Top 10 Reasons Why Deep Purple is One of the Greatest Rock Bands
I think Deep Purple is one of the greatest rock bands of all time.Catwalk is right that for many people it's difficult to say who invented metal but this may help:
Black Sabbath bluesy sound can be related to some small metal subgenres, such as doom and stoner metal, maybe sludge and gothic metal.
Deep Purple non-bluesy, classically inspired sound (Highway Star) is found in all major metal subgenres - traditional metal (no blues in Iron Maiden), heavy metal, thrash metal, power metal, speed metal, progressive metal, death metal, and so on. So it mostly goes to Deep Purple - Ritchie Blackmore started playing heavier/harder rock songs based on classical scales.
Classically inspired doesn't mean you have to hear classical music - for example, behind the riff of Master Of Puppets by Metallica is classical music. Listen to this song from this perspective and you will hear that the 'backbone' is classical music.
@catwalk,they are not only one of the oldest metal bands but they are the inventor of heavy metal.Black Sabbath's paranoid may be one of the earliest metal song but deep purple were researching about metal from late 60s which makes them the inventor of metal
Either it's Black Sabbath or Deep Purple who invented heavy metal.I am nor sure who created heavy metal first but I am sure they are one of the earliest heavy metal bands.
I agree he deserves same honor as Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton. Actually Jimmy Page himself admitted that Ritchie Blackmore had always beed a step ahead of him. Some facts and details about Ritchie Blackmore can be found on the list "Best Comments About Ritchie Blackmore on TheTopTens".
Don't know about eric that much but page and ritchie are awesome.and ricthie is one of the best and most underrated guitarists
Yes.And he is also underrated.He deserves same honor as Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton
They also influenced The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, especially bands like Iron Maiden and Diamond Head. Even Bruce Dickinson operatic vocal style comes from Ian Gillan because Gillan was his vocal idol. Parts of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil" sound pretty much like Child In Time by Deep Purple.
They influenced a lot of rock bands in early 70s
Oh yes, he had a 4 octave vocal range (Freddie Mercury had 4, too), great screams and operatic singing style currently wide spread in metal. He was also the original singer on the rock opera concept album "Jesus Christ Superstar" by Andrew Lloyd Webber, where Gillan had the leading role (Jesus Christ) and was personally selected by the author. You can try his aria: Jesus Christ Superstar - Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say). Gillan blew my mind with this aria - his best vocal performance, which explains why the great Andrew Lloyd Webber has chosen him.
He is one of the greatest metal singer and also a great rock screamer
That's true - they are very talented. The song "Pictures Of Home", 1972, have a solo from each member (Ritchie Blackmore played 2 solos). How many songs of the 70s you heard of had 5 solos?
Despite its 5 solos, the song is absolutely enjoyable because solos don't sound like patches. Great rhythm and melody. The song is an example of excellent songwriting and execution.
I am sure that metal keyboardists wouldn't exists without him. Most probably he also influenced the rock keyboardists but I didn't research this topic very much.
I love that riff!
Of course their music is great. My favorite songs: Highway Star, Perfect Strangers, Child In Time, Black Night, Soldier of Fortune, Smoke On the Water, Mistreated, Pictures Of Home, Burn, The Cut Runs Deep, Stormbringer, Bloodsucker, Demon's Eyes, Hungry Daze, King of Dreams, Fortuneteller, Hard Lovin' Man...
Yes, the most underrated band of all time. Besides, very often their achievements are credited to other bands.
They were listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records as "the Globe's Loudest band" for a 1972 concert in London.
That's cool. The first metal band and the loudest too!
They experimented a lot and most of their experiments were very successful - rock (especially metal) musicians used them later. The most innovative thing was to replace blues scales with classical scales in heavier/harder rock songs - this is the template used in metal music (credits to Ritchie Blackmore personally, and also to Jon Lord). The other important thing was the popularization of double bass drumming - if you are a metal fan, you know that this is essential in metal music. And third, they were loud, the loudest band of the 70s.
"Made in Japan" is still one of the most recognised live albums.
He popularized double bass drumming, currently used by 99% of the metal drummers. He first did that on the song "Fireball" (1971). The beat he uses on "The Mule" was quite complex for the early 70s rock/metal.
I'll definitely listen that!
Song - Pictures Of Home (1972).
His songs should be collected in a handbook and studied carefully.