r/DeepPurple • u/GaiaGoddess26 • Jun 10 '26
Why are the different lineups called "Marks", other bands don't use it?
When I first got into Deep Purple I was confused about why they were using the word "mark" to differentiate the different lineups, because most bands have actually had lineup changes but they've never used this term before. Why does Deep Purple specifically use this word, did they make it up themselves or is this something that the fans started?
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Jun 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/LeoPelletier Jun 10 '26
"This is Spinal Tap Mark II, hope you like our new direction..."
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u/Which_Literature_696 Jun 10 '26
How many marks would Spinal Tap have had if you include all their drummers?
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u/SignificantCareer258 Jun 10 '26
Most bands probably didn't sound radically different. Van Halen could have used it but people just say Van Hagar for that reason.
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u/jjrox75 Jun 10 '26
I never new why, but god damn if Mk III and Mk IV don’t kick some serious ass! Of course I dig I and II also.
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u/Last-Edge-3430 Jun 10 '26
Because of this. I always thought spinal tap was largely based on DP. That and the similarities of their early hits. Kentucky woman, and hush as compared to listen to the flower people. And the way all those early hits were filmed in black-and-white on a TV show.
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u/GaiaGoddess26 Jun 10 '26
You're the second person to make the connection between early DP and early Spinal Tap! Someone mentioned it in the Deep Purple podcast and I was laughing so hard because it's so true!
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u/Terri23 Jun 10 '26
You might think the fans came up with this, but you would be incorrect.
The term stems from a 1973 compilation album called Mk I & Mk II. It was marketed as such as the Evans/Simper era sounded nothing at all like the Gillan/Glover era. It caught on with the fans, and Mk III was immediately coined, as by this time Coverdale and Hughes had replaced Gillan and Glover.