5 Bands Who Improved After Replacing Their Singer (And 5 Who Didn't)
2. Became Worse - Deep Purple
Heavy metal pioneers Deep Purple have had a LOT of line-up changes in their 55-year career. The band began in London in 1968. Drummer Chris Curtis wanted to recruit a supergroup of established musicians. Organist Jon Lord was brought onboard first. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore joined soon after. After landing on the name Deep Purple, this early version of the band replaced Curtis with Ian Paice and hired vocalist Rod Evans.
Deep Purple released two albums with Evans, 1968's Shades of Deep Purple and The Book of Taliesyn. The following year, Lord and Blackmore met with Ian Paice to discuss a new direction. Wanting a heavier sound, bassist Nick Simper was replaced with Roger Glover and Evans was replaced with Ian Gillan. The classic (or Mark II) lineup was born.
With the exception of Hush and Kentucky Woman, Deep Purple's most iconic tracks came from the Mark II lineup. Albums Machine Head, Made in Japan and Who Do We Think We Are? cemented Deep Purple's legacy as one of the "Unholy Trinity" of British hard rock (along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath).
Gillan quit in 1973 after an exhausting schedule and inter-band conflict. After Gillan's departure, Deep Purple’s vocalists have included David Coverdale and Joe Lynn Turner. Gillan has since rejoined Deep Purple, releasing their latest record in 2021.