From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Deep Purple (album)
Deep Purple (album)
Deep Purple Deep Purple also referred to as Deep Purple III is the third
Purple, III,
studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released
in 1969 on Harvest Records in the UK and on Tetragram-
maton in the US. It was to be the last album with the orig-
inal lineup.
It was released at a time when the band were starting
to grow as performers, both live and in the studio, find-
ing their direction musically. There were some conflicts
over whether the band should continue on their rawer,
heavier direction. This caused turmoil, which was par-
tially responsible for two of the members, Nick Simper
(bass) and Rod Evans (vocals), being replaced. Commer-
cially, this album was the least successful of the three
Mark I era albums.
Studio album by Deep Purple
Released 21 June 1969 (US) Early development
November 1969 (UK)
Deep Purple had been on tour overseas in late 1968 to
Recorded January - March 1969 at De Lane Lea, London promote their second album, The Book of Taliesyn. Their
two so-far released singles and albums had yet to make
Genre Hard rock, progressive rock, blues rock,
psychedelic rock[1] an impact in Britain when they returned there on 3 Jan-
uary 1969. Their English label EMI pressured the band to
Length 44:34 (Original LP) make a successful single on their home-court, so there
59:26 (2000 CD edition)
was not much time for restitution after coming home.
Label Harvest Records (UK) "Kentucky Woman" had, as their previous single "Hush"
Tetragrammaton (US) not fared well there, even if it had been a hit in the States
Polydor (Canada) and done even better in Canada. The band themselves
Producer Derek Lawrence had come up with much more solid original material the
second time around, wanting to unleash the full potential
Deep Purple chronology
for each song. Hence, making a song that would easily fit
The Book of Taliesyn Deep Purple Deep Purple in Rock
the three-minute range was becoming difficult. However,
(1968) (1969) (1970) they could not release a new album without such a single
to promote it.
The band had tried to record a new single to fit the
Re-issue cover
smash-criteria in December, while in America, but noth-
ing had come of it, so they eventually gave up. After re-
turning to England, they settled in studio again in early
1969, and the new single contender, "Emmaretta" was
completed on January 7, after four takes needed. It was
scheduled as a B-side. They needed a new A-side, so after
experimenting a bit with different ideas, "The Bird Has
Flown" was yielded. It was a more progressive and com-
plicated work than "Emmaretta", so the song itself took a
bit longer time to finish, which they did later on the 7th.
Following this short visit to the studio, the band set up
for a series of one-nighters across Britain the following
February and March. "Wring That Neck" from their pre-
Remastered vious album, which had yet to be released in the UK, was
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Deep Purple (album)
issued there as the single B-side to promote the touring Upon arrival, the band found out that their North
band. American label Tetragrammaton had not yet manufac-
tured their now finished album. Additionally, things
Recording were now starting to look grim for the year-old label,
and bankruptcy was in the looms. After building a strong
During this two-month tour, the band also set up their foundation and showing a desire to really back up their
spare slots for some time to record at the De Lane Lea artists (such as the heavy promotions of "Hush" and
Studio in London. These songs were new material, but "Kentucky Woman" in America), the label’s spending had
the band opted to re-record "The Bird Has Flown", which just gotten out of control. Deep Purple had not been able
had already been released with "Emmaretta" in the US. to repeat the success of "Hush," and very few singles by
They also shortened the name of it to "Bird Has Flown". other artists assigned to the label had sold well enough.
The band chose to record it anew, because it was not While touring, the band experienced some econom-
properly developed for the album; again showing their ical limitations, resulting in them asking their manager
desire to create solid original material. The new version John Colleta to fly back home, so the hotel-bills would be
was completed on March 18. Other songs on the album reduced. In an attempt to salvage their own situation, the
were recorded in a widespread time period over the Tetragrammaton Label issued "Emmaretta" as a new sin-
course of February and March. gle, backed by the early version of "Bird Has Flown" as its
Word of Deep Purple’s success in America had finally contemporary B-side. The single was to much dismay and
given some influence on their reputation in the UK, as disappointment, largely unsuccessful, failing to affect the
they gradually rose in popularity and request. Music US charts. Thus, people who saw them on the road only
magazines begun printing articles on them, and their had their first two albums and their respective promo-
whole reputation grew considerably over the course of tional singles to acknowledge them. Even though their
these two months. Jon Lord elaborated the previous dif- most recent single there was doing poorly, the band was
ference in popularity the band had experienced between getting a reputation as a fine live act. The band had now
the US and the UK before, in this manner: really begun to develop their stage presence into some-
thing grander, going in a more loud and heavy direction,
"We must be the only schizophrenic group in exis- showcasing the instrumental talents of Blackmore and
tence; if we go out and do a date in England we can Lord which would presage things to come. Deep Purple
earn 150 pounds. In the states, a similar date will had effectively turned into a highly proficient band on
earn us about 2500 pounds. stage.
However, things were now starting to heat up inter-
When a reporter asked Lord about why he thought Deep nally, and band members were getting more vocal about
Purple was having such a hard time finding the big audi- the direction they wanted the music to go, as well as be-
ence back home, he answered: ing dissatisfied with their salary for concerts. After Led
Zeppelin had released their decidedly heavy first album
"Because we’ve had hits I think the British under-
in early 1969, founding members Lord and Blackmore
ground devotees tend to look down on us. Ameri-
were starting to yearn for a sharper, rawer and over-
cans are so much more broad-minded about this
all heavier sound. But they felt that singer Rod Evans,
business of having hit singles."
with his tender, smooth voice, would not be able to cope
As such, a typical headline in an English music magazine with louder, more aggressive material. Tensions were al-
in early 1969 would be something like: "They lose £2350 a so high with bassist Nick Simper, who did not really ap-
night working in Britain". prove of the band turning heavier. It was in May, during
the ongoing American tour, that Lord and Blackmore
agreed on changing the lineup; shifting out both bassist
Promotion in America Simper and singer Evans. The band’s drummer, Ian Paice,
"Emmaretta" was a commercial stint for the band, who on the other hand, had his firm place in the band, and
sounded nothing like the style which was presented on Lord and Blackmore talked their ideas over with him.
it. This change in style was a stab to try to get a hit. Paice agreed to the lineup shift.
However, yet again their single did not convince the Bri-
tish public. In late March, the band had completed the Album release and sound
sessions for their third, as of yet unnamed, album. Early
April 1969 found Deep Purple on their way back to Amer- overview
ica to start off a new tour, which would last for another Manager John Colleta was surprised when he heard the
two months, similar to how they had done it in Britain. trio’s news, advising them to keep quiet about it until the
tour was completed and they had returned home to Eng-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Deep Purple (album)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic link
land. Then, after coming home in early June, Deep Pur- due to a printing error for the original layout and the
ple received notice from their American label that the al- band opted to keep it that way.
bum was finally ready for release overseas. As was also
the case with most of the material on their previous two
albums, the songs have a psychedelic rock sound, partic-
Track listing
ularly in the seventh track "Bird has Flown", and a pro-
gressive rock feel that verges on classical music, particu- Original release
larly in the long introductory sequence of the 12-minute
Side one
final track "April", Deep Purple’s longest ever studio
recording. The band also incorporated a 12-bar blues No. Title Writer(s) Length
structure on the songs "The Painter" and "Why Didn’t 1. "Chasing Jon Lord, Ian Paice 5:34
Rosemary?". The sound structure was as much a leap Shadows"
forward from Taliesyn, as Taliesyn had been from Shades. 2. "Blind" Lord 5:26
Songs were generally heavier and less fragile in their
3. "Laleña" Donovan Leitch 5:05
compound, and the sound of the album was similar to
how the band sounded live during this period. 4. "Fault Line" Ritchie Blackmore, Nick 5:38
This album contains more original songs, six in total, "The Pain- Simper, Lord, Paice
than on either of their first two albums, now starting to ter" Rod Evans, Blackmore,
fully endeavor to write original material. The only cover Simper, Lord, Paice
song on the album is "Laleña", which was originally writ-
ten and performed by Donovan. Deep Purple, as the album Side two
was somewhat confusingly self-titled, was released on 21 No. Title Writer(s) Length
June in the US. Derek Lawrence was once again credited
5. "Why Didn’t Evans, Blackmore, 5:04
as producer. As an effect of the album’s heavier, rawer
Rosemary?" Simper, Lord, Paice
sound, the individuals of the band, perhaps Ritchie Black-
more and Ian Paice in particular, were starting to real- 6. "Bird Has Evans, Blackmore, 5:36
ly showcase their instrumental abilities, which had both Flown" Lord
been hidden in the organ-heavy mix on the previous two 7. "April" Blackmore, Lord 12:10
releases.
When released in America, reception for the album CD re-issue
was low. It did not come close to the same success as
its two predecessors, peaking at #162 in the US Billboard No. Title Writer(s) Length
charts. Tetragrammaton’s financial problems were par- 1. "Chasing Shad- Lord, Paice 5:34
tially to blame, as promotion was lackluster, but the lack ows"
of a hit single didn’t help either. Sales could also have 2. "Blind" Lord 5:26
been improved had the album been released when Deep
3. "Laleña" Leitch 5:05
Purple were touring there, but that did not happen either
with the production and manufacture being delayed. 4. "Fault Line" Blackmore, Simper, 1:46
Lord, Paice
Album Cover 5. "The Painter" Evans, Blackmore,
Simper, Lord, Paice
3:51
Tetragrammaton issued the album in a stark gatefold 6. "Why Didn’t Evans, Blackmore, 5:04
sleeve, wrapped around with a segmented illustration Rosemary?" Simper, Lord, Paice
from Hieronymus Bosch’s painting "The Garden of Earth-
ly Delights. The label ran into difficulty over the use of 7. "Bird Has Evans, Blackmore, 5:36
the Museo del Prado-owned painting, which was incor- Flown" Lord
rectly perceived as being anti-religious; featuring "im- 8. "April" Blackmore, Lord 12:10
moral scenes", in the US and thus rejected or poorly
stocked by many record shops.[2] The original painting is Bonus tracks
in colour although it appeared on the LP in monochrome No. Title Writer(s) Length
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Deep Purple (album)
9. "The Bird Has Evans, Black- 2:54 Fault Line/The Painter
Flown" (alternate b- more, Lord "Fault Line" is a short instrumental, and it works as an
side version) introduction to "The Painter", which it seamlessly segues
10. "Emmaretta" (single Evans, Black- 3:00 into. An eerie organ sound (created, according to liner
a-side) more, Lord notes, by cutting out the tape of Lord’s organ chord and
11. "Emmaretta" (BBC ra- Evans, Black- 3:09 splicing it in backwards) is prominent in the "Fault Line"
dio session; 16 January more, Lord intro. "The Painter" is an uptempo 12-bar blues piece,
1969) featuring many guitar fills and several keyboard and gui-
tar solos. It was one of the few songs Ian Gillan performed
12. "Lalena" (BBC radio Leitch 3:33
with the band after he had replaced Rod Evans as the vo-
session; 6 June 1969)
calist, doing so at a BBC session in the summer of 1969.
13. "The Painter" (BBC Evans, Black- 2:18 However, it was never played live after 1969. This partic-
radio session; 6 June more, Simper, ular version of the song has yet to be released to the pub-
1969) Lord, Paice lic, but it exists on bootlegs. Also worthy of notice is that
"Fault Line" and "The Painter" were split into two sep-
Song information arate tracks on the remastered and expanded edition of
Deep Purple.
Chasing Shadows Why Didn’t Rosemary
The album opener not only opens the album, but also
Created as somewhat of a throwback to the rhythms of
starts the pattern Deep Purple would follow from nearly
American Blues and rock n’ roll in the 1950s, "Why Didn’t
every studio album released afterwards, with the first
Rosemary" is one of the first songs to really showcase
song being a experimental, uptight, psychedelic rock
Ritchie Blackmore’s talent at detailed, bluesy guitar so-
piece. "Chasing Shadows" is one of the songs in the
los. Jon Lord’s keyboard is barely featured here. The song
band’s catalogue that to the largest degree showcases Ian
is backed up by a "blues" style bass-line. Lyrically, "Why
Paice’s skills as a drummer. The song starts off abrupt-
Didn’t Rosemary" deals with a girl that got pregnant,
ly, with a theme of African drum rhythms and cowbells.
because she didn’t take "the pill". The story goes that
At the song’s end, there is also a long drum section, that
the band went and saw Rosemary’s Baby, came back and
ends just as abruptly as it started and leads into the next
wrote the song. It was actually a bit of Black Humor.
song on the album; "Blind".
Bird Has Flown
Blind
"Bird Has Flown" is arguably the most known song from
"Blind" is somewhat of a foray into classical music again,
the album, being released as a single, and is perhaps also
which Deep Purple had done frequently on their previous
the most psychedelic one. It starts off with a very sharp,
album. The song is thoroughly led by Jon Lord’s baroque-
quite distorted guitar riff, followed by a thumping bass-
themed keyboard sound, which is also used to create a
and-drum rhythm. This version of the song was recorded
very retro sounding solo later into the song. Between
within the same time period as the other songs on the
verses, there are drum fills by Ian Paice. There is also a
finished album, but there was also an earlier version of it,
very distorted guitar solo by Ritchie Blackmore.
entitled, "The Bird Has Flown", recorded in early January
for a potential single release. This shorter, less heavy ver-
Laleña sion was eventually released as a single exclusively in
Main article: Laléna the US. Before being included on the remastered and ex-
"Laleña" is the only cover song on this album, having panded edition of Deep Purple, this version of the song was
been written and performed by Donovan in October 1968. extremely rare, as the single did not sell particularly well
On their previous two albums, covers had been more upon its initial release in 1969. Also of note: it is one of
prominent, but this time the band opted to keep most the few Mark I era songs that Ian Gillan performed with
of the material their own. It is one of the calmest, most the band, doing so at a BBC session in the summer of
low-paced songs in Deep Purple’s catalogue. It was never 1969. This particular version of the song was released to
played live after 1969, but it was played at a BBC session, the public in 2002, featured on the box-set, Listen, Learn,
which was recorded and included on the remastered and Read On. "Bird Has Flown" was not played live again after
expanded edition of Deep Purple. 1969, however.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Deep Purple (album)
Certification Date Total Sales
Gold[3] January, 1990 250.000
April • Rod Evans - lead vocals
• Nick Simper - bass, backing vocals
"April" might be the most curious project Deep Purple
• Jon Lord - Hammond organ, keyboards, backing
ever did in studio, and it is certainly the most complicat-
vocals
ed one. It is a 12 minute long piece consisting of three
• Ian Paice - drums
distinct sections. The first two sections are instrumental,
while the third one is a rock song like the others on the
album. The first section is started off with a long organ
Additional personnel
introduction, followed by some acoustic guitar. Follow- • Produced by Derek Lawrence
ing this is an electric guitar solo, which up to this point in • Engineered by Barry Ainsworth
Ritchie Blackmore’s career was the longest guitar solo he • Digitally remastered and restored by Peter Mew at
had played on record. After the guitar solo ends, there is Abbey Road Studios, London
a classical-sounding piece for 12-piece chamber orches-
tra, composed by Lord but with no Deep Purple members Certifications
playing. This second section is also the longest one. After
different aspects of woodwinds and strings, the third sec- Bundesverband Musikindustrie (Ger-
tion - a more straight-ahead rock song - begins, intro-
duced by a short drum fill. Then Rod Evans starts to sing many)
Jon Lord’s lyrics. The song ends with another guitar so-
lo, which gradually fades out. One instrumental part of References
"April" was released as the B-side to the first Mark II
single, "Hallelujah". The song was, quite understandably, [1] Deep Purple early years: Seventy Seven Minutes In
never performed live.--> Prog Rock Heaven
[2] Deep Purple [1969] - Deep Purple | AllMusic
[3] Deep Purple Certifications, post 1975 in Germany -
Personnel http://www.musikindustrie.de/
• Ritchie Blackmore - guitar gold_platin_datenbank/#topSearch
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Categories:
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