Compilation producer: Dennis C. Nicklos.

Deep Purple had been disbanded for a couple of years when the band's first true greatest hits album was released (several collections had been issued previously, but were released before Deep Purple's commercial peak of 1972-74). 1978's WHEN WE ROCK, WE ROCK & WHEN WE ROLL, WE ROLL features material from the band's three incarnations--first with singer Rod Evans, then with Ian Gillan, and finally, with future Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale. Though a handful of expected favorites are omitted ("Black Night," "Strange Kind of Woman," "Speed King," "Stormbringer," "Fireball," etc.), this is still a worthy collection.

A pair of psychedelic pop covers that put Purple on the map, "Hush" and "Kentucky Woman," are highlights from the band's early days, but the majority of the tracks are examples of Deep Purple's trademark heavy metal. The group's two road anthems, "Space Trucking" and "Highway Star," are standouts, as are "Woman From Tokyo," "Burn," and "Smoke on the Water," perhaps the band's best-known song. While those wanting to dig a little deeper should probably explore elsewhere (1980's DEEPEST PURPLE), WHEN WE ROCK, WE ROCK & WHEN WE ROLL, WE ROLL may do the trick for the casual fan.