Deep Purple - Stormbringer

Album  :  Stormbringer

Artist  :  Deep Purple

Genre  :  Rock

Year  :  1974

- Tracks -  (favorites in pink)

01. Stormbringer
02. Love Don't Mean A Thing
03. Holy Man
04. Hold On

05. Lady Double Dealer
06. You Can't Do It Right (With The One You Love)
07. High Ball Shooter
08. The Gypsy
09. Soldier of Fortune

    It was 1974.  The Beatles had broken up,  Jimi, Janis, and Jim Morrison were dead, and a dark and monstrous force called Disco was  about to jump onto the music scene.  Rock & Roll had lost its  creative momentum, and was searching for its identity.

    This was especially true of Deep Purple, who had shed its Prog Rock mantle, but wasn't quite sure what to be next.  In a couple years, they would redefine themselves, and quite successfully so, as a kick-ass Hard Rock band, but for now they were in limbo.

    Et voila, Stormbringer, one of DP's least-remembered albums.  Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had quit the band, the lead singer was a new guy named David Coverdale, and Ritchie Blackmore had one foot out the door.  There are arrangements for horns and if you listen closely, you can hear Disco and Pop trying to edge their way in.

    For all that though, Stormbringer is still is good album.  Without a doubt, its title track is the showpiece, but there are enough guitar licks, drum riffs, and synthesizer showing-off to make this a worthwhile album.  The members of the band simply have too much talent and musicianship to let the marketing suits ruin the album.

    I picked the Stormbringer LP up in Seattle for $1.99.  It was in decent shape, although there were enough scratches to warrant using the de-scratching program to automatically take them out.  And while it isn't my favorite DP album (those would be Shades of Deep Purple and The Book of Taliesyn), it still is a treat and a delight to listen to.  Amazon offers the album both as a CD ($13.99) and MP3-files ($8.99).  Purple peeps should give it a try.