The Very Best of Deep Purple

Though Deep Purple have survived several decades with a variety of lineups, the band’s most influential period as definers of hard rock began in 1970 with the issuance of Deep Purple in Rock and continued through 1974’s Stormbringer, a total of six essential albums and a few stray singles (“Black Night,” “Demon’s Eye”). Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar paved the way for an entire generation of heavy metal guitarists, while Jon Lord’s ghostly and ghastly organ fills have not transcended the years but rather establish Deep Purple as an essential early ‘70s hard rock group. “Smoke On the Water” was their anthem but “Highway Star,” “Space Truckin’,” “Woman from Tokyo,” and the ten minute opus “Child In Time” are every bit equal to the well-established catalogs of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, the two bands who have come to prominently define the era. Singer Ian Gillan’s departure opened the door for David Coverdale (and bassist Glenn Hughes). Their arrival brought a second wind to the group as the title tracks from their two 1974 albums, Burn and Stormbringer attest.