Are you quite sure about the dates? Easpecially the release date? I graduated High School in 1973, and I believe that the album was released in 1970 or 1971. I seem to remember learning to play the song "SpeedKing" with my band in my freshman year of high school, our band had reformed by 1972. You used to be able to pick up "free LP's" from many military recruiting offices of albums put out be various record companies containing "samples" of their own recording artists-these LPs intended mainly for use at military "radio" stations (don't forget that this was the "VietNam Era") and on one particular release (IF I remember correctly it was by Warner Bros-can I say that here) was a song (among many) entitled "SpeedKing" by Deep Purple, there was alsso a song called "Paranoid" by a band called Black Sabbath. I'll have to look and locate my copy of this LP (Deep Purple not the military one-that is long gone) because I'm certain that it was released before 1972. I'd bet my Les Paul that it was released BEFORE "Exile on Main Street" by the Rolling Stones which was released in late 1971 (early 72).

Shortly after hearing this song on that military issue lp, I went out and bought the real thing. Could it be that it was released earlier in the UK and Eurpoe and then released in the USA in '72? I am absolutely certain that we were playing the song "SpeedKing" well before 1972. Possibly, as well, these "Released for Military Use" LP's contained songs on them before the individual band's LP was "cut and released".

Here's just food for thought. the Band "Queen" (ever hear of them?) ... their first release in the United States was an album called "Stone Cold Crazy"-NOTICE that I say their first LP released in the United States, but by no means their first album. They had released the LPs "Queen" and "Queen II" in the UK and Europe but neither were considered successful enough (by their record company) for release in the USA. Both LPs "Queen" and "Queen II" were released in the USA- AFTER the commercial success of "Sheer Heart Attack". So, while "Sheer Heart Attack" was the first "Queen" LP released in the USA it was by no means their first LP.

I am almost certain that Deep Purple's album was released in 1971, but I could be wrong... I was once before (LOL) ^_^.