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Deep Purple - When We Rock, We Rock and When We Roll, We Roll
"When We Rock, We Rock and When We Roll, We Roll" is a compilation album from heavy rock/metal band Deep Purple. Known as one of the forerunners of heavy metal along with bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple already had many compilation albums by 1978. This seems to be one of the most common though, and was actually my introduction to the band.
With ten albums under their belt by the time this compilation was released, there is no shortage of material to choose from for inclusion on a release like this. Unfortunately, there is only material from five of those ten albums, those ten albums being: "Shades of Deep Purple", "The Book of Taliesyn", "Machine Head", "Who Do We Think We Are", and "Burn". The final two songs, 'Smoke on the Water' and 'Highway Star' are live versions. It seems really odd that there were no songs from "In Rock" or "Fireball" included, as those albums are a couple of their most well-known.
Despite missing songs from the aforementioned two albums, the majority of songs included are great picks and serve as a great introduction to Deep Purple, which is what these kinds of releases are meant for. 'Space Truckin', 'Burn', 'Hush', 'Highway Star', and of course 'Smoke on the Water' are all classic tracks and still among my favorites despite being a whole lot more familiar with the band now. While 'Woman From Tokyo' is a less-known song, it is also deserving of classic status. The only songs that I could do without are 'Kentucky Woman' and 'Hard Road', which are from "The Book of Talisyn". The songs aren't that bad, but any songs from that album really aren't great picks for someones introduction to the band.
Overall, if you're new to Deep Purple, I'd highly suggest picking this up if you see it for cheap. I know it served as a great introduction for me, and at the end of the day that's what matters with a compilation album. If it can get someone into a sweet band, then it did its job. Hope you found this review helpful.
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