I’d pick Deep Purple over Zep for hard rock.
Agreed. Deep Purple Mark II was fantastic live. Listen to Made in Japan, probably one of the best live albums ever recorded.
I’m literally reading your reply while listening to Highway Star off that album. It is easily not only the greatest car song ever, but that performance is next level rock playing. Someone said Blackmore’s guitar sounds like he’s playing with razor blades at the beginning of the Highway Star guitar solo on Made in Japan. Absolutely epic...and Ian Paice is under appreciated and a monster drummmer.