"The Book of Taliesyn" is the second studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in 1968 in North America and in 1969 in the United Kingdom by Tetragrammaton Records and Harvest Records respectively. This album was a follow-up to their debut album "Shades of Deep Purple". The name for the album was inspired by the 14th-century Book of Taliesin, an anthology of poems attributed to the 6th-century Welsh bard Taliesin.
"The Book of Taliesyn" contained a mixture of self-penned originals and covers. Deep Purple continued their exploration of psychedelic and progressive rock that began on the previous album, experimenting with classical overtones and pre-metal song structures. It included a rendition of Neil Diamond's "Kentucky Woman", which acted as the band's first a-side single in America.
The album marked the further progression of Jon Lord's fusion of rock and classical music on one hand and the more psychedelic influences of their sound as displayed by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and vocalist Rod Evans on the other. It represents the band's formative years and is noted for its heavy sound and lengthy instrumental solos.
Reception-wise, the album received mixed reviews. Some critics saw it as an improvement on their debut, while others criticized it for being derivative and lacking in development and direction. Despite this, it was a commercial success, especially in the United States, where it reached #38 on the Billboard 200.
