The album closed with a ten-minute rendition of the classic “River Deep, Mountain High,” which has been covered by a variety of artists through the years. This was the track I tended to play the most often, as Lord, Blackmore, and Paice settled into an improvisational groove that was one of the highlights of the early period of its career.
The group's original material also stands the test of time well. “Listen Learn Read” opened the album with a blast of Jon Lord’s keyboards, with Blackmore chipping in to fill in the sound. “Hard Rock,” retitled later on as “Wring That Neck,” was the song where Blackmore first began to assert himself as a guitarist.
The Book Of Taliesyn had sat on my shelf for a long time before this review. It will probably make an appearance every now and then, as it remains a fine early outing from Deep Purple. Some of the names may not be familiar today but the music was memorable.
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