Reviews (page 9 of 14)
musikalisch eigentlich gut aber vom ding her langweilt es meine seele
Really cool album. Title makes me think of the movie Redline, first song Jojo. Didn't know Smoke on the Water was from this album. Shockingly iconic. The basslines are incredible. Really really really good. I can see why it's recommended.
Whenever a 12-year old slowly plops out the riff to Smoke on the Water on a $100 Squier, a rock and roll angel gets its wings.
This is the kind of dopey—literally and figuratively—hard rock my punk forefathers rebelled against in the '70s. You could call it clichéd, except this album helped establish those clichés! All that said, I've got no beef with this. It gets wanky and deeply silly ("Space Truckin'"), but the classics on here have endured for a reason.
Pretty cool album. Very 70s white band sound.
Highway Star and Smoke are the stand outs. It is a solid album and it influenced a lot of great bands, but why does this feel like basic dad rock to me?
Reminded me of the Queens album we just heard. I think influential, but not great. I can hear a lot of late 80s and 90s bands in the music. But not something I’d come back to.
Highway star- what a way to start the day. Didn't realize smoke on the water was on the same record. That was a cool surprise! These guys rock and I should probably listen to the spin-off bands.
kinda fun
idk if we needed a second deep purple album on here..
…cool. Seems like biker bar anthems. The guitar and bass are ripping, I’ll give them that. The lyrics and delivery are lacking.
Listening session: march 29th, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: heard one song before Thoughts: of course Smoke On The Water has an iconic guitar riff bu that actually wasn’t even my favourite track of this album. I quite enjoyed some of the organ work and guitar solos on here Favourite tracks: Highway Star & Lazy
i genuinely enjoyed this more than i thought i would. strong 3.5
Approaching decent while on the road, then when listening on solid ground I couldn’t stay awake
1 pretty good song and a bunch of forgettable stuff
Super short to the point rock album you know smoke on the water nothing super memorable but nothing too terrible it’s a solid rock album perfectly in the middle
A classic full of some bangers!
Is good at what it does especially for its time. Only ever heard smoke on the water but actually enjoyed much more than the radio hit
Good
Обещали нечто глубокое и фиолетовое, но в итоге остались над водой вместе с дымом
Каждый раз поражает, насколько глубоко в мейнстриме был рок в середине прошлого века. Smoke on the water слышала даже я, интересно, будет ли такой же феномен в середине во второй половине этого столетия. Но именно такие группы отбивали у меня охоту слушать рок все мое детство и юность
I didn’t think I knew who Deep Purple but oh my god all these songs are so famous. For as much as I’ve heard these, they do still sound pretty great. Very good older rock. It basically felt like a greatest hits of 70s rock in a way (sorry for anyone that offends)
Meh
I hadn't heard any of this besides Smoke on the Water. Kind of interesting to hear it in context. It really stands out on an otherwise unremarkable album.
I would really like to rate this higher because some parts of this record are so damn good. Really not a fan of the vocals.
Solid rock record. I gotta get a beat on that keyboard tone - OOF. I liked the record best when it was a bit weird - Highway Star is a great example.
Listen, it's not bad in any way. But it's not for me. There are certain bands that if you don't fall in love with when you're a teenager, it'll never happen. I still think Deep Purple's best stuff is on their first two albums. While they are very good musicians, (I always loved Ian Paices drumming and sound), this album doesn't really do it for me. Enjoyable, but not mind blowing. Ian Gillan is a good singer, but I usually don't enjoy his voice. I was listening to a lot of Black Sabbath lately, and comparing to them, I just don't find Purple especially interesting. Nonetheless, this album is a respectable flat 3. 3.2.
I could almost give this a 4 for Smoke on the Water, but the rest of this is pretty meh.
Machine Head is Deep Purple’s opus work. We had it on vinyl at 4Ex, the three song B Side got some play (and is one of the best B sides on 70’s vinyl.) This was a quick, fun trip back to the seventies for me. (3.49*s) I’m putting’ this album on next time I’m at Fan’s.
okay dad music!
Not really my thing,but i guess it is a sound that has endured for many …
fine. classic. I knew some of these songs. Would probably give it 3.5 if that was an option.
influential
Smoke on the water and highway Star I'm pretty familiar with abd consider the classic songs. The album itself starts off with great energy and just winds down as it goes. I kind of find it weird, as if the music got tied while I was listening.
Better than I thought it would be. I've never been a big Deep Purple fan but I see what fans like. A few decent songs, some bluesier than I would have expected but definitely a decent album.
Best vet maar ook niet echt mijn ding (bluesier en langdradiger dan ik ze graag hoor), maar je kunt natuurlijk niet zeggen dat je van Thee Oh Sees en King Gizzard houdt en dan hier op zitten haten. Eerste keer dat het me opvalt dat Frank Zappa wordt genamedropped op Smoke On The Water which is kinda wild
eu gostei só de uma música. achei meio mais ou menos de novo
that was actually pretty fun. i could hear the traces of blues and other genres (some middle eastern riffs in the guitar solos on the opener?) which made it a little more interesting than the typical music from this canon. i still wouldn't say I love it because i find the vocal delivery a bit goofy and hard to connect to, but i liked this more than i thought i would. Fav track: Highway Star
Always liked Highway Star and Smoke on the Water but was impressed by the other offerings on this album, especially Maybe I'm a Leo. A harder rock sound than I lean towards, but great bass lines. Listened through twice with no skips and enjoyed it! Not one I'll reach for often, but solid.
sounds kind of like twisted sister. i can see how this album has influenced other artists within the genre and i think it’s pretty ahead of its time
Sweet keys
Good!
i think everyone knows "smoke on the water". maybe "space truckin'". surprised to learn this is their sixth album as it doesn't seem to be that polished. makes me think of high school (idk, why - this is the first time i've listened to the whole album) - just sounds like a band that some high schoolers would make - not necessarily a negative here.
Wow. A white 70s rock album. Ground fucking breaking. Why. Why god. Why me. Why oh why. I love 70s rock I really do I swear I look like I like 70s fucking rock but I don't like the 20th album that supposedly I need to listen to before I die that sounds exactly like the last fucking 19. I could've called it at the first there's nothing new. It sounds fucking good I fucking like it it's fucking groovy but why is it on this fucking list oh my god. I feel a little passionately about it this. Fuck. I don't even know what to say to this. Like yeah I guess. Favourite: Smoke On The Water Least favourite: When A Blind Man Cries
Dos TEMAZOS. El resto bien
Some of the best and heaviest drumming I think I’ve heard from this era. Smoke on the water is a classic but I’ve gotta be in the right mood for this. Was good but didn’t blow me away
think we've already had one or their albums. This one wasn't as good
fine.
A solid example of the genre.
04/03/26 um álbum que eu gostaria de ouvir como músicas de fundo caso eu estivesse em um restaurante meio escuro conversando com pessoas que eu gosto os solos são bem interessantes (embora alguns sejam um pouco chatos, mesmo diversificados), o que faz a duração das faixas não se tornar maçante alguns momentos (principalmente de solos fora do tradicional) foram hype, mexi a cabeça um pouco (consegue ter seu ar de pauleira) rock clássico que meu pai deve achar mais do caralho que eu 6/10
This sounds like a cross between heavy metal and classic dad rock. I am sure this influenced a lot of bands in the 80's.
Jag blev positivt överraskad av detta. Kommer nog inte lyssna igen, men jag har en ganska trevlig lyssning trots att denna typ av rock inte alls brukar vara i min smak. Kul!
classic classic rock. sounds like a real band. great rhythm. great performances (overall), especially by Richie Blackmore on guitar and Jon Lord on Hammond organ. Organ played like a guitar often. Nice natural overdriven guitar tones. Highway Star - Proto-Iron Maiden guitar and organ harmonies, interesting delayed bass in intro. Maybe I'm a Leo - a vibe, great drumming and rhythmic feel in general. Doors-y blues middle section (Crawling King Snake). Nice combination of guitar, Rhodes, and Hammond. Pictures of Home - Another cool proto-Maiden song, in the galloping and chord changes. Cool harmony. Sweet chromatic harmonized Hammond solo. Great bass solo. Never Before - fun room reverb on L guitar. Led Zeppelin Good Times Bad Times riff Smoke on the Water - Absolute cinema Lazy - decent live bluesy song Space Truckin' - silly concept, but legendary riffs. Kind of like Not to Touch the Earth. sweet closing song. would be killer live. **(steal the "bloop"y guitar sound on the right at 2:40. Sounds like a cool synth patch. ** **Also steal the cowbell at the end.)**
I prefer Perfect Strangers or Burn, but this one still is a solid and defining album from the band.
Didn’t liked all the album but still this is good Song I like: Smoke on the water, Lazy, when a blind man cry
Alongside Black Sabbath, this monolithical thing paved the way for heavy psych music and remains influential until this day. Not my favorite album from them, but it is quite relevant.
En demi teinte, j'ai beaucoup aimé au début, mais le style devient répétitif un peu sur la fin, j'ai eu du mal à le finir avec la même énergie que le début.
Highway Star is all-time, but couldn’t see myself turning to this over any of the goats early 70s British blues hard rock era. Hard to take some of these songs seriously when Zeppelin I ,II, III, & IV had already released before this.
Smoke on the Water is an iconic song that will live on through history. The rest is kinda boring.
Eu tinha um mp3 do Smoke on the Water no meu celular na 4a-5a série, por conta do Rock N Roll Racing.
i went in thinking i was going to hate this. highway star immediately changed my mind. incredible start. the rest of it was fine. great moments. lazy was a huge standout. forgot jesus was in this band. huge plus.
I’ve heard quite a lot of Deep Purple by now, they’re great. Some great guitar solos. i prefer ‘Deep Purple In Rock’ to this album I think. Fav song is ‘Smoke On The Water’.
Deep Purple's sixth album has a couple of landmark hard rock tracks and a fair number of also-rans. The pulse-raising, uptempo opener "Highway Star" has a lean arrangement that (mostly) keeps the excess to a minimum - ditch the organ and guitar solos and you practically have proto-punk! "Smoke On The Water" with its iconic riff, catchy melody and lyrics *literally about its own creation*, is a titanic rock and roll track. The slower and more blues-oriented numbers that make up the balance of this record are competent but not exceptional.
COOL surtout la dernière (when a blind man cries) voilo
For an album that has Smoke on the water, this was a pretty un-rememberable album. It wasn't bad, but there wasn't anything to really get me to want to give it a second listen.
Definitely an iconic one adding to the foundation of all things Rock. But there are better ones out there
It’s definitely dad rock. The instrumental parts are really nice.
Återigen ett album som jag tror att jag uppskattat mer när det släpptes. Nu... Det är ok men inte mer. Jag trodde att det skulle vara hårdare rock men det var det ju inte. All heder till Smoke on the water, verkligen en låt som hållit under alla år. Kanske ett av världens mest uttjatade gitarr-riff? Ett nja från mig. Absolut inte dåligt, jag hade bara förväntat mig mer och bättre.
Very good hard rock album
An era of great music and this band certainly made an impact. Smoke on the Water is a memorable piece of music.
No conocía esta banda, al parecer, según Wiki: Deep Purple es una banda británica de hard rock (con razón mi critica) fundada en 1968 en Hertford, Reino Unido. La banda es considerada como una de las mejores y pionera de dicho género, además de influir a futuras bandas de rock y heavy metal junto a Black Sabbath y Led Zeppelin. Machine head es su 6to álbum grabado en dic de 1971 y publicado en marzo del 72' Impresión general: álbum muy rockero para mi gusto, aunque eso si, muy buenos solos de guitarras (se destacan mucho siempre, son las que sonorizan las canciones). Pocas letras, y si las hay, es medio al estilo ACDC, grito poco entendible jaja. Creo que mis favoritas (escuchándolo x primera y única vez) son Lazy y When a Blind Man cries, que, btw, muy buena canción de cierre después de un álbum tan potente; pasar de escuchar Space Trucking a WaBMC es como cuando estás aturdido en el boliche y te vas afuera o al baño y te vuelve la paz... Creo que es un álbum que tranquilamente escucharía para entrenar! Esas melodías en guitarra son muy motivadoras para estar al palo, ni en pedo para ir escuchando en un viaje en auto...
For a 37 minute run time this was a solid record.
Didn't totally grab me but I'd be a bold-faced liar if I said songs like Highway Star or Smoke on the Water didn't have me rocking out a lil bit
As an elder millennial who is into guitar guys every guy I've ever heard tinker around on a guitar knows that riff to Smoke on the Water. Classic. The rest of the album delivers a simple but steady and overall pleasing set of guitar licks.
I’ll tell you what, this was not as bad as the first Deep Purple album we had. I wasn’t worried that any animals were being harmed as I listened to it. But that’s hardly a ringing endorsement. Giving it’s 3 because I gave the last one a 2 and this was better.
….And we’re back to the big 70’s rock sound that I really enjoy. Musicians actually playing instruments and playing them well. Heavy drums lead every tune supported by strong guitars and powerful vocals. I’ve heard Deep Purple songs before but never listened to an entire album. This was a good addition to the list.
Heavy, bluesy guitar rock. Just what it needs to be. Long tracks with lots of solos, but this is driving music and you need a few jams to get you through. Overall, it’s fine if a little monotonous in places. Still one Ian too many!
I only like the first song lol
Can understand other people loving this but I don’t
Very good album- Need to do a proper review 3.5/5-GEMV (12.02.2026)
Deserved place in the hard rock trifecta
Infectious, big Dumb Rock that I'm not ashamed to say that I love. Is it stupid? Yes. Are lyrics shallow & simplistic? Yes Does it Rock? FUCK YEAH! It's just Hair Metal in it's infancy. I often wonder what music Strippers stripped to before Hair Metal. It's this! 3
Pretty standard rock and roll from that era. Nothing to hate or get too excited about.
p good! nothing really stood out except smoke on the water lol, but like a 3.5 for me
7/10 - good rock, could have been from the late 80s
Another solid but mostly forgettable album. I knew the song Space Truckin from my space playlist.
it took me on an explorative journey in rock and blues field, which is not my everyday choice. Enjoyed it surprisingly more than expected. Good vibes, feels fresh even if it's over 50 years old. Maybe only for me though. (reaaaallllllyyyyyy cool album cover – graphically 8/10) saved 3 songs out of 8 3.5 out of 5
Smoke on the water pretty good kind of short actually liked Picture of Home the most probably because I haven't heard it as much. 8/10
This is what you think of when you hear classic rock. Shout out to one of the most iconic rock riffs for Smoke on the Water though. Best Songs: Highway Star, Maybe I'm a Leo, Smoke on the Water Worst Songs: Pictures of Home, Never Before
Kind of boring but some of the solos were good.
Again, too much Deep Purple. Smoke on the Water is an undeniable classic, though.
The songs on this album oscillate from the cringest of cringe to really good. I personally hate "Highway Star", and then what the hell was "Space Truckin'". I found myself genuinely enjoying the songs in between. I struggle to rate it highly as an album, but this does reaffirm that Deep Purple has songs I like.
Fornøyelig nok, men det meste her er intetsigende, og høydepunktene har man hørt en milliard ganger. Har fallhøyden fra første til andrespor noengang være større?
I understand its importance but not my vibe
Fav: Smoke On The Water Least Fav: Maybe I’m A Leo I mean, ‘Smoke On The Water’ is iconic for a reason
Three great songs, four ok ones. Three stars
—0–3–5——0–3–6–5– A couple classic tracks. I can see the road it paved, but several songs are too close to the blues roots, where it feels like a copy of every other 12 bar song that came before.
mastered well and the guitar skills are satisfying. Not every song is a hit but there were definitely a couple where I was bobbing my head along.
Music for people who are scared of the Bad Bunny halftime show. Best Song: Smoke on the Water Rating: 5/10 Stars: 3
All of these rock albums in a row are starting to sound the same. Lots of instrumental breaks on this one, found myself tuning it out.
ES BUENÍSIMO. lo escuché dos veces y la segunda me gustó más q la primera, experiencia necesaria volver a escuchar un álbum eh. los riffs re pesados, muy buenos bajos, la voz del chabón súper característica, cada tanto se metía unos agudos q decís paa SON capos
more classic and more familiar
It certainly rocks, but that's also all it really does. Smoke on the water is a classic but the other songs weren't nearly as memorable
Couple bangers to keep you going
Not bad. I can see how it was influential, but to be honest the sound was developed and refined into something more interesting than this
I bought The Very Best Of Deep Purple in highschool, which I’m sure I bought just for “Smoke On The Water”. That CD introduced me to “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin’” and the incredible impact of a well fingered organ. The back half of this record is a total banger, and I say that as someone who’s very tired of SOTW. “Lazy” is a new track for me but it’s great. “When A Blind Man Cries” is also pretty good but technically not part of the album. Seems like I should dig into a few more Deep Purple albums.
It was fine. It’s hard rock and seems like a classic album, not my style
Temp
Never heard of album or band. Highway star is very classic rock. Pretty good not great. Back had solo is really good. Guitar on Leo is really good again. Nothing special other than that. These songs are carried by the guitar. Generic rock vocals. So many bands wanted to be the Beatles in the early 70s. Songwriting is pretty good on pictures of home. Never before is pretty cool. None of these songs are bad, they’re just generic 70s rock songs. Cool keyboard/guitar solo on never before. And then you get to smoke on the water. What a guitar riff. All time classic. Simple but so good. Guitar at the beginning of lazy is really cool. Harmonica too is good. This is a great sign front to back. And space truckin is pretty cool but not amazing. Overall average to good album. Pretty generic but not necessarily in a bad way. 2.7 stars.
Solid early 70s rock. Not really my thing
the beavis and butt-head song!
I wasn't particularly amazed by it, but it was decent.
So incredibly English rock vibes. I feel like I'm watching Top Gear.
As classic as classic rock gets. Some unreal riffs including 1 everyone who has ever picked up a guitar can play. Really fun stuff.
No bad just not my bag
great classic rock album
I'm familiar with Smoke On The Water, Highway Star and Space Truckin', but I've never been much of a fan of Deep Purple. Love their band name, though.
Machine Head is a combination of riffy rockers like "Highway Star" and "Space Truckin'" (the reasons I like Deep Purple in the first place), more forgettable blusey offerings, as well as slight tendencies towards prog and psychedelia. I'm not really a fan of the bluesier songs ("Maybe I'm a Leo") and the proggy stuff wears on me ("Pictures of Home"). I appreciate Deep Purple's contributions as a proto-metal band, but this album was more hit or miss than I would've liked.
Below expectations
Feels like this album is the precursor to 80s metal.
Not what I’d normally listen to but thought it was pretty good for what it is!
a decent listen
There is some really good instrumentation on this, even some very good blues guitar - what's lacking mostly is writing. It's adolescent rock in the end. And I think the band suffered from that iconic mega-hit. Its opening is almost a meme.
Again, fine. It was good enough for a headbop and I can understand how it might be liked by other folks, not my taste but I'll likely end up revisiting it at some points because the guitar work is just amazing. Love that. 7/10 so far.
A couple of classic hits but a bit tiring.
Cannot go wrong met oude-papa-rock-muziek (als het kon gaf ik een 3,5 maar het is net geen 4 tho)
This one strikes me as a three. I really loved lazy and the opener, and smoke on the water is still a great song. I didn’t think that there were some tracks that were not as good as others, particularly the closer, and Pictures of home. But I was impressed, because I’ve heard a lot of deep, purple slander from Black Sabbath fans, and, as someone who doesn’t really enjoy early metal as much as the middle of the 90s, I really liked this record.
Låter mye tammere en i huska. Plata har fortsatt noen rocke klassikere, men som helhet svært mid.
Very tame butt rock, except space truckin that was fire.
Sku gjerne gitt 3.5. Lazy og Space Truckin’🤘🎸
Hørt 12/01/26. Fy faen elsker highway star, beste karaokesang. Ellers en solid og gubbete plate, skjønner godt at Harald(68) på jobb ble glad når vi sendte han på Notodden bluesfestival for å høre de live i 2024.
The opening track is the highlight of this album for me - what a great organ solo! Lazy is an interesting blues-rock tune, and the Space trucking yells are pretty cool, but I found the rest to be kind of standard classic rock stuff - and there's no way I'm listening to Smoke On the Water again. Hearing Highway Star did get me to check out Jon Lord though, dug his solo album Sarabande. Saw this as well, thought it was interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy6eRSeCyWI
SMOOOOOOOOKE ON THE WAAAATER
the guitar riffs and messy beats are to die for. i am surprised they aren’t more popular like im absolutely amazed. i will definitely relisten to the album, my fav track was smoke on water. i understand as one may not like or appreciate it that much, but it definitely is a vibes and memory album. it reaches only the audience that wants to accept it.
Great riffs, incredible drums but nothing that makes an impact, nothing lasting, aside from that one riff in smoke on the water there's nothing hugely memorable about this album for me
solid album. though i didnt like the first half the second half was rlly vibey and nice. last song was rlly nice
Some good old fashioned classic rock. With a song that will live in my head forever thanks to Guitar Hero.
This is the quintessential 70s heavy rock sound, it's clear how much it influenced other bands down the road. The music itself is well-packaged and arranged. As someone who looks to lyrics though, this album -- metaphorically or literally -- doesn't speak to me. The lyrics here (not the singing/voice) are shallow, uninteresting to me. Nothing here is to suggesting that this album shouldn't be viewed as potentially groundbreaking, it clearly opened the doors for numerous acts in later years. However it's nothing that would be in my rotation too often.
Okay
DAMNNN this is really good all pf the songs had something good about them
Christmas break 2007 Jetta
Space atruckin is a gem ❤️
Highway Star is an incredible opening track and When A Blind Man Cries is a great closing track. In between there's ups and downs, you know. Smoke on the Water is legendary, but I've heard it so many times I'm tired of it.
New to me. Heavy on Indie ears, but I enjoyed it and will look for it in VC. 1. Highway Star 2. Smoke On The Water 3. Lazy
This album has its iconic moments and riffs, and maybe it was just coming to me at the wrong time, but I wasn't really feeling this. Or more like it just wasn't that memorable. As I think about a lot of these 70s rock albums, I appreciate the musical education, and how much this inspired the rock and metal that came after, but I likely won't revisit.
Standouts: Highway Star Smoke on the Water Rate: 3
guitars ate and i liked the last half of the album. got nothing else to say towards this album overall: 3.5/5 favourite track: never before , lazy least favourite track: maybe i’m a leo
3,5
its a killer machine. me imagino un montaje de una adolescente enojada con la vida maquillándose para ir a ver a su bandita de rock favorita. su primer under indie rock. I like her, I need her, I see her.
Had as a kid- Smoke on the water still kicks ass
Okay
Solid album really enjoyed it. Favorite is space truckin 3.8⭐
Highway Star- starting with a bang, a great first impression. love the guitar riffs 5/5 Maybe I'm a Leo- catchy instrumentals 4/5 Pictures of home-an acceptance of fate? longing for comfort in home 3.5/5 Never Before-heart break, vulnerability 3.5/5 Smoke on the Water- recanting what happened at a casino fire in Montreux, I can definitely feel the blues influences in this one, love the story telling 4/5 Lazy- very bluesy I like it! the use of the organ and harmonica is really cool to see from a rock band 5/5 Space Truckin- fun song 3/5 When a Blind Man Cries- a hauntingly beautiful melody 5/5
A nice progenitor of metal but lyrically was lacking for me
eh.
Not for me, but I enjoyed it.
I enjoyed this album - dint realise that deep purple wrote smoke on the water!
6/10
Not my usual style but cool and iconic
Pretty much enjoyed this Dad Rock
some songs were kinda boring, but it was okay. Similar to the prior. Got a cd from them from grandpa so i don’t think i’ll buy another one
Listened 12/29 3 Highway star
Not my favorite genre but i enjoyed a few hits.
Riders on the storm vibe aber ohne das Lied. Smoke on the water drauf klingt so wie Papa das mit unsfruehernier gehört hat. Aber Rock mag ich halt n ihr so, aktuell fast bisl wenig los
1 song and the horribru song
Definitely not my cup of tea. I get that for the time it came out it was cool, so 3 stars instead of 2.
It sounded like very classic rock/metal The riffs were good but the style of singing and song composition isn’t rlly my preference
My Dad played this for me when I was a kid so very familiar. Prefer In Rock personally
Pretty fun classic rock album containing the hit "Highway Star" and the all-time-banger "Smoke On The Water". But in total a bit too classic for me. 3,5
I was surprised by their other album on the list for being way more prog rock and experimental than I expected but then this one is maybe more of the type of things I had expected. Confused. Not as taken as ‘Deep Purple in Rock”, which made me think I’m a big deep purple fan, but this is a bit more standard English rock of the time.
el rock me gusta mucho mas que frank sinatra, este proyecto promete mas.
álbum ok
Exact what you expect from Deep Purple in terms of being a caricature of rock n roll in the best way. Highway Star is a sick opener, though I don't know that the rest of the album lives up to the bar it sets.
Oooooooh got that Smoke on the Water riff triggering every Guitar Center employee. That’s also the only song I’ve previously listened to from this album. It was the second song I learned to play on guitar (first was Cherrybomb by the Runaways!), so I did hear it quite a few times while playing along with it. Just looking at the tracklist, I can already tell I won’t hate it. The tracklist is short, and I find that shorter tracklists usually yield higher quality songs—with the exception of concept albums or the miracle that is Songs in the Key of Life. The first song, Highway Star, isn’t an exceptional opening but it isn’t awful. That could be my bias, however, because I put a lot of weight on the opening of an album and I’m very judgmental about that. The song didn’t blow me away but I did like it. The guitar solos felt very bland and it honestly came off as a bit generic, but it wasn’t bad and I’d turn it up if it came on the radio, I guess. Maybe I’m a Leo is definitely a lot better, with a really great riff and great drum bits. It also provides a lower energy level that definitely makes the album more immediately engaging after the loud opening. The drumming is something that’s great throughout, with lots of fun fills. It provides a lot of life to the album. Pictures of Home is really enjoyable. The instrumentals and vocals are equally as impressive. And oh my God that bass solo holy crap. I definitely get a sense that they share many of the same inspirations as the White Stripes—I mean, obviously they do somewhat, but I mean they really did very, very strongly pull from the same influences. The riffs sound very similar to those in White Blood Cells specifically, and obviously that Smoke on the Water riff is a lot like Seven Nation Army. That said, I’d rather listen to the White Stripes. Maybe it’s because I like punk, and they combine a lot of punk influences with blues, but I feel like they have a lot more energy. Similarly, in terms of sort of early metal, I would much rather listen to Black Sabbath. Ozzy’s voice has so much more life to it, and the—for lack of a better word—aesthetics of their sound is much more interesting, with all the dark imagery and dirge-like riffs. Anyway, yeah, Smoke on the Water is great. The famous riff, obviously, but also that little bass bit. They use bass very well. That said, I wish it had a bit more…passion. The keyboard on Lazy is amazing. It—alongside the drum fills and the bass solo—is the most interesting thing on the album. Space Truckin’ is amazing. The drums are incredible and the palm muted bits sound like the most fun the guitarist has had this whole album. But the vocals still just kind of lack any sort of unique energy. I think what really bothers me about this album is that nobody sounds like they really care. I can’t imagine the guitarist having much fun with the soloing. I can’t imagine the vocalist putting a ton of emotion into any performance. The rhythm section does sound really good and like they’re having fun, but it doesn’t make up for the dullness coming from the very people carrying the melody and meat of the song. It’s good, but I’d just much rather listen to something else. That said, I did enjoy the album. And I give them a lot of credit for laying an essential part of the groundwork for metal. That’s impressive in its own right and anyone interested in music history should listen to this album. And, if you’re just starting out on guitar, definitely learn Smoke on the Water—tho there are some other good ones for a first song, like Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt, I Wanna Be Your Dog by The Stooges, Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes, American Jesus by Bad Religion, Minor Threat by Minor Threat, and Teenage Wh*re by Hole. Overall, my views on this boil down to: good songs, very influential, pretty emotionless though. To recap: Favorite songs: Pictures of Home, Smoke on the Water, Lazy Least favorite song: Highway Star Similar albums: White Blood Cells, Elephant, Paranoid Rating: 3/5 stars
I only associated this band with "Smoke On The Water", but they had some great tracks on this album. Other than "Highway Star" they all happen to be in the back half. "Lazy" was by far the best one, I liked the accompanying organ and the intro a lot. Overall, it sounded like an average 70's rock album to me with those few stand outs. Fav Tracks: Lazy > Smoke On The Water > Never Before Current Fav Album: Hot Fuss - The Killers (#4/1089)
Pretty solid - a couple tracks felt bloated
actually quite pleasant at times
I'd never listened to Deep Purple before, but I must admit I really enjoyed listening to this rock album.
I was very dubious about this one since it probably sits firmly within the genre of music I find least interesting. It also includes Smoke On The Water, which I've always thought of as an unintentional comedy song (much like Whiter Shade of Pale and Sympathy For The Devil). But I liked it. It had more depth than I was expecting. And Gillan's voice is really tremendous, actually. I'd probably listen to it again. Best tracks: Highway Star and Space Truckin'
Cool
Yes, it is a classic. But apart from the tracks you already know, the deeper cuts really do not provide anything much.
The songs are good, the riffs are good, the sound is good, but everyone forgot how to produce vocals in a listenable way between 1970 and 1990.
They are highly competent within their genre. But I still maintain their lyrics, especially on “space trucking,“ are amongst the silliest in rock.
I first heard this in my freshman year of university. I was cranking Nash the Slash “Dopes on the Water” and some of the metal lads on my floor came to set me straight. Just realized that the Zappa concert fire was on my birthday!
7/10
Last song slaps hard
Suprisingly good, but had low expectactions
Tja, ikke så verst. Litt sånn rocka blues
It feels very generic and cheezy classic rock. But it's only 8 songs long with some standout tracks. Tracks to Track: Highway Star
Bom mas não tanto meu estilo
A dumb rock record. Nothing wrong with that.
Not my favorite album of theirs, but still has a couple good tracks.
Head banging nostalgia
I knowledge this is a classic of the genre
Yep, that's Deep Purple alright. It's fine but I had already gotten their album before this one on the the list. Do we need two? They are kind of the same thing. Is there really nothing out there that didn't get added to the list because we needed 2 Deep Purple or like 500 Donald Fagen albums?
Smoke On The Water is a classic. The rest of the album was enjoyable but I came away from it not feeling compelled to listen again. I can appreciate the craft and I had a nice time listening but just not something I’m particularly drawn to. Fav song: Smoke On The Water Least fav: Highway Star
Songs written purely for the purpose of guitar solos. I liked all the songs but it would have been nice if there was just one without the minute long guitar break. Favourite song: Pictures of Home Least: Highway Star
All three of these points are for Smoke on the Water.
A strong 3 - some good tunes - sadly Smoke on the Waters impact is much diminished due to over familiarity. Would not rush back - but nothing made my ears bleed.
Smashy and Nicey, let's rock! Good for it's time, a couple of good, famous guitar riffs, but now sounds dated and a bit tedious to listen to.
The guitar riffs really save this album. Because yeah, how are you going to sing about how a woman's value is tied to her hotness and compare her to a car, to just feel sad later in like half the album because she left you? Dude.
I get that this is apparently a historically important record for its influence on later heavy metal sounds. But if it weren't for "Smoke on the Water", I would ultimately want to forget that this existed and just chalk up this album's popularity to "you had to be there at the time". But Smoke on the Water is a decent song, enough to bump up an otherwise 2-star album to a 3-star.
This album immediately earns a +1 for Smoke on the Water, as well as a -1 for Smoke on the Water. This doesn't hit higher for me than a solid 3.5 but it might trend down depending on whether that godforsaken earworm of a song gets stuck in my head for the remainder of the day.
Good rock album overall. I had completely forgotten about Space Truckin.
This was a bit repetitive but still pretty rocking
Recorded in The Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Studio in Switzerland. Never knew he was recalling a true story in "Smoke on the Water". Not much to write, it's good rock and roll uhhhh music!
Good rock record. Surprising this is from the early 70s when it has elements of 80s rock - I guess they were ahead of their time? I dug this one overall as it has an easy enough vibe to get along with and some good jams. Solid rock album.
Smoke on the Water reminds me well of my marching bad days, bit this album otherwise leaves me pretty flat-D S finds it more accessible and has actually enjoyed it a lot more than much of the other rock this far.
For a "classic" classic rock album this one was totally pleasant to listen to.
It's alright. Nothing crazy
I'd already heard highway star, it's a great track. The rest is mostly really boring, especially smoke on the water. I don't think this kind of music has aged particularly well, but I understand the importance and influence of it for the time
This gets a lot of praise but lyrical this is just abysmal in large parts. Probably sounded fresh at the time but the relentless hard rock does get a bit stale at least Led Zeppelin had the good grace to mix things up a bit 3*
The riff that spawned 1000 dusty stratocasters. Mostly fine!
Deep Purple fuckin’ rocks. This much we’ve established. And here, again, a veritable grab bag of germ ideas – moments that would later be extrapolated (or interpolated, in the case of tragic dad rock) into entire sub-genres of rock and metal. “Highway Star” is an absolute horns up masterpiece. “Maybe I’m a Leo” and “Pictures of Home” both do their thing smoothly, groovily. “Never Before” is hard work when you’re 80% through a running drill designed to increase your lactate threshold and yourself turning a shade of deep purple (“I’ve never felt so bad before” isn’t what you need to hear then, that’s for sure). “Smoke on the Water” is one of those songs you sort of just have to let happen – I might think that it does very little for me, but then also I have memories of it ranging from being nine in a kitchen in Barnsley and hearing it being programmed into a Nokia 3210 through to playing it in sound check in my early 20s and then again on ukulele in my children’s’ bedroom. It’s a riff that just works; guitars seem to yearn to have it played on them. “Lazy” is bonkers; a totally free, entirely brilliant shamble of sound. “Space truckin’” is super fucking stupid and outrageously groovy, and the less said about “A blind man cries” (do we expect them to not?) the better. Many, many highs and couple of lows, but when they’re right they’re absolutely bloody trenchantly so. Deep Purple just fucking rocks.
Its ok
Expected better. There are a couple of classic tracks but a lot is pedestrian.
tipična rokačina. niš posebno, al niš loše
So so pretty good - hit or miss. Some solos are great like on Highway Star. Doesn’t feel close to LED Zeppelin or Black Sabbath though.
Good, not great.
Listenable.
I only really know Smoke on the Water and Highway Star. Both are so famous that it’s hard to judge them objectively, but the other tracks — while cool — somehow feel dated to me. The album is only about 30 minutes long, yet it feels longer for some reason. I don’t get that same old-fashioned feeling from Zeppelin from the same era, nor do their albums feel long. Maybe if I’d been around back then, I would’ve been really into this.
Smoke on the water is so boring. Give me highway star and lazy
Groovy dad rock
Not bad
A healthy dose of rock without too much of the flash or ostensible shenanigans I usually hate from this genre. ✨
I think I wanted to like this more than I did. It’s fine, but not more than that for me. The Smoke On The Water riff still rips. Favorite songs were Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, and Space Truckin’.
I can tell it's good music, but it's not my kind of music.
It was alright, nice electric guitar
the type of dad rock i can really get down with. bangin' riffs. and a few fun solos in there along the way. the side openers are iconic for good reason even if they've been drilled into the ground a bit by overplay deserves to be one of the 1001? for Smoke on the Water alone, sure
J'ai oublié de noter mon commentaire mais dans mes souvenirs c'était plutôt ok? 3/5
This album was about right for my mood this morning, which gives it extra points.
Good stuff, but not really my stuff
Solid hard rock entry. I enjoyed this one more than their debut. Smoke on the Water, Never Before, and Highway Star are the standout tracks.
3/6
Think of Deep Purple, you think of Smoke on the Water, and that mighty guitar riff is right in the middle of this album. Never Before and When A Blind Man Cries might be even better songs. Beyond these songs, Space Truckin' is a bit Spinal Tappish and the other tracks rely to much on guitar solos and they don't really float my boat.
Smoke on the Water is an all time top 100 guitar riff, the song is pretty good too. Highway Star is fine. It's a good background music album for a house party with a bunch of old ex-hippies like me.
One of the greatest heavy songs and a lot of other stuff.
Lots of the same but the same was fine
Det er faktisk meget sjovt at lytte til. Jeg kommer nok ikke tilbage til dette så meget, men der er nogle meget fede rocknumre, med udvidede soloer, og selvfølgelig og guitar-hero klassikere "Smoke on the Water" som jo er fed at høre i en udgave, der ikke opføres af en person der lige er begyndt at spille elektrisk guitar, eller måske ikke er begyndt men bare har lært den ene del. Så det føles som en klassiker, det er sjovt at høre, men ikke nødvendigvis noget der virkelig får mig op af stolen! 3.5/5
70s hard rock. Recorded in Montreux. Smoke on the Water is about studio burning down in Montreux. Decent rock.
Classic sound. Fun. Will have to revisit.
Another classic. Didn't know this is where "Smoke on the Water" came from, but now I do. Only heard it 1000 times...
Love it
rock n roll motherfucker
Good 70s hard rock
A nice album with some big hits. Its pretty short and good enough for some hard rock but I aint that all impressed.
Deep purple lager selvfølgelig kul rock, men dette blir litt for "ballete" for meg. Dette albumet falller også mellom stolene til bedre band. Led Zepplin gjorde hard rock bedre Grand Funk Railroad gjorde funky rock bedre Iron butterfly gjorde prograck bedre Black sabbath gjorde blues/metal bedre Den glimrer til med noen virkelig kule øyeblikk noen ganger. Det er helt greit. Men ikke særlig mer. "Lazy" er et høydepunkt
Guter hausgemachter Rock. I like!
It's alright. Not really my jam.
Old school hard rock
Despite being from Englnd, it sounds very much as early southern rock. Bluesy. Good enough
Nice. Some of the songs, for me, are too meandering, but when they rock, they ROCK. I like it.
Solid album highlighted by Smoke on the Water. I enjoyed the rest of the album and felt like it had a cohesive early metal sound, but some songs lacked an oomph and overstayed their welcome a bit in my opinion. Even so, I debated giving this album a 4, but I think a 3 is more representative of my feelings.
Largely not my thing--way too many long, long solos. And the lyrics were on occasion hilariously over the top--I think, unfortunately, unintentionally. "I'm alone here/with emptiness, eagles and snow." I...what...eagles?!? BUT Space Truckin' is lively and fun and exactly as goofy as you would expect a song called Space Truckin'"to be. And Smoke on the Water just inarguably SLAPS still. (Part of this is probably nostalgia because my high school marching band did a kickass Smoke on the Water. But they're my ratings, I'm allowed nostalgia bias. And it really does slap.)
A nice start to this new album a day thing, I had heard high way star and smoke on the water before though it was a different feeling to hear it in its whole on the album, a nice start 3 out of 5 stars!
Heavy solid rock. A bit stodgy at times
Smoke in the water is great. Loved learning the story behind it
I'm just copying and pasting the review from a few days ago when I got a different Deep Purple album. It fits. I knew some of their stuff but never did a deep dive on them before. Deep Purple is one of those bands that every band after points to and goes "I was influenced by..." This album is history, you can hear other bands listening to this and trying their version of it. You get a sense of what is to come. Personally I enjoyed the bass on this album. Sure it's fairly simple compared to bands today but damn you can't help but go, "Damn man." Good stuff. I want to listen to it a few times to really grasp what is here.
An OK album with an all-time banger "Smoke on the Water" included.
I actually quite liked it, better than I remember.
Orgelfest.
6/10 They heavy chords get me excited, then they go into standard rock fair. So much potential unused makes me irrationally angry, so they get a 3. 9-12-2025
Fine mostly indistinguishable guitar riffs.
Smoke in the water is one of the best songs of this era, but the rest of the album is ok
Total dad rock. Solid, but nothing felt unique. Obviously Smoke on the Water slaps.
Doesn't go too far beyond being "just another '70s hard rock album" in my mind, but they were relatively early to their craft, it's a decent-sounding one and there were some moments that engaged me, Space Truckin' was fun
During the first song I thought, “Hmm.. this sounds like the band who does ‘Smoke on the Water’.” I’ll be damned if a few minutes later I was right.
Doesn't quite do it for me. Highway star is cool; liked lazy a lot. I just don't get anything from this album that I can't get from other places.
I went into this thinking it was going to be dull paint-by-numbers heavy rock. I was pleasantly surprised to find I actually enjoyed it. The guitar lines were fun, the vocals were excellent, and you could tell the band were just having a blast putting this together. Smoke On The Water is actually a pretty good song as well, despite my initial reservations.
I waffled between three and four stars here. On one hand, I do really love smoke on the water, and the grinding sound of early metal in general. On the other, the actual songwriting on this album is really boring, and I can’t see it standing out enough that I would bother listening to it again in its entirety.
Ihan kivaa kepitystä, mutta pari bängeriä enemmän olisi kaivannut.
Ihan toimiva, joskaan ei tajuntaa räjäyttävä
Liked more than I thought I would, especially the bluesy noodly bits. 3/5
1972 Is this an important genre defining album? Are there some banging tracks? Are there some questionable lyrics? Does it sounds dated? Does Zappa get a name check? Have all aspiring bass players practiced Smoke On The Water during the early days of learning? Is it classic Dad rock? The answers is 'yes' to all of the above... Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ Classic ★★★☆☆ (6/10)
-went into this expecting to not particularly enjoy it as i was not huge on Deep Purple In Rock. but it goes so fucking hard i was immediately captivated and won over -fucking love the deep nasty guitar it’s sooo good. officially not writing Deep Purple off any longer -Favorites are Smoke On The Water and Lazy
Between Highway State and Smoke on the Water being absolute rock classics, Machine Head holds up to be a solid album. The track Lazy was one of my favorites coming out of this because I feel like it highlights something that's done extremely well. That being the guitar and keyboard solos/rifts on every track just shredding and nothing shows that of better than Lazy.
This album makes me want to jump on a chopper and rip through the Mojave Desert. This is a great soundtrack for a southwestern road trip. Highway Star kicks the album into high gear from the very start and hardly lets off the gas with each song. You get the iconic Smoke on the Water riff but everything in-between is grooving and pulsing. Some great electric organ fiddling mixed with crashing cymbals makes a seven track album feel like a deluxe double disc set. It's a manifestation of "cool". Intense, groovy, and adventurous.
Rocks, good music to do something to
The most exciting thing about AI and automaton technology is also Machine Head
Ok everyone who has ever picked up a guitar has played Smoke On The Water. The strength of that song is the very simple and straightforward riff. The rest of this album simply doesn't have that as much. The rest of the songs that try that formula come close but nothing hits as hard. "Space Truckin" is probably the nearest one. It's fine enough dad rock, but it's not any better than the contemporaries. "Lazy" is the next best song on here, and its' a solid rock jam which shows they can be pretty creative. Reminded me of the real core of 70's rock where everyone is a good instrumentalist and can just rock out for an hour if they want to. Some good solo work on here and some good jams but nothing super great other than the obvious Smoke On The Water.
This album's Machine Head. It's not better than the rest.
Generally speaking, this kind of rock music has never really been my jam. That being said, I did like this album significantly more than I expected. The guitar solos were engaging and impressive, and the sound design was superb. There were sonic highs and lows, although Deep Purple seemed to be the most comfortable during the highs. That's one of the reasons heavy metal has never spoken to me; it often fails to acknowledge that being loud and busy can still result in a one-note album. I did like this album more than most heavy metal albums I've listened to, but I still wasn't moved by it. It didn't really say anything, and often felt more like playing with sound and instruments rather than a full-fledged album. I appreciate the skill displayed here, but good music can't exist on skill alone. There needs to be heart, and that's exactly what was missing here.
Another one I liked more than expected... sort of bridge between Black Sabbath, Led Zep and the hard rock / hair metal that followed. Not as good as first two, but much better than what followed - albeit much later.
Much lesser than Deep Purple In Rock, being rather repetive and boring at times, though also pretty good at others.
It's the kind of album your dad throws on that makes you groan before realising that maybe it could be a lot worse.
point4.
Early 70s rock is very much a love it or hate it thing with me, and my own personal line seems to be if I find it self indulgent. So far from what I have heard I tend to find Purple a bit too muso. Not denying Blackmore et al are not inventive and serious about their craft but it just tends to hit me as look at what I can do at the expense of the song. This does seem a more streamline song focused affair than In Rock which I found to be very masturbatory, with this only dipping into the excesses on occasion, as listen again and it’s pictures of home at this exact moment and serviceable track and then we have the guitar solo extended, keyboard solo, bass and here comes the drum solo and it takes me out of the song and kills it all dead for me. To be fair like this much more that the other 2 albums (live album being the other and what do you expect from them there), it sticks more in the song structures doesn’t have extended solos on every track, and Gillan is more controlled in his vocals without constant adding his patent screaming. 3 Star
Good tracks, songs that have a lot of extended jams bring down the listenability of an album.
I think I liked this
This is the first hair metal album, in spirit, if not in reality. Dollars to donuts that Eddie Van Halen loved this album. Smoke on the Water is their biggest hit and it's pretty good. Homer Simpson's version is ruined by his insistence on eating a Mounds, disgusting.
C’est une jolie découverte, pourtant loin de ce que j’écoute habituellement!
The vocalist mixing was quiet and soft compared to the music. The music itself was largely the same and kind of boring. Although smoke in the water has the iconic riff it was still boring. I liked the lyrics in pictures of home. Ironically, the song lazy had the most variety within it and was the most interesting.
This album feels like a definition of heavy rock in the 70s. Everything had the right sound, but none of it is the best example of rock at that time.
This album made the list simply because of Smoke on the Water. The rest of the album feels like generic GTA garage music.
This album rocks a lot harder than I thought it would. Definitely enjoyed it.
Esto es metal tradicional? me gusta eh
Not bad but large chunks of it were just guitar solos.
I’m really, really, really trying not to use the term “dad rock”. It’s such a bullshit term to use when you just want to reject an album because it’s older than you. But I think this album’s just ok. Honestly, Deep Purple feels like a one-hit wonder band, the hit being Smoke on the Water. Outside of Highway Star, what else does Deep Purple have? Every other song was just your standard 70’s rock, with a tiny bit of heavy metal influence a la Black Sabbath. If it wasn’t for Smoke on the Water, would anyone give a shit? This is just one of those albums placed here out of obligation. And now that I’ve got it, I can move on. Favorite track: Smoke on the Water Other hits: Highway Star, Space Truckin’, Never Before
Good old fashioned boomer rock. Better than most. And if course those two massive hits help.
Old rock. Never listened except for “smoke” which got old even back then