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1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


 
Stormbringer


 It going to be interesting to see the fans' and critics' reaction when they lay hands on Stormbringer. Warning: You musn't expect riffs aplenty because Purple have come over all melodic. I like it and I also like the old Purple which leaves me in a temporarily confused state but don't worry I should have got out of it by the end of this review.
  Firstly, I'm sure this album doesn't reflect on the band's live stage act, that is a thing of its own, an experience that is difficult to capture on plastic. No, this record indicates the third phase of where Purple is going.
 The first thing that is noticeable is the lack of Blackmore's guitar which undoubtedly used to be one of the dominating factors. Now he seems to have stepped out of the limelight and laid back a little. Is this good we ask ourselves? Well I'm not sure, I was rather fond of his vitriolic guitar burst but then on the other end of the scale Ritchie can be very tasteful and economical guitarist and this fact comes over on this album.
 So enough of the preamble and on with the review. After saying how much the band has changed, you'll find that the album opens up with the title track which is very much in a similar vein to material on Burn. It's rough and raunchy and it's immediately noticeable that the production is cleaner and crisper...tidier.
 Coverdale's vocals have come over much stronger and more confident than on the previous album, snaking their way around the tough driving rhythm section. Blackmore plays a fiery synthesised solo and it's a fine solid rocker with a neat chorus line all an' all.
 "Love Don't Mean a Thing" changes the whole sound of the band drastically, it puts the spotlight on Coverdale's vocals and Ritchie's slide playing. Let's face it, it's nothing like In Rock but it's punchy with Coverdale featuring a lot of Wilson Pickett inflections.
 This is followed by "Holy man" where Hughes' vocals twist and swirl around a quiet guitar passage, developing inte a stomper in a similar style to Free. It also includes a tasteful slide solo from Blackmore, what you would describe as powerful but controlled guitaring.
 "Hold on" opens up with echoey Fender Rhodes piano and develops into a rocker showcasing the "vocal interplay", as Coverdale himself describes it, between the the two singers, While Mr.C is rough and raunchy, Hughes is more fluid and stylised; this results in quite a powerful combination.
 Blackmore's solo is again comparatively calm yet tough while Lord shows what an excellent keyboard player he is by featuring a nifty solo spot. This has a catchy chorus line and will probably sound twice as meen live.
 Side two opens in grand raucous style with "Lady double dealer" featuring echo used on Coverdale's voice, this includes a frenzied solo that sounds like the old Blackmore.
 It is a wonder to behold the tightness of Messrs. Blackmore, Paice and Hughes on "You Can't Do It Right (With the One You Love)" which is blatantly tight and funky.
 "Highball shooter" which follows is rock and roll through and through. It opens up the same as the previous one with staunch guitar and gradually the melody line builts up around it, but a radical change comes in the form of "The Gypsy", a very mellow melodic track with overdubbed phase guitar and and more scorching guitar and shattering vocals.
 This leads us into the final track "Soldier of fortune" which features Blackmore playing acoustic and Coverdale and it only increases in tempo for a short electronic burst of guitar.
 So what does this leave us with? A totally new band. As Coverdale has stated it's a progression, what do you expect when two new members join a band? After several listenings I'm getting to like this album a hell of a lot althrough it does require a process of adjustment.
 My only complaint is that there is not enough of Blackmore featured on the record. As I previously mentioned Lord's keyboard playing has changed and his use of instruments has become more variated. Paice has become a more functional solid backbone drummer althrough the occasional flurry of paradiddles, and suchlike technical drum phrases, make it apparent that he's still one of the world's top percussionists.
 Now on to the new boys, well it's obvious that Hughes is one reason for all this funkiness, along with Coverdale that have changed the sound of the band and it's true when they say that vocal phrasing can attribute to this factor.
 So approach Stormbringer cautiously, don't expect the heavy side of Purple, it's a more refined band with the same exciting elements that make them THE rock band. They've always been known for their quality in this field and now this album takes it a level higher, maybe a drastic change, but it had to happen sometime, so why not now?
 "This ain't what Purple are about," some may say despondently. But Purple may be getting closer to their roots than we think. Give it a listen. - Pete Makowski in Sounds, November 2, 1974

---
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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


It's a good review. Stormbringer is one of my favourite albums of all time. It's funny how I don't listen that much to Purple nowadays (compared to few years ago), but Stormbringer (along with CTTB) has a permanent place in my playlist.
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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


Thanks, Ed! That's an interesting read.

Niko, Stormbringer is one of my favourites as well, and indeed the most played DP album nowdays (the others are LLRO box, and in particular the discs with Mk2 BBC cuts on them, and PS). We threw an impromptu party on MayDay and at some point I put Stormbringer on. Many people came to ask who's playing. Everbody seemed to really like the music.
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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


I purchased the album when it first came out. Hated it then, still hate it today emoticon
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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


quote:

doggone wrote:

I purchased the album when it first came out. Hated it then, still hate it today emoticon



Pretty much the same for me. Bought it when it came out, and was dumbfounded at how bad it was. I kept thinking, this is Deep Purple??

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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


 I never 'hated' the album as a whole, but certainly do hate 4 of the 9 tracks on it...to this day I still call those 4 tracks DP's 'Doobie Brothers wannabes' efforts - ugh! emoticon
 The 5 tracks I do like from the album are amongst some of the best DP material in the band's entire recorded catalogue, thopugh...just too damn bad the album didn't have the consistency of high quality that previous efforts had had, irrespective of which Mk.

---
" Those who can - do. Those who can't do - teach. Those who can't do or teach - administrate."
- Anon.

" One that will not reason is a bigot. One that cannot reason is an ignoramus. One that dares not reason is a slave." - Anon
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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


One thing I could never figure out. RB stated he does not like funky music, but he knew GH was into funk when they hired him. It should have come as no surprise to RB that Glenn would want to write and record this type of music. I wonder if during the recording of SB he regretted the firing of RG.
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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


An interesting snippet from a music paper I used to buy fairly frequently back in the day emoticon

Stormbringer has never been a favourite DP album of mine, I don't hate it but I can't rustle up much enthusiasm for it, either. I'm not one to over-analyse these things, but I suspect it's lack of appeal for me is down to the stodgy, lazy sound. I thought Burn kicked serious bottom, and CTTB was really on fire, but Stormbringer just seems to amble along in a fairly pedestrian fashion. To my ears, anyway.

Funnily enough I've revisited it in the last week as a result of listening to Opeth's cover of 'Soldier of Fortune' on their 'Ghost Reveries' album. Alas, I'm still not hugely into Stormbringer emoticon

(Edited for rather basic inaccuracy!)

Last edited by Zoom Club, 22/6/2008, 21:09


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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


Have always loved this one. I don't need "heavy music" all the time as long as it's good music. And Stormbringer is good music.
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Re: 1974 "Sounds" review of "Stormbringer"


it's not deep purple in the 'in rock' or 'machine head' sense of the name, but that doesn't mean it's a bad album. many people say it's 'bad' because their expectations are leaning too much towards mk2. in my view, it's only when people are willing to accept that deep purple were going in a new direction when Stormbringer came out that they are qualified to give a fairer judgement on what is a musically well written and produced album. this is deep purple, but just a different kind.
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