[Rick and Roll]

airing Sunday December 16 from 8-11 PM EST and
Monday December 17 from 1-4 PM EST

Looks like about once every two months I'll have a show highlighting one band. This time we'll track Deep Purple all the way from 1968-2005, almost 40 years (can you believe it) of some of the greatest rock ever made. And no Highway Star, Space Truckin', or Smoke On The Water!

After some consideration, the best way to do the show was chronologically. I'm listing the studio records even if we don't hear anything from them.

with Blackmore, Simper, Paice, Lord, and Evans:

Shades of Deep Purple (1968)

The Book of Taliesyn (1968) -

Listen Learn Read On
Exposition / We Can Work It Out

Deep Purple (1969) -

Chasing Shadows
Blind
April

Some fascinating songs for the period, including the epic "April". Rod Evans is in great voice.

Exit Evans and Simper, enter Gillian and Glover:

Deep Purple In Rock (1970) -

Speed King
Child In Time
Flight of the Rat

Here's where the band moves away from its progressive and psychedelic roots and into hard rock, but with an intelligence and edge.

Fireball (1971) -

Fireball
No No No
Strange Kind of Woman

One of the best rock and roll albums ever.

Machine Head (1972) -

Maybe I'm A Leo
Pictures of Home

Two of the lesser known songs from the record, features the signature Lord/Blackmore interplay.

Who Do You Think We Are (1973) -

Woman From Tokyo
Rat Bat Blue

Another of their greatest efforts. One day I'll play the whole disc. "Rat Bat Blue" features the best keyboard run this side of "Riding the Scree".

Exit Gillian and Glover, enter Coverdale and Hughes:

Burn (1974)

Burn

David Coverdale, before he was dubbed "Coverversion"...

Stormbringer (1974)

Exit Blackmore enter Tommy Bolin:

Come Taste the Band (1975)

Gettin' Tighter
This Time Around / "Owed" To G

Blackmore formed Rainbow, and with the death of Bolin, the band was on hiatus for quite awhile.

Gillian, Glover, Blackmore, Paice, Lord:

Perfect Strangers (1984)

Knocking At Your Back Door
Perfect Strangers
Wasted Sunsets

A triumphant return with the classic lineup.

House of Blue Light (1987)

Bad Attitude
The Unwritten Law

I love this record. There's some really interesting music on here.

Slaves And Masters (1990) (with Joe Lynn Turner from Rainbow on vocals - I had this CD at one point but I guess not anymore...you're not missing anything).

The Battle Rages On (1993)

The Battle Rages On

Gillian is back for this one.

Purpendicular (1996)

Loosen My Strings
Sometimes I Feel like Screaming
A Touch Away

My favorite guitarist, Steve Morse and veteran keyboardist Don Airey join the band, giving it a fresh makeover.

Abandon (1998), Bananas (2003). Same lineup, don't own them.

Rapture of the Deep (2005)

MTV
Rapture of the Deep

Another solid effort.

Next week is Christmas (or close to it), which means three things: The Jethro Tull Xmas Album, a bunch of Gary Hoey, and a few odds and ends.