In 1970, In Rock marked the studio arrival of Deep Purple Mk2. When it came to making a follow-up, times were turbulent and divisive, so much so that there were doubts as to whether Deep Purple would even last!

Sandwiched between In Rock and Machine Head, it is hardly surprising that Deep Purple's 1971 album, Fireball, is so often overlooked in comparison. It wasn't an easy time for the band; with demand for more concerts following the success of In Rock, the making of Fireball took over a year and yet, it is an essential album - both in terms of how it documents Deep Purple's progression as a band and in terms of what it offers overall musically.

In this book, author Laura Shenton MA LLCM DipRSL offers an in-depth perspective on Fireball from a range of angles including how it came to be, how it was presented and received at the time (live as well as on record), and what it means in terms of Deep Purple's legacy today.