This album started the greatness that was known as Deep Purple. With Rod Evans and Nick Simper behind them, they brought Ian Gillan (vocals) and Roger Glover (bass) from Episode 6, recorded the live orchestral album "Concerto For Group and Orchestra" and then got right to work on "Deep Purple In Rock".
The opener "Speed King", depending on which version you may have (from "Deepest Purple" or "Deep Purple In Rock") varies in how they open. The "Deepest Purple" one starts out with a light keyboard intro from John Lord, and then BAM! explodes into a hard rocking song with Ian Gillans excellent vocals right with the explosion of the snare and guitar. The solo's start out light but fast, then a keyboard roll gets into a guitar solo.
The second song, "Bloodsucker", starts with the Ritchie Blackmore & Roger Glover guitar and bass intro then into the main part of the whole song. Gillans vocals power this song with his intense screaming. The solo's have a keyboard/guitar switch.
"Child In Time" has a slow keyboard intro, probably John Lords best performance. It maintains a slow beat until around the 2:52 mark with once again Ian Gillans intense screaming, and it breaks out into pretty much soloing for the most of the 10:20 long song. Excellent on everybodies part.
"Flight of the Rat" maintains a steady beat throughout it, with odd vocals and a great riff. Breaks into another great keyboard and guitar performace, then a wierd pick slide thing by Blackmore with a drum fillfor Ian Paice. Then a short break and back into the main riff. And to close it is a drum solo by Paice.
"Into The Fire" has one of the easiest riff's Blackmore ever pulled off, but its great. Gillans vocals are throughout most of the song. Its just a typical song from them, without a keyboard solo from Lord.
"Living Wreck" starts out with a well played drum intro from Ian Paice, followed by a nice riff from Ritchie and Roger. Gillans vocals fuel the song for a guitar solo and towards the end theres a nice keyboard solo from Lord.
And to close the album, we have "Hard Lovin' Man". Glover lays down the foundation with a solid bassline, with Lord playing overtop of it, then comes the vocals of Gillan. It maintains a steady beat, with not a lot of playing from Blackmore. At the 2:10 mark there's a wicked solo from Lord, then a minor break at 3:31 to to 3:39 and then a Blackmore solo. The solo ends, bringing the band back into the main riff of the song for some more Gillan singing. at 5:45 Blackmore starts soloing again, to which the band stops playing and Blackmores the only one left playing and its pretty much all it is from then to the end.
I give this a 5/5 because its an excellent album and it showed that Deep Purple was back and better than ever. They eliminated the poppy sound of Simper and Evans and brought back a harder rockier version with Gillan and Glover. One of their best, but its not "Machine Head".
