What is the best album by Deep Purple?

Heavy metal pioneers and hard rock legends, Deep Purple's catalogue spans over five decades and multiple lineup changes — from the baroque psychedelia of their early work to the crushing riffs of Machine Head and beyond. Whether you prefer the classic Mark II era or their later resurgence, the debate is always fierce. Where do you stand?

1

Shades of Deep Purple

Deep Purple's 1968 debut album featuring a cover of Hush, establishing their psychedelic rock sound with classical influences.

2

The Book of Taliesyn

Deep Purple's 1968 second album with detailed medieval-style illustrated cover art, featuring orchestral rock compositions.

3

Concerto for Group and Orchestra

Deep Purple's 1970 live album recording their groundbreaking performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall.

4

Deep Purple in Rock

Deep Purple's landmark 1970 heavy metal album featuring the band's faces carved into Mount Rushmore on the iconic cover.

5

Fireball

Deep Purple's 1971 album featuring the band members morphing into a comet, with hard rock and progressive elements.

6

Machine Head

Deep Purple's 1972 classic featuring Smoke on the Water and Highway Star, recorded in Montreux after a fire at the casino.

7

Burn

Deep Purple's 1974 first album with the Mark III lineup featuring David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, with wax candle band portraits.

8

Stormbringer

Deep Purple's 1974 second album with the Mark III lineup, incorporating funk and soul elements with a Pegasus-and-tornado cover.

9

Come Taste the Band

Deep Purple's 1975 final Mark III album featuring guitarist Tommy Bolin, known for its wine glass with band faces design.

10

Perfect Strangers

Deep Purple's 1984 reunion album with the classic Mark II lineup, featuring the chrome DP logo on the cover.

11

The House of Blue Light

Deep Purple's 1987 album featuring an ancient arched doorway lit with eerie blue light on the cover.

12

Slaves and Masters

Deep Purple's 1990 album with vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, featuring a crystal ball cover with the DP logo.

13

Purpendicular

Deep Purple's 1996 album marking Ritchie Blackmore's final departure, featuring a bold blue cover with red handwritten title.

14

Now What?!

Deep Purple's 2013 critically acclaimed comeback album, their highest-charting record in decades, with a white question mark cover design.

15

inFinite

Deep Purple's 2017 album featuring the infinity symbol on an arctic landscape, which the band announced would be their last.

16

Whoosh!

Deep Purple's 2020 album, a surprise release during the pandemic featuring a disintegrating figure on a desert landscape.