Shades of Deep Purple

Untitled

Shades of Deep Purple is the debut album by English hard rock band Deep Purple, released in 1968 on Parlophone in the UK, Tetragrammaton in Portugal and Brazil, and Polydor in Canada and Japan. It was released without much attention in the UK, where it did not perform sales-wise. In the US, on the other hand it was a massive success, contributing largely to the attention Deep Purple would get there, and also eventually also over to the UK.

The band's direction here is not really set in stone, but the sound is definitely more psychedelic, therefore not so heavy. Deep Purple's first line-up, the remarkable Mark 1-lineup that lasted roughly one year, released three albums. This is the first, with the sound being rounder and more suitable for a psychedelic rock-fan. The next two got heavier, receiving a sharper sound. This was especially the case for the third album, which is the heaviest Mark-1 album. The band was still struggling for a direction here, a direction that effectively wasn't allowed to grow due to a restrained budget and time-limits, but this album still set the standards for things to come.

Early days of development

Rehearsing began in February, after Nick Simper, Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Paice, (as of yet without an appropriate drum kit) had hired Rod Evans to sing after some auditions. Their first rehearsals, (Paice had now gotten his favoured drum kit) involved mostly jamming and some occasional glimpses with "...And The Address" and Mandrake Root, which Blackmore had written earlier that year.

Their previous test-singer, Chris Curtis had been wanting to add a cover of a Beatles song to an eventual album, and therefore the first proper song that was set in motion turned out to be "Help!". "Mandrake Root" was given vocals, so the album would feature only one instrumental. Then, with those three well inducted, the band started to think on "I'm So Glad", a song by Skip James, which had earlier been covered by Cream. Ian Paice and Rod Evans had also recorded the song earlier, with their band The Maze.

It was to be proven typical with Deep Purple in these early years that all the cover songs recorded were considerably longer and more grandiose than the originals. "I'm So Glad" was certainly no exception. When the track was recorded, the first movement of Scheherazade was added before the actual song began.

The next added to the rehearsals was "Hey Joe", a song originally, but disputably, written by Billy Roberts. Jimi Hendrix had recorded a version of this song two years later, and this was used as the main-inspiration. But as well as "I'm So Glad", the song was heavily blown up and strecthed in length. Joe South had written a song for Billie Joe Royal the previous year; "Hush", and this song was also picked up by the band.

The later rehearsals and demo recordings

After an agreed set list, the band began the finesse-rehearsals. Ritchie Blackmore convinced a friend of his, Derek Lawrence, to produce. He and Blackmore had cooperated years some years before. Lawrence ran an independent production company that recorded singles and sold the results over to the United States. Lawrence had seen some of their sessions and was very impressed with what he saw.

Deep Purple's employer: HEC, was set in contact with American record-label, Tetragrammaton. The americans were looking for a british band to work with on their new label. HEC set their talented deployers in full action and arranged for the band to cut some demos in between March and April. Two of their previously developed songs, "Hush" and "Help" was recorded for this purpose, as well as two newcomers; "Love Help Me" and "Shadows", both written by the band. "Help" was previewed for EMI, who had offered them a deal concerning distribution in Europe. The demos, (except "Shadows", which was dropped) was previewed for Tetragrammaton, who after careful consideration chose "Hush" as their commitment.

The album-recording and promotions

The following was promotions of the finished album, that first got them to play some gigs in Scandinavia. This was also the developed the band-name. "Deep Purple" was suggested by Blackmore. When they returned to England, the cable containing Tetragrammaton's decision whether to sign them or not arrived. The request had apparently resulted in a slight agreement for green-light, and the band was as of now supported by a label overseas. This was a saving grace, as the budget provided by HEC was nearly spent. Good gear and promotion had not gone without some cost.

With the band on promotion-tour, some studio time had been successfully booked and on Saturday, May 11, Deep Purple went into Pye studios at ATV House in London. There, with aforementioned Derek Lawrence producing, and Barry Ainsworth acting as engineer, they reworked and improved the material they had rehearsed and recorded before. "...And The Address" and "Hey Joe" were cut first, followed by "Hush" and "Help" later that day. On Sunday, May 12, "Love Help Me", I'm So Glad, (with the Scheherazade-prelude entitled "Happiness"), and "Mandrake Root" were recorded. The latter required a large amount of mixing, with sound-effects being provided by the BBC. Finally, on Monday morning, May 13, "One More Rainy Day" was cut, completing the recording of their debut-album. The final finesses were made, and the band concluded their duties in studio later the same day.

Album cover and release

The album was now well and finished, but time was not on Deep Purple's side. The tapes was taken to representatives for Tetragrammaton that had come to London. The material proved to be more than satisfactory with the label. Due to this, it was with few worries the band approached their next stop, which was the famous Mr. Fish Emporium, where the band-members were clothed in hip styles and fashions. Then, they did the obligatory photo-shoot. The resulting shots were shipped to America, and Tetragrammaton began with their distribution of the album there.

The "Hush"-single was released overseas, and it turned out to be a huge success. The label's reluctance to release "Help" as the promotional single, and instead go for "Hush" proved ingenious. Widely distributed and hyped, the song was played on radios all over the West-Coast, and the band was absolutely noticed thanks to this. The album was released in the United Satates in July, 1968, raced up the Billboard Pop Chart, ultimately peaking at #24, which was more than anyone could hope for back in England, and probably more than the label themselves had pictured. The single did very well too, garnering them lots and lots of attention.

Then, the band did some promotional gigs for BBC, but otherwise, England in general was not very prioritized. They did some gigs in local pubs and festivals, but the crowd didn't seem that interested. As Jon Lord reflects it to Beat Instrumental Magazine:

We felt that England was unlikely to be as receptive to a new group as America, so we tried to get signed up with an American record company. We were lucky in that we were signed by a new label, who were anxious to get started with a hit, and we had a lot of promotion and publicity. We had far greater freedom both financially and artistically than we could ever have got with a British company. An English company as a rule won't spend any time or effort with you until you're an established name, but isn't that leaving it a bit late?

The album was released in the United Kingdom in September 1968, and just as Lord states, the whole thing was not really noticed in the musical environment there. By October, Deep Purple set off to the States, where they were to tour. When they arrived, and played their first gigs, attention that was completely in contrast to what they had been given in England, was blasting their way. The success of the "Hush"-single was a giant boost here. The band played at many different locations, including festivals, bars, and even at the Playboy Mansion, alongside Hugh Hefner and a bunch of dancing women. The album was from then on a success. If they hadn't been taken seriously in the UK, they certainly was in the States.

Track listing

Side one

1. "And The Address" (Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord) – 4:38
2. "Hush" (Joe South) – 4:24
3. "One More Rainy Day" (Rod Evans, Lord) – 3:40
4. "Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad" (Skip James) – 7:19

Side two

5. "Mandrake Root" (Evans, Blackmore, Lord) – 6:09
6. "Help" (Lennon/McCartney) – 6:01
7. "Love Help Me" (Evans, Blackmore) – 3:49
8. "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) – 7:33

Personnel

• Rod Evans - lead vocals
• Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
• Nick Simper - bass, backing vocals
• Jon Lord - organ, keyboards, backing vocals
• Ian Paice - drums

Additional personnel

• Produced by Derek Lawrence
• Engineered by Barry Ainsworth
• Bonus tracks recorded in 1968 & 1969
• Dedicated to Bobby, Chris, Dave and Ravel
• Digitally remastered and restored by Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios, London

External links

• Overview of Shades of Deep Purple