DEEP PURPLE - Machine Head (Super Deluxe Edition)
March 14, 2024, a month ago
(Rhino)
It was probably impossible to tell at the time, but certain albums from the late '60s/early '70s were either trailblazing or helping solidify the style we all now know and love as heavy metal. Case in point, Led Zeppelin II, Paranoid, and Machine Head. Although Deep Purple's 1970 offering, In Rock, was the one that would be filed under the 'trailblazing' category, it was Machine Head that unquestionably deserves to be in the 'solidify' grouping.
And with seemingly every bloody album of yesteryear receiving the box set treatment – no matter how noteworthy or not-so-noteworthy – Machine Head is one of the few 100%, without-a-doubt, no-questions-asked LP's deserving to be explored via box.
What lurks within includes a 2024 vinyl remix of the LP, a CD which combines the '24 remix with a new remaster, two CD's of live shows from '71 and '72, and a blu-ray featuring a new Atmos mix by Dweezil Zappa, among other sonic delights (plus lyrics and a booklet with photos and text).
It also doesn't hurt that from front to back, Machine Head was probably Purple's most consistent release, as the lesser-known tunes (“Maybe I'm A Leo,” “Pictures Of Home,” “Never Before”) kick nearly as much rump as the best-known selections (“Highway Star,” “Smoke On The Water,” “Space Truckin'”).
