That is one of the irreproducible intangibles of Deep Purple...that instinctive interplay between Blackmore and Lord. Jon Lord was as skilled and intense on the organ as Blackmore was on the guitar. Both were equally enjoyable to watch and hear.
I'm not a drummer, so I don't know where Ian Paice ranks on the scale of fantastic drummers of the world, but I really like watching his control of the song. He's like the gas pedal for the band, not just the time-keeper.
I prefer Glover's sound with that old Rick bass. I like how he throws his whole persona into the groove. I get a little annoyed with bass players who just stand still in one spot. I like to see a little groove going on.
As for Gillan, in my mind he is the quintessential rock band vocalist. He can actually sing. He can hit those high notes. He can scream, a la Highway Star, and he can join in, vocally, with those little jam sessions between Lord and Blackmore with a little skat-type vocalizations.
All in all, a fantastic band. What is so intriguing to me is that each of them appears to be in their own zone when they play/sing, yet they are connected with what the other members are doing. An 11 minute DP song is not a chore to listen to. With some other groups, I'm ready for the song to be over at three minutes.
I know I'm sounding really trippy the way I'm going on and on. But, if there was any band I could think of using as a model, it's Deep Purple.
