Deep Purple: Which Line-Up Was the Real DEEP PURPLE?

[@helenespaulding7562]

I just got done listening to the audio version of the book on the Black Crowes by their drummer Steve Gorman. I was interested because of the Jimmy page connection and wanted to find out what really went down. Holy shite. You want to talk about egos and dysfunction. Chris and Rich Robinson fought constantly and finally destroyed the band. I discovered that Over the course of 25 years or so, they had 17 members! There is definitely no love lost between Steve and the brothers either…especially Chris.

[@MichaelNoland-TheBottomLine]

Wow! You know Helene, I think there’s a video in there somewhere! Ya died it again! Ya got me thinking, and that’s always dangerous!❤️🤔💐

[@helenespaulding7562]

@@MichaelNoland-TheBottomLine oh boy! I’ll see if I can keep that up! I love using Audible for books about bands and musicians…… Only one that’s been a bit disappointing is Steve Lukather memoir…but that’s just because he always sounds stoned and I sometimes can’t understand him! 😉😏✌️

[@stepanbandera5206]

CAW, CAW.....CAW! 🐦‍⬛

[@georgeedward1226]

For me, the classic lineup is Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord and Paice.

[@deangiering3142]

^^This

[@HerrDext3r]

Exactly.

[@davidlitchke4964]

For me also. It's really a no brainer.

[@spleefthedude7747]

Yes

[@deppurple700]

It's the one and only deep purple in my book and I don't care what anyone says

[@IosifStalin2]

I love Come Taste the Band - Tommy Bolins guitar playing was stupendously good!

[@frankingenito]

I own 46 Purple albums. I think there is something to enjoy in each incarnation of the band, but the Machine head lineup will always be the best.

[@krisdecave4167]

Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, Paice, is the answer ....The Mighty Deep Purple.............Happy new Year 2023 to all Purple fans!!!!!

[@garyh.238]

Deep Purple has always been my favourite band for 6 decades and in all their incarnations, BUT to be completely honest, I do favour Mark 2....the intensity and fire that Blackmore, Lord and Gillan created on stage, had no equal.

[@jalkabre5904]

Ritchie Blackmore is my GOAT, I agree he needs to be raised in most people's list. Love Ritchie's work with Deep Purple and especially Rainbow.

[@canadianstudmuffin]

I finally got to listen to the first 3 Deep Purple albums this year and was very impressed. I think overall Mark 2 was the best but Mark 1 was damn good too.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

Hear, hear. Mk.1, 2 and 3 are equal in my book.

[@thetruthhurts6652]

Oh yes. Hush, Chasing Shadows, The Shield, Painter, The Bird Has Flown…. just to name a few are amazing.

[@reubensane5539]

Absolutely! One of my favorite Purple albums out of their entire catalog is the third album deep purple.

[@danielthenorwegianguy]

I think Mark II is the definitive version of Deep Purple, even tough my favorite record of theirs is Burn. I really adore the Mark III era with two different styles of vocalists that complimented each so well, even tough that musical style would prompt Blackmore to leave. Citing he didn’t want to play this “shoeshine music” and furthered to new musical landscapes somewhere over the Rainbow. Mark IV could’ve been an great band, (actually sounds a lot like early Whitesnake material). Problem there was that Tommy Bolin was a huge heroin addict and Glenn Hughes had developed a huge cocaine problem by then and the band just imploded. As far as you disregarding all the Deep Purple albums after Blackmore left, All i can is with all due respect, you’re depriving yourself of some excellent material there. Steve Morse to me has really made a mark (no pun intended) and provided a sense of stability and more adventurous songwriting in the bands latter days. Blackmore has now been out of deep purple for close to 30 years and he’s never coming back. He doesn’t want to and it’s really to me. After they reunited in 1984 for Perfect Strangers. It was a happy time. The album is great and they reignited something for a short while…but man, it’s like after the honeymoon phase was over, Blackmore and Gillan went right back to their old ways and I find House of Blue Light really lackluster and Slaves and Masters (the one lone album with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals) is their worst album cause the songwriting is unspired. It sounds like a rainbow album and even if it were, it would be just a bland AOR record, ala Bad Company or Foreigner. With Battle Rages it was like “Blackmores done” again, please try and check out some of their stuff from the Steve Morse era, especially Purpendicular and Infinite

[@seabud6408]

It’s hard to believe that Purple recorded those intricate/varied first three albums plus the Concerto for group and orchestra and their first great hard rock record .. Deep Purple in Rock, during 1968 and 69. They had a number 5 single in America in 68 and a number 2 single in Britain/Europe early in 1970.

[@michaelmathes1991]

Mark II by far. Machine Head was one of my first albums at 13 years of age.

[@scottjackson163]

Dang straight.

[@barryrammer7906]

My friend DP in rock is the best one ever to me.

[@michaelmathes1991]

@@barryrammer7906 agree

[@frankjr.4484]

Perfect strangers tour was the best concert I've ever seen, so good I went back the second night!!!

[@nelsono4315]

this is a no-brainer, MK2 is it. The most consistent and the lineup with the best catalog of songs. Also, the best musical chemistry. Perfect Strangers showed that once and for all.

[@ivanfortuny2244]

IN Rock is the Birth of heavy metal a Real Masterpiece.

[@Fuxerz]

That's the one the only one. In rock is their best it's a masterpiece.

[@DCToonTime]

Mark II by far. That version had the most impact of any of their incarnations. Having said that the version I listen to most circa 2022 is the Coverdale/ Hughes era.

[@FuturePast2019]

0:45 Jon Lord left Deep Purple many years before he passed away. 2002 vs 2012

[@WalStad53]

As far as I am concerned, my favourite Deep Purple Album above all others is the Golden "Live in Japan“, which I first bought as an LP in my twenties, lost it somehow, bought it again, later on as CD, I simply love it. It contains my two favourite tracks by Deep Purple "Highway Star" and "Child in Time“.

[@somestupidwithaflaregun7149]

My favorite guitar solo is on Made in Japan. "Highway Star" . Starts @ 4:15 into the song. A great balance of chaos, fire and control.

[@WalStad53]

@@somestupidwithaflaregun7149 I totally agree with You. Great song and indeed one of my favourite guitar solos!

[@musicofthemountains8968]

All versions of Deep Purple are excellent. That’s why they’re one of my very favorite bands-their entire discography is so good from top to bottom with only a couple subpar albums.

[@PurpleHounding]

There's only one version right now. You can't listen to a line up like it's still around or something, you can't take away the fact that mkIII was 1974 and 1975. Haven't been able to call that Deep purple since then, because it hasn't been.

[@leonedethebes]

No the mk tribute today sucks

[@andrescarrasco1248]

​@@leonedethebeswhy? Mk10 is awesome, of course Ian can't sing like he did 50 years ago, but it's such an amazing sound, please don't tell me they don't sound like 50 years ago, time can't be stopped and Simon McBride plays 100x better than Ritchie does nowadays, having said that, 2023 Glenn Hughes sounds better than dp, whitesnake and rainbow together do on they current line ups

[@Bruce15485]

Deep Purple Mk 2 definitely followed Mk 1. For me Ritchie Blackmoore was the best guitar player around ! Ian Gillan was an amazing front man singer. Deep Purple in Rock and Machine Head, the best hard rock albums of all time ! I have all Led Zepplin albums, however, I rate these 2 Deep Purple albums above all The Zepp albums. When I was a teenager, I heard Deep Purple song " Emmaretta" , that was it for me ! Followed them ever since ! I have seen them live, amazing !

[@micolsen9824]

I've always enjoyed "who do we think we are" far more than houses of the holy.

[@thetruthhurts6652]

@@micolsen9824love that album. WFT, Rat Bat Blue, Smooth Dancer, the soloing in Place in Line. Awesome album.

[@jgsrhythm100]

Michael would you consider a video on Tommy Bolin? With the passing of Jeff Beck just wanted to point out it was Tommy Bolin's playing on Billy Cobham's " Spectrum" that inspired him to go into a Jazz, rock fusion direction. They first met when Tommy's first band " Zephyr" opened for The Jeff Beck Group in 68 and remained friends ever since.

[@kburton77]

Also, Who Do We Think We Are, a fine album from 1973

[@astrogoodvibes6164]

No competition, mark 2 by a country mile with Burn and Stormbringer giving it a good shot in mark 3 Also, ''No One Came'' off Fireball is a totally underplayed underrated certified DP banger.

[@Jamestele1]

That would be mark 3. Mark 2 was Blackmore, Lord, Paice, Gillan and Glover. Mark 1 was with Rod Evans singing, and Nick Simper (bass + backing vocals)

[@astrogoodvibes6164]

@@Jamestele1 ....If you read my comment, that's what I said. Mark 2 lineup the best (ie: no competition) Maek 3 lineup, just the albums Burn and Stormbringer coming a good second (ie: giving it a good shot)

[@Baz63]

Steve Morse era by a country mile for me.

[@astrogoodvibes6164]

@@Baz63 I saw Steve Morse here in my hometown with DP back in 2000. He threw his plectrum and song sheet into the crowd and I caught both of them......he is one of the best for sure

[@5tar5z]

No, No, No is also an amazing song. All of Fireball is great except for Somebody’s Daughter or whatever it’s called 😅

[@robertfmorton]

I remember being a BIG fan of Deep Purple (mk2). In fact, one time watching them on TV, I was gobsmacked when my mum walked through the room and commented on what a good guitarist Blackmore was, pointing out (quite correctly) that he was one of the few rock guitarists who used his little finger. She was an awesome mum.

[@deppurple700]

God bless you for remembering her and God bless her for being a good mom

[@BruceColon-BSides]

Glen Hughes can still sing his ass off. I commend him for overcoming his self-destructive demons. A true rock and roll survivor.

[@donquixote3927]

He should take over from Gillan.

[@QuarrellaDeVil]

I'll rave about it whenever the opportunity arises: We saw him here in Dallas last year, and it was the best concert I've seen in decades. I'm a brave survivor of the 1986 Glenn Hughes/Black Sabbath debacle in Detroit, and it's amazing to me that Glenn sounds as good as he does. He's into his 70s, but he should be dead from all of the abuse, which he knows, and how many of our favorite rockers are still able to hit most of the high notes after years of alcohol, cigarettes, and other "refreshment"? We did meet his drummer after the show, and actually held out hope we'd get a minute with the man himself. I'd have mentioned how I'd seen him three decades ago, things didn't go so well, but that night? Holy cow, redemption. We also got the added bonus of "You Fool No One", thanks to Glenn's being grateful to Dallas for having been supportive of Trapeze back in the day.

[@josephtreffiletti4198]

Great video! I saw Deep Purple in 1987 on the House Of The Blue Light tour. Amazing show! Bad Company opened up. I agree Jon Lord was the best and Ian Paice has always been a very under rated drummer and of course the great Ritchie Blackmore!

[@muntenated]

Thank you Michael for reintroducing me to the masterpiece that is Black Night which I have just listened to turned right up to 11! That riff, those drums, Blackmore's finaly solo. Rock Heaven!

[@grobbler1]

The closing part where he praises Zeppelin over Purple is highly amusing. Purple were far superior musicians and Gillan was a better vocalist than Plant, which is quite some praise, as Plant was amazing in his own right. LZ were 'bigger' than DP for most of their lifespan, purely because of their 'mystique' and the fact they had a better management structure around them (Peter Grant in particular).

[@bartrobinson2103]

I agree 100%

[@yeti1002]

Mount Rushmore of rock - Zeppelin, Purple , Floyd , the Who ..... 😉

[@mikaelhaggard8031]

Yeah, DP is higher on my list also. I didn't care for a lot of the folksy stuff LZ did around the 4th album and on. Perfect Strangers is the the best rock album I've heard since it came out.

[@yeti1002]

@@mikaelhaggard8031 I kind of agree with you , so I gave you a thumbs 👍 😉 zeppelin dominated for a good 12 years with the same line up . Deep purple didn't have the same line up for most of there run . Zeppelin sold more records and dominated stadiums with there 3 hours plus shows . Zeppelin was way more talented as far as style's of music they put out .Also , I'm a big deep purple fan , but a huge Zeppelin fan .

[@mikaelhaggard8031]

@@yeti1002 they certainly experimented with more types of music. MK2 quit at the height of DP popularity when they were the best selling band of the year 1973. MK3 was a metal band and a good one imo.

[@davidhart8621]

Mark II is the definitive DP for me.

[@michaelcrews6236]

Why do people always leave Fireball out when taking about DP?

[@Oysterblade84]

Yeah Fools was one of the best songs on that one. Somehow it managed to be apart of the live version of Space Truckin' along with Mandrake Root.

[@jeffreyflint6286]

I've always dug all versions. Miss John Lord greatly. Favourite album though. Fireball from 1971.

[@garyarnett1220]

Agreed about Fireball....blusey and rock.

[@cornucopia8591]

Great but he is Jon. Shortened Jonathan.

[@edwardcastiglione5545]

Yes, Mark lI was the best hands down. In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head, Who Do You Think We Are. The best 28 songs Deep Purple there is. It's too bad it was over by the end of 1973. I enjoy your show Mike, Thank you.

[@Dethfeast]

Blackmore/Paice/Lord/Gillan/Glover without a doubt.

[@TheModbeats]

John Lord was a true innovator and the quintessential hard rock organ player. He took it to a whole new level, and influenced all rock organ players and keyboardists going forward. He and Blackmore playing off of each other was just so right in the rock and roll pocket, not to disregard the other talented members of DP MkII (my favorite).

[@markkemp7608]

For me Mark II and the Machine head album is how I got interested in the band of course I have always like the tune Hush since I can remember.

[@kneelandpray2878]

I love all the first four lineups of purple (1968 - 1976) but the "real" Deep Purple are mark2 (1969 - 1973, 1984 - 1989 and 1992 - 1993)

[@michaelfavreau7617]

You neglected to speak of my favorite Purple album. Fireball. My mother bought this amazing album in 1971 when I was 2 years old. And I have been listening and loving it for the last 51 years. Ian Paice and Bob Siebenberg ( of Supertramp ) where my absolute favorite drummers in my tender years and still remain true inspirations to me

[@BunnEFartz]

I think the soloing of Blackmore and Lord was at it's very best on the Fireball album.

[@donquixote3927]

Prominent humour on FB, strangely missing on all their other 70s albums.

[@bartrobinson2103]

It's absolutely ridiculous he didn't mention fireball. How pathetic!

[@SteveSteeleSoundSymphony]

Fireball is probably my favorite MKII album.

[@karlhengelsberg9377]

It's difficult to argue that Mark 2 isn't THE Deep Purple, but all four of the original lineups made contributions to the band's oeuvre and mythology. All four bands utilized a number of different, interesting musical ideas; some of those ideas worked while others didn't. Mark 2 probably has had the deepest impact due to having the most longevity of its membership (minus R. Blackmore), the most hit songs, etc. But collectively they were all great.

[@mixaliskokkinos1496]

Deep Purple was the first line up simply for the music.Dark- sadness with medieval flavour.And the name came from Blackmore's grandmother,were she's her favourite colour.

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

I was especially fond of “Who Do We Think We Are” which came after “Machine Head” with the great opening track “My Woman from Tokyo”; “Super Trouper” and “Our Lady” were also great tracks. Seemed more like FM Rock at the time with Machine Head having a bit more commercial flair….

[@aschule5684]

You forgot "Rat Bat Blue".... I too was fond of this album. The band weren't big fans I guess. I personally feel everything MK2 Purple did was gold and "Who Do We Think We Are" was every much as important to me as the rest! Thanks for the nod to this great album 👍

[@SteveSteeleSoundSymphony]

Our Lady, Rat Bat Blue and Woman from Tokyo are great songs.

[@deppurple700]

And the absolute best rock organ soo on rat bat bat blue

[@Beethoven5th]

Michael, the following paragraph is for Your amusement. 😁 From Wikipedia: In 1980, Rod Evans (first singer) was approached by a management company that specialized in the unscrupulous and frequently legally-actionable practice of reforming groups with a minimum of original members, often in violation of trademark and contractual law. They offered him a chance to sing again under the Deep Purple name and he accepted. After several shows ended in near-riots, management of the genuine Deep Purple, which had disbanded in 1976, successfully sued and were awarded damages. Also as a result, Evans stopped receiving royalties from the Mark I Deep Purple albums.

[@bryemycaz]

That management company managed with their contract to get Rod Evans to carry the can, they never lost a penny but Rod got shafted and has since dissapeared from the public eye. No-one has heard from him since.

[@Beethoven5th]

@@bryemycaz That seems par for the course when dealing with snakes. Rod deserved better...

[@QuarrellaDeVil]

@@Beethoven5th Ian Gillan wrote in his book about his love for the band, with something along the lines of not appreciating seeing the proverbial girlfriend with someone else. He's got a strange kind of hang-up about the living, breathing Deep Purple: While I understand not wanting to go backwards with a reunion with Ritchie, that snub of Coverdale and Hughes at the R&RHOF was unnecessary. These guys weren't a threat, and it wouldn't have hurt to share the stage for a few minutes, letting the Mark III vocalists sing one of the verses to "Smoke on the Water". Similarly, at this stage in the game, I think it would be a nice touch to at least have Nick Simper pop up one night for "Hush", with an open invitation to Rod Evans to come back -- "You've done your penance, you've wandered in the desert" -- to do the same. Let the guy go out on a happy note, and it's not like we're going to go out and toss our albums from the post-Mark I lineups. I'd read somewhere that Evans quietly got his royalties back just a few years ago. Anybody able to confirm or deny?

[@cm8989]

Your analysis is spot on. Your opinion matches mine. What an awesome band. My favorite band of all time. The moment I heard “ smoke on the water “ the first time I knew this was - the band - it’s never changed.

[@et2petty]

Mark II but the Mark III- "Burn" album had three songs I dig. Mark II re-united more or less and were great.

[@olafruckelshausen5911]

Coincidentally listening to "Child in time" on the radio as a small child was dragging me in. MKII became my gods and "Made in Japan" my bible. I was a developing kid, so: no tears for Gillan, when MKIII came up. I was fascinated by that new lineup as well, the drive and the drumwork in "Burn" is unique, and "Last Concert..." is one of my all time favourites even though the band hates it. (I even didn´t know that Bolin was handicapped these days, and I hadn´t digged Coverdales "Cinderella-Story" before YT was invented) At least the guys who made MKIII fucked it up then in a minute. Nowadays DP are a friendly old all-star-band without any mentionable peaks and throughs (to me). Morse used to be a quaint guitarist solo or with SMB.

[@georgemorley5926]

From Australia , great summary of this great classic British Rock band , as an ex-pat yank living in Australia since 1975 ( ex S.F. bay area ) seen many great bands of that era at Fillmore west , Winterland , and other venues in late 60s early 70s Deep Purple ( seen then 4 times in early 70s and a few times here in Australia with Steve Morse ) always stood out for me , and as we know there were alot of great bands and much happening at the time , unbelievable music everywhere for sure , l agree with you they could have been as great as Led Zeppelin with more stability , to finish I believe with all due respect to Steve Morse and the current line-up what most Deep Purple fans would love to see is a short world tour with Ritchie Blackmore and call it a day , Peace from down under.

[@jacobearly6589]

Worked on a lot of Purple shows. Mark III was the best mostly because Glenn Hughes was always ridiculously amazing. He and Coverdale together were unbelievable. They were all great though!

[@ninoorjon]

Interesting. Yes, in the live performances that I heard, Hughes was ridiculous 😆, but as far as amazing, we probably have different ideas about it.

[@janet.osmonson7451]

Ya Glenn yelping during Burn at Cal Jam lol..he's fortunate Ritchie didn't spear him ha..But Glenn,when not too jacked up was good,but no Dave or Ian .

[@SteveSteeleSoundSymphony]

@@janet.osmonson7451No Dave or Ian? He wiped the floor with both of them back then and today. For the Burn tour Coverdale left the stage crying every night having to sing next to Hughes. And Gillian couldn’t dream of covering a Hughes song like Getting Tighter. Gillian would choke to death. Hughes can sing all their stuff and does to this day, and he’s in his 70s!

[@JordanFonque]

I think the beauty is actually IN the fact they had so many different marks. This way u can listen to deep purple all year around since they have so many different sounds❤

[@jamesreding6336]

So many great singers on Deep Purple

[@VIDSTORAGE]

Cannot understand why they got rid of Nick Simper ,he took Joe South's song Hush / Billy Joe Royal to the highest level with that chunky funky bass line ..Rod Evans ,he was no high pitched vocalist like Ian who had better vocal range but Rod had the perfect baritone for DP in that era of psychedelia that they started out with. .I really like the initial three albums quite much , they have very unique vibe. .Taste The Band , DP without Ritchie is weird but Tommy Bolin along with Hughes and Coverdale helped to make that a killer album ..

[@moodiblues2]

Michael I am always amazed at the depth of your knowledge of these bands!

[@murattabanli8548]

Michael, while talking about disputes between Ian and Ritchie after Machine Head, @ 11:30 you say 'Ritchie exists the band'. Then you talk about Burn, Stormbringer and Come Taste the Band albums, stating you like the line-up, which you say ended due to Bolin's death. It sounds like, Ritchie exited the band after Machine Head, which is not correct. There was 'Who do we think we are' after Machine Head, with Mark II and after that, Burn and Stormbringer still had Ritchie, with Mark III. Bolin is only in Come Taste the Band album. I am sure everyone knows that including you but listening to your narration, people might think the other way. Just wanted to point this out. Great video by the way, thanks for sharing.

[@Daniel-hn7nd]

The original Whitesnake had Ian Pace too I believe. Thanks for the video

[@williamvonschenk2273]

Can you do a Tommy Bolin career overview of his unique musical identity fusing metal, jazz, funk and blues?

[@dimitarmitev7176]

Mk.II of course, no doubt ever! 🍻

[@book3100]

For me, Simper and Evans. I truly liked that sound the best.

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

An underrated great line-up, that's for sure.

[@book3100]

@@LarryFleetwood8675 so listen, so learn, so read on, you gotta turn the page. Read the book of Taliesin. 👍

[@williamfoley4630]

Deep Purple in Rock was , for me , a perfect rock album

[@tonyanderton3521]

Hey, Michael. You skipped the (Mk 2) band's best album - Fireball. That album epitomises the trademark trading of solos between Jon and Ritchie, as well as Roger and the two Ian's also being at the top of their games. The whole of the old vinyl side B is great, plus No No No and (in the European release) Demon's Eye. And it was my first record purchase at the age of 13. I don't know why Fireball always seems to get overlooked. Same with Obscured by Clouds in the Pink Floyd back catalogue. Is the common denominator that each album would become overshadowed by behemoth follow-ups. Perhaps there's a video there, Michael - great albums that never got the recognition they deserved because they would become almost eclipsed by their even more successful follow-ups.

[@bwithrow011]

Michael, I played pop rock in the late 60s and early 70s. Shades of Deep Purple is my favorite. I like Rod Evans. We played Hush and Hey Joe. In 1975, we played a medley of Woman from Tokyo and Smoke on the Water

[@elenikontogianni1033]

Tacking about Richie, a tribute to Rainbow would be interesting, specially the three first albums with DIo. A guitarist paradise.

[@martinkasper197]

I've seen Whitesnake on their first tour with David and Jon as support of Nazareth, with Steve Vai, and later on with Doug Aldridge on guitars. Deep Purple 2 times with Richie in the mid 80s. Gillan with Bernie Torme and with Janick Gers on guitars.

[@bradhuston8838]

Mark 2 & 3, both are fantastic. It's interesting to see the production quality go up from In Rock to Machinehead.

[@mauriliomatracia6297]

Deep Purple is my favorite band since I was 9-10 years old... I have listened almost everything they played and in my opinion mark 3 was the best in studio while mark 2 was the best in live performances

[@lionheartroar3104]

Deep Purple has had hits and misses, but their ratio of success over 5 decades is astounding thanks to all the excellent musicians who have kept the journey going.

[@stevern2247]

MK 2,andMK 3 was an intro to Rainbow, R.B was the tune leader

[@MarkHodgettsWriter]

Interesting perspective. There's no doubt that Mk 2 were the ultimate lineup. I don't think that we should compare Led Zep and DP. They both had their peaks and troughs. I play more DP than Zep - and invariably, the live stuff from every era does it for me. No discussion of DP is complete without acknowledging Made in Japan, Made in Europe and an album like Total Abandon. I've always said that DP made the correct decision in not choosing a Blackmore clone, allowing them to expand and explore new horizons. I love the Morse era and would highly recommend that you give Purpendicular and Whoosh a listen (bookends to the era)

[@garyarnett1220]

Hoping Whoosh isn't a bookend.

[@royceinthehouse842]

Hi Michael excellent breakdown as usual. Your review of the many versions, line up changes and how they impacted the band was brilliant.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

I prefer the Mark II lineup that includes Gillan and Blackmore myself. Now, there was the 1991 album "Slaves And Masters" where Joe Lynn Turner of [Ritchie Blackmore's] Rainbow fame briefly replaced Gillan. I liked "King Of Dreams" off that album. A great merging of Deep Purple and JLT-era Rainbow.

[@CB-xr1eg]

Slaves & Masters was 1990 and was the poorest selling DP album since 1969. Its a good follow up to Bent Out Of Shape by rainbow but its not a Deep Purple album. There's a reason why Turner only stayed for 1 album...

[@MisterMikeTexas]

@@CB-xr1eg Because Jon Lord and the others besides Blackmore were on Team Gillan. There's a reason Blackmore left Purple for good after Gillan's re-return. Him and Gillan were about as close as Roger Waters and David Gilmour were in Pink Floyd.

[@CB-xr1eg]

@@MisterMikeTexas Yes they were on team Gillan as they weren't happy with Deep Purple sounding like an American AOR band. Blackmore & Gillan were never going to get along and we all know about their less than harmonious relationship.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

@@CB-xr1eg Not sure what happened with their relationship, egos, I guess. It seems that Blackmore pissed off a lot of musicians he worked with, including original Rainbow frontman Ronnie James Dio, and JLT blasted Blackmore in interviews as well. I think his wife Candace Night mellowed him out quite a bit. He seems a lot happier in their project Blackmore's Night.

[@CB-xr1eg]

@@MisterMikeTexas Yes, he liked his moody image that's for sure. JLT was just pee'd off that he wasn't asked to the Rainbow re-union shows a few years back. He's another one with a huge ego. Btw Ritchie's wife is Candice not Candace.

[@saulevans1088]

Different line-ups, different genres, but one thing in common, they were the best hands down.

[@garynorcott6409]

Mark 2 - end of story, that's why we all love them and that's what made them. The Morse era also brilliant, although different, but fabulous nevertheless.

[@zeppearl]

Deep Purple is a favorite in my list for sure. You should give the later albums a listen like "Now What?!" and "Woosssh" both are really good. My list would change from day to day that for sure so props trying to put a list of "best of" together. To say what is the "real" Deep Purple is a tough statement to make. Lets not forget "Fireball" . Steve Morse had done a outstanding job and hes been in the band longer than Blackmore. I have seen Mach II in concert and the current version and I thought they still can rock it till your face turns purple. To me they are in the top 3 of the hard rock bands and forefathers of metal along with Black Sabbath and # 1 of course Led Zeppelin.

[@cirenosnor5768]

Morse has been in the band longer than Blackmore. So what. Arnel Pineda has now been in Journey longer than Steve Perry 🤷🏽‍♂️ Morse’s tenure means nothing other than a key element to their sound has been missing for a long time without Blackmore. Only hard core fans can even name a Morse era song? The whole word knows Mark ll Purple. That era if anything is responsible for more memorable songs than future lineups. Then Perfect Strangers was widely regarded as a “return to form” with the reconvened Mark II lineup. They haven’t been the same without Blackmore and now Lord

[@clarkcraig6959]

Michael, I enjoyed all the versions of Deep. in recent years I have seen them live and they still have a great show with the current lineup. I haven't really been into some of the later albums like you said but then this last album Turning To Crime had cover tunes on it. If you haven't heard it give it a listen to The classic covers of Fleetwood Macs Oh well. and a few other rockers, 7 and 7 is, shape of things

[@garyarnett1220]

Absolutely. COVID prevented them from going to the studio together, so they did an LP of covers, each part separately, and laid down some great tracks.

[@caryheuchert]

I’ve always been a fan of Ian Gillan, one of rock’s greatest ever voices, however my favourite Deep Purple album is their third eponymous album.

[@caryheuchert]

@@CB-xr1eg “Shades of Deep Purple” was their debut, followed by “The Book of Taliesyn”, and their third one was simply called “Deep Purple”. It was probably their most prog-sounding LP with the symphonic gem, “April”, which I believe, must have influenced Uriah Heep to write “Salisbury”.

[@CB-xr1eg]

@@caryheuchert Yes you are correct.

[@remnantsofasoundblast]

What's up my man. I gave them a listen outside of the Live album Made in Japan and Machine Head. Thanks to your topic, I jammed out to In Rock and I have to say it is a GREAT album. Stormbringer and Burn are good but nothing tops the Mark II era. Great musicians in that band, no doubt

[@trebleface7835]

Who Do We Think We Are gets overlooked but I also love that one. Woman From Tokyo, Smooth Dancer (which was secretly about Blackmore), Super Trooper and a couple of others.

[@michaeljozwiak25]

Deep Purple and the cover song, “Hush” were my first most favorite band and one of my first most favorite rock songs respectively.

[@docsavage8640]

I've never to this day heard the Billy Joe Royal original.

[@michaeljozwiak25]

@@docsavage8640 After reading your reply, I listened to Billy Joe Royal’s version on KZbin for the first time.

[@phillipanderson7398]

Both MKI and MkII did a cover of Hush.

[@kenijonesESQ]

Your editorials are so spot on, I never agreed with anyone as much as I do with you on rock n roll ever...must be a Bass Player thing. Love your channel cheers from Canada.

[@CB-xr1eg]

He's not spot on, he made a lot of errors in this video. I pointed them out to him, but I think he deleted my comment out of anger or embarrassment.😏

[@sjwill1956]

Too bad cause several of the Steve Morse releases are right up there for me... Purpendicular and Now What? naming 2 .. and saw that version live 3x and they were excellent each time ....the Bolin Purple album is underappreciated ... this is the second vid I have seen recently that leads the viewer to believe Lord passed away and then was replaced..... Lord retired in 2002 replaced by Don Airey ... diagnosed with cancer in 2011 and passed from a Pulmonary embolism in 2012

[@mfversluis]

I think that between Mk II and Mk III it depends on which version you've got to know them. It is an awesome band, certainly in both these incarnations. For me it's MkII, with Child in time my "wow" moment. In my country a (first pirate, later legal) radio station Veronica annually had the Top 100 of All Times. And for a very long time Child in Time was on the no1 spot (with Stairway to Heaven trailing on no2). So the time listeners still got taste... So I bought as a young boy In Rock and got to learn quickly what hard rock was. But of course Purple is on its best live. Whatever people claim about Led Zeppelin being more legendary, better, or whatever (sure, because they sold more records in the US ?), no band could come near them live. There are countless live registrations available and almost all (beside the desastrous Japan with Tommy Bolan concert, although still better than most other bands) are awesome. 1 thing is certain. With this band you never hear live how it was originally recorded... on purpose... 2 reasons: all great musicians and (at least with Ritchie in the band) no day the same. And because of that always interesting. We all know that Made in Japan probably in the best live album ever, but each of their concerts woukd have had the crown if that album hadn't existed. I went to their concert (Mk IX...) to this day exactly a half year ago, and those men are in their mid 70's (except "youngster" McBride) and they still are one of the best bands currently touring. Great drawn-out songs, tremendous playing and no assistence of backtracks or even backing vocals. Gillan's voice of course isn't what it was, but he still outs all in it and commands the stage (although he regularly goes backstage for ? I understand in the old days for some adult action, won't be that today... Got always enough time for anyway because of fully packed solos). And only one critical comment on this video (besides go to them live, still great): in his heydey Gillan was by far the greatest voice in Rock. Of course he could easily yelp, shriek and scream als Plant, but he had range and was a lot more versatile. Listen to his beautiful voice on "Concerto.." or his version (the standard all other performers aim for) of Jesus Christ Superstar. Robert Plant could do that only in his dreams. I've listened to Plants other ventures and he certainly was and is an accomplished singer, but never reached the level as Gillan in his best years.

[@storozhakovgregory3032]

I struggle to find anything more beautiful than Anthem, April and Shield in their catalogue. Oh yes, Hallelujah.

[@billpet4602]

At that time Mark II was unbeatable, much later I realized how good was the Mark III. Even today, watching in youtube Cal jam songs like mistreated, is very impressive

[@zephead843]

Mark 2, hands down, case closed.

[@garywohlgemuth3916]

I agree Mark 2 is Deep Purple.

[@Andrewhicks-t4i]

Deep Purple and Black Sabbath were the bands the defined heavy rock/metal, no one else came close.

[@Gk2003m]

Answer: every lineup that included Ian Paice.

[@garyarnett1220]

Best answer ever....doesn't get any better than Paice.

[@Zoetropeification]

Clever 🙂

[@drj602]

The Made in Japan album should clear that up for ya.

[@akavealea]

The Real Deep Purple is if the formation are Paice, Lord, Coverdale, Glover, & Blackmore

[@MrSpankee02]

I saw them in Niagara Falls in 1985 on perfect strangers tour. The concert was outstanding.

[@Savlo1]

Ian Gillan Line Up ist the real Deep Purple BUT Coverdale as Frontman was absolutely awesome. Burn and Stormbringer invented in my opinion Symphonic and Power Metal. Burn and Stormbringer are the parents of almost every Power/Symphonic Metal Song.

[@ellenolenska9141]

Totally agree.

[@stevebrougham3930]

Mk 2 has to be the definitive Deep Purple Killer band and Machine Head was one of my teenage albums of choice. Time I revisited this masterpiece

[@nicholasthomas3635]

Zep only had 4, so they were doing quite well against 5+ member bands. JPJ was really 2 at times. 2 were solid session veterans while the other two, younger and raw talent. Another day another topic: What is Deep Purples best or most epic tune? Child In Time? Live or studio?

[@5tar5z]

Deep Purple from 1970-1984 is my absolute favourite band ever. Thanks for the cool breakdown and giving Blackmore/Lord their props. I too used to think LZ and Sabbath were untouchable when I was younger, but I got into DP 7-8 years ago, and never looked back. I still love BS and LZ, but I never did get into LZ again.

[@trebleface7835]

You are right. In Rock, Machine Head, Fireball, Made in Japan and Burn are untouchable. LZ is unique bc of the distinguished voice of Plant and BS because of their doom metal sound. To me they have both amazing songs and songs I don’t care for. But neither can touch the individual brilliance in almost every song in that era.

[@mikaelhaggard8031]

I gave up LZ when I heard Burn . The experimental folk music of LZ wasn't my thing.

[@angutjohansenkleist9941]

Who the hell is Ian Gilmore? Lolz! 14:09

[@geraldherrmann787]

Mark2. Personally, I even rate Mark2 over Zeppelin.

[@matthewg666]

Mark II was obviously the classic line up. The House Of Blue Light was my first Purple album. That said, Mark I, and in particular the self titled Deep Purple album is my favorite.

[@PedrSion]

The roundabout that Curtis wastalking about was a small carousel found in British parks. People could get on or get off. John Lord said that the touring schedule was the issue with Mk ii. They were being flogged to death by the management. If they had been given 6 months off, the Mkii would have probably stayed together.

[@Amadeusthegreat100]

The fact that mark ii was put together for the comeback seems to indicate that this is the 'real' Purple. I think of 'Come Taste....' as a forgotten near classic. I think 'In Rock" was the heaviest album of 70. I really enjoy 69's self titled album too. Blackmore is the reason I wanted to buy a strat. Not Hendrix. Not Gilmour. It was that real raw single coil sound I needed to have as opposed to my ol double humbucker. So I got one in 86. Still have it.

[@flyingburritobro68]

CTTB sounds great today. It has aged better than most of their stuff. A fine album

[@nyobunknown6983]

The second incarnation of Deep Purple was the one where they established their greatness. The 3rd incarnation was great but shorter lived.

[@tomass.9306]

Their best and most tight lineup when it comes to musicianship was Mark II... Dave and Glenn vocals gave a whole new fresh air to the band

[@ponytrekker8996]

I don’t think anyone could touch Ian Gillan when he was in his prime.

[@bartrobinson2103]

Gillan

[@ponytrekker8996]

@@bartrobinson2103 l know made a mistake.

[@AlexAlexon3897]

Roundabout, '67 - '68; Mk.1, '68 - '69; Mk.2, '69 - '73; Mk.3, '73 - '75; Mk.4, '75 - '76. A hiatus of eight years. (The band Gillan are very big in Europe.) Mk.2(2), '84 - '89; Joe Lynn Turner replaces Gillan for Mk.5, '89 - '92; Gillan replaces Turner for Mk.2(3), '92 - '93. Blackmore quits for good. Joe Satriani joins for Mk.6, '93 - '94. Steve Morse joins permanently for Mk.7, '94 - '02. Jon Lord retires from DP. Don Airey joins for Mk.8, '02 - '22. Steve Morse steps aside to nurse his wife. Simon McBride joins to make Mk.9, presently active. By the way, Mk.3 made Burn and Stormbringer (and Made in Europe); Mk.4 made Come Taste the Band (and Last Concert in Japan). The Morse/Airey line-up lasted 20 years!

[@lightningbrigade4722]

There was only one Great lineup: Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, and Paice! Mark 2 lineup 💜

[@cl5619]

Machine head Deep Purple is the real Deep Purple

[@davevirag5423]

My Favourite is The Mark 2 Lineup: Blackmore, Glover, Gillian, Lord and Paice! ❤ 👍