I know I’ve gone on record on multiple occasions citing my distaste for those people who think the only “real” Deep Purple was when Ritchie Blackmore was in the band, especially when considered against the man’s output for the past 30 or so years. What probably wasn’t as clear is that I still do consider his output – both in Deep Purple and other bands (well, really just early Rainbow) – as pretty damn great. He’s just not the sole reason to love Deep Purple, who have proved again and again that even with a rotating cast of guitar players they are capable of creating propulsive, lasting rock and roll. But just to reinforce the point that yeah, I dig Blackmore-led Purple, why not spend a few words on their biggest album, Machine Head?

It’s hard to argue that, as far as classic openings go, you can’t get much more classic than “Highway Star”. From the thrum of Roger Glover’s bass to Jon Lord’s organ it’s the sonic personification of driving down the highway at top speed. Ian Gillan never sounded better, and the harmonizing in the chorus on “Highway….STAR!” is a great little touch, even though the lyrics are almost impressively silly. A great BIG touch is Lord’s presence throughout the song, especially in the middle solo section. But I do think the secret weapon here is Blackmore, who is pretty much laying back throughout the entire track, laying down some solid rhythm guitars to back up the rest of the band until that solo around the 3:45 mark. And yeah, it’s about as iconic a guitar solo as you can get, especially back in the early 70s…I’d be hard pressed to think of a solo I could hum the entirety of off the top of my head like I can for this one.

You don’t hear a lot about “Maybe I’m A Leo”, and honestly, I get it. It’s perfectly fine as a slower, blues-drenched creeper of a track, with Blackmore laying down some slide guitar. But it’s a bit of a forgettable sigh after the explosion of “Highway Star”. Great organ from Lord, though. And here’s where I’ll mention Ian Paice, who has such a great sense of swing in his drumming – he’s so fluid and choice in his fills and flourishes it’s easy to take him for granted. Which is a huge mistake, as his opening to “Pictures of Home” proves. I’ve always really liked this song, but I keep coming back to the same thing as I play Machine Head for what feels like the 100th time: you’d think as a guitar player I would instantly be drawn to Blackmore, and yeah: he sounds great on all his solos here. But it’s Lord that keeps bringing me back – his keyboards provide so much of the scaffolding for the band to hang their performances on, and locking in with Glover and Paice kind of make Gillan and Blackmore’s roles easier, if that makes sense. Good lord (sorry not sorry) Glover’s bass solo at the end of the track is so good, and Lord interrupting of Blackmore’s ending solo with his organ crash is chef’s kiss rock perfection.

Anyone here fans of “Never Before”? No? Me, either.

Here it is. The riff of all riffs. By law all guitar players are required to learn and play (even if they play it wrong) this riff within their first year of playing, lest they be put in a corner. But here’s the thing I’ll say about the riff and “Smoke On The Water” in general: sure, the riff is iconic, but without Lord coming in and doubling it on the third round, then Paice driving the beat on the fourth, and finally Glover propelling it forward I think it loses steam quickly. That’s the thing I keep wanting to hammer home: Blackmore is great, but a lot of the reason why he’s great is because of this group of guys back him, making these riffs and songs iconic.

Also bonus points for mentioning Zappa and the Mothers, at least for this Zappaphile.

I wonder if there was some intentional irony naming Machine Head‘s longest track “Lazy”? Really more of an instrumental workout with some lyrics haphazardly appended to the end (I supposed to give Gillan something to do) it is the laziest song on the album. Sure it gives a showcase for the band to show off their chops, but it’s really not much of a song, if that makes sense. I would never turn it off, but it kind of just sits there.

Not so the closer. “Space Truckin'” feels like an extension to “Highway Star”, wrapping Machine Head up in two exquisite rockers. That driving four on the floor cadence moves this thing like a storm, and unlike the opener this is where I really see Blackmore shine as a player, weaving little licks and rhythmic flurries throughout the song. That chorus is a beast, at once super catchy but with an air of inevitable menace that I absolutely love. Paice gets his time to solo and further cements his status as a drum god, and Ian Gillan becomes completely unhinged at the song’s finale.

Maybe that’s the legacy of Machine Head. Classic opener, monstrous closer, and arguably the most iconic guitar riff of all time in the middle. Oh, and a few other songs as well.

I’ll take it.