I know it’s Monday morning, but can we try and solve a conundrum? Put simply, has anyone out there got a genuine U.S. Warner Brothers white label promotional copy of Machine Head? Working on the discography for the upcoming book on the album and talking to collectors like Pericle in Italy, nobody seems to have seen one. We know W.Bros did white labels for all the other Deep Purple albums in the Seventies up to Burn (for the last two they used regular Burbank Tree labels and overprinted the promo text.). These have a white label with the regular text details in black and the wording “Promotional use Only”.
Often the front sleeve also has a large rectangular sticker across with the track information and times (to make life easier for DJs). So unless someone has a copy like this for Machine Head, then it does raise the possibility that somebody just forgot to order up a run in time, which is what Pericle, who has been on the lookout for a copy for ages, thinks might explain the mystery. As he says, the only U.S. promo copies of Machine Head which turn up are the regular U.S. green label pressing but with a largish pink and black circular promo sticker on the back sleeve. We do run a risk that by mentioning it here, if a few copies do exist they will suddenly climb in value, but Pericle reckons it’s a risk worth taking to get to the bottom of the mystery!
Below is a white label Warners did for Concerto when they took the release over. The Machine Head one would be similar. And possibly ever rarer!
Tags: deep purple, machine head, smoke on the water, Warner Brothers
darker than blue 
February 15, 2017 at 10:06 am |
Trying to determine whether WLP exists is like attempting a Bigfoot/Sasquatch expedition! The damn thing does not exist! Should one ever surface on E-Bay, there will be an out-and-out bidding war reaching 4-digit mark! Test Pressing would be incredible if one surfaces. I sometimes see Test Pressings of Stormbringer and later titles also-But NEVER Test Pressings of In Rock or Fireball. Oh well one can at least dream . By the way I have Japanese Blue label promo 2 obi-strip edition.
February 28, 2017 at 9:51 am |
Yep, we kind of figured this was the case George. Guess we’d better watch out for those Mexicans steaming labels off and faking them up now… they’ve been doing 7″ singles in fake sleeves lately.
February 14, 2017 at 10:11 pm |
I had a friend, who ran a used record shop in Milwaukee, helping me search for a white label Machine Head for years (back in the ’80s). Never found one.
I do have white label promos for Taliesyn, Concerto, In Rock, Fireball, WDWTWAre!, Burn and Purple Passages.
The copies (that I have) of MHead, Stormbringer, MIEurope & CTTBand all have the palm tree label with the pink promo sticker on the cover. (These are all US versions)
I don’t know if this helps you much, but there you go.
February 15, 2017 at 9:45 am |
That’s interesting to know Jeff, cheers. It is looking like they didn’t do one for MH.
February 13, 2017 at 10:01 pm |
As you stated Simon, my promo copy has the WB green label and the pink/black promo sticker. Never seen a white label one here in the States. DKT.
February 13, 2017 at 9:20 pm |
I’d like to have copy of one of those! I wasn’t aware of any US test press copies. Oh well… I’m proud of my quad Machine Head, I suspect that’ll have to do! LLR&R.
February 15, 2017 at 9:47 am |
Ah yes but have you got the UK Quad, the two German Quad editions and the one from Australia?!
February 15, 2017 at 12:59 pm
Hi Simon, my Quad MH is the oz pressing! Very nice it is too. I’ve also got the US quad Stormbringer, glorious sounding…. we really are blessed with collectibles us DP fans… on to the next one…
February 13, 2017 at 1:44 pm |
hmmm … – “… working on the discography for the upcoming book on the album …”. Does this mean you still are not ready with that one?
February 13, 2017 at 5:22 pm |
We’re just getting new stuff in almost every day Gerd, and it all needs checking. Everything comes to he who waits as the old proverb has it. It’s one I seem to live by at the moment! It’s a shame you don’t like Yes, that one arrived in stock as of today but is likely to be out of stock by the end of the flipping week…
February 15, 2017 at 12:26 pm
“Yes”? thanks, but NO thanks ;-)
Not my cup of tea – I’ve seen them live only once – and that was when I was tourmanaging Dream Theater and the boys were too keen to watch their idols on one of their off-days …