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Pick of the Week: Deep PurpleBy Keith Hannaleck
iBerkshires Columnist
02:47PM / Sunday, August 09, 2009
In Rock (24kt Gold Reissue)
Deep Purple was a rock heavyweight back in the 1970s. They went toe to toe with the progenitors-of-metal Black Sabbath for supremacy of that genre. Eventually Ozzy and the boys would win that battle and Deep Purple would go through many incarnations over time and would evolve into something else. I fondly recall reading all of those Circus Magazines asking the question who was best.
"In Rock" would beat the Black Sabbath classic "Paranoid" (their first album did not qualify as it was more blues influenced) to the punch, coming out one year earlier. So it was Deep Purple that ushered in the metal genre with plenty of fireworks with this now legendary recording in 1970.
The Mark 2 lineup of Deep Purple (fans chronicle the band's history as MK 1-7 based on lineup) is no doubt the most popular amongst devoted longtime fans and "In Rock" was a good choice on which Audio Fidelity dedicated its special remastering process. For those unfamiliar with the label's process, it takes the analog masters and puts them through a sonically constructed vintage tube playback deck and then its new Kensei Audio Transformer for the ultimate reproduction.
In Rock
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Genre: Rock-Metal Label: Audio FidelityWeb site Amazon LinkSource Link
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Tracks
| 01. |
Speed king |
| 02. |
Bloodsucker |
| 03. |
Child in Time |
| 04. |
Flight of the Rat |
| 05. |
Into the Fire |
| 06. |
Living Wreck |
| 07. |
Hard Lovin' Man |
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This album is especially powerful in every way and the remaster highlights every nuance with precision. All the members are in vintage form. Ian Gillan was perhaps at his very best on this session. Ian Paice (drums) and Roger Glover (bass) was the outrageous one-two bottom end of the day while Ritchie Blackmore played the most magnificent and recognizable blues-influenced rock guitar on the planet at the time. Then of course there was the steadfast Jon Lord providing the necessary mood whenever they needed it. His moody keyboards gave their classic "Child In Time" (check out the live version on "Made In Japan") an eerie characteristic that anyone would be hard pressed to duplicate to this day.
The lead-off track "Speed King" kicks off the proceedings quite appropriately, with Blackmore making his guitar spew out all kinds of distortion. From that point onward, Deep Purple would establish themselves as the reigning kings of fire-and-brimstone rock and metal. But just around the corner was Black Sabbath, ready to put their stake in the ground — and they would never turn back. Regardless, Deep Purple set the table with "In Rock" and everyone would follow them down the path to rock 'n' roll glory.
My hat is off again to Audio Fidelity for turning a classic album into pure audio gold. It is a true pleasure to hear again and not only for discriminating audiophiles but just good old rock-music fans that enjoy the catalog of early Deep Purple.
Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck offers up weekly music picks for iBerkshires. Find more reviews at muzikreviews.com and contact Keith at info@muzikreviews.com. |
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Will check this out...thanks!
Fan | | from: Fan | on: 08-12-2009 12:00AM
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