Mandrake Root

This article is about the Deep Purple song. For the plant, see Mandrake (plant).

This article is about the song. For the movie, see The Mandrake Root.

"Mandrake Root"
Song

"Mandrake Root" is a song by Deep Purple that featured on their debut album Shades of Deep Purple.

Deep Purple recorded their first studio album in May 1968. Of the eight songs that were included, (an additional one, "Shadows", was cut as a demo but scrapped from the album), only four of them were written by the band itself. Additionally, one of these songs, "And The Address", is an instrumental.

There were three other songs written by the band that featured lyrics. Two of them were added to their set-list not long before recording began. Those two were "One More Rainy Day, that was also feature as the B-side on their first single, "Hush" and "Love Help Me". As of today, both these two are unknown and never played live. But there was a third song. This song was written in December 1967, at the same time as "And The Address" was. This was before the first line-up of the band was formed. That song was "Mandrake Root".

"Mandrake Root" was written at the same time as their first instrumental, and it was actually intended to be an instrumental at first. The lyrics weren't added until the rehearsals before the album-recording of "Shades of Deep Purple in May 1968". It was recorded on Sunday, May 12. The song features many sound effects, which was picked from the BBC. "Mandrake Root" has a slow, groovy rhythm, and arguably it might be the closest the band has come to funk, until late 1973 and the introduction of Glenn Hughes, and his affection for this genre. Additionally, longer into the song there is soloing from keyboardist Jon Lord, and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. This soloing gets massive extensions when played live, (cause it is actually still played live, a rare trait for a Mark 1 song.

Next to "Hush" and "Wring That Neck", "Mandrake Root" is the most popular songs by the band from these early days. The song would become an early concert staple for the band, with the keyboard and guitar solos extended at times for up to 15 minutes. A similar instrumental would be paired in later years with the extended live versions of "Space Truckin'." In the version of "Space Truckin'" recorded for the 1972 live Made In Japan album, a riff from "Mandrake Root" can be plainly heard during the instrumental parts. Worth to notice, Ian Gillan still sings this song live, even though it's written by another Deep Purple-vocalist than himself.

It is notably one of the few Mk I tracks that was a regular feature of Mk II's early setlist, as it provided a vehicle for lengthy organ and guitar solos from Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore respectively. It is also one of two Deep Purple songs that was written by the Mk I lineup, and later re-worked by Ian Gillan from Mk II. The other one is "Bird Has Flown", originally featured on the album Deep Purple III from 1969.

Ian Gillan would also perform "Kentucky Woman" and "Hush" on occasional live shows in 1969 and early 1970, but these two songs are covers, and not written by the band itself. Ian Gillan has later proved his tendency to deny performing songs that are written by Deep Purple during the periods the band had another vocalist than himself. "Wring That Neck", that was also written before Ian Gillan's time in the band, has also been played when he is the vocalist, but he doesn't haven't to sing, as the song is an instrumental.

For the guitar solo, Blackmore would frequently throw his guitar into the air, play it with his feet, or perform similar crowd pleasing tricks. The track was retired from the setlist by 1972, but the instrumental section of this track was later incorporated into live versions of "Space Truckin'".

The studio version is just under six minutes long. Most full recordings of live arrangement exceed the twenty minute mark. This is because the band members will expand the guitar and organ solos, improvise, and even run a jam section. The ending is also very long when heard live, as the fade-out will often repeat itself by adding solos and hooks to amuse the audience.

One of the guitar riffs in the vocal section of the song bears a resemblance to the Jimi Hendrix track "Foxy Lady".