Deep Purple Albums Ranked (rated from worst to best)

Deep Purple were formed in London, England, UK in 1968 and are considered to be one of the early pioneers of the heavy rock/hard rock genres. Their musical style changed over the years, when they first started recording they were more psychedelic or progressive but that all changed with the release of their 1970 album “Deep Purple In Rock” which was a far heavier album.

They are often said to have been amongst the earliest of all heavy rock bands along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Back in 1975 they were listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “globe’s loudest band” after one of their performances at London’s Rainbow Theatre in 1972.

Since their formation in 1968, there have been 14 lineup changes to the band but in all of those lineups there’s one constant and that’s Ian Paice, Deep Purple’s drummer throughout. Overall the band has sold in excess of 100 million albums without ever scoring a number one in the US.

Best Deep Purple Albums Of All Time

Deep Purple has released 22 studio albums, 28 compilation albums, 15 video albums and around 45 live albums. As always we will rank all of their studio albums from the rest to the best as we see them.

22. Abandon (1998)

Released on June 2nd 1998, “Abandon” is the 16th studio album by Deep Purple. It was the 2nd album with Steve Morse on guitar and the last to feature Jon Lord who left in 2002. This album did relatively well on the charts in Finland (#14), Norway (#6), Germany (#16) and Hungary (#22) but only managed to peak at number 76 in the UK.

21. Slaves And Masters (1990)

This was Deep Purple’s 13th studio album which was released on October 23rd 1990. It was the only Deep Purple album to feature vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow) who replaced Ian Gillen in 1989. Although this album reminds us of the band Foreigner, it still has a few stand out tracks which include; “King Of Dreams”, “Love Conquers All” and “Fire In The Basement”.

20. Whoosh! (2020)

Released on August 5th 2020, this was the band’s 21st studio album. This is the last album of original material by Deep Purple to feature Steve Morse (guitar) as he left the band in July 2022. One of the tracks, the instrumental “And The Address” first appeared as the opening track on their 1968 debut album “Shades Of Deep Purple”.

The album peaked at number 4 on the UK album charts which made it the highest charting Deep Purple studio album for 46 years. It achieved the same position on the US Top Hard Rock Albums chart but only managed to peak at number 161 on the Billboard 200.

19. The Battle Rages On (1993)

Deep Purple’s 14th studio album “The Battle Rages On…” was released on July 19th 1993. It marked the return of Ian Gillan as well as the last album recorded by the band’s classic Mk II lineup. This was the album that was the last straw for Ritchie Blackmore and he left the band after the November 17th show in Helsinki, Finland. Which was when Joe Satriani took over guitar duties for the rest of the tour.

“The Battle Rages On…” peaked at number 5 in Japan, 9 in Finland, Austria and Norway, 8 in Switzerland and Sweden and 21 in the UK.

18. The House Of Blue Light (1987)

Released on January 12th 1987 this was Deep Purple’s 12th studio album. It was the 2nd recording by the reformed Mk II lineup and the 6th studio album overall by this formation of the band. In all honesty this wasn’t one of Deep Purple’s most memorable albums apart from trying to sound like everyone else instead of being Deep Purple.

The album did relatively well on the charts peaking at number 10 in the UK and number 34 on the Billboard 200 in the US. Whilst it topped the charts in Finland, Sweden and Germany.

17. Rapture Of The Deep (2005)

“Rapture Of The Deep” is the 18th studio album by Deep Purple which was released on October 24th 2005. This was the 2nd album to feature Don Airey (keyboards) and the 4th to feature Steve Morse (guitar). It was also their first album released in Europe on the German label Edel Records.

The album peaked at number 81 on the UK charts but reached 43 on the US Independent Albums chart.

16. Purpendicular (1996)

Released on February 17th 1996, this was Deep Purple’s 15th studio album and their first to feature Steve Morse on guitar. Steve introduced pinch harmonics to the band’s sounds which can be heard on tracks such as; “Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic” and “Somebody Stole My Guitar”.

This album peaked at number 3 in Sweden, 9 in Finland but only achieved number 58 in the UK.

15. Infinite (2017)

“Infinite” was the 20th studio album released by Deep Purple on April 7th 2017. There were 4 singles released from this album which were “Time For Bedlam”, “All I Got Is You”, “Johnny’s Band” and “The Surprising”. It also features a version of the Doors track “Roadhouse Blues”.

“Infinite” made the Top 10 in more than 14 countries reaching number one in Switzerland and Germany and number 6 on the UK charts.

14. Bananas (2003)

Released on August 25th 2003 in the UK and October 7th 2003 in the US, “Bananas” is Deep Purple’s 17th studio album. It is their first album to feature Don Airey (keyboards) after Jon Lord left the band. The backing vocals on the track “Haunted” are provided by Beth Hart.

The album did well in many European and South American countries but only managed to peak at number 85 in the UK.

13. Now What?! (2013)

“Now What?!” is the 19th studio album released by Deep Purple on April 26th 2013. It was their first studio album in more than 7 years since the release of “Rapture Of The Deep” in 2005. There were 5 singles released from this album which were “All The Time In The World”, “Hell To Pay”, “Vincent Price”, “Above And Beyond” and “Out Of Hand”.

The album made the Top 20 in many countries and peaked at number one in Austria and Germany. In the UK it rose to number 19 but could only manage number 110 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US.

12. Stormbringer (1974)

This was Deep Purple’s 9th studio album  which was released on November 16th 1974. It was the 2nd studio album to feature the Mk III lineup including David Coverdale (vocals) and Glenn Hughes (bass, vocals). The album’s cover photo was based on a photo of a tornado near the town of Jasper, Minnesota, USA taken by Lucille Handberg. The same photo was used on the cover of the Miles Davis album “Witches Brew” in 1970 and Siouxsie And The Banshees album “Tinderbox” in 1986.

The album made the Top 20 in 11 countries peaking at number 6 in the UK and number 20 in the US.

11. Come Taste The Band (1975)

Released on November 7th 1975 “Come Taste The Band” is the 10th studio album by Deep Purple. This was the band’s last studio release before they broke up in 1976 and their only album to feature Tommy Bolin (guitar) who died shortly after the release of this album. 

They released one single from this album in the UK which was “You Keep On Moving” and one single was released in the US which was “Gettin’ Tighter”. This album peaked at number 19 on the UK charts and number 43 in the US.

10. The Book Of Taliesyn (1969)

This was Deep Purple’s 2nd studio album which was released in October 1968 in the US and May 1969 in the UK. It was recorded just three months after their debut album “Shades Of Deep Purple” and the title was taken from the 14th century “Book Of Taliesin”. The album contains cover versions of songs from artists; Neil Diamond (“Kentucky Woman”), Lennon And McCartney (“We Can Work It Out”) and Ike & Tina Turner (“River Deep, Mountain High”).

They had little success with this album in the UK but it did peak at number 54 on the Billboard 200 in the US and number 48 on the Canadian RPM chart.

9. Perfect Strangers (1984)

Released on October 29th 1984, this was Deep Purple’s 11th studio album and was the most successful album of the reformed Mk II lineup. It was also their first studio album for 9 years as well as being the first with the Mk II lineup since “Who Do We Think We Are” 11 years earlier. 

The title track was released as a single in the UK and the track “Knocking At Your Back Door” was released in the US. The album peaked at number 5 on the UK charts and number 17 on the Billboard 200 in the US.

8. Turning To Crime (2021)

Deep Purple’s 22nd studio album which was released on November 26th 2021, is an album of covers. We are normally opposed to cover albums because of the lack of originality, but Deep Purple have managed the almost impossible. This album contains covers of tracks by artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, the Allman Brothers, Booker T. And The MGs and Cream.

The album is a nod at the music critics who have slated the band in the past for covering other artists’ work. With the cover showing all 5 members of the band posing for crime mug shots. If you’re a fan of Deep Purple and were put off because this album is all covers, don’t be, it’s well worth a listen.

7. Shades Of Deep Purple (1968)

Released in July 1968 in the US and September 1968 in the UK, this was Deep Purple’s debut album. The album was recorded in just 3 days after just 2 months of rehearsals. It contained 4 original tracks and 4 covers and they released a cover of Joe South’s “Hush” as a single from this album.

The album peaked at number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US and number 19 on the Canadian RPM chart.

6. Who Do We Think We Are (1973)

Deep Purple’s 7th studio album which was released on January 12th 1973 was a commercial success. It helped Deep Purple become the top selling artists in the US in 1973. It was also the last album with Ian Gillen and Roger Glover until “Perfect Strangers” in 1984. 

It was a far more bluesy album than any they’d produced previously and they released 2 singles from this album which were; “Woman From Tokyo” and “Super Trouper”. Early pressings of the album list the opening track as “Woman From Tokayo” which does sound a lot like the way Ian Gillen pronounces “Tokyo” in the song.

5. Deep Purple (1969)

Often referred to as Deep Purple III, this was their 3rd studio album which was released in June 1969 in the US and in September 1969 in the UK. This album is mainly original and is best described as a combination of hard rock, psychedelic rock and progressive rock. Although it was mostly overlooked at the time of its release, it has recently been rediscovered for the sheer talent on display.

The album cover is taken from the 15th century painting “The Garden Of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch. 

4. Burn (1974)

This was Deep Purple’s 8th studio album which was released on February 15th 1974. It was their first album to feature David Coverdale (vocals) and Glenn Hughes (bass, vocals). They released 2 singles from this album which were; “Might Just Take Your Life” and “Burn”.

The album peaked at number 3 in the UK, number 9 in the US and number one in 4 European countries.

3. Machine Head (1972)

Released on March 25th 1972 this was Deep Purple’s 6th studio album. It was the album they were recording when the Montreux Casino burned down while Frank Zapper and The Mothers of Invention were performing. The fire was due to a fan firing a flare gun inside the building. Deep Purple were staying at a hotel opposite and witnessed the Casino burning which led to their famous track “Smoke On The Water” which appears for the first time on this album.

The album also features the track “Highway Star” which they wrote on a tour bus on their way to a gig and performed it the same night. The singles released from this album were “Smoke On The Water”, “Lazy”, “Highway Star” and “Never Before”.

It was their most commercially successful album reaching number one in many countries including Canada, Germany, Australia, Finland, Holland and the UK. It peaked at number 7 in the US on the Billboard 200 chart.

2. Fireball (1971)

Released in July 1971 in the US and 2 months later in the UK, this was the band’s 5th studio album. It was the 2nd album recorded by the Mk II lineup and was the first of 3 UK number 1 albums for Deep Purple. It also made the number one spot elsewhere in Europe including Sweden, Austria and Germany.

There was a track difference between the UK and US pressings of this album which meant on the original UK version “Strange Kind Of Woman” was replaced with “Demon’s Eye” and on the original US version “Strange Kind Of Woman” was included but “Demon’s Eye” wasn’t.

1. Deep Purple In Rock (1970)

This was Deep Purple’s 4th studio album which was released on June 5th 1970. It was the first studio album recorded by the Mk II lineup with work on the album starting soon after Ian Gillan and Roger Glover joined in June 1969.

The album was their European breakthrough album and peaked at number 4 on the UK album charts. They released 2 singles from the album which were “Speed King” and “Black Night”, “Black Night” became their highest ever performing single reaching number 2 in the UK.

This was the album that gave us such tracks as “Child In Time”, “Bloodsucker” and “Hard Lovin’ Man” which was reported to be the first ever speed metal track.

All Deep Purple Albums In Chronological Order

Album	Date
Shades of Deep Purple	1968
The Book of Taliesyn	1969
Deep Purple	1969
Deep Purple In Rock	1970
Fireball	1971
Machine Head	1972
Who Do We Think We Are	1973
Burn	1974
Stormbringer	1974
Come Taste the Band	1975
Perfect Strangers	1984
The House of Blue Light	1987
Slaves and Masters	1990
The Battle Rages On…	1993
Purpendicular	1996
Abandon	1998
Bananas	2003
Rapture of the Deep	2005
Now What?!	2013
Infinite	2017
Whoosh!	2020
Turning to Crime	2021

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