Deep Purple – Fireball (1971)

This is where Deep Purple began to become quite popular in their own way. They had been working extensively on their craft throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s and were original, creative and unstoppable. They were also considered one of the three bands that were identified as proto Heavy Metal, alongside Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Let’s take a listen to this release which is historically important, and see if it still sounds good today.

We begin with the title track Fireball which begins with an elevator sound, some really awesome drum work enters, before vocals and guitars enter. Instantly, you can tell that this is a great piece of music and a great song. Catchy, listenable and original, this is really cool stuff. Ian Gillan’s vocals here are nothing short of amazing, and this whole song is really cool. There is a drum solo in the middle here, along with some super distorted fuzz bass, before organ and the rest of the band re-emerge. This is followed by a nice organ solo, before this song gets cranking again. An amazing listen, this is really great, all the way to the fade out.

Next is No No No which begins with some nice Fender Stratocaster work from Ritchie Blackmore, before this piece gets kicking along with an awesome rhythm. This is an excellent piece of music to listen to, especially if you dig classic rock. Ritchie Blackmore proves himself to be a great rival to Ian Gillan, and his guitar solos here are tripped out and awesome. This is nearly seven minutes long, but is very interesting listening. In particular, Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar tone is really amazing here. This is an intelligent, interesting and awesome listen with some killer musicality and originality to it. The organ in the second half is subtle, yet nicely delivered. A great Progressive Rock feel is here, and this whole song is nothing short of amazing. A really cool and artistic piece of music, this is a lively and enjoyable listen. Wonderful song, towards the end is some wailing from Ian Gillan and this piece finishes nicely. Brilliant.

Demon’s Eye begins with an interesting keyboard sound, before the rest of the band quickly kick in. It is a really cool piece to hear, and is about relationship issues. A great mix of excellent sounds and sonic glory, Deep Purple really shine nicely on this album. There is a lot of emphasis on the keyboard solos here, and this piece is a catchy and groovy mix of awesome sounds and professional musicianship. Nicely done, this is a wonderful and epic piece. Ritchie Blackmore plays a nice guitar solo here as well, which is incredibly good. This whole song is lively and interesting, and very 1970s. Great listen from start to finish, there are some more neat guitar chops from Ritchie Blackmore at the end of this song. Excellent stuff.

Anyone’s Daughter begins with some odd loose instrumentation and bits of weird sound effects, before Ritchie Blackmore gets playing away on guitar. Before long, this song gets underway and this may seem a little throwaway, but it is a wacky addition to this album, sounding rather Bob Dylan-esque. A neat piano break is in the middle here, which adds some wacky and interesting flavour to the music here. There are some multitracked guitars here, and a strange musical setting for Deep Purple. A lively and decent piece of out there music for Deep Purple, weird and wonderful indeed.

Next along is The Mule which begins with some odd percussion sounds, before guitars and rolling drumbeats get underway. This is a decent and exciting piece that is very listenable and energetic. Ian Gillan begins singing, and this piece sounds wonderfully glorious. This is a really fine and excellently constructed piece of music, complete with a retro 1970s keyboard solo played throughout. A really cool, mostly instrumental piece that is full of excitement, this is spot on and nicely done. The guitar work and drum rolls here in particularly are insanely good. Enough to get your head banging, this is really fine listening. Towards the end, this piece builds up to a crescendo and releases nicely at the end of the track. Excellent work.

Following is Fools which has a very unusual sounding keyboard and hi-hat intro. This is an extended piece at over eight minutes long. Some beautiful harmonies then enter, taking this piece to the next level. A slow burner here, before the band kick in properly and we have a wonderful Rock heavy groove to hear. This is a great, punchy and awesome listen from Deep Purple. There are many wonderful and different sections here that are carefully designed to sound amazing and great simultaneously. Towards the middle we have some outstanding subdued sections here that sound different. Some violining on guitar from Ritchie Blackmore here is excellent, and sounds really fine. This is very nicely done, and artistic too. A track with a twist, you can hear how amazing this really is. The violining and some additional sounds are quite majestic. In an instant, it goes straight back into the song section and this is definitely an amazing track. Great from start to finish, this is a masterclass effort. It ends with a loud and distorted keyboard patch. Brilliant.

No One Came is the last track here and goes quickly into a groovy and artistic piece of music. It is a clever and decent listening experience with some cool lyrics as well. A driving and excellent listen that is about difficulties being in a Rock band, this is a really decent musical piece. The guitar playing here is wonderfully done and excellent to hear, with Ritchie Blackmore putting in a really fine effort here, particularly with his unique guitar playing techniques. This is followed by a nice keyboard solo. Obviously these pieces have a lot of interesting solos in them, but are rewarding for doing so. This is a wonderful and upbeat listening experience, despite the troubled lyrics in this song. Towards the end are some interesting sonic sounds, such as backwards sounds and other tasty bits of sonic awesomeness. Nice way to finish off this album.

This is an incredible and underrated album that shows how good Deep Purple were during the early part of the 1970s. A mixture of Progressive Rock and some heavy guitar work, this is a masterful work. Fans of Deep Purple may want to check out re-releases with extra tracks. All in all, a great album.

Sonically tasty.

9/10