Deep Purple: Stormbringer [RHINO]

Why you'll love it

This Rhino reissue brings back the last Deep Purple studio album with Ritchie Blackmore before his 1975 exit. It marks the Mk III lineup's turn toward funk and soul, closing on the ballad "Soldier Of Fortune."

About the album

The cover alone tells you something's brewing. It's based on Lucille Handberg's famous 1927 photo of a tornado near Jasper, Minnesota, the same picture that turned up on Miles Davis's B*tches Brew. Inside, Deep Purple were changing direction too, with Coverdale and Hughes pulling the band toward the funk and soul they loved.

The title track is pure thunder, Blackmore and Jon Lord trading heavy blows over Ian Paice's drums, while "Lady Double Dealer" and "High Ball Shooter" keep the hard rock rolling. "Love Don't Mean A Thing" and "Hold On" lean right into the groove, "Holy Man" gives Hughes a gorgeous lead vocal, and "The Gypsy" swirls. "Soldier Of Fortune" became one of the band's most loved ballads.

Coverdale later said he hadn't heard of Michael Moorcock's magic sword Stormbringer when they named the album, and claimed the title came from mythology. Either way, it's a terrific name for a record, and considerably safer to keep on a shelf than the sword.

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Tracklist

Listen

On Rhino (cat# RCV1 2832), a reissue of the 1974 album.