Deep Purple’s 1972 album “Machine Head” will be reissued as a 3CD+Blu-ray+LP super deluxe edition next month.
The English rock band’s sixth studio album was famously due to be recorded at Montreux Casino before it burnt to the ground. The band ended up setting up the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio in the nearby Grand Hotel which was closed for the Winter, Overlook-style. These events were depicted in the classic track “Machine Head” has been reissued many times, so what new content does this super deluxe edition offer? Well, Dweezil Zappa has remixed the record in stereo and in Dolby Atmos. The new stereo mix features on the coloured vinyl LP (“opaque white with hints of purple”) which is included in this super deluxe and on the first CD in the five-disc set, which is also home to a 2024 remaster (two versions of the album on one CD). The new stereo and Atmos remixes also include ‘Never Before’ B-side, ‘When A Blind Man Cries’., which starts side two of the vinyl version of this album.
The two CDs both include live performances. The first, recorded on 9th March 1972, at the Paris Theatre in London, captures the group on their “Machine Head” Tour. The second is previously unreleased; it was recorded in April 1971 at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland (yes, the same one that burned down eight months later). This is an “audience recording” which covers songs the band recorded prior to “Machine Head“, including ‘Child In Time’ (from 1969’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra), ‘Speed King’ (from 1970’s “Deep Purple in Rock”), and ‘Strange Kind Of Woman’ (from 1971’s “Fireball” ).
The blu-ray audio features the new Atmos Mix, and the original 1974 US Quad Mix and three tracks in 5.1 Surround Sound. The new stereo mix is not listed amongst the content (go figure) and why the whole album, rather than just three tracks, isn’t included in 5.1 (from the old DVD-Audio) is a mystery.
The super deluxe edition includes a 60-page book with new sleeve notes and the usual archive and rare photos.
The Fat Angel Sings 