Editing Deep Purple (section)

===Mark I (1968–1969)===
[[File:Deep Purple (1968).jpg|thumb|left|Deep Purple Mark I in 1968. Standing left to right: [[Nick Simper]], [[Ian Paice]], [[Rod Evans]]; seated left to right: [[Ritchie Blackmore]], [[Jon Lord]].]]
In May 1968, the band moved into [[Pye Records|Pye]] Studios in London's [[Marble Arch]] to record their debut album, ''[[Shades of Deep Purple]]'', which was released in America in July by [[Tetragrammaton Records]], and in Britain in September by [[EMI|EMI Records]].<ref name="Thompson2004">Thompson, Dave (2004). "Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story" pp.41–42. ECW Press. Retrieved 19 February 2012</ref> [[Vanilla Fudge]] was a notable influence on the band, with Blackmore claiming that the group started out wanting to be a "Vanilla Fudge clone".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehighwaystar.com/interviews/blackmore/rb199102xx.html |title=Ritchie Blackmore, Interviews |publisher=Thehighwaystar.com |access-date=7 November 2010}}</ref> The group had success in North America with a cover of [[Joe South]]'s "[[Hush (Billy Joe Royal song)|Hush]]", and by September 1968, the song had reached number 4 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in the US and number 2 in the Canadian ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' chart, pushing the ''Shades'' LP up to No. 24 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s pop albums chart.<ref name="Miles">Miles, Barry (2009) [https://books.google.com/books?id=r8xbaIlrUREC&dq=deep+purple+hush+-+4+billboard&pg=PA264 The British Invasion: The Music, the Times, the Era] p.264. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5854&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=9cp51krv5nv1bedge0rfmb88d3 The RPM 100: Deep Purple] Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 November 2011</ref> The following month, Deep Purple were booked to support [[Cream (band)|Cream]] on the US leg of their ''[[Goodbye (Cream album)|Goodbye]]'' tour.<ref name="Miles"/>

The band's second album, ''[[The Book of Taliesyn]]'', was recorded quickly and released in North America in October 1968 to coincide with the tour. The album included [[Neil Diamond]]'s "[[Kentucky Woman]]", which cracked the Top 40 in both the US (No. 38 on the ''Billboard'' chart) and Canada (No. 21 on the ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' chart),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-book-of-taliesyn-mw0000195135/awards |title=The Book of Taliesyn Billboard Singles |access-date=2 February 2014 |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5889&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=5qm7edenekrvgo1m1n5r72q651 |title=Top Singles – Volume 10, No. 16, December 16, 1968 |access-date=2 February 2014 |date=16 December 1968 |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]]}}</ref> though sales for the album were not as strong (No. 54 in US, No. 48 in Canada).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-book-of-taliesyn-mw0000195135/awards |title=The Book of Taliesyn Billboard Albums |access-date=2 February 2014 |publisher=AllMusic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6057&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=ngdhb0m5j11o0j9v279v54u2e0 |title=Top Albums/CDs – Volume 11, No. 2, March 10, 1969 |access-date=2 February 2014 |date=10 March 1969 |publisher=Library and Archives Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219155222/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6057&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=ngdhb0m5j11o0j9v279v54u2e0 |archive-date=19 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''The Book of Taliesyn'' would not be released in the band's home country until the following year and, like its predecessor, it failed to have much impact on the [[UK Albums Chart]]. During the late 1968 US tour, the band made several high-profile television appearances, including ''[[Playboy After Dark]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Playboy After Dark - Aired Order - All Seasons - TheTVDB.com |url=https://thetvdb.com/series/playboy-after-dark/allseasons/official |access-date=2023-08-05 |website=thetvdb.com}}</ref> and even ''[[The Dating Game]]'' (where, in addition to the band performing, Lord appeared as a contestant).<ref>{{cite web|first=Kieron| last=Tyler| url=http://www.deep-purple.net/archive/68-76history/roundabout.htm|title=On The Roundabout With Deep Purple| website=Deep Purple Appreciation Society| access-date =8 March 2024}}</ref>

Early in 1969, the band released the non-album single "Emmaretta", named after Emmaretta Marks, at that time a cast member of the musical ''[[Hair (musical)|Hair]]'', whom Evans was trying to seduce.<ref>Thompson, Dave (2004). ''Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story'', p. 324. ECW Press</ref> By March of that year, the band had completed recording for their third album, ''[[Deep Purple (album)|Deep Purple]]''. The album included the track "April", which featured strings and woodwind, showcasing Lord's classical antecedents such as [[Bach]] and [[Rimsky-Korsakov]].

Deep Purple's North American record label, Tetragrammaton, delayed production of the ''Deep Purple'' album until after the band's 1969 American tour ended. This, as well as lackluster promotion by the nearly broke label, caused the album to sell poorly, finishing well out of the ''Billboard'' Top 100. Soon after ''Deep Purple'' was finally released in late June 1969, Tetragrammaton went out of business, leaving the band with no money and an uncertain future. Tetragrammaton's assets were eventually assumed by [[Warner Bros. Records]], who would release Deep Purple's records in the US throughout the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bsnpubs.com/la/tetragrammaton/tetragrammaton.html|title=Tetragrammaton Album Discography}}</ref>

During the 1969 American tour, Lord and Blackmore met with Paice to discuss their desire to progress the heavy rock side of the band further. Having decided that Evans and Simper would not fit well with the style they envisioned, both were replaced that summer.<ref>Joel Whitburn (2007). ''The Billboard Albums: Includes Every Album That Made the Billboard 200 Chart'', p. 227. Record Research Inc., 2007</ref> Paice stated, "A change had to come. If they hadn't left, the band would have totally disintegrated." Both Simper and Blackmore noted that Rod Evans already had one foot out of the door. Simper said that Evans had met a girl in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] and had eyes on being an actor, while Blackmore explained, "Rod just wanted to go to America and live in America."<ref name="Rosen Interview 1">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3-xzGcPwjw Steve Rosen Interview with Ritchie Blackmore, 1974] Retrieved from YouTube "Ritchie Blackmore, Guitar God|Part 1/5" on 14 January 2014.</ref> Evans and Simper would go on to co-form the bands [[Captain Beyond]] and [[Warhorse (British band)|Warhorse]] respectively.