Stormbringer (album)

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This article is about the Deep Purple album. For the John and Beverley Martyn album, see Stormbringer!
Stormbringer
DeepPurpleStormbringer.jpg
Studio album by Deep Purple
Released November 1974
Recorded Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany, August 1974
Genre Hard rock, funk rock, blues rock[1]
Length 36:31
Label EMI/Purple (UK)
Warner Bros. (US)
Producer Martin Birch & Deep Purple
Deep Purple chronology
Burn
(1974)Burn1974		 Stormbringer
(1974)		 Come Taste the Band
(1975)Come Taste the Band1975
Ritchie Blackmore chronology
Burn
(1974)		 Stormbringer
(1974)		 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
(1975)
Alternative cover
35th anniversary CD slipcase
35th anniversary CD slipcase

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.

History

When Ritchie Blackmore's (admittedly odd) request to cover an old Quatermass track "Black Sheep of the Family" fell on stony ground he ended up taking a relative back seat in the studio. Stormbringer took shape blending rock, soul and funk in a way that was quite ahead of its time. It was released in double quick time in December 1974. Blackmore then followed his own muse by recording the Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow solo album in early 1975, backed by members of Deep Purple's regular support act Elf."[2]

Ritchie Blackmore would leave after the making of and touring of this album, returning later during the recording of the Perfect Strangers album.

Album cover and title

The cover image of Stormbringer is based on a photo. On 8 July 1927 a tornado near the town of Jasper, Minnesota was photographed by Lucille Handberg.[3] Her photograph has become a classic image,[4] and was used and edited for the album's cover. The same photograph was used for Miles Davis' album Bitches Brew in 1970 and Siouxsie and the Banshees' album Tinderbox in 1986.

Stormbringer is also the name of a magical sword described in several novels by Michael Moorcock. David Coverdale has denied knowledge of this until shortly after recording the album.[5] A few years later, Moorcock collaborated with Blue Öyster Cult to write "Black Blade," a song that actually was about the sword Stormbringer.[6]

According to Glenn Hughes, the slurred gibberish that is spoken by David Coverdale at the beginning of the title track just prior to the first verse is the same backwards dialogue that Linda Blair's character utters in the film The Exorcist when she is questioned by the priest.[7]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 2/5 stars[8]
Džuboks favorable[9]
Sputnik Music 3.5/5 stars[10]

Alex Henderson of AllMusic writes that "Stormbringer falls short of the excellence of Machine Head and Who Do We Think We Are, but nonetheless boasts some definite classics – including the fiery "Lady Double Dealer," the ominous title song (a goth metal treasure), the sweaty "High Ball Shooter," and the melancholy ballad "Soldier of Fortune."

Reissues

In 1990, the album was remastered and re-released in the US by Metal Blade Records with distribution by Warner Bros.

This record has been the object of much renewed interest: Friday Music label released it stateside on 31 July 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) worked with Glenn Hughes on a remastered, expanded version of the album (much like the one done with Burn) which includes bonus remixes/alternate takes.

35th Anniversary Edition

On 23 February 2009 as a 35th Anniversary Edition was released for the European/international market only. The release has been expanded into a limited edition 2 disc set: the first disc is the full remastered album along with the new remixes, and the second disc is a DVD containing the quadraphonic mix in 5.1 audio as originally released in the USA on Quad reel back in 1974. Once the CD/DVD edition sells out a single CD edition will follow it. A limited double gatefold vinyl edition was also released.

Track listing

All songs written by Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice, except as noted

Original CD release

No. Title Length
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

Personnel

Deep Purple
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
  • 35th Anniversary Edition digital mastering and remastering by Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios, London
  • Remixes for the "35th Anniversary Edition" mixed by Glenn Hughes with Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios, London, 3 November 2006
  • "High Ball Shooter" (Instrumental) mixed by Gary Massey at Abbey Road Studios, London, April 2002
  • Original Quad mix by Gary Ladinsky at The Record Plant, October 1974
  • Reformated for 5.1 surround sound by Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios, London, February 2008[5]

Charts

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Classic Rock United Kingdom "100 Greatest British Rock Album Ever"[18] 2006 62

(*) designates unordered lists.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Deep Purple Family Tree at DPAS/Darker Than Blue URL accessed 24 October 2012
  3. ↑ Tornado Historical Photos and Information
  4. ↑ Lane, F.W. The Elements Rage (David and Charles 1966), plate 11: "The classic photograph of a tornado"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ See Michael Moorcock's post on the Moorcock's Miscellany forum: [1].
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Allmusic review
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/32920/Deep-Purple-Stormbringer/
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Stormbringer on Danish Charts in 1974
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select DEEP PURPLE and click OK
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Stormbringer in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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