Release Date(s): June 1969

The greatest Deep Purple album.

Okay, I’ll be fair. It’s not right to compare the first Deep Purple line-up to what came after. They’re different genres. But relative to their respective genres, I don’t think the original psychedelic rock line-up was far behind the quality of the second, hard rock/heavy metal line-up with Ian Gillian.

But taking individual albums into account, this may just be the best thing released under the Deep Purple name (if not, it’s probably In Rock). Deep Purple’s first self-titled is one of the few overlooked rock gems of the ’60s, which there aren’t many of, especially considering how much of the decade’s work has been discovered and explored. But Deep Purple’s self-titled is under-appreciated not because of its quality (which is very high), but because it’s different from the work that came after. And that’s simply very unfair.

Deep Purple opens with its most popular track and one of the best on the album, “Chasing Shadows.” “Chasing Shadows” is a psychedelic proto-hard rock song that hints at the band’s albums to come, a paranoid song that also sets the dark tone for the rest of the album. The song was inspired by a nightmare of organist Jon Lord’s, and he drives that inspiration home with his eerie Victorian-era organ atmospherics that are all over the album. Ian Paice assists with his tribal drumming and solo late into the song. Excellent.

“Lalena” is beautiful, “Why Didn’t Rosemary?” is a hard blues rocker, and “The Painter” is another one of the best psychedelic songs of the decade. “April” is a classical-inspired overture that fits the twisted fantasy world of the album. There’s not a dull moment on this album, and it’s one of the darkest rock albums of the ’60s. Truly, a standout of the decade and potentially underappreciated simply because it isn’t a Gillian album. There. I said it. Contextually, arguably more powerful than anything Deep Purple ever released. Grooves and haunts like no other Deep Purple album does.

Just look at all those strange creatures ‘n things on the cover, they look like they’re havin’ a party. Why don’t you join ’em?