Rock On! Wednesday, 6 August 2025 – Deep Purple, Budgie, Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Bad Company & Uriah Heep

Psychedelic, heavy, prog and more innovating sounds spanning the late 60s and the early 70s – Dan’s pick of the week: Deep Purple (Machine Head), Budgie (Never Turn Your Back on a Friend), Black Sabbath (Vol. 4), Blue Öyster Cult (Agents of Fortune), Bad Company (Bad Company) & Uriah Heep (Uriah Heep Live).

Deep Purple is een invloedrijke Britse rockband, opgericht in 1968 in Hertford, Engeland. Ze worden beschouwd als een van de pioniers van de moderne hardrock. Hun muziekstijl is in de loop der tijd geëvolueerd, maar ze staan bekend om hun virtuositeit, krachtige riffs en iconische nummers.

BBC Review: “Released in 1972, Machine Head become the benchmark against which everything that followed would be judged against. In the canon of heavy rock this is an album replete with classic tracks. Concise in nature, killer punches are only ever a minute away no matter which song you play. Vocalist Ian Gillan excels himself on “Highway Star,” and “Never Before”, the latter an excellent single, released ahead of the album covering both pop, rock and some righteously funky turn-arounds. Blackmore dominates the album turning in some of his most understated and reflective playing on “When A Blind Man Cries” (the b-side to the single and not included on the original album) and of course, “Smoke On The Water.”

Its devastating simplicity is the foundation stone of the whole record and one of rock’s most archetypal riffs. Not only heavy as hell, it was insanely catchy and the long-haired denim-wearing world grasped it to their bosom without a moment’s hesitation. Detailing the burning of the casino near Lake Geneva (which caused yer actual smoke on the water), the lyrical content perhaps presaged the internal fires that would consume the group. (…)

Released in May it went straight to number one but by August Gillan had resigned. Though he would stay on to record the live Made In Japan and the lack-lustre, Who Do We Think We Are, the mark II line-up was all over bar the shouting – and there was going to be plenty of that. Machine Head however remains their finest hour.”

Wednesday, 6 August 2025 12:00 noon CET Brussels – 11 a.m. GMT London. Repeated: 16:00 & 20:00 hrs CET Brussels, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. GMT London
Ends: 12 midnight CET Brussels, 11 p.m. GMT London.