On December 11, 1968 The album "The Book of Taliesyn", the second album of "Deep Purple", was released in the USA (and in June 1969 also in the UK).
The second studio album of "Deep Purple", "The Book of Taliesyn", is a true testimony to the artistic evolution and musical ability of "Deep Purple", here still in the first line-up known as MKI, with singer Rod Evans, bassist Nick Simper, and of course the wonderful trio, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice.
In this album, the band went a few steps forward in terms of writing and performance, compared to the debut album "Shades Of Deep Purple" released a year before. Although the band continued the musical line of the debut album, combining original material with cover versions, this time the creative process was influenced by classical music, psychedelic rock and progressive rock.
Starting with the opening segment "Listen, Learn, Read On" the band embarks on an immersive and diverse musical journey of sounds and emotions. This is the most rockiest, rhythmic and fast song on the album, which somewhat indicates the transformation that the band will go through in less than two years, with the album "In Rock". The song is full of effects, and includes aggressive drumming by Ian Paice, a particularly distorted guitar solo by Ritchie Blackmore and amazing bass work by Nick Simper. With half recitation half singing singer Rod Evans asks us to listen, learn, read and turn pages in "The Book of Taliesyn". Taliesyn was a British poet (of Welsh origin) from the sixth century, who served as a bard in the court of three kings, among them the famous King Arthur.
After that comes the instrumental section "Wring That Neck" which for some reason got the name "Hard Road" in the American release. The name of the piece came from an expression that was common among the band members and indicates the "squeezing" of the neck of the guitar/bass guitar by Blackmore and Simper, who also collaborated in the writing of the piece.
The third track "Kentucky Woman" is also the first single released from the album. Inspired by the success of their cover version of "Hush" from their debut album "Shades Of Deep Purple" written by Joe South, the band hoped to continue the success with a cover version of this Neil Diamond's song from 1967. Diamond's song, originally written as a country song, was here interpreted by The band adding a darker and heavier tone with the virtuosity of Blackmore. The song was relatively successful (although not like the single from the previous album), reaching the 38th place on the US Billboard 100 chart.
The first side of the vinyl ends up with the medley "Exposition/We Can Work It Out". This ambitious medley demonstrates the band's willingness to push boundaries and experiment, moving between different musical sections and genres. It begins with the instrumental section "Exposition" which opens with the second movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony led with a high hand by keyboardist Jon Lord. Then it continues with a cover version of "We Can Work It Out" by "The Beatles". The classical and progressive influences are clearly visible in this section, which also manages to show signs of psychedelia.
(Photo: A Dandy In Aspic)
The second side of the vinyl opens up with "Shield", perhaps the most psychedelic song on the album, with relatively sleepy drumming by Ian Paice which is not typical of him and also includes the use of percussion instruments and a very emphasized bass line in the final mix.
It is followed by the highlight of the album, the masterpiece "Anthem" which is in our opinion is one of the band's creative peaks. The melody was written by Jon Lord, who also leads the song with his mesmerizing keyboard playing that includes a rare use of the mellotron (this is the first of only two times that Lord uses it - the second was in the song "Soldier Of Fortune" from the album "Stormbringer". The piece also includes an arrangement written by Lord for a string quartet that blends beautifully with his organ playing and with Ritchie Blackmore's amazing guitar solo.
The album ends with another cover version of "River Deep, Mountain High" co-written with producer Phil Spector and originally performed two years earlier by Ike & Tina Turner. The band turned the song into a progressive rock piece that spans over ten minutes and includes quotes from the piece "Also sprach Zarathustra" by the German composer Richard Georg Strauss. It was also the second single released from the album that received a short radio version that was successful on the charts in Canada and the US.
Although "The Book of Taliesyn" did not achieve the commercial success of the "Deep Purple" 70's albums that came after it, it serves as an essential and important milestone in the band's musical journey. It showcases the band's evolution and innovation, thier fearlessness to experiment and it hints at the groundbreaking sound they would develop soon after.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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