Shades of Deep Purple - The Album-recording and Promotions

The Album-recording and Promotions

The demos were followed by promotions of the finished album, which first earned them some gigs in Scandinavia. The band name was also the developed at this time. "Deep Purple" was suggested by Blackmore, as it was also the name of his grandmother's favourite song. When they returned to England, the cable containing Tetragrammaton's decision to sign them had arrived. The request had apparently resulted in an agreement for a green-light and the band was now supported by a label overseas. This was a saving grace, as the budget provided by HEC was nearly spent. Good gear and promotion had not gone without some cost.

With the band on promotion-tour, some studio time had been successfully booked and on Saturday, 11 May 1968, Deep Purple went into Pye studios at ATV House in London. There, with aforementioned Derek Lawrence producing and Barry Ainsworth acting as engineer, they reworked and improved the material they had rehearsed and recorded before. "And The Address" and "Hey Joe" were cut first, followed by "Hush" and "Help" later that day. On Sunday, "Love Help Me", "I'm So Glad" (with the Scheherazade-prelude entitled "Happiness") and "Mandrake Root" were recorded. The latter required a large amount of mixing, with sound-effects being provided by the BBC. Finally, on Monday, 13 May, "One More Rainy Day" was cut, completing the recording of their debut album. The final finesses were made and the band concluded their duties in studio later the same day.