Several Shades of Deep Purple

Of course I knew that Deep Purple had that song Smoke on the Water. I knew that at an early age - before I knew anything else about the band, in fact. And like Stairway to Heaven with Led Zeppelin, it's a song that is a classic - has crossed over to the mainstream - but it's not the best example of the band's magic.

One of the first CDs in our house was …