Reviews (page 2 of 13)
This is the record with Highway Star and Smoke on the Water on it, and SOMEHOW it's still better than you expect it to be on that basis. Absolutely monumental.
Was happy to hear this full album. I've known the hits, but many songs have escaped my attention. LAZY was so good !!
This isn't the genre of music I normally go out of my way to listen to, but I really, really liked this! I think I recall playing through a number of these songs on Guitar Hero, so that brought on some nostalgia.
Magnificent
Лучшая песня: Highway Star Худшая: Lazy В принципе уже за соло Лорда в первой песне можно ставить 5 всему альбому
While Black Sabbath introduced the concept, Deep Purple took the concept of heavy metal and ran with it. So near perfect as a template, I am going to round it up to full marks.
Great guitar riffs keeps you concentrated
Great guitars, great organs, great drums, great everything. The hits especially carry this one
Man, Smoke On the Water isn’t even the best song on this album.
Really good album! Incredible compositions, song maintained pretty good pace all the way trought. Highlight: Lazy
good album. every song is a jam
I like this kind of hard rock so beautiful I like it like an opera effect I really appreciate the lyrics and the way of playing
Went into this album thinking my favorite song would be smoke on the water, came out with it being the one I liked the least (but still really, really liked it) It amazes me that this album has flown so far under the radar for the past 50+ years when talking about all time greats. Sure, there might only be 2 known songs on here, however every track is performed so well, each having multiple solos that sound amazing Shockingly, this album is the most perfect I've listened to so far. 5/5, no further notes
Metal mastery!!!
Good vibes even if it didn't blow my mind.
Vilken rökare! Tror inte jag kommer runt fullpotten den här gången.
Stark fyra. Eller vafan. Yolo. I'm a highway staaaaaaar. Finns det någon låt som fångat själva essensen av pepp som denna? En låt jag gång på gång använt som musikalisk kokain innan spelningar.
I already liked Highway star and Smoke in the water, but this album was so much cooler and groovier than I thought it would be
Pretty good album, not much to add
yeeeey
This is a fantastic rock album especially from that era.
Excelente disco
Perfect classic metal album. Everything is great. Smoke on the Water is incredible.
Yes! Early '70s rock at its finest. One of my all-time favorite Deep Purple records. Highway Star is hands-down one of the ultimate driving anthems, right up there with Radar Love and Born to Be Wild.
Maybe I’ve heard Highway Star and SotW too many times, but I feel like every other track on the album was way better. Good listen and had some hits. 9/10
Great album all-around. Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord really bring it together.
Absolutely shreds, great album front to back.
A cast-iron classic. A much more "straightforward" offering than the proggy grandeur which can be observed on "In Rock", but the kaleidoscopic riffs on here are undeniable, and the vocal harmonies are ever-ingraining. The b-side of this album is about as strong as any you'll come across, anywhere in music.
J'ai ouï dire que Guillaume a un faible pour KPop Demon Hunters. J'adorerais l'entendre chanter Soda Pop.
Je ne m'attendais pas à tripper comme ça, wow! A la croisée des chemins entre Steely Dan et Iron Maiden avec des belles touches de psyché et de prog. J'oserais dire que Smoke On the Water, la seule que je connaissais, est la moins bonne de l'album. Un band que je tenterai de découvrir!
Perfeito. Inclusive muito melhor do que lembrava. Lazy talvez seja a melhor música da história do gênero.
I was properly introduced to Deep Purple through their live album Nobody's Perfect. I loved it. Their live energy was palpable and their virtuosity apparent, even on this, a bargain-bin purchase and, as far as I know, an unheralded release. This studio album captures a lot of the same energy on that live album. I can only imagine what seeing them live was actually like. There is no fat on this album, just seven great rock songs from one of the best bands to ever do it.
I can’t understand not liking this album, at least not the big songs off of it. Highway Star, with the key solo, makes me wonder why there aren’t more hard rock bands that feature keyboards. The intro to Lazy made me not care if they ever started singing. And those are just two of the highlights. Great album all around. Understandable that it laid a lot of the groundwork for rock and metal to come.
Absolute classic.
essential hard rock/early heavy metal album. love when a man fucks it up on the organ
Based on my research, here is an in-depth review of **Deep Purple's *Machine Head*** (1972), examining its lyrics, music, production, themes, influence, and weighing its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## Overview Released in March 1972, *Machine Head* represents the creative peak of Deep Purple's classic Mark II lineup (Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice). Recorded under chaotic circumstances at the Grand Hotel in Montreux, Switzerland—after the Montreux Casino burned down during a Frank Zappa concert—the album became one of the most commercially successful and influential hard rock records in history. It reached #1 in the UK and #7 in the US, remaining on charts for over two years . --- ## Lyrics The lyrical content of *Machine Head* is perhaps its most divisive aspect. Critics have long noted that the words serve primarily as functional vehicles for the music rather than profound poetry. **Highlights:** - **"Smoke on the Water"** – The album's most famous track documents the real-life casino fire with almost journalistic simplicity: *"Frank Zappa and the Mothers were at the best place around / But some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground."* The lyrics' very banality became part of their charm; as Lester Bangs noted in *Rolling Stone*, "This very banality is half the fun of rock 'n' roll" . - **"Highway Star"** – A high-octane narrative about automotive obsession and romantic conquest, featuring the iconic hook: *"Nobody gonna take my car / I'm gonna race it to the ground."* - **"Pictures of Home"** – Arguably the album's most evocative lyrics, reflecting paranoia and displacement during the Montreux sessions: *"Maybe I'll go out walking, maybe I'll stay home,"* capturing the isolation of hotel-bound recording . **Weaknesses:** The album suffers from what one critic called "placeholder" lyrics . Tracks like "Maybe I'm a Leo" and "Never Before" rely on standard blues-rock tropes of heartbreak and romantic strife. "Space Truckin'" veers into cartoonish sci-fi territory that some find charmingly absurd while others consider it juvenile . The band's admitted disinterest in lyrical sophistication—prioritizing instrumental prowess—means the words rarely transcend their utilitarian function . --- ## Music & Musicianship Where *Machine Head* truly transcends is in its instrumental architecture. This is virtuoso hard rock that never sacrifices feel for technicality. **Key Musical Elements:** **Ritchie Blackmore's Guitar Work** – Blackmore delivers career-defining performances, blending blues scale foundations with classical harmonic sensibilities. The "Highway Star" solo, composed during a tour bus interview with a journalist asking how the band wrote songs, demonstrates his ability to construct memorable melodic narratives within shredding contexts . His riff for "Smoke on the Water"—arguably the most recognizable in rock history—achieves maximum impact through minimal means . **Jon Lord's Keyboards** – Lord's Hammond organ operates not as accompaniment but as lead instrument, dueling with Blackmore throughout. The phased organ intro to "Lazy" and the frantic keyboard runs in "Highway Star" showcase his classical training applied through rock distortion . **The Rhythm Section** – Roger Glover and Ian Paice form what many consider rock's tightest rhythm section. Paice's drumming on "Space Truckin'"—described as "frantic" and "choreographed"—drives the album's heaviest moments, while Glover's melodic bass lines provide crucial harmonic foundation . **Ian Gillan's Vocals** – Gillan's four-octave range and theatrical delivery (honed in *Jesus Christ Superstar*) adds operatic drama. His harmonica work on "Lazy" provides textural variety . **Compositional Diversity:** The album balances concise rockers ("Highway Star," "Never Before") with extended jams ("Lazy" at 7:22). "Lazy" functions as a blues shuffle allowing each member solo space, while "Pictures of Home" incorporates proto-metal darkness reminiscent of Black Sabbath . --- ## Production **The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio** – The album's distinctive sound stems from recording in the Grand Hotel's corridors and rooms using the legendary mobile unit. Drummer Ian Paice had previously recorded in corridors for *Fireball*, seeking live ambience over studio sterility . **Sonic Characteristics:** The production achieves remarkable clarity despite (or because of) its unconventional setting. Each instrument occupies distinct frequency space—Lord's Hammond growls in the midrange, Blackmore's Stratocaster cuts through with biting treble, and Paice's drums possess room ambience that no artificial reverb could replicate. The sound is *heavy* but never muddy, setting templates for hard rock production that influenced Van Halen, Metallica, and countless others . **The Montreux Circumstances:** The casino fire forced last-minute relocation to the hotel, creating the "pressure-cooker" environment that fueled the album's intensity. The incident provided not just the subject for "Smoke on the Water" but a narrative of adversity that permeates the recording's urgency . --- ## Themes **Automotive Obsession** – "Highway Star" and the album's title (referencing the tuning pegs on guitars) celebrate machinery, speed, and technical precision—fitting for a band operating at peak instrumental capability. **Dislocation and Paranoia** – Written while stranded in a foreign hotel during winter, several tracks reflect isolation. "Pictures of Home" explicitly addresses the psychological toll of constant touring and temporary living spaces . **The Fire Narrative** – "Smoke on the Water" transforms disaster into art, immortalizing not just the event but the resilience of continuing to create despite circumstances. The song mentions "Funky Claude" Nobs (Montreux Jazz Festival founder who saved lives during the fire), embedding real human drama within its simple framework . **Blues Tradition vs. Metal Future** – The album sits at a crossroads, honoring 12-bar blues structures while accelerating tempos and distortion to forge what would become heavy metal. --- ## Influence & Legacy *Machine Head* stands as one of rock's most influential documents, frequently cited alongside Led Zeppelin IV and Black Sabbath's *Paranoid* as foundational heavy metal texts . **Direct Influence:** The album's DNA appears throughout subsequent decades—Van Halen's guitar showmanship, Metallica's rhythmic precision, Judas Priest's twin-guitar harmonies, and Iron Maiden's galloping rhythms all trace lineage here . The "Smoke on the Water" riff remains the first learning exercise for countless guitarists globally . **Critical Status:** Widely considered one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded, it appears on numerous "best of" lists. However, some progressive rock critics find it "overrated," noting the abandonment of earlier artistic ambitions for straightforward hard rock . The European press's designation of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath as "The Unholy Trinity" of heavy rock origins speaks to its historical weight . --- ## Pros & Cons ### **Pros** 1. **Virtuosic Musicianship** – Every member operates at peak capability, creating interplay rarely matched in rock 2. **Production Innovation** – The mobile recording approach yielded clarity and power that defined hard rock sonics 3. **Songcraft Efficiency** – Seven tracks, no filler; each song serves distinct purpose within the album arc 4. **Historical Significance** – Foundational text for heavy metal and hard rock genres 5. **Instrumental Balance** – Hammond organ and electric guitar as dual lead instruments created template for keyboard-guitar harmony 6. **Live Energy Captured** – Successfully translated the band's concert power to studio environment ### **Cons** 1. **Lyrical Weakness** – Functional but rarely profound; "banal" by design according to some critics 2. **Overshadowing Single** – "Smoke on the Water" became so ubiquitous it obscured the album's deeper cuts for general audiences 3. **Inconsistent Styles** – The funk elements in "Never Before" disrupt the album's heavy rock flow for some listeners 4. **Exhibitionism** – Occasional sense that technical display supersedes song service; "too flashy when the flash is old" 5. **Omission of "When a Blind Man Cries"** – The non-LP B-side (included on some reissues) should have replaced weaker material 6. **Commercial Peak = Creative Decline** – The band's subsequent *Who Do We Think We Are* (1973) disappointed, and Gillan departed later that year, suggesting *Machine Head* represented an unsustainable zenith --- ## Conclusion *Machine Head* is the definitive document of Deep Purple Mark II—a band operating with telepathic cohesion at the intersection of blues tradition and metal innovation. While its lyrics rarely challenge listeners intellectually, the instrumental performances constitute some of rock's most exhilarating moments. The album's influence on hard rock and heavy metal cannot be overstated; it established the template for virtuoso-driven, high-energy rock that prioritized feel and power over polish. For all its acknowledged limitations—primarily lyrical—it remains essential listening, a 37-minute masterclass in what happens when five elite musicians lock into collective purpose. The fact that it was born from disaster (the Montreux fire) and recorded in makeshift circumstances only enhances its legend as proof that constraint breeds creativity. **Rating:** 4.5/5 – A landmark that deserves its canonical status, even if one wishes the words matched the music's magnificence.
Un classique, pas une découverte
Great album, quite blues oriented, but lazy showcases jon lord and ritchie Blackmore at their best. Maybe I'm a Leo is a bit weak, but the rest of the album more than makes up for it.
How can you not love this to infinity ♾️
A stinking classic right here
An hard rock powerhouse of an album, genre defying and still an hell of a listen.
Another album which I listened since I was a child and firmly believe is a rock masterpiece. So easy easy 5 starts, however I still will listen to it today, because who can resist those awesome John Lord keyboard runs??! 5/5
Awesome
An absolute classic!!
Now you’re talking!! This is the kind of record that doesn’t ask for your attention — it seizes it, reshapes it, and sends you down a path you never walk back from. A true ignition point, loud and undeniable that made me Deep Purple fan for life. Great Album!!
Obviously heard of them but hadn't heard much by them, really good
Some of these instrumental passages are 100% pure distilled rock
This album came out when I was 14, I own(ed) it and I really liked it for songs like Ironic, Head over Feet, Hand in my pocket ... But listening to the entire album as an middle aged adult .. Wow! It is so much deeper and emotional than I realized
Even if this album just had Smoke on the water it would need to be on the list. The sheer number of guitarists that play that riff as their first piece on a guitar would be a staggering statistic. The fact that the rat of the album is as solid as it is ad even starts out with another hit just solidifies its need to be on the list. Great album
Absolutely colossal album. Call me if you are on your death bed and haven't heard this one. I will come to you, prepare a viking funeral for you, and send you off into the sunset with this as your swan song. 11/10 you cannot miss out on this.
I got this rock in my bones.
🤘🏻
- sosososo peak - stuck in head now - classic
Vibes! A good morning album, to listen to when driving or walking to work. Sometimes a bit cheesy, but mostly pleasing to hear all the themes and ideas from blues, and the those that show up metal albums later.
almost all tracks are good, felt like high school
This one took me over a week to review, largely because I liked it more on each subsequent listen and wanted to see where it would top out. These mother fuckers are tight and rock out. I’d heard tune from Deep Purple before, but like many Yanks I hadn’t given them the attention they deserve. To my credit, “Smoke on the Water”, perhaps the least interesting song on the album, received the most airtime in the US. As I learned while researching this album, the European press called Deep Purple, Zeppelin and Sabbath “The Unholy Trinity”. This album convinced me that this band deserves as much attention as the latter two. It is remarkable that this album was written and recorded over several weeks, although more careful scrutiny of the lyrics makes this somewhat more obvious. The diversity of sounds throughout the track is impressive and the back-and-forth solos between the keys and guitar is fucking cool. My favorite tracks were “Space Truckin’”, “Lazy” and “Highway Star”. However, the album is solid from start to finish. I’ve explored almost all of the music from the other bands in the unholy trinity, now it is time for me to give Deep Purple their due.
Solid album. Listened to it twice on repeat. All good songs on here, especially highway star, pictures of home and lazy.
Absolute groovy bangers.
Very good album had some absolute bangers and instrumentals, def ahead of its time.
Pure unadulterated rock
Some absolutely gruesome guitar and base tone in this album. This whole album rocks and is the epitome of "classic rock" in my opinion. 10/10.
Deep Purple is the best! This was one of my first albums as a kid I’m pretty sure my parents bought me.
The Riff alone is worth 5 stars. The rest of the album is superb as well!
Love it. Own it.
Some bangers in here! I have a soft spot for some of these songs as they were in Rock Band. Many follow similar structure, but each are enjoyable in their own rights.
Fuckin rocks
Jan 4-11
very cool guitar solos
Mother of Rock 🤘🏼
Wow! Super heavy, rockin', great tempo and feel changes. The guitar work is second to none. One of the greatest rock albums of all time.
An amazing album, space truckin is perfection
This was awesome! The two hits (Highway Star and Smoke on the Water) were great, but I think I actually liked most, if not all, of the other tracks (none of which I had heard before, with the possible exception of Space Trucker) even better. This is pretty much right up my alley, so it's not a surprise that I loved this album, but I guess that doesn't take anything away from it. I loved it so much I listened to it three times and almost went back for a fourth. Five stars, easily.
A supreme collection of hard rock classics
Love it. Perfect retro dad tunes
This album was a blast, all songs are extremely fun. I have a fond memory of a “Pictures of Home” cover in one of my music recitals when I was a kid, it was great then, it’s great now.
Bom demais
I'm a sucker for a good riff/guitar solo and this album is FILLED to the brim with them.These guys truly don't get the love they deserve. They're more than just Smoke On The Water.
Classic hard rock. Template for all hard rock bands to come. Virtuosic playing.
Classic rock at its best.
Awesome time full of bangers. Alongside the centerpiece Smoke on the Water I loved Highway Star and Space Truckin' most
Wonderful album - I remember it well from when it first came out. I did forget the name of it tho!
Wonderful!
Honestly, a lot better than I remembered. Great and virtuoso performances by all band members. Some risky ideas. I don't think I will go back to listening to a lot of Deep Purple (I had a phase as a teenager), but I have to give this album 5/5.
Late night drive home rocking out to this album. Not my usual jam, but the true rock does something to the soul
Melhor álbum da lista até o momento, sem dúvidas. Obra prima irretocável. Tudo nesse álbum é perfeito. Ian Gillan é um vocalista tão lendário que Bruce Dickinson (outra lenda) o tem como a sua maior inspiração. Ritchie Blackmore, um dos maiores guitarristas da história, fez suas maiores composições nesse álbum. O restante da banda, apesar de não terem o mesmo pedigree, não ficam pra trás nem um pouco. Enaltecer esse álbum é chover no molhado, no fim das contas, pois é amplamente considerado um dos melhores da história do rock. Melhor do álbum: "Highway Star". Pior do álbum: "Maybe I'm A Leo".
My opinion is biased, because my music journey really started with this band, actually with the made in Japan live album. Machine Head is a very cohesive and consistent album with epic song (highway star), stories (smoke on the water, maybe I'm a leo) and jam (lazy). Probably my most played cd...
Never listneded before and enjoyed it very much.
This was the first CD I ever bought, and probably one of the albums I listened to the most when I was in my early teens. It’s basically Deep Purple’s own Led Zep IV, a definitive hard-rock statement. Sure, the lyrics are clunky with this wink of self-mockery running underneath and it’s more straight-lined than In Rock, but there isn’t a single note from the keyboard or guitar that’s ever left me. Everything is razor-tight with the Mark-2 and then there’s Lazy, a showcase which still hits hard. I was honestly scared I’d find this album disappointing with some distance. But no, it’s almost even better now.
Eines der Alben für die einsame Insel! Mitreißender, melodischer, einprägsamer Rock vom feinsten. Batterie ist sofort auf 100, wenn diese Platte läuft!
shoutout to Frank Zappa and having some idiot with a flare gun at one of his concerts inspire rock music's Louie Louie riff part two.
Three of seven are iconic heavy metal songs, but “Lazy” blew me away with its bluesy jam. Only the second song is a throwaway.
Love Deep Purple, such an underrated band.
A landmark album for hard rock and that says it all. Highway Star and Smoke on the Water iconic songs. But I was impressed by the composition Lazy. I haven't listened to this album for a long time, so I forgot about it. Starting to sing five minutes into a song is powerful. And in terms of structure, Lazy is real progressive rock. If you don't want to listen to the whole album, then don't pass by Lazy, please.
In the 50+ years since Machine Head was unleashed onto the world, there has been no better album for driving. One of the finest rockers ever made.
One of the best classic rock albums out there, Deep Purple are an extremely underrated group in the history of rock.
I actually knew only the hits, but it's the more uncommon songs that really drove this home to me like Pictures of Home and Lazy. Glad I listened.
peak dad music I’m a dad now
Every song is better than the last.
If the worst song on your record is Smoke on the Water you’re in pretty good shape.
0-3-5 0-3-6-5 0-3-5 3-0
This was an absolutely amazing album. Only one song didn’t make it onto my playlist.
I bet this went triple platinum on the American highways in the 80s. Like the vibe and great guitar. Specific rating - 4.3 Fav song- space truckin Least fav- when a blind man cries
bangers
Very classic 70's dad rock.
This is loud early 70s hard rock. Lyrically, it's godawful, with lyrics being either trite, incoherent, or both. Musically, however, it's great. The interplay between the organ and guitar give the Purple a distinctive sound no one has really replicated, and the vocals are suitable for the music, if not the best. It's one of my personal favorite bands, so I'm probably a little biased in my rating. But, alas, everyone here is; no one person can truly rate an album objectively. Such is the beauty of art.
One of my biggest takeaways from this project is how awesome I think Deep Purple is. Absolutely grooving to this album and it's fusion of heavy metal and prog rock in the early 70's where I assume it was leading the charge in both of these genres. Definitely teetering on the 4/5 line here. Think it gets the bump because I want more 5s on my list.
An all time great record. In my top 20 of all time.
Every song is a banger!
The stretch of albums of Deep Purple mark II is just simply incredible... This is my personal highlight and my personal favorite Purple album, but I won't argue the others 9.8 ★★★★½
4.5/5
Some people call Blood On The Tracks the best album of the 70s but that is absolute tosh. Chuck your vinyl copy out of the window now. If you have a cd version stamp on it into little pieces and then flush it down the toilet or drop it down the gutter or summink. THIS is real music. It’s all you really need from the 70s other than Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Derek And The Dominoes and a bit of Frank Zappa. It’s basically as classic as classic rock gets. Monster vocals. Monster riffing. Monster soloing. Monster songs with the likes of Highway Star and Space Truckin (not so much Pictures Of Home and Never Before). Jon Lord lords it and it’s as much of a keyboard hero album as a guitar hero album. Even though it’s got the most overplayed riff of all time, Smoke On The Water is still the best tune and Lazy is another massive highlight and is just beastly. Hard to imagine better Machine Head except in a porn version of Stepford Wives or Ghost In The Shell.
Classic Rock at it's finest. I can imagine its impact when it was released 53! years ago. It is a really solid album, that potentially suffers because others have imitated it over the years. Highway Star and Space Truckin' are the highlights. Smoke on the Water is iconic
5/5
Seems extremely influential to hard rock and metal, I loved this
Rockefot.
Ouf, Mama! C'est du lourd à matin! J'adore Deep Purple, pis je commençais à stresser sur l'idée que le générateur oublie de me donner leurs albums, mais c'est bon. Machine Head est pas mon préféré (en vrai, je sais jamais c'est quoi mon préféré, j'hésite toujours entre l’extrêmement underated Shade of Deep Purple, le classique prog In Rock et le plus accessible Burn), mais ça reste un solide album hard rock, supporté par des gros bangers comme Highway Star, Lazy, pis évidemment Smoke on the Water. Bref, 👍👍👍 _ De retour Cyril! On en étais au jazz-fusion japonais, Beck et Gorillaz, l'étron de Slayer et la Bossa Nova. C'est parti, dans le désorde! J'ai vraiment une bonne relation avec la Bossa Nova, au point d'aliéner mon entourage. C'est un genre tellement polyvalent; tu veux lock in sur la job? Bossa Nova. Tu veux une ambiance relax pour souper en famille? Bossa Nova. Tu veux viber sur la plage ou autour d'un feu de camp? Bossa Nova. C'est le remède miracle! Contrairement à Reign In Blood de Slayer. J'ai été curieux, pis j'ai été voir ta critique, j'ai été surpris de voir un 3/5. Après l'avoir lu, je comprends que t'avais une approche beaucoup plus objective que la mienne, mais je me demandais en tant que critique musical combien de subjectivité tu peux injecter dans tes reviews? Ce que j'aime le plus de Demon Days et Plastic Beach, c'est la diversité de styles et d'artistes invités qui, en plus d'un univers animé vraiment cool, crée un patchwork d'album ultra intéressant, tout en restant assez accessible pour un gars qui a trippe pas beaucoup sur le Hip-hop. Pis en plus, pour un fan de Blur, tu retrouves une subtile fragrance du groupe qui plane sur certaine tracks, principalement sur Demon Days. Mais Beck rocks, ça c'est sûr! Je t'invite fortement à plonger dans le jazz-fusion et le funk japonais si tu te sens déprimer ou tu veux lancer un party en feu, ça marche de mon bord! Précision: My beloved n'est pas un band, mais plutôt une marque d'affection pour l'album Flying Beagle d'Himiko Kikuchi, que je considère fortement à rajouter à la user list. Il y a de quoi dans Jamiroquai qui m'accroche fortement depuis 1 an, genre je peux pas passer une semaine sans lancer un de leur album. Ce qui aide, c'est qu'au Québec, à part Virtual Insanity, le band roule zéro sur les radios commerciales. J'étais aussi pas né quand ils étaient au top des charts, ce qui doit aider! Je comprend vraiment pas pourquoi Gentle Giant n'a pas pogné plus que ça! C'est peut-être un trop jazzy pour les Prog Heads? Mystère! Ok, je devrais finir demain, il y a de plus en plus de sujet à aborder!
mais um clássico, muito bom
Who are these people and why is this my new favourite thing?
Classic Rock at its finest. Overblown guitar solos that seem to take 10 minutes, lyrics about Cars, Girls & Excess. Perfect. And of course the chords that every beginner guitarist learns in Smoke on the Water. Absolute must listen.
Entra bien deep
Classic in every way. Top of the genre. At least 4 songs still live gems. Vocal never squeaks big high voice. Guitars bass drums keyboards all in top 5 all working together. Song variety.
Turn it up loud!
Apparently I've been sleeping on Deep Purple. This is just pure high energy fun. Highlights: Highway Star and Never Before, but every song was fantastic.
5/5 some og heavy metal own on vinyl
It honestly doesn't matter how old you are, how old this band is, what happens to the world, culture, society, or anything else; there will always be one universal truth about music...Smoke on the Water is the coolest fucking song ever written.
If the aliens came down and I was tasked with explaining what "rock & roll" was to them, I'd throw on this album and watch as Highway Star melted their extraterrestrial minds—and that's just the first track!
YES An album made by musicians who are all top-tier on their instruments, wailing away and creating fantastic music. COME ON! COME ON! COME ON! LET'S GO SPACE TRUCKIN'!
Golden classic!
A proper rocker!
The 3rd album of one of the most amazing, wonderful and brilliant three-album run in the music history "Machine Head" is an absolute classic hard rock album. The band was on fire! The synergy is extraordinary, everything fits perfectly: Lord's magical keys, Blackmore's delightful riffs and solos, Glover's perfection and Paige's precision and Gillan's golden voice! Favourites: Highway Star, Lazy, Space Truckin', Never Before, Maybe I'm a Leo, Pictures of Home and Smoke On The Water (yeah got tired of this song even though it is a classic). Magnificent album.
legendary
Great album it starts and ends with a perfect song, highway star intense and frantic, WABMC slow and deep. Awesome guitar all the way, classic SOTW in the middle. At least a 4,5/5.
The Smoke on the Water riff is like the first cool thing you learn when learning any instrument, hearing it sends my ass down the alice in wonderland rabbit hole to time travel back to learning the piano. The album is also fire.
HOOOLY
Por que toda capa do Deep Purple é tão feia? Meu segundo disco deles da lista, e o primeiro foi uma surpresa agradável de uma banda que eu sempre subestimei. Esse disco tem Highway Star, e do enorme catálogo de canções de Rock saturadas em bares mesquinhos e rádios esdrúxulas, essa é uma das mais agradáveis e memoráveis. A grosso modo, esse grupo continua me impressionando toda vez que vou mais fundo no trabalho deles. Esse disco especialmente mostra faixas com progressões fantásticas, sons errantes que vagam por paisagens incríveis. Toda canção aqui tem pelo menos um elemento que me agrada imensamente. Uma sonoridade muito interessante e requintada conseguindo se alojar confortavelmente dentro dos confins do Rock clássico é louvável. Guitarras foda. Tecladinho lindinho. Fumaça na água e fogo no céu. 5/5
Two all time rock classics on one album and the rest fits well
per wikipedia, the album is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential rock albums of all time. The method for recording (trying to find a non-studio space to better replicate the feel of their live shows) creates an epic backdrop for this heavy metal album with unreal vocal range. A classic for sure that ranges from the fast paced Highway Star with the fun organ solo to the blues inspired Maybe I'm a Leo to every guitarists first chord progression in Smoke on the Water, this album feels a lot more authentic and fun than some of their later albums.
Jeg har hørt denne plata så mange ganger at jeg derfor valgte å høre på 2024-miksen, som var ny for meg. Det var et godt valg, for plata er tatt inn i vår headset-kultur og til og med utspilte Smoke on the Water låter grommere og friskere enn før. Dette er Deep i toppform og med den desidert beste besetningen. Selv om jeg er veldig glad i både In Rock og Fireball er det nok Machine Head som har jevnest kvalitet. Jeg er nok biased etter så mange år med å eksponering for denne plata, men det kan vi vel tillate oss å være gjennom 1001 musikkanmeldelser.
My favorite Deep Purple album. Listened to the cassette many times in my car when it came out in '72, my senior year of high school. Highway Star, Smoke On the Water, Space Truckin' ... A classic.
Another masterpiece, from top to bottom. One of the greatest of all time.
Definitely Deep Purple's best work. The memorable guitar riffs, the unforgettable organ solos--this album just oozes cool. Favorite tracks: Highway Star, Lazy
Great guitar riffs and Hammond wizardry. Smoke on the water an all time belter.
This rocks, great performances all round. Everyone earns their place here and it doesn’t outstay it's welcome or become too indulgent. And I bloody love a Hammond organ
Шедевр! Что ни песня, то хит. Слушаешь и наслаждаешься буквально каждым звуком. 10 из 10.
I’ve listened countless times Classic Not much more to say
Machine Head is Deep Purple at their absolute peak, an album that defines heavy rock with both power and precision. From the immortal riff of “Smoke on the Water” to the relentless drive of “Highway Star,” the record barely lets up, each track showing off the band’s chemistry and virtuosity. Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar and Jon Lord’s organ duel and weave around each other perfectly, while Ian Gillan’s vocals soar over the top with grit and force. What makes it so enduring is that balance between muscle and melody. Songs like “Lazy” stretch out into jams without losing momentum, and “Space Truckin’” closes the record with the same energy it started with, almost daring you to catch your breath. Machine Head is one of those rare albums where every track earns its place, a blueprint for hard rock and metal that still sounds vital today.
Brilliant
😁
Classic ROCK!
grew up listening to deep purple. the musicianship is so damn good
Easily their greatest recording
Moro moro :D nyt oli sellanen jolle pitää antaa kaikki viis tähteä. Ei ollu yhtään huonoa biisiä levyllä. Tykkäsin ja ois saanu olla pidempi levy.
Kyseessä legendaarinen klassikko hevilevy, joka sisältää yhden historian tunnetuimmista ja soitetuimmista kappaleista. Myös Highway Star erittäin tunnettu kappale, joten tämä albumi kuuluu erityisesti tälle "kuuntele nämä albumit ennen kuin kuolet" -listalle. Koko albumia en ole aiemmin kokonaan kuunnellutkaan, joten otin erittäin tyytyväisenä tämän kuuntelun vastaan. Albumi on täynnä kohtuu tasaisesti vahvoja hevibiisejä, eikä heikkoja osia löydy. Kuitenkin pysyen riittävän monipuolisena, ettei käy tylsäksi. Tämän lisäksi levyn ollessa näin legendaarinen, on vitonen ainoa mahdollinen arvio tälle.
Deeppi Purple on näitä rajumman rokin alkupään parhaita pändejä ja tää levy taas on omaan mieleen ehkä paras heijän tekeleistään. Ei heikkoja kohtia ja vaikuttimet kantaa vuoskymmenten päähän. Selkee vintska.
Klassikko on ja yhä pirun kova.
This album is beautifully heavy. A classic
Suberb. Just a fantastic iconic sound. It’s the sound of rock n roll in its best form from the 70s.
One of the best early heavy metal records. Even though Deep Purple had moved on to more “standard” hard rock, their prog rock roots are still very clear with their musicianship. Ian Gillan may just be my favorite rock singer ever, he can do amazing things with his voice. The material is very strong and is full of energetic hard rockers. 5/5
Can I give five stars to Ritchie Blackmore specifically? No? Fine, I suppose the whole '72 lineup can share.
Fantastic. Simply fantastic. What an incredible band, what a team of musicians. The real stars of this album are not Blackmore and Lord, no, Paice and Glover are rockin' like nothing else. Glovers bass work on 'Lazy' is incredible, just like Paice's drumming on 'Space truckin''. These two tracks are the highlights of this album, not the much more famous 'Smoke on the water' or 'Highway star'. It's all good, 'Pictures of home' should be mentioned as well. The B-side 'When a blind man cries' that was later added to the album is also noteworthy, although it's almost over the top. What a musicianship.
Classic
Awesome! 🙌🏽
Best Deep Purple album and even if the live versions of these songs have even more energy this release had the band at their best. Maybe the ordeal of writing/recording the songs added to their impact. Great stuff.
Ar first I did not want to give this a five star rating since I believe 'Deep Purple in Rock' to be there true masterpiece, but there is just nothing wrong with Machine Head. It's an exiting listen from start to finish and deserves every star it can get.
Classic hard rock, all musicians at the peak of their game. For the masterpiece "Child in Time" alone, it deserves the highest score. One of Deep Purple's best albums.
THEY WROTE HIGHWAY STAR? Wow I love it. This is some rock I can get behind. Insane guitar riffs. I have missed when lyrics of songs were like "we were at a concert when some stupid with a flare gun set the venue on fire", simple. iconic. Chaotic genius energy is getting asked by a reporter how your band makes music, and then your guitarist starts riffing a "G" over and over and the singer improvises, so you refine and perform that song the same night "When performed live, [Space Truckin'] would often turn into very extended jams, with the original recording of the song on the album only being four and a half minutes in length, these jams would often reach upwards of 15 minutes, with the version recorded for Made in Japan being nearly 20 minutes long."
This album is a masterpiece. There's not much to say about something that is near to be perfect. It sounds great, and the instrumentations are fantastic. That's what it is, magnificent. So delicate and energetic, and interesting and inspired. Great.
Absolutely fantastic I still love every track! This transcends time and beams me back to the early 70’s. Smoke on the Water is one of the stand out tracks of this period of time, but there are so many other great tracks: Lazy is a great boogie-woogie tune with incredible organ, Highway Star rocks, and who could forget the driving Space Trucking. Definitely 1 of my 10 island picks
amazing rock record, i can see why this is a classic!
Since this came up in my queue, I've been debating… IS this a perfect record? The answer I came up with: This is the perfect response to adversity from a band that was at it's absolute peak in every single way. As artists, they created. As musicians, they wrote special songs and as a band, they made the perfect record. The stars aligned for them to deliver this one.
This going to be regarded as heresy, but my stand-out tracks on this album are "Highway Star", "Lazy", and "Space Truckin'". I didn't include "Smoke on the Water" because while it's a great song, (hell, I even learnt to play it on the guitar when I was a lot younger), over the years I've gone off it, possibly because it's been overplayed; I often wondered what track would have replaced it on the album if there hadn't have been a fire.
The duel-interplay between Ritchie Blackmore's guitar and Jon Lord's Hammond Organ is hard rock bliss. Best played while speeding down the highway like a star.
One of my favorites.
On my top 20 list
A heavy metal masterpiece; each band member brings on a thunderous performance. This album gave us one of the most overplayed guitar riffs ever made in "Smoke on the Water" (to the chagrin of many a Guitar Center employee) but it's absolutely iconic, plus the song goes incredibly hard (like the opening track "Highway Star" and pretty much every other song on this thing) so I'll allow it.
10
10/10 loooove Deep Purple far more than their peers and contemporaries
perfection. one of the best rock albums ever. jon lord is the most underrated musician ever
A classic
Another total banger. Deep Purple should be mentioned alongside other legendary bands in GOAT conversations
Amazing stuff
28/07/2025 It was a good, classic album.
Beats the knickers off Black Sabbath, and a lot more musical as well.
Another classic and highly favoured band. I acquired and "consumed" Deep Purple in Rock at a young age so it was nice to acquaint myself with the Machine Head album which has a few very well known tunes nevertheless. LAZY is a brilliant blues number. The whole album is great.
I’ve got a list that I’ll bring up a few times during this journey. It’s a list of my Top 10 favorite songs of all time. “The Chain” is on it. I rolled that album on Monday. I bring the list up today because Machine Head has “Highway Star”. It starts with it as a matter of fact. Not only do I love that song, but I love this album. It’s previously been on a separate list of my personal favorite albums, and will continue to be praised extensively by me today. For the second time already, welcome back to the 5 star club, Deep Purple. I’ve already talked about how much I love this band, so I’ll save a bit of excess gushing. It all just works for me. It rocks. Every song. End of story. I’m almost 80 days in, and I can PROMISE you that I’m not going to have a week as consistently good as this one was for the rest of this experience. Wow!!!!
Great album from start to finish.
love it
Every single change is flawless and interesting. Impressed by how serious they were as musicians. Not really my jam but can’t deny how good the album is
One of the best Rock n Roll albums ever! Great songs, the band is super tight and NOBODY screams as good as Ian Gillian! Who doesn’t know the riff from Smoke on the Water? I own this record and have worn it out! Definitely a 5!!! So Good I listened to it TWICE today!
One of the greatest hard rock albums ever, every song is awesome. 10/10 album for me
Showing a little bias maybe, but this was the first album I remember ever buying as a kid! A total classic, hands down.
All time classic. I'm prolly half deaf from listenin to this!!
Deep Purple is just the best. They have an enormous amount of funk and groove blended with a rollicking heaviness that no other band can match. They can do psychedelic, they can do funk, they can play heavy metal that will knock your socks off. I'd go as far as to say Ritchie Blackmore is THE best guitarist of the early 1970s (except maybe John McLaughlin). Definitively better than Jimmy Page in terms of raw power, speed and feeling, let alone all the other multitudes of lesser guitarists. The guitar solo on Child in Time just astounds and thrills me every time I hear it. Great album. Fun, exciting, groovy, heavy, impressive.
Album full of classics, just a pure rock album that's so solid and repeatable. Although I wouldn't say it's a personal favorite it gets 5 stats for just how consistent it is.
37 minutes of pure rock. Perfection
Classic.
So lit
nice
5/5
Original review: “ Classic album with a bunch of classic hits. "Smoke On The Water" being the definition of their career. Top album.” Still a top album, still a 5.
Here I can write the rating while listening. I know the album by heart. Smoke on the Water is by no means the best song on the album, but it's always a banger at Head Banger parties. Lazy, one of my favorite songs, delivers the absolute best sound. Simply terrific. If there were more than 5 stars, I would gladly give them. 5/5
This album rocks-- Smoke on the Water is a classic, but Maybe I'm a Leo is another favorite
Great stuff, and great classics on this album.
This album is the prototype of so much of the hard rock and heavy metal to come. For some, that is damning it to 1-star territory while for others that's an automatic 5-star rating. For yet others, the mere presence of Smoke On The Water is enough to damn it to 1-star territory. So many budding guitarists learn the opening riff of Smoke On The Water without even knowing the song its from. And they usually learn the wrong way to play it. It is one of the earliest guitar-centric memes. If you can get past the ubiquity of that song and listen to it as if you haven't already heard it 3000 times, it really is a fantastic rock song. To me, one of the most interesting aspects of this album, and indeed this era of Deep Purple, is that the heaviness comes more from Jon Lord's organ than from Richie Blackmore's guitar. Compared to the overdrive on the Hammond organ, Blackmore's guitar tone is practically clean. This album's mix of classical/baroque, blues, and the burgeoning hard rock sound is damn near perfect. 5 stars.
Saying this in a way where I’m not fully serious but I think it best describes how I felt, Highway Star blew my mind and really set this album up well. Richie Blackmore might be a good guitarist. Maybe I’m a Leo wasn’t as great but good little jam. Pictures of home brings it back up, keyboard player goin dumb, even their bass player gets to have fun. Then we get a solid good times bad times rip off? Very skynyrd meets zeppelin and I like it. I feel like I don’t need to write about smoke on the water. It might be because it’s a megahit but it feels out of place on this album. Still a great song. Lazy is a lot of fun and space truckin is a perfect ending. Following our boy Ye this feels like a 5 but it’s probably more realistically a high 4. Loved it, thanks deep purple.
Ainda que não seja o meu disco preferido do Deep Purple (é o "Burn"), "Machine Head" é um disco perfeito. A banda estava em grande fase, vindo de uma sequência de ótimos álbuns como In Rock e Fireball, e a mistura de hard rock, blues e heavy metal eternizou esse repertório que, com exceção de "Never Before", é todo clássico.
Groovey melodies and sick solos
Funny that I've listen to more than half of this album w/o ever listening to it back to back. I love all of the songs i already knew and i love all the ones that were new. Classic album, happy i ran into it =)
!
Machine Head is the sixth album from British band Deep Purple, and was their most commercially successful release. The band made guitar-based hard rock, and are considered to be one of the pioneers of heavy metal. The band used a heavy, distorted effect on their guitar and bass lines; this saturated sound became the norm for hard rock and heavy metal in the 70s and the 80s. Machine Head includes "Smoke on the Water," which may be the band's biggest hit. The song is about the difficulties the band faced in recording the album - one of the studios the band planned to used burned down before the scheduled sessions. It, like the rest of the album, is the product of a seasoned band that captured the energy of their live shows.
When you think 1970s Hard Rock, think Deep Purple's Machine Head. Some itheir most famous, self-indulgent, and best songs - Highway Star and Smoke on the Water especially - are on this album. What makes the Deep Purple of this era so special is the proto-Heavy Metal riffing of Ritchie Blackmore. Deep Purple without Blackmore is like Jethro Tull with without Ian Anderson or Black Sabbath without Ozzy. It's just not the same band. That happened in 1975 when Blackmore left to form early Hair Metal band Rainbow with Ronnie Dio (who left to form Hair Metal band Dio). (As an aside, I saw Deep Purple in the post Blackmore era and it stands today as one of the worst concerts I ever attended. I still have nightmares) If you want to know what classic Deep Purple sounds like, listent ot Machine Head. If you want to hear the roots of Heavy Metal and Hair Metal, listen to Machine head. If you want to be transported back to the early 70s, complete with muscle cars, pimped out vans, and young women in tube tops and bell bottoms, listen to Machine Head. If you want to listent to one of the greatest rock guitar muscians of all time at his peak, listen to Machine Head.
This is a masterpiece of an album. First half is definitely slept on by most because of Smoke On The Water in the second. I have never listened to any deep purple album in full before this, but now, almost the whole album has been added to my playlist. An interesting point is the final track, When A Blind Man Cries, wasn't included in the original release, but was on each subsequent release as a main stay. This is because guitarist Ritchie Blackmore disliked the song and even refused to play it live. In the context of the album, I kind of agree with Blackmore. It's too much of a tonal shift, and right at the end of the album too. On it's own, it's a good song though. Notable Tracks: Lazy, Smoke On The Water, Never Before, Highway Star
“Classic rock” distilled. Highway Star and Space Truckin are bangers and the the album still rocks out. Even if Smoke is overplayed by every 12 year old to pick up a guitar
Fuck Child in Time, dit is het beste werk van Deep Purple. Highway Star is één van de nummers die ik niet durf opzetten in de auto wegens risico op roekeloos rijgedrag. En Smoke On The Water is misschien grijsgedraaid, maar het heeft wel een reden. 4.5
Classic!
Such a classic, even though I have never heard the full album before. This is what all my guitar friends tried to play through their teenage years, and it's easy to understand why it's so cool.
Love it!!! They feature solos for all their instruments which I think is great. Lots of guitar, bass and key solos. Looooong songs but they rock! I kept finding myself turning the volume up louder. Would like to own for sure. Was nice hearing what else they have to offer other than smoke on the water, and so many of their songs are better and deserve more recognition
Classic album with a bunch of classic hits. "Smoke On The Water" being the definition of their career. Top album.
Good and fun
We probably all have a small handful of memories from our earliest childhood that forever stick with us. I hope yours are good ones. One of mine is being put to bed by my dad at the age of four(ish) as my mother worked evenings at that time. I was often unable to fall asleep, as after he tucked us in he would go downstairs and turn on the stereo and proceed to crank up the tunes, probably thinking we were already fast asleep. Nope. Zep, The Cars, Sabbath, BOC, and Deep Purple, were all nocturnal regulars. One of the tracks that always stuck out for me was Smoke on the Water. I can still sense it clearly 40+ years later. The sound of the music, the visual of downstairs light creeping up the stairs, the smell of the house in summer. Everything. I think about this often and credit this experience as centrally formative to my musical being. I can’t remember a time in this life when I wasn’t constantly surrounded by music and that remains true today. I foster this with my child as well, minus the keeping them up past bedtime…because what kind of maniac does that to themselves on purpose. I sometimes wonder what her Smoke on the Water will be. This album also hit on a very important day as that, then young dad who is not so young any longer, goes in for some major medical intervention today. It has been a time of deep personal contemplation and processing and this literally arrived just in time. Five stars for a stellar dad, probably reveling or railing at the passing of his youth at the hands of kids who came young, and five stars for positive core memories that shaped everything that came after.
Was soll ich sagen? Die Single "Never before" war die erste (und letzte) Single, die ich als Schüler gekauft habe. Wie soll ich da ein unbefangenes Urteil fällen? Und mein erstes Album war "Made in Japan". Ich bin also völlig voreingenommen und auch geprägt von dieser Musik.
Yup--takes me right back. Good Stuff
Rock and roll masterpiece. Very nostalgic. Highway Star is one of the great rock and roll songs
Ett av världens mest legendariska riff, om än överspelat (Smoke on the water), en av världens bästa hårdrockslåtar (Highway star) och ett oslagbart hidden gem (Pictures of home) ramar in albumet och soundet som bara Deep Purple får till.
Själva definitionen av klassisk hårdrock.
The extended keyboard intro to Lazy is pretty crazy. Reminds me a bit of the intro to Pink Floyd's Sheep, except I think I like this one even more. (That means a lot, coming from someone who thinks Sheep is a near-perfect track.) Of course, the riff in Smoke On The Water takes the spotlight, but also of note are the singing (especially that chorus – swanky), guitar solo, and driven percussion beat. In fact, the drumming is really solid in every song. I appreciate the little triplet fills to keep the listener engaged, and yet still enough restraint to fit the mood of the song for tracks like Lazy and When A Blind Man Cries. Also worth a shoutout is the basswork, which is most notable on Pictures Of Home but is skilfully done in every track. Overall, very little to complain about – other than the rock style being done to death, and the riff in Smoke On The Water sounding a bit goofy after experiencing its omnipresence in the media. But those "problems" speak to Deep Purple's undeniably enormous influence on the music world. Great ensemble, following roughly in the footsteps of Led Zeppelin and the Who, with equally good riffs to boot. In particular, the hooks in Space Truckin' and Maybe I'm A Leo are fantastic, and (even better) unfamiliar to me at the same time. Always a good sign when tracks you've never heard outshine the familiar ones. As another reviewer wrote: "An absolute masterclass in rock musicianship and virtuosity without becoming overbearing or wanky. Every band member brings a tour de force performance." 5/5 Key tracks: Highway Star, Pictures Of Home, Lazy
Good stuff
How can anyone not give this 5 stars. Such a influential album.
Sounds like the pro version of Led Zeppelin. Favorite song: all of them except smoke on the water, but even that makes sense in the context of this album.
Oh yes this one holds up I like the song Lazy
Half the songs are classics, other half solid. Great album. Love the organ solos, riffs, and bass.
4.5, but transforms into a 5 if you discover this as a teenager or early 20s (I hope you do). Listened this album on cd in my early 20s. Highway Star what an opener, Smoke on the Water (a classic), and my favourite "Lazy", jazzy, bluesy, and I like/love the organ (Hammond b3 organ I am reading) (that is present in many songs, accompanying or completing the guitar). One of the foundational albums of Heavy Metal. Almost all songs are very good.
Was not able to fully listen. Auto 5
Solid album. Great listen.
Barnt barnt barnt. Barnt barnt bar barnt. Barnt barnt barnt. Barnt barnt. That alone gives this a thousand stars. But it’s an album. And it’s an awesome album. Yes the lyrics can be stupid. Ian Gillan said if he’d known he’d be singing these songs decades down the track he’d have put more effort into it. But he’s a great singer. And he sort of needs to be. Ian Paice is one of the greatest rock drummers. Underrated. But amazingly great. Roger glover is a powerhouse on bass. Just listen to it rumble under SOTW. Jon Lord - so good that few keyboardists entered heavy metal after him. And Blackmore. If they ever carve a fifth head on Mt Rushmore… (I stole this from a guitar world review. But it’s accurate) How to rock. How to metal. How to groove. 2002 stars. Minus two for the lyrics.
Great rock and roll is always a balance of smart and dumb. For example, the Ramones sound dumb, but are secretly smart. Lou Reed sounds smart, but usually plays musically dumb. The problem with prog rock is that it is trying to be smart all the time, and loses track of the importance of being a bit dumb. But Deep Purple never forgot. Well, almost never; let us speak not of Concerto for Group and Orchestra. They were all great musicians (Lord and Blackmore in particular0< but never forgot that someitme syou just need to play dumb. Despite their terrific chops, both Lord and Blackmore will sometimes settle back into just playing the groove to keep the song barreling along. Actually, listen out for Blackmore's rhythm playing; it is often just a single note root note chugging along. Bog simple, but rockin'! I know Ian Gillan sometimes wishes he had done a better job with the lyrics, but frankly I really like to the dumb-as-a-box-of-hammers stupidity of most fo the songs. It doesn't distract from his world class wailing. There is almost no filler on this record, and it has Smoke of the Water on it. Any list of 'greatest riffs of all time' that doesn't feature Smoke on the Water in the top three isn't worth its salt.
This is one of my favorite albums!! This is one of those albums that shaped heavy metal.
This album was sooo good. Idk what specific genre of rock this is but give me more of it now! Loved how many lyrics there were cause yk I'm a sucker for those and yeah I mean no complaints.
Holy shit ! I did not expect to like this album so much. I honestly think "Smoke on the water" is my least favorite song on this record. The guitar solos by Ritchie Blackmore are insanely good. fav songs : Highway Star & Lazy
Solid rock, and Lazy is one of my favorites, not to mention the other classics on this album. It's not as refined as Floyd or Rush, but it's a strong play and I enjoy it.
Smoke on the Water
Crank it up to 11, drive. Probably one of the greatest rock albums ever isn't it? The synchronicity between the guitar and organ, Lord and Blackmore, is phenomenal. I always forget how much I love this album till I put it on. Bonus fact, my late father once made a cassette he called "The Lazy Tape" which had every version of Lazy on it. Some of those love ones are epic!
Pretty amazing stuff - surprisingly well structured and consistent.
Classic dad rock at it’s best🎸
This is iconic on lots of levels. That organ sound is as good as it gets. Vocals are the ideal balance of raw power, range, and melody. The drums are great — super snare fills all over the place. Guitar, bass... right where they need to be. Add to it a bunch of great tunes, some in the hall of fame, all adds up to an easy 5.
What a fantastic album with the main classics from deep purple and keeps that energy and momentum through all the songs start to finish great album.
İlk albüm
Just as a guitar record this gets a 5 star. Really great listening experience, "Smoke on the Water" is iconic, but I also really enjoyed "Maybe I'm a Leo." Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would.
Much better than I expected. Nothing really stood out but there were no bad songs either. Will probably throw this on again in the background. Glad to have found it.
Love me some Hard Rock. A strong guitar does make me smile
Rocks harder than pretty much anything else did from around that time.
This is a fantastic album. I thought it was an album BY Machine Head at first. 🤣
I used to hang out with this girl who loved to have sex while listening to this album. Things always used to go crazy when "Space Truckin'" started to play (COME ON!). I wasn't even a huge Deep Purple fan back then, but when you have a hot chick like that claiming you as her Highway Star, you change your mind in a heartbeat! Seriously, Smoke On The Water deserves a proper shout-out. Not only because it's probably the most famous guitar riff in music history, but everything involved in the context of this song is absolutely legendary, and the guys in Purple knew it. So much so that in the lyrics of the song itself they say: "No matter what we get out of this I know, I know we'll never forget" An absolute 5 stars for this legendary album!
Classic. Plus it has a Zappa reference.
Das sechste Studioalbum von Deep Purple und wurde 1972 veröffentlicht. Das britische Hard-Rock-Quartett, bekannt für seine Mischung aus Rock, Blues und klassischem Heavy Metal, hat mit diesem Werk einen wichtigen Meilenstein der Rockmusik gesetzt. Die Aufnahme fand in den Schweizer Montaigne Studios in Montreux statt, wobei die Band sich aufgrund eines Brandes im Casino von Montreux, der auch das ursprüngliche Aufnahmestudio bedrohte, zu einem schnellen Umzug entschloss. Die Besetzung der Band bestand aus Ian Gillan (Gesang), Ritchie Blackmore (Gitarre), Roger Glover (Bass), Jon Lord (Keyboards) und Ian Paice (Schlagzeug). Ein herausragendes Merkmal des Albums ist die prägende Mischung aus Hard Rock und progressivem Elementen, die durch die Keyboards und Gitarrensoli unterstützt wird. Besonders bemerkenswert ist der Song "Smoke on the Water", dessen ikonisches Gitarrenriff und prägnante Melodie zu einem der bekanntesten Rock-Songs aller Zeiten wurden. Weitere erwähnenswerte Titel wie "Highway Star" und "Space Truckin’" gehören ebenfalls zu den Highlights des Albums und zeigen die Band in ihrer vollen musikalischen Stärke. Die Musik auf Machine Head ist im Wesentlichen dem Hard-Rock-Genre zuzuordnen, aber es finden sich auch Einflüsse aus Blues und Progressive Rock. Die Songs sind energiegeladen und zeichnen sich durch ausgedehnte Instrumentalpassagen und improvisierte Soli aus, die zu dieser Zeit für Rockalben dieser Art eher unüblich waren. Das Album erhielt sowohl kommerziellen Erfolg als auch positive Kritiken und festigte den Status von Deep Purple als eine der führenden Rockbands ihrer Zeit. Machine Head gilt heute als eines der einflussreichsten Rock-Alben aller Zeiten. Machine Head von Deep Purple bleibt ein bedeutendes Werk des Hard Rock, das mit seinen musikalischen Innovationen und kraftvollen Kompositionen die Bandgeschichte prägte.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm ignorant towards metal and hard rock and if I'm failing to see some sort of genius when I quickly dismiss (representative example) Metallica as dumb wankery. Well, thank you for setting my mind at easy, Deep Purple. It's not that I just don't like "heavy". Two notes and I love this album. So very enjoyable. I'm not ignorant, I just hate Sliptallica because it's dumb, hooray!
super cool
all-time fav, smoke on the water might be one of the first things i downloaded via limewire
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