Deep Purple
Machine Head


Tracks:

1. Highway Star
2. Maybe I'm a Leo
3. Pictures of Home
4. Never Before
5. Smoke on the Water
6. Lazy
7. Space Truckin'

Line up:

Ritchie Blackmore – Guitar
Ian Gillan – Vocals
Jon Lord – Organ, Keyboards
Roger Glover – Bass
Ian Paice – Drums

Record Label / Year of Release:

Purple Records (UK) / Warner Bros (US) 1972

Notes:

Machine Head is English rock band Deep Purple's sixth studio album. It was recorded at the Grand Hotel in Montreux, Switzerland, in December 1971, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, and released in March 1972.

The album is often cited as influential in the development of the heavy metal music genre. It is Deep Purple's most successful recording, topping the charts in several countries following its release. In 2001, Q magazine named it as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time. In 2010, Rhapsody called it one of the all-time best "proto-metal" albums.

Machine Head is the subject of one of the Classic Albums series of documentaries about the making of famous albums. Machine Head was released on the multichannel formats Super Audio CD (2003) and DVD-Audio (2001).

The album reached #1 in the UK, where it stayed for twenty weeks in the top-40. It also reached #7 in the US, remaining for 118 weeks in the Billboard 200.

A song entitled "When a Blind Man Cries" was recorded during these sessions, but not included on the album. Instead, it was used as a the B-side on the "Never Before" single. The song appears as a bonus track on the album's 25th anniversary edition.

1997 Re-issue: Machine Head - 25th Anniversary (2CD)

CD 1: Machine Head plus bonustrack 8. "When a Blind Man Cries

CD 2: The Remasters

1. Highway Star
2. Maybe I'm a Leo
3. Pictures of Home
4. Never Before
5. Smoke on the Water
6. Lazy
7. Space Truckin'
8. When a Blind Man Cries (original B-side)
9. Maybe I'm a Leo (Quadrophonic mix)
10. Lazy (Quadrophonic mix)


2012 Re-issue: Machine Head - 40th Anniversary (4 CD + 1 DVD)

CD 1:
  • Machine Head plus bonustrack "When a Blind Man Cries"

    CD 2:
  • Roger Glover 1997 remixes

    CD 3:
  • Quad Sq Stereo

    CD 4:
  • In Concert '72

    DVD (Audio Only)
  • Machine Head



  • 2024 Re-issue: Machine Head - 50th Anniversary (LP + 3CD + Blu-Ray Boxset)

    50th Anniversary box set of Deep Purple's classic album Machine Head. The box contains a new 2024 remix of the album by Dweezil Zappa (coloured LP & CD), the original album remastered, In Concert '72 and the previously unreleased Montreux '71 (all on CD) plus on BluRay the 2024 Atmos mix and the original Quad mix. The box also contains an extensive booklet with new liner notes and previously unpublished photos.

    LP:
  • Machine Head 2024 Remix / Vinyl

    CD 1:
  • Machine Head 2024 Remix

    CD 2:
  • Deep Purple In Concert 1972

    CD 3:
  • Deep Purple Montreux 1971

    Blue-Ray (Audio Only):
  • Dweezil Zappa 2024 Atmos Remix
  • 1974 U.S. Quad Mix