After the triumph of In Rock, Purple offers up the second release with Ian Gillan and Roger Glover in the ranks, known as Fireball. At the time, critics and some in Purple's own camp thought it to be an inferior follow up and that the band had lost momentum from the heaviness of In Rock. In hindsight, I find Fireball to be just as essential in the evolution of Purple's recorded history, and I feel it fits rather nicely between In Rock and the proceeding Machine Head. The opening title track actually starts things off rather scorching and fast, featuring  the basic formula of the band's newfound elements within the ensemble; notably the power of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and keyboardist Jon Lord in their respective solo spots and the chugging, powerhouse drumming of Ian Paice. No No No follows in and although it almost sounds like a leftover from In Rock, there is a great feel to this funky blues number; not to mention even more tasteful playing from Blackmore and Lord, respectively. Strange Kind of Woman was culled as the big single for inclusion on the US version of Fireball and is a classic number within the Deep Purple catalog giving Blackmore a chance to show off some incredible soloing and would provide Gillan and Ritchie with a perfect foil to stretch this number out in the live shows with a "call and response" arrangement between them. 

​

Demon's Eye is another Purple classic that continues the almost funky vibe that permeates throughout the duration of this album and could've been a good single had it been properly promoted as such. Anyone's Daughter offers up a quirky, humorous tale of a young man influencing father's daughters into temptation of the carnal persuasion; musically its the most "outside of the box" number on Fireball and is refreshingly different from most Purple numbers. The Mule would later provide a spot for Ian Paice to show off his percussion skills in the live shows and is a driving number that provides a brief Gillan vocal with an introductory verse; the instrumental quality of the tune draws a comparison to the improvisational style of groups like Santana within its main melody, driven by Lord and Blackmore. 

​

Closing out the original release are two more numbers in Fools, featuring a space-jam quality that seems a bit ponderous at times, but as it gathers momentum, it contains much power and depth, and No One Came, which is one of my favorites on the original album . This track is one of those great lost numbers that rivals Space Truckin and Smoke on the Water as far as quality and performance goes, and it really does provide an overall statement into the closing of the original Fireball album. The remaster with Roger Glover's inclusion, is insightful and offers up 3 tracks in the forms of Freedom, Slow Train and I'm Alone. While interesting tracks these are, they're a bit outside of the norm of Purple's collective repertoire and one can understand their outtake status as a result. Following In Rock's remaster, Fireball features some updated remixes of Demon's Eye and No One Came which have a heavier, compressed  sound in the rhythm section(or bottom end), although it does provide Glover's intents to use updated digital technology to breathe new life into these older masters. I'm no audiophile, per se, but the remixes are interesting to listen to and compare, regardless. 

​

Overall, Fireball is an essential companion piece to In Rock, and is rightfully the bridge between that album and the proceeding Machine Head, which is considered Purple's most classic album. I like the transitional feel of Fireball and it is an underrated album to my ears, because it allowed the band room to experiment and expand a bit musically, despite its lack of commercial impact. 

​

Rating Grade- A-