Stormbringer (album)

Untitled

Stormbringer is the ninth studio album by Deep Purple, released in November 1974. On this album, the soul and funk elements that were only hinted at on Burn are much more prominent. This shift in direction was not supported by Ritchie Blackmore, who departed the band not long after Stormbringer was released.

Rereleases and cover versions

This record, which had been out of print in the US for over 20 years, has been the object of much renewed interest: Friday Music label released it stateside on July 31, 2007 (along with Made in Europe and Come Taste the Band). It is unclear which tapes were used as a source for this release, but the label's website claims that the album has been digitally remastered (but not expanded). Additionally EMI (Deep Purple's label for much of the world outside the US) has worked with Glenn Hughes on a remastered, expanded version of the album (much like the one done with Burn) which includes bonus alternate takes/mixes and was originally due on fall 2007 but is now being prepared for release possibly on the second half of 2008 for the European/international market only to coincide with the band's 40th anniversary. The release will apparently be expanded to include 2 cd's, the first being the remastered and expanded release previously announced and second cd consisting of a quadraphonic mix, which was originally released in the USA in 1975.

Track listing

All songs written by Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice except where indicated.

1. "Stormbringer" (Blackmore, Coverdale) – 4:03
2. "Love Don't Mean a Thing" – 4:23
3. "Holy Man" (Coverdale, Hughes, Lord) – 4:28
4. "Hold On" (Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice) – 5:05
5. "Lady Double Dealer" (Blackmore, Coverdale) – 3:19
6. "You Can't Do It Right (with the One You Love)" (Blackmore, Coverdale, Hughes) – 3:24
7. "High Ball Shooter" – 4:26
8. "The Gypsy" – 4:13
9. "Soldier of Fortune" (Blackmore, Coverdale) – 3:14

The name "Stormbringer" comes from the fantasy works of Michael Moorcock. In Moorcock's novels, Stormbringer is an evil magical sword that drains the souls of all the people it kills. According to Moorcock, the members of Deep Purple were familiar with his work before they chose that name, but were under the misimpression that the name "Stormbringer" was from ancient mythology, when in fact it was invented by Moorcock. The main riff of the song "Stormbringer" bears a strong resemblance to the riff on Eloy's 1973 song "On the Road" from their album Inside, a cd bonus track. Inside features one-time Saxon drummer Fritz Randow.

Personnel

• Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
• David Coverdale - lead vocals
• Glenn Hughes - bass, vocals
• Jon Lord - organ, keyboards
• Ian Paice - drums

Additional personnel

• Recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich in August and mixed at The Record Plant, Los Angeles during September 1974
• Engineered by Martin Birch; assisted by Mack and Hans
• Mixed by Martin Birch and Ian Paice; assisted by Gary Webb and Garry Ladinsky
• Produced by Deep Purple and Martin Birch

References

External links

• 9th studio album