It was in the UK that such bands as The Rolling Stones and The Who gained fame, which became a real phenomenon of the 60s. But even they pale against the background of Deep Purple, whose music, in fact, led to the emergence of a whole new genre.
Deep Purple is a band that stood at the origins of hard rock. Deep Purple's music gave birth to a whole movement that was picked up by other British bands at the turn of the decade. Deep Purple was followed by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Uriah Heep.
But it was Deep Purple who held the undeniable leadership for many years. We offer to find out how the biography of this group developed.
Over the more than forty-year history of Deep Purple, the hard rock band's line-up has undergone dozens of changes. How all this affected the band's creativity - you will find out thanks to our article today.
Band biography
The group was assembled back in 1968, when rock music in the UK was on an unprecedented rise. Every year, all the groups appeared, similar to each other like two drops of water.
The newly minted musicians copied everything from each other, including the style of clothing.
Realizing that there was no point in following this path, the members of Deep Purple quickly abandoned the "dandy" clothes and mediocre sound that echoed the groups of past years.
That same year, the musicians managed to go on their first full-fledged tour, after which they recorded their debut album, “Shades of Deep Purple”.
Early years
Work on "Shades of Deep Purple" took only two days and was recorded under the watchful guidance of Derek Lawrence, who was known to the band's leader Blackmore.
Although the first single, titled "Hush", was not particularly successful, its release led to the band's first radio play, which made an incredible impression on the public.
Strangely, the debut album did not appear in the British charts, while in America it immediately landed on the 24th line of the Billboard 200.
The second album, The Book of Taliesyn, was released the same year, again appearing on the Billboard 200, taking the 54th place.
In America, Deep Purple's rise to popularity has been overwhelming, attracting the attention of major record labels, radio stations and producers.
The American star-making machine was up and running in no time, while the interest of local companies was rapidly waning. So Deep Purple decide to stay overseas by signing a number of lucrative contracts.
Peak of fame
In 1969, the third album was released, which marked the musicians' departure towards a "heavier" sound. The music itself became much more complex and multi-layered, which led to the first changes in the line-up.
Blackmore draws attention to the charismatic and talented vocalist Ian Gillan, who was offered a place at the microphone stand. It is Gillian who brings bass player Glover to the group, with whom he has already formed a creative duet.
The replenishment of the line-up by Gillan and Glover becomes crucial for Deep Purple.
It is noteworthy that Evans and Simper, who were invited to replace the newcomers, were not even informed about the upcoming changes.
The updated line-up rehearsed in secret, after which Evans and Simper were put out the door, receiving a three-month salary.
Already in 1969, the group released a new album, which revealed the full potential of the current line-up.
The album "In Rock" becomes a worldwide hit, allowing Deep Purple to win the love of millions of listeners.
Today, the album is considered one of the pinnacles of rock music of the 60s and 70s. It is he who is considered one of the first hard rock albums, the sound on which was noticeably heavier than in all rock music of the recent past.
Deep Purple's fame is strengthened by the opera Jesus Christ Superstar, in which Ian Gillan performed the vocals.
In 1971, the musicians began work on a new album.
It seemed that it would be impossible to surpass the creative success of "In Rock". But the musicians of Deep Purple succeed. "Fireball" becomes a new peak in the work of the band, in which a departure towards progressive rock was felt.
Experiments with sound reach their apogee on the album "Machine Head", which has become a generally recognized peak in the work of the British group.
The track "Smoke on the Water" becomes an anthem for all rock music in general, remaining the most recognizable to this day. In terms of recognizability, this rock composition can only be rivaled by "We Will Rock You" by Queen.
But Queen's masterpiece came out a few years later.
Further creativity
Despite the success of the group, safely collecting entire stadiums, internal disagreements were not long in coming. Already in 1973, Glover and Gillian decide to leave.
It seemed that the creativity of Deep Purple would come to an end. But Blackmore still managed to update the line-up, finding a replacement for Gillian in the person of David Coverdale. Glen Hughes became the new bass player.
The renewed Deep Purple line-up released another hit, "Burn", the recording quality of which turned out to be noticeably higher than that of the previous records. But even this did not save the group from a creative crisis.
There was a first long pause that would not be the last. And it will not be possible to reach those creative heights that Blackmore and dozens of other Deep Purple musicians have conquered in the past.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, Deep Purple have made an impact that cannot be overestimated.
The band has spawned a spectrum of genres, whether it's progressive rock or heavy metal, and despite the rapid growth of the industry, Deep Purple continues to be at the top, collecting thousands of halls around the planet.
The group is true to style and bends its line even after 40 years, delighting with new hits. It remains only to wish the musicians good health so that they can continue their active creative work for a long time to come.
