Over a half-century later, Deep Purple’s landmark Machine Head is still turning — ahem — heads. So, it only stands to reason, is this digital age of supersonic upgrades, that the British quintet’s pivotal sixth release would receive a renovation to celebrate its golden anniversary. Loaded up with remixes, remasters, unreleased live music, and a nifty booklet that tells the tale behind its origins, the Machine Head (Super Deluxe Edition) triple CD, LP and Blu-ray set for 2024 is a convivial, well-packaged tribute to one of rock’s most treasured collection of songs.
We could rehash the history, the songs and the players of Machine Head (see our Classic Commentary), but the catch around this version are the mixes and live material. Dweezil Zappa, best known as the eldest son of Frank (the same one in “Smoke On The Water”) and a guitarist in his own right, was given the masters to tweak and enhance for a new stereo and Dolby Atmos mix.
On opener “Highway Star,” there’s an extra shot of reverb on the vocals ricocheting around the spectrum, which fuels a little spirit, despite its arbitrary placement (especially toward the end). Where Zappa excels is in making the entire recording crisper, punchier, and — ahem — deeper while bringing out particular details and idiosyncrasies. He also effectively pushes Jon Lord’s keyboard work up to the forefront. One spin through “Pictures Of Home,” and you’ll gain a new insight into the late musician’s finger work.
To truly appreciate the spatial, immersive qualities of Dolby Atmos, you need a compatible equipment. The set’s Blu-ray Disc has the Dolby Atmos mix and is supplemented with a 1974 Quad mix, plus three songs mixed in 5.1. The Quad and 5.1 mixes are exceptional, which begs the question: why isn’t the whole album available in 5.1? In 2000, a 5.1 mix came out on a DVD-A, so that may factor in. Nevertheless, featuring the entire album in all three high-resolution mixes might have tipped the scales and made this disc that much better.
The live discs — one, a previously unreleased show from April 16, 1971, at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland and the other recorded at the Paris Theatre in London on March 9, 1972 — each serve a purpose. Captured at Montreux, the 1971 show is more about historical provenance. While the performance, which predates anything from Machine Head, is impressive, the sound quality isn’t up to the spec. On that note, the London show is far superior, highlighting the “new” songs, provides a much better listening experience (though it’s no Made In Japan). Both discs could have squared well without the ragtag run through of Little Richard’s “Lucille,” though that number was a staple in the group’s setlist at the time.
Despite its flaws, Machine Head (Super Deluxe Edition) is a delight for Deep Purple enthusiasts who can’t get enough of the power and potency the band possessed in the early 70s. Next to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath — the other two behemoths of hard rock during this period — Deep Purple’s musicianship and execution always seemed a tad beyond the confines of a blues-based infrastructure. Both Lord and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore offered up those special classical flourishes that set the band apart from their peers. Singer Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, and drummer Ian Paice adeptly completed the puzzle of the classic Mach II lineup. And the same three continue to carry the Deep Purple torch to this day.
~ Shawn Perry 
