Deep Purple - Machine Head [25th Anniversary Edition]

Although purists might argue otherwise, Machine Head remains the "ultimate" Deep Purple album, the one LP that everybody knows and loves and the home, of course, to one of the greatest riffs in rock history, the majestic "Smoke on the Water." Celebrating the 25th anniversary of this leviathan's original release, bassist Roger Glover completely remastered the original tapes, turning in a stunning reappraisal of an album that past CD reissues had rendered little more than a muddy puddle. The dynamic that characterized this particular lineup of the band was, after all, built so much on light and shade, that to lose that was to lose most of the album's power. Glover did not simply restore the music's inherent contrasts, he elaborated on them to create one of the best sounding CDs of the entire digital age. In keeping with Machine Head's glorious reputation, this edition was expanded across two discs. While one features the original album plus three bonus cuts -- the period B-side "When a Blind Man Cries," and quadraphonic remixes of "Maybe I'm a Leo" and "Lazy" (both of which are more-or-less dispensable) -- the second rounds up an album's worth of remixes that Glover undertook during the remastering stage. It's little more than a bonus for true aficionados, but it is intriguing to hear how the album might have sounded, had Glover himself been in charge of production at the time. Fascinating, too, are the alternate guitar solos that he drops into "Maybe I'm a Leo" and "Smoke on the Water," both of which re-stage all-too-familiar numbers in a different light. As with all the anniversary remasters, Machine Head cannot be praised too highly. Unless, of course, you believe it already has been. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide

Name Credits Charlie Watts Mastering