Originally released in 1968, “Supreme Psychedelic Underground” by Hell Preachers Inc. is so freaky and off the wall that it leads the listener to wonder what dimension these performers were operating in. Slathered in a spellbinding sauce of swirling keyboards, snake-charming Middle Eastern motifs and gothic vocals, Shalom kicks in as a platinum-plated raga rock piece, the pummeling bite of Curante is tempered by a giddy bubblegum chorus of la la la la la la, and We Like The White Man, with its hypnotic tribal drumming and repetitious chant of We Like The White Man could easily pass as an early rap song. Dancing organ passages, accompanied by blasts of monster guitar dynamics wire Time Race and Turn Turn thumps and pumps to an acid-damaged Bo Diddley beat. Rumor has it that Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice of Deep Purple donated their talents to “Supreme Psychedelic Underground,” which is not surprising, considering the influence of the hotshot British band looms large. Traces of bands like Iron Butterfly, Pink Floyd and Steppenwolf can also be detected, but employed in a far weirder and wackier context if you can imagine that.

The Deep Purple rumor is interesting, but Deep Purple band members (Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice, and Jon Lord) deny it. This was, in fact, the only album ever released by Hell Preachers, Inc., and there's virtually no information about them out there.

In psychedelic rock circles, this is actually still a hot rumor. First, it's mysterious that there's no more information about Hell Preachers, Inc., and there's always been a rumor that Deep Purple recorded an early album under a different name. On the other hand, German sources claim it was an old Hamburg studio project by studio musicians. There is apparently a very similar (and similarly-titled) album called Psychedelic Underground that was recorded by Bokaj Retsiem and released in 1969. So many believe that this Hell Preachers, Inc. album was by Bokaj Retsiem too. Sounds more likely than the Deep Purple rumor, doesn't it?

At the end of the day, what does it matter? It certainly is psychedelic.

This is the first recording of Deep Purple with Steve Morse...the band wanted to give something to their fans but contractual details were still being worked out..so they released this with psudonyms.. all titles and names are tongue in cheek...it was for fan club members only and only 500 copies were made.

These were never released officially till the Gillan and Iommi album (not single). Who cares where the 10 minute free flowing jam is included from this recording. It's certainly Deep Purple Mark I which recorded Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Taliesyn and Deep Purple. One of the tracks Time Race 1 even resembles with Wring That Neck Mandrake Root. Blackmore, Paice and Lord always denied when asked, due to contractual reasons.

This album was recorded by Deep Purple Mark I lineup, but their identity was not revealed due to contractual obligations with Harvest Records.

The whole album is a sonic blast that will appeal to fans of Deep Purple, psychedelic hipsters and of course general collectors and afficionados.

Rating: ****

Recorded: 1968

Label: Europa

By Aveek Chatterjee

Aveek Chatterjee is a Calcutta-based corporate professional and a passionate fan of classic rock, prog and blues of ‘60s-‘70s. He’s an amateur musician and stills finds time to intermittently play drums while jamming with his son on guitar. He’s an avid collector of LPs, CDs and DVDs, all from the classic era of music. However, his Audio Technica turntable and the collection of 1000 odd vinyl LPs featuring many rare and hard-to-find albums are his prized possessions.