The Deep Purple catalogue has seen its share of reissues over the years - even during The Second Disc's four and a half year tenure - but there's another box set to be had courtesy of Parlophone this summer: one that collates the band's perhaps-underrated Mk. 1 era.
Hard Road: The Mark 1 Studio Recordings 1968-1969 collects the three albums the band cut for Parlophone/Harvest (Tetragrammaton in the U.S.), full of psych-blues jams that would find little attention in the band's native U.K. but some airplay in America: a cover of Joe South's "Hush" (a hit for Billy Joe Royal) was a Top 5 hit in the U.S., while unorthodox covers of Neil Diamond ("Kentucky Woman") and Ike & Tina Turner ("River Deep - Mountain High") enjoyed modest success. The Mk. 1 lineup featured a few familiar faces, namely guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, drummer Ian Paice (still a member of the Mk. VIII version!) and keyboardist Jon Lord, but also featured original singer Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simpson.
Even with a host of single mixes and alternate takes, many featured on the 2000 compilation The Early Years, these three albums might not be enticing enough on their own. Thus, Parlophone includes, for the first time on CD, the original mono mixes of 1968's debut Shades of Deep Purple and follow-up The Book of Taliesyn. The mono version of Taliesyn, has in fact, never been released, making this a coup for collectors. Twenty outtakes, alternate mixes and single sides are included as bonus tracks, including a handful of recently-remixed and alternate tracks dating from the band's third self-titled album that are being released for the first time.
If you're a Deep Purple fan who has it all, this might be the set to get when it's released on July 28. Hit the jump for full track details and links to the five-disc set from Amazon U.K.!
Hard Road: The Mark 1 Studio Recordings 1968-1969 (Parlophone (U.K.), 2014)
Disc 1: Shades of Deep Purple - mono (Parlophone PMC 7055 (U.K.), 1968) and bonus tracks (appeared on Spitfire Records CD 5062-2, 2000)
- And the Address
- Hush
- One More Rainy Day
- Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad
- Mandrake Root
- Help!
- Love Help Me
- Hey Joe
- Shadows (Outtake)
- Love Help Me (Instrumental)
- Help! (Alternate)
Disc 2: Shades of Deep Purple - stereo (Parlophone PCS 7055 (U.K.)/Tetragrammaton T-102 (U.S.), 1968) and bonus tracks (appeared on The Early Years - EMI 07243 596611 2 4 (U.K.), 2004)
- And the Address
- Hush
- One More Rainy Day
- Prelude: Happiness/I'm So Glad
- Mandrake Root
- Help!
- Love Help Me
- Hey Joe
- And the Address (Remix)
- Hush (Monitor Mix)
- I'm So Glad (Remix)
- Hey Joe (Remix)
Disc 3: The Book of Taliesyn - mono (previously commercially unreleased)
- Listen, Learn, Read On
- Wring That Neck
- Kentucky Woman
- Exposition/We Can Work It Out
- Shield
- Anthem
- River Deep, Mountain High
Disc 4: The Book of Taliesyn - stereo (Harvest SHVL 751 (U.K.), 1969/Tetragrammaton T-107 (U.S.), 1968) and bonus tracks
- Listen, Learn, Read On
- Wring That Neck
- Kentucky Woman
- Exposition/We Can Work It Out
- Shield
- Anthem
- River Deep, Mountain High
- Playground (Outtake) (from Ritchie Blackmore - Connoisseur Rock Profile Collection Volume 1 - Connoisseur Collection RP VSOP LP/CD 143 (U.K.), 1989)
- Kentucky Woman (Alternate) (from The Early Years - EMI 07243 596611 2 4 (U.K.), 2004)
- Oh No No No (Outtake) (bonus track on Spitfire Records CD 5063-2, 2000)
- Playground (Remix) (bonus track on Spitfire Records CD 5063-2, 2000)
- River Deep, Mountain High (Single Edit) (U.S. single B-side - Tetragrammaton T-1514, 1968)
Disc 5: Deep Purple - stereo (Harvest SHVL 759 (U.K.)/Tetragrammaton T-109 (U.S.), 1969) and bonus tracks
- Chasing Shadows
- Blind
- Lalena
- Fault Line
- The Painter
- Why Didn't Rosemary?
- Bird Has Flown
- April
- Emmaretta (Remix) *
- Bird Has Flown (Alternate) *
- Why Didn't Rosemary? (Early Instrumental) *
- Blind (Remix) (from The Early Years - EMI 07243 596611 2 4 (U.K.), 2004)
- Lalena (Instrumental) (from The Early Years - EMI 07243 596611 2 4 (U.K.), 2004)
- April (Part 1) (single B-side - Harvest 5006 (U.K.), 1969/Tetragrammaton T-1537 (U.S.), 1968)
- Emmaretta (Single Version) (single A-side - Parlophone R 5763 (U.K.)/Tetragrammaton T-1519 (U.S.), 1969) **
- Bird Has Flown (Single Version) (single B-side - Parlophone R 5763 (U.K.)/Tetragrammaton T-1519 (U.S.), 1969) **
* previously unreleased, ** mono
Exciting, except from what I've read on SH.TV and other places, Shades of Deep Purple is a fold-down. Book of Talesyn is interesting, but I can't help but wonder if this is just a fold-down for radio-only purposes, too. Still, stuff like this has happened before (Sundazed's release of Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man and John Mayall's Crusade), so maybe it IS dedicated?
At the very least, I'm hoping the MK I albums in this set are newly remastered, and from the original tapes. God knows that the MK I needs more love when it comes to remastering.
blah blah blah fold down blah blah sampling rate blah blah
That was an informative comment >_>
If I may translate Mak's comment:
Comments complaining about the quality of the box before it is released and actually heard are particularly illuminating.
Or:
Cheese with that whine?
Thank you.
Well you got me there. As SH would say......,,,, heh! Shame this isn't a US release, guess Warner still has the rights. Oh well, enjoy your box set prematurely, I suppose.
Also to the writer if you're reading this: it's not Nick "Simpson", it's Nick "Simper".
Well, actually, in fact, I'm not complaining about the box before release, and if you reread my comment you'll see I'm merely speculating on what's already been released (SDP) and the possibilities of what will be released (BoT) when it comes to mono mixes, & also as a whole when it comes to remastering. In fact, I actually praised them for rereleasing something from the MK1 era and not just reissuing yet again something from the overhighlighted MKII era.
No cheese for me, thanks. I'm lactose-intolerant.
Simper. Nick Simper.
Can we hope that the entire Mk II and III catalogue will receive similar treatment?
For heaven's sake please not! No more remaster, remix or whatever.
Every album has been remastered by now and is available in superb sound quality.
Stop that!