Stormbringer

Stormbringer is the ninth album by Deep Purple, recorded and released in 1974. It was also the second and last album recorded by the Mark III line-up, featuring:

David Coverdale - vocals
Glenn Hughes - bass, vocals
Ritchie Blackmore - guitar
Jon Lord - keyboards
Ian Paice - drums

The album was a further departure from the band’s trademark hard rock sound in favour of soul and funk elements already hinted on the previous release, Burn. David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, the two new members of the band, had even bigger influence on the whole recording process than on Burn. Ritchie Blackmore, dissatisfied with the band’s new sound, left Deep Purple after the completion of a supporting tour, putting Mark III to an end.

Just like with Burn, most songs on Stormbringer are sung by both singers, Coverdale and Hughes, except “Holy Man” sung only by Hughes and “Soldier Of Fortune” sung only by Coverdale.

Some of the songs from the album were performed live in 1974-1976 but none of them after the band’s reunion in 1984, although Whitesnake (Coverdale-fronted band) and Glenn Hughes still include some of those tracks in their live setlists. “Soldier Of Fortune”, although not performed by the band for almost 35 years (as of 2010), is one of the most popular Deep Purple songs among fans and has been performed live by Whitesnake, Jon Lord and Blackmore’s Night.

The album was remastered and re-released in 2009, as a 35th Anniversary Edition, including the original album remastered along with some new mixes done by Glenn Hughes on disc one, and the whole album in the original 5.