Never Before

When you dive into Never Before, you’re met with an energy that grabs you from the very first chord. Released as a single in 1972, the song has that spark that makes you want to turn up the volume. It’s interesting to note that the version you hear on the album Machine Head is slightly longer than the single version, which clocks in at around 3:30 minutes, while the original extends to 4:01. Though it wasn’t performed live very often, there’s a recording of its rendition in Deep Purple in Concert, captured near the single’s release date—just a week before Machine Head saw the light of day. It wasn’t until 2004 that the band revisited it on tour, playing the entire album.

The making of Machine Head, the album that features Never Before, had a touch of improvisation and boldness. Recorded between December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, the band aimed to capture the rawness of their live performances. To achieve this, they rented The Rolling Stones’ mobile studio and set up in the casino of Montreux. However, a fire during a Frank Zappa concert forced the band to find an alternative. They ended up adapting the Grand Hôtel, closed for the winter, for their recording sessions. The result of this pursuit of a more authentic sound was an album released on March 25, 1972, with Never Before as one of its tracks. The song was written collaboratively by Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice, and produced by the band itself. The single dropped on March 17, 1972, with When a Blind Man Cries as its B-side.