874 - Deep Purple Bird has Flown 1969

Original lead singer Rod Evans and bassist Nick Simper would be voted out of the lineup soon after the album "Deep Purple" was finished (although they weren't told about it until three months later), organist Jon Lord and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore having perceived limitations in their work in terms of where each wanted to take the band. And between Lord's ever-greater ambitions toward fusing classical and rock and Blackmore's ever-bolder guitar attack, both of which began to coalesce with the session for Deep Purple in early 1969, the group managed to create an LP that combined heavy metal's early, raw excitement, intensity, and boldness with progressive rock's complexity and intellectual scope, and virtuosity on both levels. "Bird Has Flown" strikes a spellbinding balance between all of those elements, and Evans' work is one of the landmark vocal performances in progressive rock.
In 1980 Evans was approached by a management company which specialized in questionably-reformed bands with big names and began to tour under the Deep Purple name accompanied by unknown session musicians.
After several shows ended in near riots, Evans was sued by the management of the real Deep Purple and they were awarded damages of $672,000. As a result of the lawsuit, Evans no longer receives royalties from the band's first three albums.