Deep Purple in Rock

Deep Purple in Rock is the record on which Deep Purple’s Mark II lineup turns decisively away from the earlier phase that crossed psychedelic ideas with orchestral experiments and exposes the core of hard rock. Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar and Jon Lord’s organ occupy the same front line, sounding as though each is pushing against the other. Ian Paice and Roger Glover keep even the more elaborate playing from becoming heavy-footed, converting it into sharp forward motion. Ian Gillan does not rely on high screams alone; his vocal acts as a dramatic force that raises the tension of every song. “Speed King” reshapes blues-derived phrases at high velocity and announces the group’s new speed. The sheer-cut riff of “Bloodsucker,” the long arc from stillness to eruption in “Child in Time,” the agile turns of “Flight of the Rat,” the weight of “Into the Fire,” and the raw ending of “Hard Lovin’ Man” all show musicians playing not to display technique but to keep the songs at full heat. Above all, the exchanges between guitar and organ move along the border between melody and noise, order and chaos, continually driving the music onward. Because it arrives before the fully defined contours of Machine Head, the moment when five musicians discover a new language remains vivid. It is a fiercely improvisational turning point that helps establish the basic shape of 1970s hard rock.