Customer Reviews

Machine Head

5 star:		(118)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Deep Purple at their ultimate very best. The classic line up of Gillian, Blackmore, Lord, Glover and Paice. Too bad they only made a few albums with this grouping. Sure, we all know it's tough to get along with Ritchie Blackmore, but the esoteric types usually are. Blackmore shreds & slings like there is no tomorrow on Machine Head. All the band members click her, but most notably are Blackmore & Ian Paice. Paice is one of the most under-rated drummers ever... he cooks on this album. His drumming is smooth and almost effortless. "Highway Star" and "Smoke on the Water" are two songs that any person even slightly interested in rock & roll will remember. But, the songs that didn't make it to the radio (or got very little air play) are the ones that hold this great album together. "Pictures of Home", "Maybe I'm a Leo", "Never Before"... and "Lazy"... how can you not jump up from whatever you are doing and just run yourself silly? This classic hard rock is full of energy & heart. A 1972 essential in any rock library.

So, this is the shape of music to come eh? Take an excellant, superbly recorded and mixed album from 30 years ago and make it sound like it was just done yesterday. Without a doubt the greatest breakthrough in music since the first CD was pressed. 6.0 sound track, 5.1 soundtrack, and for those who don't want to know what they're missing, 2.0 soundtrack. All in Dolby Digital All with highs so crisp they cut like a knife. All with bass so intense if you walk in front of your subwoofer you will do yourself an injury. And all with every nuance of the music brought out in crystal clear clarity. The DVD contains the 7 original tracks plus the bonus 45rpm flipside of When A Blind Man Cries. Add to this video of the band playing Highway Star and Lazy from the Danish TV in 1971 and you have one special little package. Too bad it dosen't have the alternate tracks and out-takes from the 25th anniversary CD, then it would have been perfect. If you want to hear your music sound like the soundtrack from a modern movie buy this DVD. You will need a DVD player marked with the DVD AUDIO label in order to play the videos or the 6.0 tracks. If you don't have one, the 5.1 is just as effective for seperation and effect. There are quite a few other albums in Deep Purple's discography that I would like to see recieve this treatment. Shall we say, all of them!

One of the very few albums where there is absolutely no filler. Called "the original heavy metal album" in the liner notes, every track has Ritchie Blackmore's great riffs, Jon Lord's haunting keyboards and Ian Gillian's snarling vocals. But to call it "heavy metal" is a bit of a disservice to those who may think of the genre as undecipherable, talent-depleted noise. Here the members, all veterans of the British rock scene blend their talents beautifully in a no-nonsense style that defied the glam rock so popular out of Britain at the time. The lyrics express fantasy, loss and lonliness, and simpler themes like car ownership. Best tracks are "Pictures of Home" ("I'm alone here, with emptiness, eagles and snow, unfriendliness chilling my body...") and "Lazy", with the great keyboard into and uptempo beat. "Smoke on the Water" will be a classic rock anthem until all us Baby Boomers are back in diapers and "Highway Star", despite the silly lyrics, will get you up to 75 or more if you're on the Interstate. One of the albums I actually once owned an 8-Track of, it sounds as good today as it did back in the early '70s.

The first thing to state about Machine Head is that if any group were to release an album of this calibre today you would not be able to avoid hearing about them in the media. But the fact is that no group today will release an album like this, not even come close. The main reason for this is quite simple; this album was a product of a different age where the motivation was to create music that was a form of exploration and which, when it was at it's best, pushed the boundaries of what was possible. That simply does not happen anymore where far too many groups and musicians are in the music business because it is a career option and a means to make money, and not because they have any understanding of, or sensitivity to the fact that music might be a path to knowledge. Suffice to say that Machine Head blows away anything around today by a country mile and in another 30 years time will sound just as good if not better than what is going to be around then if current trends are anything to go by. No point in giving individual reviews of the songs because the album should be taken as a complete package and as such it is a razor sharp statement of metal integrity.

In my opinion, this is one of the all time great rock albums.
The music is lots of fun. "Lazy" is a nifty jazz influenced piece. It starts with a back and forth interplay between the keyboards and guitars. It has a kind of laid back easy going kind of groove which builds into a straight out rocker. "Highway Star," "Smoke on the Water" (the big hit), and "Space Truckin'" all have a tight drum beat and bass line anchoring metalic guitar riffs and organ breaks and crisp vocals. Clean, straight forward, hard driving rock - the kind music to listen to barreling down an open stretch of freeway at 90 miles per hour.

Why buy the DVD-Audio? Aggressive, progressive metal needs clarity, warmth and lots of headroom. CDs are dry and edgy sounding. They accentuate the edge in metalic rock and make the music seem harsh and brittle. DVD-A fixes this problem. If you have a DVD system, even just a regular dolby digital system pumped through a stereo, you will be amazingly impressed with the sound quality of this DVD-A. If you have a 5.1 surround system, you will be in the center of the music, much like being present when it was recorded because this album was not recorded in a studio. It was recorded in the hallways of ground floor of the Grand Hotel in Montreaux, Switzerland. The 5.1 surround mix gives back an intimacy which is lacking in a two channel mix. It is like sitting in the hallway with the band as they recorded the album. In addition, the DVD-A significantly improves sound reproduction. The bass is more tangible, the guitar and voices are alive and stunning, and the high end of the drums and cymbals are more lifelike. If you have the CD, you will never want to listen it again. But, you will play the DVD - a lot. A must have album for any rock collection.

There seems to be a question about video content on this disc...to clear it up if you have a standard DVD player you cannot get the videos two songs and extra video supplements (photos and lyrics). If you have a DVD Audio player you do get video content along with the album. That's right you heard right video w/ the audio player no video with the video player...clear as mud right!

That confusing part is the only downside to this format, the sound is incredible! It made me feel like I did the first time I sat down to listen to this album, and I was stoned back then!

Oh yeah one more downside, how do I explain to the wife I have to replace my CD's!

Some of the previous reviewers are a bit confused about the format of this disc. It is a DVD Audio disc, not a regular DVD Video disc. Yes, it DOES have video material, but you can only see it and hear it with one of the new DVD Audio players. These players have six-channel surround and the audio is recorded at a much higher sampling rate than standard DVDs and CDs. To get the full effect you will also need a surround sound stereo that has inputs for external surround decoders.

If you only have a standard DVD video player with Dolby Digital surround, you will be able to hear a lower-fidelity version for this format, but you won't get to see the video content or hear the higher quality audio version.

For the record, I have not purchased this particular disc, but I do have the ELP Brain Salad Surgery audio DVD. It poses the same difficulty: video features and higher quality sound are not accesible on a regular DVD player.

Machine Head (1972.), Deep Purple's sixth studio album

Deep Purple are one of the all time great classic rock acts, and sadly probably one of the most underrated. After a relatively obscure start, producing 3 albums in the late 1960's which were good but sadly commercial failures, the band changed its line up. From here, the classic MK2 line-up of Ian Gillan (vocals), Richie Blackmore (lead guitar), Roger Glover (bass), John Lord (keyboards) and Ian Paice (drums) strung together a number of great albums. The first was 'In Rock', a bit raw but a masterpiece none the less and the second was 1971's 'Fireball', a bit experimental but thoroughly classic Deep Purple. Following this, the band went to Montreux in Switzerland (for tax exemption purposes) to cut their next studio album. However, tragedy struck when the band's proposed recording spot burnt down in a Frank Zappa show. Undeterred however, the band set up a place to record in the Grand Hotel at Montreux and put together the songs that would make up the 'Machine Head' album. Since then, 'Machine Head' has grown to be Deep Purple's most praised and popular album. This afterall is the album which features 'THE riff' in 'Smoke On The Water'. So how good does this album turn out to be?

Deep Purple's 'Machine Head' deserves all of the respect it gets, it is a masterpiece of an album. Eventhough this is not my favourite Deep Purple album ('Fireball' pips it at the post IMO) there is no denying that this album features the band at their technical best and their most fluent. The quality of this album is all the more remarkable given that the band had to record the whole thing in a Hotel corridor and to pull off a near perfect album speaks volumes for the band's ability. Since the album's release, it has gone on to be remebered most of all as the work that features 'Smoke On The Water', the song with perhaps the most famous riff of all time, known even to those who aren't into rock. However, in many ways this is an unfair reflection on the album as all 7 tracks are great. I think personally that 'Smoke On The Water' is matched by songs like 'Lazy' and is probably bettered by 'Highway Star' and 'Space Truckin'. The album is THAT good! The album is catchy, without being inherantly commercial. Indeed there is plenty of complex stuff on here; the riffing is fast and inspired at times and the keyboard blended sound is something special. All of the band give stellar performances. Ian Gillan's vocals have their usual unique style to them and he gives a diverse performance. Richie Blackmore's riffing is great and his solos are effortlessly executed in style. Roger Glover's strong bass play adds that extra heaviness to the music and John Lord's nifty work on the Hammond organ gives the unique Deep Purple sound. Ian Paice's drumming is fast, complex and rhythm perfect; he is definitely the most UNDERRATED drummer of all time and is up there with the best. All in all, 'Machine Head' features the band at their peak producing timeless hard rock songs that have become influences for plenty of bands to follow - and at the same time the music has that uplifting 'good time' feel to it!

Currently you can obtain the 'Machine Head' album in two versions. The first is the standard album remaster featuring the original remaster. No fuss there, your getting a classic album anyway. However, if you want to pay out the extra cash, get the anniversary edition which features a complete new sounding master of the album, with extended sections to the songs and a bonus out-take track in 'When A Blind Man Cries' which is a bluesy styled, slow track which develops into a heartfelt performance from the band.

The 'Machine Head' juggernaut kicks off with one of the band's great songs. 'Highway Star' is a fast paced rocker with a very metal sound to it ... trust me, my friends, speed metal has its roots in songs like this! Gillan aggressively flies though the vocals like a man possessed alongside plenty of racing guitar sections from Blackmore. This is the way to start an album! 'Maybe I'm A leo' follows, a great song although it's the weakest on this very high standard album. The riffing again is great and inspired. 'Pictures Of Home' is another brisk rocking song, with Gillan singing on a theme of longing for your homelands. Next is one of the more catchy songs on the album in 'Never Before'. The band really thought this would be their biggest hit off the album and released it as a single. Obviously it became overshadowed. Its a brilliant song though, with a funky keyboard solo from Lord with some creative drumming. Again the riff is timeless.

The second half opens up with the famous track on the album. What a riff Richie Blackmore stumbled on here; 'Smoke On The Water' is deservedly famous; its an awesome song. The lyrics are based on the theme of the fire at the Frank Zappa show and Gillan executes them fantastically. Blackmore jams out another great solo and Lord's keyboard undertones are inspired throughout, as they are also in the next track 'Lazy'. This 7 minute masterpiece is the most underrated song on the album. Another dramatised keyboard opener sets the tone for a classy track which is a real driving song. Gillans laid back vocals with harmonica alongside make this track a great one. Richie Blackmore's guitar sections are the ultimate technical perfection on this song. Finally though, we come to 'Space Truckin''. This is my favourite track on the album. The song has so much energy and fire. The grinding descending riff with bass is awesome and Gillan's growling vocals, with lyrics about completely random things such as 'Music In The Solar System' make this one a classic. Especially great is the instrumental section on the song where Ian Paice plays a mind-blowing drum solo; I'll say it again, he is the most underrated drummer of all time. What a song!

'Machine Head' is a landmark album. Deep Purple completely refined their hard rocking, keyboard driven sound to come up with a collection of songs that really deliver. Best of all, the album is always enjoyable to listen to and you never get bored of the songs. Although it's not my favourite DP album, it is many ways, their most perfected work and shows the band at their peak. For any newbie to the band, get this album as it is a perfect introduction. Deep Purple are one of the most underrated bands of all time and they deserve much more respect than they get. Amazingly enough, this band are still together after 37 years (now into their 8th line-up) and are still producing great music (just look at their recent 'Rapture Of The Deep' album). Deep Purple are one of the greats and their music is influential, timeless and unbelievably memorable.

MY RATING: 9.5/10

Deep Purple were always one of my favorite bands from their early days when I first heard "Hush" on the radio. "Machine Head", their third l.p. with Ian Gillian, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Ian Paice and Jon Lord is their best effort to date. There isn't a bad song on this album - period. This is the quintenssial rock album! Blackmore's guitar riffs are awesome as are Jon Lord's keyboard playing. Ian Gillian has got to be one of rock's best vocalist along with Zeppelin's Robert Plant. This band had such talent, it's unfortunate that this lineup didn't record more in the 70's. Eventually Gillian, Glover and Blackmore left the group and replacements were made, but the classic line up in this album will always be what made Deep Purple what they were - one of the world's best (and loudest) rock bands ever. If there's one rock cd you buy from the 70's this should be it.

This is an DVD-Audio version of the great Machine Head Album released in 72. DVD-Audio is a new Audio Format to replace the old CD. It has much better audio quality and comes with 5.1 channel remix of the old master tapes. You will need an DVD-video (Regular DVD Player) to play this disc in Dolby Digital (Excelent sound by the way) or the New DVD-Audio/Video Machines to obtain higher quality DVD-Audio Sound.