Top 10 Deep Purple Songs With Ian Gillian On Lead Vocals

Feature Photo: Gladstone~dewiki, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Ian Gillan’s voice has defined some of the most electrifying moments in Deep Purple’s history, a force that shaped the band’s identity from the moment he stepped to the microphone. His range, intensity, and instinct for pushing a song into uncharted territory turned studio sessions into landmarks and live performances into legend. This list highlights the tracks that captured Gillan at his most commanding, from the early Mark II breakthroughs to later reunion triumphs, each one shaped by the studio environments, the players around him, and the creative chemistry that pushed Deep Purple into the front ranks of hard rock. These recordings show how Gillan’s vocal presence elevated the band’s writing, sharpened their dynamics, and helped create a catalogue that continues to influence rock singers across every generation.

# 10 – Child In Time – Deep Purple In Rock

“Child in Time” was recorded for Deep Purple’s Deep Purple in Rock album during sessions at IBC Studios in London between 1969 and 1970, produced by the band members themselves after parting ways with their former producer. The track features Ian Gillan on vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Jon Lord on organ, Roger Glover on bass, and Ian Paice on drums, with its structure built around a long, improvised organ sequence that grew into the final composition. The song became one of the band’s most recognized works, known for Gillan’s soaring vocal passages and Blackmore’s extended guitar solo, and it later gained additional visibility when Deep Purple performed it live on The Beat Club in 1970 and throughout their early seventies tours. Although never released as a single in major markets, it charted in the Netherlands in 1973, peaking at number four, and in Austria in 1976 where it reached number seventeen.

# 9 – Speed King – Deep Purple In Rock

“Speed King” storms out of the speakers with the raw energy that defined the Mark II era of Deep Purple, opening their 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock with a blistering mix of organ, guitar, and unrestrained vocals. The track was recorded in August 1969, produced by the band themselves, with Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Ian Gillan handling vocals, Roger Glover on bass, Jon Lord on organ, and Ian Paice on drums. The song grew from a bass riff by Glover, intended to emulate Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” then transformed as the band improvised freely, while Gillan penned lyrics by weaving together lines inspired by songs from Little Richard and Chuck Berry. With its aggressive guitar riffs, pounding rhythm section, and Gillan’s powerful vocal delivery, “Speed King” stood out not only as a hard rock anthem but also as a forerunner to speed metal. Issued as a single in the Netherlands and Germany ahead of the album, the song helped cement Deep Purple’s growing international reputation during a time when their heavier sound was reshaping rock music’s boundaries.

# 8 – Fireball – Fireball

“Fireball” captures Deep Purple pushing their hard rock vision into sharper, faster territory, recorded in early 1971 during sessions for the album Fireball with the band producing the track themselves and performing in the classic Mark II lineup of Ian Gillan on vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Jon Lord on organ, Roger Glover on bass, and Ian Paice on drums. Paice’s rapid kick drum pattern anchors the song, the only time he used a second bass drum in the studio, creating the rhythmic surge that drove the single when it was released in the United Kingdom in July 1971, where it climbed to number fifteen on the Singles Chart. Built around Blackmore’s tightly wound guitar lines and Lord’s surging organ work, the track added a sense of velocity that expanded the band’s sound beyond the framework of their previous album, Deep Purple in Rock. Critics later noted how its speed and intensity hinted at directions heavy rock would take in the years ahead, while the band’s own reflections emphasized that the song grew naturally from their evolving chemistry in the studio.

# 7 – Highway Star – Machine Head

“Highway Star” took shape on the road in 1971 and was recorded later that same year for Deep Purple’s Machine Head album at the Grand Hotel in Montreux after the Casino fire forced the band to relocate their sessions. Produced by the group and performed by the Mark II lineup of Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice, the track was built on a rapid, tightly structured framework that showcased the band’s precision as much as its power. Blackmore constructed his guitar solo using classical sequences, mirrored by Lord’s organ lines, creating a pair of meticulously worked passages that became defining moments in the recording. Though not originally released as a single, “Highway Star” grew into one of the band’s most recognized songs, consistently praised in retrospective reviews for its disciplined arrangement and for the way it captured the band operating at its peak during the Machine Head era.

# 6 – Smoke On The Water – Machine Head

“Smoke on the Water” took shape under extraordinary circumstances when Deep Purple’s plans to record Machine Head at the Montreux Casino collapsed after a fire broke out during a Frank Zappa concert, forcing the band to move their entire recording setup to the Grand Hôtel de Territet, where they completed the track with the mobile studio they had brought to Switzerland. The song was written and performed by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice, with the band producing the sessions, and it features Blackmore’s now legendary opening riff, Gillan’s eyewitness account of the casino blaze, Lord’s driving organ lines, Glover’s bass foundation, and Paice’s propulsive drumming. Released as a single in May 1973, it became one of the group’s biggest international successes, reaching the top five in the United States according to Cash Box and charting strongly across multiple countries. Its combination of a real event, a vivid narrative, and a lean, powerful arrangement helped turn “Smoke on the Water” into Deep Purple’s signature song and one of the most instantly recognizable recordings in rock history.

# 5 – Space Truckin – Machine Head

“Space Truckin’” emerged during Deep Purple’s Machine Head sessions at the Grand Hôtel de Territet in Montreux, where the band completed the album using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio after the Montreux Casino fire disrupted their original recording plans. Written and performed by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice, the track captures their combined musical force, with Blackmore’s guitar driving the arrangement, Lord’s organ lines shaping its heavy groove, Glover’s bass anchoring the rhythm, Paice’s drumming adding momentum, and Gillan delivering the song’s imaginative space themed lyrics. Although not released as a single in most markets, “Space Truckin’” became a concert staple and a fan favorite, especially noted for its extended live performances, which often expanded on the studio arrangement and highlighted each musician’s contribution

# 4 – Woman from Tokyo – Who Do We Think We Are

“Woman from Tokyo” emerged from Deep Purple’s 1972 sessions in Rome and Frankfurt for the Who Do We Think We Are album, a period marked by heavy touring and mounting internal strain, yet the recording captured the full strength of the Mark II lineup with Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice delivering one of their most polished studio performances. Produced by the band, the track paired a driving riff with a mid song atmospheric section that highlighted the group’s precision and melodic instincts, and its release as a single brought notable commercial attention as it reached number sixty in the United States. Critics have consistently recognized the song as a standout moment in the band’s later Mark II output, noting how it balanced the harder edge established on earlier albums with a more refined sense of structure and tone

Read More: Top 10 Deep Purple Songs

# 3 – Knocking at Your Back Door – Perfect Strangers

“Knocking at Your Back Door” opened Deep Purple’s reunion album Perfect Strangers and was recorded in 1984 by the reunited Mark II lineup at Horizons in Stowe, Vermont, with Roger Glover producing. The track features Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Ian Gillan on vocals, Roger Glover on bass, Jon Lord on keyboards, and Ian Paice on drums, each contributing to a sound that marked a confident return after more than a decade apart. Built around Blackmore’s commanding riffs and Lord’s atmospheric keyboard textures, the song became one of the album’s defining moments and reached number twenty-two on the Billboard Top Album Rock Tracks chart. It’s clear production, extended instrumental passages, and Gillan’s suggestive lyrical style made it a radio favorite and a concert highlight during the band’s mid-eighties resurgence, signaling that their classic chemistry remained fully intact.

Read More: Top 10 Deep Purple Albums

# 2 – The Battle Rages On – The Battle Rages On…

The title track of Deep Purple’s 1993 album The Battle Rages On… stands as the final studio recording of the band’s reunited Mark II lineup, with Ian Gillan on vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Roger Glover on bass, Jon Lord on keyboards, and Ian Paice on drums, produced by Glover. Written during a period of internal strain, the song channels the tension that surrounded the group in the early nineties, reflected in its forceful riff driven structure and Gillan’s pointed lyrical delivery. The album was released in July 1993 after Gillan rejoined the band, and the song became its defining statement, setting the tone for a project that arrived just months before Blackmore’s departure. While the track did not generate individual chart placements separate from the album, it served as the thematic anchor of The Battle Rages On…, capturing both the musical strength of the classic lineup and the turmoil that ultimately brought that era to a close.

# 1 – Throw My Bones – Whoosh!

Pushed into a fresh creative gear by long-time collaborator Bob Ezrin, Deep Purple returned in 2020 with Whoosh!, and from that album the opening single Throw My Bones offers a vivid return to their blend of hard-rock power and sharp songwriting. Recorded at multiple studios across Nashville, Toronto, and Hollywood, the song features Ian Gillan on vocals, Steve Morse on guitar, Roger Glover on bass, Don Airey on keyboards, and Ian Paice on drums, under Ezrin’s production. The track leads with a sturdy guitar riff complemented by organ textures and tight rhythm work, presenting a sound both contemporary and unmistakably Purple. As the first single released ahead of the album on March 20, 2020, “Throw My Bones” served as the band’s reintroduction to global audiences and charted as the lead-off moment for Whoosh!’s launch.

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