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BURN
 "'BURN'
is an accurate title for Deep Purple's new album, because
that's exactly what they do! This album has the excitement
found in "In Rock" and "Made In Japan" and sorely lacking
in "Who Do We Think We Are".
"In Rock" set the roots for Purple's style
which gained them recognition as the King Midas's of rock.
After all they are now one of the world's top selling and
top touring bands but their future was questionable after
the split of vocalist lan Gillan and bass player Roger Glover.
This album shows that the new replacements
Glenn Hughes, on bass and vocals and vocalist Dave Coverdale
have acted as a catalyst, injecting a new energy into the
remaining members' music.
"Burn" kicks off with the title track;
the most high powered number on the album. Ritchie Blackmore
knocks out a series of meaty chords and the rest of the
band join in and sound damn tight, it just doesn't sound
as if they've only been together for a matter of months.
There is some nice soloing from Jon and Ritchie; playing
classical type passages which sounds vaguely reminiscent
of their "In Rock" era.
"Might Just Take Your Life" drags to the point
of lethargy although it's brightened up by Lord's keyboard
virtuosity.
"Lay Down, Stay Down" indicates the direction
Purple are heading in and highlights Glenn's influence;
The song's funky and this makes the band come over funky
too. Ritchie plays a beautiful solo, tight, precise but
still containing the right amount of energy needed to make
it rock.
"Sail Away" has a nice soul beat that you hear
when Stevie Wonder is knocking out notes on his clavinet.
There is some nice vocal interplay between Dave and Glenn
and some weird sounds followed by a mellow, even laid back
solo from Ritchie, who can be gentle as he is aggressive
(listen to "When A Blind Man Cries").
Side Two opens up with "You Fool No One" which
is lan Paice's track. Everything is centred around his tireless
rhythmic passages and features an interesting phased solo
from Mr. Blackmore.
"What's Going On Here" is the hardest rocker
on the album, Jon having really opened up and the piano
solo is just as effective as anything he's done with electronics.
"A 200", a very dramatic track based round
Lord's keyboard and Moog work, gradually builds up and explodes
with Ritchie playing a flurry of notes. In the background
Glenn and lan work well adding to the dramatic theme of
the tune. It's a bit out of character to the rest of the
album but a definite closer. Warning us of things to come?
I hope not, "A 200" is the. name of a cure for disease acquired
when sitting on toilet seats and drinking from other people's
cups (know what I mean?)
It seems that Purple's enthusiasm has returned
again and this album is like a rebirth for them. All the
tickets are sold out on their forthcoming American tour
and their crown is getting heavier and harder to shift and
to tell you the truth I can't forsee that happening yet."
(UK music paper 1974...
...the reviewer forgot Mistreated!)
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COME
TASTE THE BAND
 "DEEP
Purple, as a band, have suffered from a mass musical malaise
for some time now. Their last album "Stormbringer" typified
this to a startling exent. As Jon Lord agrees, the band
had become tired and bored and it showed.
"Stormbringer" was certainly not what
Deep.Purple were about. Instead of a heads up onslaught
on the senses, relieved on occasion with more melodically
influenced breaks, the album was so laidback it was almost
horizontal. Now, of course, Ritchle Blackmore has left the
band and his replacement Tommy Bolin shows what a difference
can be wrought in an apparently dormant band by the addition
of just one new member.
In total, " Come Taste The Band" comes
across as an album made by a fresh, alive and creative unit
- light years from the tedium of "Stormbringer." It Is not
easy to overstate the influence of Bolin. For a start, he
wrote eight of the tracks on this ten track opus and he's
obviously had a great deal of freedom given him by the other
five. In shaping the band's musical direction. Furthermore,
he is an inventive and tasteful guitarist - Blackmore is
able enough, to be sure, but in the context of Purple he
had become just a trifle stereotyped. Bolin, on the other
hand, is shiny, new and untainted by Purple's longstanding
musical and personal problems.
The album starts in fine roaring style with
"Comin' Home," a metal-sharp belter which gives Coverdale
plenty of room for his vocal pyrotechnics. "Lady Luck,"
"Gettin' Tighter" and "Dealer" continue the theme of power,
with just o bit of malevolance showing through on the latter
through Hughes's moody bass lines. "Owed To G," despite
it's irritating and ersatz underground title, and "Love
Child" give Lord a chance to shine. And It must be stated
here that the man is a pretty fine keyboardist. He tends
at times to overstate the classicism in his style but, one
feels, his solo excursions are going a long way to expunge
the more obvious and hence annoying traits in this formalised
approach.
A good album, representative of Purple and
a promising indicator of things to come. They may never
achieve again the public and critical acceptance which was
theirs with past efforts but they show here that they're
still a viable band, capable of producing exciting and Interesting
music."
(1975, UK music paper)
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Might
Just Take Your Life
 "Deep
Purple are not the band they once were - and I for one.
don't mind thal at all. The older Purple sound now sounds
terribly dated, but the new sounds prelty contemporary -
on this single I was even reminded somewhat of Steely Dan.
The "Burn" LP from which this comes is high, high, high
in the lists and that could hurt sales of the single. Opening
with a spot of drumming over belching organ, the side avoids
the crunching excesses or previous Deep Purple records.
The vocals are just fine too: expressive, clear and coherent.
In America "Might Just Take Your Life" is 97
in the chart I have - but it is climbing. I doubt whether
it'll burst into our very own and truly wonderful Top Twenty
though."
(UK music paper, 1974)
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STORMBRINGER
 "WHEN
YOU weigh it up, Deep Purple are in the most unenviable
of positions - they have a certain reputation to live up
to, right? Presumably in an attempt to retain the magical
quality which obviously makes them more than Another Rock
and Roll Band they've maintained certain style characteristics
that unfortunately never allowed them to develop musically.
And even though they got themselves a new singer and bass
player, their last album "Burn" was pretty much a predictable
member of the Purple cycle, and certainly nothing innovatory.
To an extent "Stonnbringer" follows a similar tactical plan.
The title track is a roaring riff of cliches, which later
reappear with variations on the barren "Love Don't Mean
A Thing," and the electronic groan called "Lady Double Dealer."
The rest of the album is, well, a damn sight better, with
sparks of ingenuity occasionally lighting up like a hundred
Ronson electronics clicked in unison. But the overall impression
of the album is one of change: Deep Purple are slipping
out of that worn and shiny cloak which was so easily recognisable.
The most distinctive facet of their new image comes with
such numbers as "Hold On," "You Can't Do It Right," "High
Ball Shooter" and to a lesser degree "Gypsy." All these
exude a laid-back funkiness, no doubt an influence of Black
Soul music. Perhaps the key phrase to this set actually
is laid-back. Glenn Hughes on bass and drummer lan Paice
rock steady throughout, laying down a meaty (though strangely
non-eventful), rhythmic tempo. "Holy Man" is decidedly dull,
and Paice and Hughes only become inventive on the last track
of side one, "Hold On." In the same way the vocal chores
of Hughes and David Coverdale complement the musical feel,
except for some over-dramatisation by Coverdale which mars
the finest composition of the set, "Soldier Of Fortune."
It is probably Ritchie Blackmore who commands the majority
of honours for this album. He is superb, placing neat, cohesive
figures into "Hold On," chopping fine rhythm patterns on
"You Can't Do It Right" and easing through some deliberately
mellow and refined lines on "Love Don't Mean A Thing." And
Jon Lord is so laid back he doesn't make any significant
keyboard contributions until the third cut on side two.
More so than most of their previous albums '"Stormbringer"
is quite a satisfying musical excursion, despite the criticisms
I've already noted, and plus the fact that the lyrics are
generally very ordinary. One should not, however, overlook
the fact this is quite an adventurous album for Purple insomuch
as it attempts to stay clear of tried and tested formulas.
And the result, even if flawed, does at least partly enhance
their musical credibility.
(UK music paper 1974)
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You
Keep On Moving
 "More
slow and soulful rather than the high-speed heavy-metal
blitzkrieg you might expect. A dark, thick, angry churning,
sound from the 'Come Taste The Band' album and rather impressive."
(UK music paper 1976)
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 All
of these reviews are selected from the
DEEP PURPLE APPRECIATION SOCIETY 'SCRAPBBOOK 4 - RECORD
REVIEWS';
sixteen
pages containing over 100 contemporary newspaper and magazine
reviews covering Deep Purple releases from 1968-1982.
It
is available exclusively from the
dpas online store.
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