Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Deep Purple
Label: Harvest Records
Released: 1968
Length: 43:5 7
Rating: 3.5/5
»The Book of Taliesyn« was the second studio album by the English hard rock colossi Deep Purple. In 1968, after the release of their debut »Shades of Deep Purple«, which first came out only for the American market, the band found themselves in a strange spot. In the US they were already counted as stars on the back of the single »Hush«, while on British soil hardly anyone had sniffed them out, or even knew they existed. The band didn’t lose much sleep over it. For their second studio effort, recorded, like the debut, under serious time pressure and amid plenty of creative blocks when inspiration was often in short supply, they decided to refine and expand their sound so far, a fusion of psychedelia and blues rock with early forms of progressive rock and heavy rock.
Their trademark habit of adding lavish arrangements or extended instrumental jams to simple songs was pushed even further on »The Book of Taliesyn«, so their sound got even more prog-rock complex and unpredictable. Thanks to the firm instrumental and songwriting push from keyboardist Jon Lord and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, most of the compositions on this record sounded less psychedelic and noticeably rawer than on the debut. That put them not far from the hard rock vocabulary they’d become known for, which triumphantly blossomed after the first lineup change.
Just like on the debut, »The Book of Taliesyn« includes four original songs and four covers of other artists, which they hoped would bring them commercial success, at least in the US. The main reason Deep Purple in their original, so-called Mark I lineup included covers was that their label at the time found their own material not commercial enough, while the members of the original lineup, who loved nothing more in the studio than playing feature-length jams, often ran short of inspiration for fresh songwriting ideas. Lord with his virtuoso Hammond organ antics, the ‘man in black’ Blackmore with a devastating arsenal of guitar riffs, and Ian Paice with his already wild attack on the drum kit were once again the key pillars of the Deep Purple Mark I sonic collage, while bassist Nick Simper’s technique was complex enough for the early prog-tinged experiments. The key factor in breaking the American market was singer Rod Evans, with his distinctly melodic vocal approach shaped in the classic Beatles school of singing.
That »The Book of Taliesyn« was a more ambitious effort than its predecessor is already evident from the artsy cover and the album’s title, which comes from a medieval manuscript. It was supposedly written in the 14th century and contains verses attributed to the legendary British bard Taliesin, who lived in the 6th century and is said to have entertained at least three different Celtic kings with his singing. The perfectionist Ritchie Blackmore had always adored anything that breathed mysticism and mystery, so it’s no surprise he was very active in the songwriting and production of this album, which was once again produced by Derek Lawrence. Lawrence delivered much better production than on the debut, above all a noticeably fuller and livelier sound.
The psychedelic-hard rock hybrid »Listen, Learn, Read On«, which because of its lyrics can also be treated as the title track, and which somehow was never destined to become a Purple classic, is a very atypical opener by the standards of the usual, much faster and more ‘wound-up’ Deep Purple heavy rock. It’s mostly set at a mid-tempo, with Paice sounding unusually repetitive on drums, and despite a nicely melodic chorus the whole thing develops rather restrainedly. Lord and Simper help Evans out nicely on the chorus with backing vocals, while Blackmore gets properly furious a few times, shaking out stinging guitar phrases. Lord brings in elements of psychedelia too, with melancholic organ flourishes inside the song’s skeleton.
The interesting prog-rock experiment »Wring That Neck« (released in America under the title »A Hard Road«) is, like »And the Address« on the Deep Purple debut, the only instrumental on the album. It stands out with a combination of a cunning organ motif and a snarling guitar riff, which eventually leads to Lord’s organ orgy and yet another witty Blackmore guitar solo showcase. Thanks to the aforementioned duo and Paice’s always convincing drum drama, this wonderful instrumental piece is full of the instrumental finesse Deep Purple would be famous for throughout the rest of their career.
The pop-rock standard »Kentucky Woman«, originally written by Neil Diamond, was a hit single on North American soil (the US and Canada), though it didn’t repeat the success of its predecessor »Hush«. Deep Purple turned a relatively simple pop rocker into a genuine hard rock number, with a thunderous arsenal of guitar riffs and complex tempo shifts, ruled over by Lord’s splendid organ wizardry. Up front is a lovely melodic chorus crowned with layered harmonies, tailor-made for Evans’s vocal approach. With its love lyrics about a woman from Kentucky, it’s also clearly tuned to American taste.
The ambitious prog-rock suite »Exposition/We Can Work It Out« is yet another interesting stylistic hybrid. Its first part contains the second theme of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, which Lord craftily dressed up as a proper organ cannonade, while the second part is a cover of a beloved The Beatles classic. It’s not as convincing as their excellent version of »Help«, but on the wings of Evans’s melodic singing it’s still interesting enough that even the biggest Beatles purists will enjoy it today. As Deep Purple always knew how to do, they took a relatively simple little song, wove it through with complex arrangements, and steered it into completely unpredictable waters. The decision to cover another Beatles classic was reportedly made after Paul McCartney said he liked Deep Purple’s version of »Help«.
The psychedelic experiment »The Shield« was yet another interesting effort, a perfect reflection of the Mark I style they’d write off within a year. The dark mood and lyrics carry a premonition of the decline of the hippie movement, which was then at its peak. Blackmore’s mischievous guitar phrases are backed by gentle piano and calm rhythmic finesse, while Evans behind the mic sounds unusually gloomy this time. Paice deliberately swapped the proper drums for improvised percussion here, to create an even deeper psychedelic atmosphere.
»Anthem« is another ambitious, usually somewhat overlooked effort, where the combination of pastoral arrangements on Blackmore’s acoustic guitar and orchestral arrangements under Lord’s baton makes it fair to talk about early progressive rock. The central melody, led by the chorus, is distinctly romantic and hypnotic. What follows is a fusion of an eerie-sounding organ tone and baroque orchestral arrangements that even Johann S. Bach would have applauded, while the ‘man in black’ weaves an inconsolable guitar solo. The whole thing even resembles the original King Crimson in structure.
The closing cover, over 10 minutes long, of the beloved standard by Ike and Tina Turner, »River Deep, Mountain High«, which they dressed up in an epic shirt, is one of the most entertaining Deep Purple Mark I experiments ever and certainly the most unusual when it comes to innovative interpretations of other artists’ work. For the epic intro, Lord used the central motif of Richard Strauss’s classic Also sprach Zarathustra, which in 1968, the year the classic sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey came out, was undoubtedly a rather commercially minded move. The legendary keyboardist thoroughly reworked the famous, triumphant, epic motif on organ and used it, in a gastronomic way, as an appetizer for the vocal second part, where Evans, helped by excellent backing vocal harmonies, tries experimenting with a pinch of soul in his voice, which doesn’t sit all that convincingly on him. Even though it seems pretty odd today given its complex nature, Deep Purple also released this fairly interesting, experimental-adventurous cover as a single, in a shortened and edited version.
»The Book of Taliesyn« marks a clear artistic step forward from the Deep Purple debut, and proves that the members of this legendary band were in constant evolutionary motion when it came to shaping a recognizable sound and developing innovative songwriting ideas. Even though the band was on a rapid creative rise, the album completely flopped commercially on British soil, while the American response also fell short of expectations. Between Lord, Blackmore and Paice on one side and Evans and Simper on the other, the first insurmountable differences over the band’s future stylistic direction had already begun to emerge.
Line-up
Rod Evans – vocals
Ritchie Blackmore – guitar
Jon Lord – Hammond organ, keyboards, backing vocals, orchestral arrangements on “Anthem”
Ian Paice – drums
Nick Simper – bass guitar, backing vocals
Production
Derek Lawrence
Track list
1. Listen, Learn, Read On
2. Wring That Neck
3. Kentucky Woman
4. Exposition/We Can Work It Out
5. Shield
6. Anthem
7. River Deep, Mountain High
