The Roots of Deep Purple: The Complete Episode Six

RELEASE
1994
LABEL
Collectables
GENRES
Pop/Rock, Heavy Metal, Bluegrass, British Metal, Rock & Roll, Hard Rock, British Invasion, Arena Rock

Album Review

This is not a Deep Purple album: it's a compilation of the singles released in the mid-to-late-'60s by Episode Six (Ian Gillan and Roger Glover's pre-Purple band). Six previously unreleased songs, and solo singles by two members, are also included. For Purple fans, it's interesting for Glover's early compositions (including a hot-rod parody song called "Mighty Morris Ten") and to hear Gillan, in a style very different from his well-known one, sing the Beatles' "Here There and Everywhere." "Mr. Universe," a late single, is the only track that really sounds close to Purple, with its air of menace, distorted guitar fills, and screams of "Ow!" from Gillan (and a title that Gillan later used for a solo album). For '60s fans, there's some above average period material here, from a beaty version of Willie Dixon's "My Babe" to the later psychedelic-influenced "I Can See Through You." Sheila Carter's orchestrated solo single ("I Will Warm Your Heart"/"Incense") is surprisingly good, but some of the poppier material is less interesting. A wide variety of covers are included, from the Tokens ("I Hear Trumpets Blow") to the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band ("I Won't Hurt You") to Mozart ("Mozart vs. the Rest," which copies Love Sculpture's "Sabre Dance" idea of supercharging a classical theme).
Stephen Raiteri, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. My Babe
  2. Put Yourself in My Place
  3. That's All I Want
  4. I Hear Trumpets Blow
  5. True Love Is Funny That Way
  6. Here, There and Everywhere
  7. Mighty Morris Ten
  8. I Will Warm Your Heart
  9. Incense
  10. Love Hate Revenge
  11. Baby, Baby, Baby
  12. Morning Dew
  13. Sunshine Girl
  14. I Won't Hurt You
  15. UFO
  16. I Can See Through You
  17. When I Fall in Love
  18. The Way You Look Tonight
  19. My Little Red Book
  20. Plastic Love
  21. Time and Motion Man
  22. Only Lonely People
  23. Little One
  24. Wide Smiles
  25. Lucky Sunday
  26. Mr. Universe
  27. Mozart Vs the Rest
  28. Jack d'Or