Deep Purple

Deep Purple's third album, released on 21 June 1969 on Tetragrammaton Records, is the last record by the band's first line-up. It arrived after a long UK tour that was squeezed in between recording sessions, and it was preceded by the single "Emmaretta". The music blends progressive, hard and psychedelic rock, with the guitar pushed further forward than before. Ritchie Blackmore was growing as a songwriter, and the band were pulling in different directions over Jon Lord's fusion of classical music and rock.

It was the least successful of the three Mark I albums, and critics largely ignored it at the time. Later reviews have been kinder, praising its range of styles and the boldness of the arrangements. It also sits at a turning point: soon afterwards Rod Evans and Nick Simper made way for Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, and the Mark II line-up made its live debut in London on 10 July 1969.