srijeda, 31.12.2008.
Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972) (25th. Anniversary Edit 1997-2CD)
Deep Purple were on the eve of breaking wide open when the quintet made Machine Head, a record that launched a heap of hard-rock hits, not to mention the bulk of the live album Made in Japan. No fewer than three classics were unveiled here: "Highway Star," "Space Truckin'," and their biggest hit ever, "Smoke on the Water." Ritchie Blackmore's crunchy guitar was becoming the group's trademark, and the throb that opens "Smoke on the Water" went miles in concretizing his place in the pantheon of 1970s guitar deities. But the story here is the second disc, which is composed of remixes by Roger Glover that introduce long-dormant, more-energized variations on the originals and revive separate solos...Andrew Bartlett
If you're reading this review, you probably already know what a great hard-rock classic Deep Purple's "Machine Head" was and would like to know if this deluxe edition is worth the extra cash. Yes, it is!
Disc One contains the entire original "Machine Head" LP correctly sequenced, along with a non album B-side and two slightly different remixes of different songs done for the long out-of-print Quad version of the LP. To be honest, to my ears the Quad remixes don't sound noticably different unless I have stereo headphones on, but they're nice to have.
Disc Two contains what Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover modestly refers to as "subtle" remixes. Anything but! Glover strips away the studio sheen of the original songs, leaving the original intros and endings intact. Thus, for example, we hear the band warming up to play "Highway Star" and jamming till they suddenly stop at the end of "Smoke on the Water." As you'd expect from a bass player-turned-remixer, Glover accentuates the bassier frequencies as a rule which lends these remixes a punch they didn't have in their better-known versions. Glover also substitutes previously mixed-out alternate versions of a couple of Blackmore's solos. While Ritchie Blackmore might not be delighted to hear the automobile sound effects returned to the climax of his "Highway Star" solo, lots of fans will be VERY pleased to hear bits and pieces of an alternate version of a classic album.
Some die-hard rockers might shudder at the word "remix," fearing that drum machines or synths were added. Fear not. Not one new note has been re-recorded and flown in. Everything you hear in the remix existed on the master tapes, although it may not have made it to the final version of the album as eventually released.
If you're a Purple fan, get this. And, if you aren't, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out you like the remixes even better than the originals...B. Danno
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 andmore… 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...M. Mandel
Codec: mp3
Bitrate: 320 kB/s
Size: 224 MB
Genre : Hardrock
2000mustangs
Tracklist:
CD 1 - Remastered
01. Highway Star (Remastered) 6.08
02. Maybe I'm A Leo (Remastered) 4.52
03. Pictures Of Home (Remastered) 5.06
04. Never Before (Remastered) 4.00
05. Smoke On The Water (Remastered) 5.42
06. Lazy (Remastered) 7.23
07. Space Truckin' (Remastered) 4.34
08. When A Blind Man Cries (B-Side);(Remastered) 3.32
09. Maybe I'm A Leo (Quadrophonic Mix);(Remastered) 4.59
10. Lazy (Quadrophonic Mix);(Remastered) 6.55
CD 2 - Remixes
01. Highway Star (1997 Remixes) 6.40
02. Maybe I'm A Leo (1997 Remixes) 5.26
03. Pictures Of Home (1997 Remixes) 5.21
04. Never Before (1997 Remixes) 3.59
05. Smoke On The Water (1997 Remixes) 6.18
06. Lazy (1997 Remixes) 7.33
07. Space Truckin' (1997 Remixes) 4.52
08. When A Blind Man Cries (1997 Remixes) 3.32
