Who Do We Think We Are

Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards); Roger Glover (bass); Ian Paice (drums). All tracks have been digitally remastered. After establishing itself as a hard-rock giant, thanks to endless touring and the release of such milestone records as MACHINE HEAD and IN ROCK, Deep Purple was in a state of turmoil when it went into the studio to record 1972's WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? Despite all the infighting, the band pulled together long enough to record seven tracks that only bolstered the band's reputation. The best-known song, "Woman From Tokyo," boasted a riff as memorable as the one that defined "Smoke on the Water" and was later admitted by Ritchie Blackmore to have been cribbed from Eric Clapton's "Cat Squirrel." Although Blackmore's always-impressive riffing stands out on such songs as "Mary Long" and "Place in Line," this album also spotlights how far Jon Lord's contributions on organ went toward defining the band's sound. Lord's mastery was such that in addition to the impressive solos on "Place in Line," his sweeping runs are the highlight of the stop-and-go "Rat Bat Blue." On this roller coaster ride of an album, the members of Deep Purple come together best on "Our Lady," a five-minute-plus epic driven by Lord's churning organ and Ian Gillan's Wagnerian vocals.