Who Do We Think We Are [US Bonus Tracks] [Remaster]

Performer: Deep Purple
Engineer: Martin Birch
Producer: Deep Purple
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Deep Purple: Ian Gillan (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Jon Lord (keyboards); Roger Glover (bass); Ian Paice (drums). All tracks have been digitally remastered. Audio Mixers: Ian Paice; Roger Glover. Audio Remixers: Peter Denenberg; Roger Glover. Photographer: Fin Costello. 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. Deep Purple had kicked off the '70s with a new lineup and a string of brilliant albums that quickly established them (along with fellow British giants Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath) as a major force in the popularization of hard rock and heavy metal. All the while, their reputation as one of the decade's fiercest live units complemented this body of work and earned them almost instant legendary status. But with 1973's disappointing Who Do We Think We Are -- the fourth and final studio outing by the original run of Purple's classic Mark II lineup -- all the fire and inspiration that had made the previous year's Machine Head their greatest triumph mysteriously vanished from sight. Vastly inferior to all three of its famous predecessors, the album revealed an exhausted band clearly splintering at the seams. Except for opener "Woman From Tokyo," which hinted at glories past with its signature Ritchie Blackmore riff, the album's remaining cuts are wildly inconsistent and find the band simply going through the motions. In fact, many of these don't so much resemble songs as loose jam sessions quickly thrown together in the studio with varying degrees of enthusiasm. "Mary Long" and "Super Trouper" are prime examples, featuring generic solos from Blackmore and organist Jon Lord, and uncharacteristically inane lyrics from soon-to-be former singer Ian Gillan. With its start-stop rhythm and Gillan's fine scat singing, the energetic "Rat Bat Blue" is a memorable exception to the rule, but the yawn-inducing blues of "Place in the Line" and the gospel mediocrity of "Our Lady" bring the album to a close with a whimper rather than a shout. [The 2000 reissue adds new liner notes by bassist Roger Glover and seven new bonus tracks: two different takes of "Woman From Tokyo," two different takes of "Rat Bat Blue," the instrumental "First Day Jam," the outtake "Painted Horse," and a remake of "Our Lady."] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia Deep Purple had kicked off the '70s with a new lineup and a string of brilliant albums that quickly established them (along with fellow British giants Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath) as a major force in the popularization of hard rock and heavy metal. All the while, their reputation as one of the decade's fiercest live units complemented this body of work and helped earn them legendary status. But with 1973's disappointing Who Do We Think We Are -- the fourth and final studio outing by the original run of Purple's classic Mark II lineup -- all the fire and inspiration that had made the previous year's Machine Head the group's greatest triumph mysteriously vanished from sight. Vastly inferior to all three of their famous predecessors (rounded up by 1971's Fireball and 1970's In Rock), the album revealed a clearly exhausted Deep Purple in the process of splintering at the seams. Except for opener "Woman from Tokyo," which hinted at glories past with its signature Ritchie Blackmore riff, the album's remaining tracks were wildly inconsistent and generally found the band simply going through the motions. In fact, many of these don't so much resemble songs as loose jam sessions quickly thrown together in the studio with varying degrees of success and little enthusiasm. "Mary Long" and "Super Trouper" were prime examples, featuring generic solos from Blackmore and organist Jon Lord, plus uncharacteristically inane lyrics from soon to be former singer Ian Gillan. Not so the energetic "Rat Bat Blue," which, with its start-stop rhythm and Gillan's spunkier scat singing, proved a memorable exception to the rule, but the yawn-inducing blues of "Place in the Line" and the gospel mediocrity of "Our Lady" brought the album to a close with a whimper rather than a shout. A painfully revealing display of a legendary band grinding to a halt, Who Do We Think We Are marked the collapse of Deep Purple's best loved lineup, and its stock was only slightly improved in 2000, when a CD reissue added the incentive of seven bonus tracks and new liner notes by bassist Roger Glover. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

One of the longest running and most prolific of hard rock/proto-heavy-metal bands, Deep Purple appeared in the wake of the psychedelic era, sporting a harder sound than anything that had come before. The classic 1970s lineup (featuring virtuoso guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, wailing tenor Ian Gillan, and classically influenced keyboardist Jon Lord) established the template for countless metal bands that followed in their wake. They went through numerous lineup changes over the years, with singers David Coverdale and Joe Lynn Turner and guitarists Tommy Bolin and Steve Morse all passing through the ranks. Since the 1980s, sporadic reunions have found key members returning to the fold.

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