Friday, December 18, 2015

Throwback Thursday: Burn, by Deep Purple

 
In 1974, Deep Purple once again made a big change in their sound by switching out personnel. This time they swapped out bassist Roger Glover for bassist and backing/co-lead vocalist Glenn Hughes and lead vocalist Ian Gillan for David Coverdale. The band had been building up a great deal of momentum at that point and many people wondered if they would survive with the tension and change of line-up. With the release of Burn, they showed that they were still the rock powerhouse they have always been and then some.

Where the band's material with the previous line-up had been more prog/hard rock oriented, Burn had more elements of blues, funk, and soul. That is not to say that the music isn't still loud and proud with a great deal of classical influence as it had always been up to that point. There is still plenty of that old school Deep Purple sound to be found in the record among the other different sounds that were brought to the table with the new guys.

Burn is one of the single greatest title tracks and ways to start an album as well as concert (as they did a lot during the Mark III and IV era). It has one of those ripping and running Ritchie Blackmore guitar riffs while David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes absolutely howl away on vocals and Ian Paice goes manic on his drum kit. I think my favorite part of the song though is probably Jon Lord's organ solo. It is filled with squalls, melody, and a sense of class that only Lord could bring.

Mistreated is one of Deep Purple's crown jewels. It is a slow, but intense blues song. It is emotionally and musically powerful on so many levels. Plus, Blackmore really struts his stuff in both slow and shredding ways throughout different parts of the song. Coverdale pours his heart and soul into the vocals. You can truly tell he means and feels every last word he sings. It is truly touching and able to be empathized with.

While I wouldn't suggest starting with Burn if you are looking to give Deep Purple a try for the first time, it is a great one to have in your collection after you have listened to some of the previous albums with the classic line-up first. There are all kinds of fun, pleasant surprises throughout the record. Every track in some way or another has something good to offer. If you like hard rock, it's there. If you like prog, it's there. If you like blues, it's there. If you like funk, it's there. Definitely a must have.

Burn, by Deep Purple receives 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Tracks List:

1. Burn
2. Might Just Take Your Life
3. Lay Down, Stay Down
4. Sail Away
5. You Fool No One
6. What's Going On Here
7. Mistreated
8. "A" 200

Buy the album on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Burn-DEEP-PURPLE/dp/B0007ZEO4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450425457&sr=8-1&keywords=Deep+Purple+Burn

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