so I have really fond memories of most of it's songs, but I recalled it being a bit more consistently "high energy". Not saying that tracks like Lazy or When a Blind Man Cries are bad, but there is such a high contrast with Highway Star and Pictures of Home for example that it kind of tames down the whole album pace. Smoke on The Water still sounds great despite being the single most overly-reproduced rock song. That said, this is still one of the most important records of my life, it shaped my taste in music and had it's part on leading me to be who I am today, and hadn't it been for the nostalgia, it probably wouldn't go as far as 5 stars, but I can't help myself.

Rock de los setentas en su forma más pura y sin diluir. Highway Star pone la métrica con la que serán medidas las demás canciones muy muy alto y creo que eso le juega un poco en contra a las siguientes 3 canciones, sin embargo levanta de nuevo con la muy conocida Smoke on the Water. Lazy se mantiene y Space Truckin' revienta de nuevo. El final es un freno de mano muy fuerte que creo que no me funcionaría si When A Blind Man Cries fuera ligeramente de menor calidad, pero me parece un cierre muy afortunado. 4.5 que originalmente iba a bajar a 4 por el bache de las canciones 2-3-4 pero tampoco son malas, quizá el orden del disco no me encanta pero son de buena calidad. Sube a 5. Songs: Highway Star, Space Truckin', When A Blind Man Cries y pues sí, Smoke.

Amazing

Smoke On The Water tem um riff excelente.

Reading some of the other reviews I'm struck by how tastes differ and how being an originator matters little now. To me though this is a virtuoso performance that never ages and each listen reveals new nuances. Simply one of the best.

Eixo que encaminhou o rock pesado.

I loved Smoke on the Water, until my guitar teacher pointed out how mundane the subject matter is (there was literally smoke on the water!). But this album has rekindled things between me and DP. It's proper, straightforward rock that never becomes too cheesy or indulgent.

La neta es que es un discazo en muchos sentidos. Hoy por hoy solo pensamos en Smoke on the Water pero de las (tan solo) 7 rolas del disco no hay una que sea mala o aburrida. Mi favorita es Highway Star, especialmente por la genial idea (para aquel entonces) de hacer solos de teclado conectado a un amplificador de guitarra.

Highway Star - Classic song, good for an opener. High tempo, great solo, just a fun energetic tune. Maybe I'm a Leo - More of a jam, lots of distortion but almost a funk melody to it. Good tune. Pictures of Home - Quick drum solo to open. More of a wailing tune, some Kiss vibes in the vocals. Not bad, but weaker than the previous two. Long instrumental to finish that's very solid. Never Before - Back to the funk, very similar to song two. Good tempo, definite bop. Smoke on the Water - Needs no review, it's the Deep Purple song. Lazy - Very spacy opening. Almost like In a Gadda da Vita, then gets into a high energy dueling guitars instrumental. Space Truckin' - Great tune, heard this one on the radio but didn't know it was Deep Purple. Overall - Great album, lots of jams, front to back pretty consistent and solid with great instrumentals.

Actually very good. I always thought about Deep Purple as having their moments but not really interesting to me in general. But I enjoyed this album way more than I expected. The playing is quite 'tight' but technical at the same time. Definitely reevaluating DP and will listen to them again.

Well I have listened to this a number of times, starting out strong!

Highway star Smoke on the water Lazy When a blind man cries Chef d'oeuvre

This album was definitely ahead of its time in sound and musicianship when compared to other works of 1972. They sound like a crossroads between Zeppelin and the metal that is to come. Several massive songs throughout with great mastery of their respective instruments.

Some of the best head I've ever gotten

Bellissimo l'intro di 'Highway Star' e la canzone come intro all'album. L'album è molto interessante, una versione classica di Hard Rock, ancora piuttosto tranquillo, ma con un ottimo sound. Oh poi c'è 'Smoke on the water', il voto è scontato. E 'Lazy'? Wow! Tanta roba anche 'Space truckin'' che chiude, ottimo album!

Hotter than a pepper duel, each instrument plays out of its skin and is so well recorded. Every track a cracker

DP at their best

Great!

BEEF

Probably a 4 for me overall, but the intro to highway star as the intro for the album bumps it up to a 5. Loved the back half of Lazy

Masterpiece!

Great Rock album. Love highway star for sure. A bit more upbeat and high energy than deep purple in rock, but still excellent!

It’s not metal but it’s damn close! Legendary and amazing album

Every track on this record kicks ass

So much musical energy. Unlike their name, the lyrics aren't all that deep (pretty juvenile). But as far as pumping rock goes, they have it in spades. Their big tunes all have it - Highway Star (frenetic drums and guitar pace and never has an organ been so bitchin), Smoke on the Water (it is so much more than its simple opening chords), Space Truckin (its hooks are so infectious). But the rest of the album holds up just as well - lots of heavy riffs and hooks to bring you in and the combination and integration of their instruments creates a sound that just fills your ears. Loved it.

El pinacle del rock dur dels '70. Una joia de l'època, i a la vegada atemporal. En el seu terreny, es va poder -en comptades ocasions- igualar, però mai millorar

Sensacional,

Classic rock album

Own it, love it.

A great classic album! Saved tracks: Highway Star, Pictures of Home, Smoke on the Water, Space Truckin’

'Smoke On The Water', 'Highway Star' and 'Lazy' are great songs. The whole album is pure Rock & Roll. 5/5

Undisputed classic of an album with an undisputed classic of a certain song. Surely "Smoke On The Water" must have one of the most recognizable riffs in guitar history. Pretty neat that this album is also 50 years old now. Just some excellent 70s hard rock. Favourite: Smoke On The Water

tanta nt atn atna tant

Already listened to this one and it’s quite my thing so I’ll definitely listen again

Very good work. The bests are highway star, never before, smoke on the water, lazy and when a blind man cries.

Легендарно

hell yeah!!! один из самых культовых альбомов. Во многом из-за риффов, которые дико цепляют и доставляют удовольствие

Classic

Awesome classic, prime Deep Purple.

Nach wie vor super

не люблю слишком шумную музыку, если можно так выразится, поэтому перплы меня отпугнули в первый раз, но я вернулась к ним из-за песни when a blind man cries - оказалось, очень не зря

An understandable classic. From the opening of Highway Star to the last note of Space Truckin’ this is only 38 minutes and it’s fantastic.

Loads of fun and it sounds great. Early metal mixed with a little bit of prog and a lot of groove. Warra rhythm section dat was den

Classic album. This is an essential album for rock lovers, there's nothing much else to say

I love it I need it

capelu on the ear

What more could be said about this landmark album? It's just great, and a pillar of the development of Rock and Roll during the 1970's. Highway Star and Smoke on the Water are the ones everybody should/will know, but the rest of the album is just stellar too.

Now THIS is rockin! Is it me or does nobody ever discuss how FUNKY this band is? Most British bands don’t get this down and dirty part of the blues right, but DP can really stir it. And don’t even get me started on John Lord’s Hammond playing.

If you don't like Deep Purple, then you should be deaf.

I should have listened to this before. Cool stuff.

Great old fashioned Hard Rock

A classic

Por una parte, cuando se incorpora una vocecita a-la-Steve Tyler, no me puedo tomar ninguna canción en serio, me causa mucha risa y cringe. Por otra parte, qué album tan movidito de estos anbuelos del hardrock. El disco del infame riff de Smoke on the Water, super cliché y choteado por los adoradores de la vieja escuela, pero al fin y al cabo un disco muy divertido en el sentido de pegajoso y cagado y que pone de buenas. Quizás uno de los más comerciales y suaves de la banda. Creo que la canción que más me gustó fue la primera, también disfruté la vibrita Pat Matino-ish de Lazy y la ondita motocicletera de Pictures of Home. Creo que la única que no me gustó fue la balada del final, pero esa no estaba en le lanzamiento original así que x. Mood: On the road again.

Super goed album. Natuurlijk o.a. door Highway Star en Smoke on the Water, maar de rest is ook super goed. Vooral ook Pictures of Home, en Lazy zorgt voor goede afwisseling. Ik heb hem ook gewoon 3x geluisterd vandaag, eerst tijdens werk, super chill maar ik merkte dat ik er niet echt aandachtig naar kon luisteren. Dus daarna tijdens de hond uitlaten weer. En het is geen moment saai geworden. 5 sterren.

Classic rock album. Essential listening, though you should have heard the hits already.

An absolute powerhouse of an album, with some fantastic riffs and driving bass lines. Some highlights (not including the better known hits) include Lazy; an absolute banger with a mesmerising organ part, and Never Before; with an intro so good you can't help but pull that stanky face! Top album, definitely going into rotation!

I like it

A classic

Une classique 5*

Masterful.

The guitar, the base the drums, the riffs. Classic 70s rock. Smoke on the water = iconic. Where tf did Lazy come from - minutes and minutes of unreal guitars. Last song also a highlight. 5 stars!

Now we have a classic rock album! Every song is great, Maybe I’m a Leo is probably my favorite.

Płyta z hiciorami, ale też kilka słabszych. Lepiej posłuchać już Made in Japan

I will always love a Ritchie Blackmore project. All of the riffs on this album are perfect, the anthems are anthemic, and Deep Purple continues to be one of my favorite rock/hard rock bands of all time. While all the tracks could be considered highlights, the abbreviated list is: 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7.