Out of the three key pioneer groups for heavy rock Deep Purple's infamous Mark II lineup was the most balanced. While Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath had lead singers who posed as wronged lovers or even miscreant victims of society (especially in Ozzy's case), Ian Gillian had howls and pipes for days, and generally existed on equal footing with Blackmore and Lord. The group's move into arena rock was a mild stunner, but pulled off magnificently, even if the lot of critics took it as self-indulgent chest-thumping. Joke's on them! Up until that time, this may have been THE self-indulgent chest-thumping record to listen to! And it still holds up. I'm not sure - especially on the first side of the record, where you are greeted with three whopper tunes in a row ("Speed King", Bloodsucker", and the operatic-level "Child In Time") - the troika of Gillian, Blackmore, and Lord ever clicked this well in the studio again. Surefire must-hear album!

It has been over 50 years since this album appeared, and still makes for one of the most compelling debuts in pop music history. Not to mention, it pretty much stands apart from every other King Crimson album which would follow, but that’s another story for another review. The infamous "21st Century Schizoid Man" is a tantalizing forward look at the power of heavy rock melded with free-form jazz, but most of the rest of the album is devoted to the grandeur and awe that the best of the progressive rock genre could offer. Or, in the case of "Moonchild", the worst examples of the genre's excesses.

Spock's daddy issues come to the forefront; the younger prevails in a tough three-set tiebreaker. I know it was the 60's and everything, but they couldn't have done better than make a Tellurite look like an aging wrinkly pig-face humanoid in a circus costume?

Awful cover, great album. That statement really should end this review, but let's add this - out of the big electronica albums which came out in this 1996-97 time frame, easily this record has the most rebellious, testosterone-fueled 'tude of them all. The media attributed this to dancer Keith Flint whose memorable initial vocal appearances were "Firestarter" and "Breathe", which were worldwide hits just like the album. But the real engine is Liam Howlett whose meta-musical-brain rams this free-wheeling monster unapologetically down your gullet, but never forgets it was the early 90's rave crowd which got them to this point in the first place.

Instead of Styx and Kansas, for a brief moment in 1973 it was entirely possible this group from Missouri (along with drummer Marc Bell) could have been the next big winner in the arena rock sweepstakes. It could have been "90 MPH (Just a Poor Boy From the Country)" ringing from radio stations coast to coast, not "The Grand Illusion". But something tells me record buyers were on to something. Estus' lone record is wholly commendable, but tries to tackle too much too soon, often over the course of one song ("On The Wings"). It's often fascinating to pick through and about as equally exasperating. Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham.