Day 6 - Deep Purple: Lazy

Welp now that the semester has started back up it's been a little difficult for me to get on everyday and I'm gotten incredibly behind on the posts. I'll just try to keep posting when I can to get to 365.

Deep Purple to many is a band just known for their song Smoke on the Water. As you can tell in the video they're starting to get up there in years. The band was formed in 1968 and really started getting recognition pretty quickly in America with their single Hush. But some of their true essence, I believe can be found in the song Lazy. Formed in 1968 and although the lineup's changed a bit the main members were singer Ian Gillan, Roger Glover on bass, Ian Paice on drums, John Lord on keyboards, and Ritchie Blackmore on guitar. The groups a bit different now, but these guys were the ones that really set the tone for the band that's deemed hard rock, progressive rock, metal, and blues rock. Quite an interesting array of genres and all of them can be heard in Lazy.

Why it's important:

Although Lazy isn't nearly as recognizable as their hit Smoke on the Water, as I've mentioned before, it's a great depiction of how all of these genres can be blended so well. Lot's of bands at this time were impacted by a lot of the great blues artists that came before the modern rock scene such as Blind Willie Johnson, John Lee Hooker, and Muddy Waters. Music has always expanded on what was before it, and Deep Purple was one of the best of this time at innovating for the future and incorporating from the past. All you have to do is listen to this live version from their album Made in Japan. Jon Lord's intro is a great depiction of the Deep Purple's innovation and their blue influences. Should I say that again?

Fun Facts:

1. The original band was originally Roundabout and was apparently not nearly as good as the final product, Deep Purple.

2. Deep Purple's still touring after over 40 years!

3. Classically trained Jon Lord composed a full concerto for orchestra and "group" (AKA Deep Purple). It was premiered in 1969 with the Royal Philharmonic.