Who Do We Think We Are

Who Do We Think We Are finds Deep Purple retaining the tension and virtuosity of its classic lineup while letting the members collide inside tighter, more compact songs. Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar does more than throw out massive riffs; brief phrases and sudden turns give each track a sharp outline. Jon Lord’s keyboards push forward as if competing with the guitar, then thicken the whole picture with organ weight. Ian Paice makes intricate drumming feel effortless and fast, while Ian Gillan uses more than sheer high-note power, bringing irony and urgency to the record’s hard surface. “Woman from Tokyo” moves from an exotic-sounding opening into a huge chorus and captures the band’s immediate force. The cutting drive of “Mary Long,” the instrumental precision of “Rat Bat Blue,” and the heavy stride of “Place in Line” show five musicians throwing sparks from different angles. Rather than pursue the grand scale of the preceding album, this one favors compact, sharp ideas. Even its transitional tension becomes performance pressure, making it a tough record of the Mark II lineup’s still-forward momentum.