Deep Purple - Stormbringer (Original Recording Remastered)

The first in the series of three new Deep Purple remastered discs from Friday Music, "Stormbringer" the hugely successful Deep Purple album, marks its first release to a North American audience, after being out of print for almost two decades.

Recorded in 1974 as a follow-up to their multi- platinum release "Burn", Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Ian Paice and Jon Lord forged ahead with a harder sound and continued their assault on audiences worldwide with "Stormbringer."

With an apocalyptic entrance, the title track " Stormbringer" kicks the album into a full gear. Blackmore, known for creating some of the finest and most familiar riffs in music history, continues his legendary roll with this metal anthem. Coverdale notches up another career defining song as well, which has followed him through his amazing run with Deep Purple and his own successful arena band Whitesnake.

Eight more incredible performances continue to thrill the listener including the Glenn Hughes melodic classic "Holy Man" and the rocking "Lady Double Dealer", which features the solid back beat of Ian Paice and Jon Lord, which became one of the more lasting tracks in their long list of fan favorites.

The bluesy ballad "Soldier Of Fortune" showcases the strength of David Coverdale's writing and vocal ability, and is a fine close out to this sorely missed album. Newly remastered from the impeccable Warner Music vaults by Joe Reagoso (Procol Harum, David Lee Roth, Johnny Winter, Canned Heat, packaged with new liner notes, with the cd packaged in a very cool limited edition purple tray, welcome back this much heralded album for the first time on cd in almost two decades. Album Description

The mighty Stormbringer

This album is awesome. High quality all the way through. Very memorable songs. Buy it. March 8, 2008

Whoa! Hold on a minute...

Stormbringer is a decent album. Not my favorite Purple album, but still ok listening. Here's the thing, though. The DPAS (Deep Purple Appreciation Society--www.deep-purple.net) is currently working with EMI, Purple Records, and Glenn Hughes himself on a REAL remastered version of Stormbringer. This so-called remaster here is just the original album mixed differently. If you have any of the other Purple remasters (Shades, Book of Taliesyn, Deep Purple, In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head, Who Do We Think We Are, Burn), then you know that they've each come with a bunch of bonus tracks and extensive liner notes, rare photos, etc. This version doesn't have any additional tracks or anything of the sort. If you'd just like to get the album to hear, then this is what you want. It's good that this is finally getting put out in America again. However, if you're a Purple fanatic, I'd suggest waiting until the DPAS remaster is released sometime in late 2007 or early 2008. Cheers. September 23, 2007

Erzats funk and radio friendly disco blues. Where's the rock?!?!

What a disappointing album. I was a huge Deep Purple fan starting with the album In Rock, though I now like the earlier stuff quite a bit. But I started with and loved Deep Purple Mk 2 with singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover. I weathered the change in vocalists to the duel vocals of Glen Hughes and David Coverdale and thought Purple's previous album to Stormbringer, Burn was very good although not quite as good as most of the Mk 2 albums. So I bought Stormbringer thinking I was going to get more music of the same quality as Burn, listened to it and hung my head in despair. A once great hard rock band had devolved into a radio friendly amalgam of blues, gutless r&b and unoriginal and uninspired rock. Deep Purple seems to have succumbed to the prevailing tastes of the day circa 1974, ie. bland middle of the road mush or maybe Glen Hughes is to blame? In any case this bowl of musical outmeal was the result. It killed the band for me and apparently Ritchie Blackmore as well as he left soon after Stormbringers release. Deep Purple had a very original prog influenced hard rock sound that I loved and they completely abandoned on Stormbringer. Many of these psuedo R&B songs sound like variations on Play That Funky Music White Boy by Wild Cherry! WTF? The best songs sound like second rate Whitesnake which seeing as how Whitesnake are a second rate band means that Stormbringer sounds like crap. After this debacle Blackmore left to form Rainbow and the drug addled Tommy Bolin replaced him for the better follow up album Come Taste The Band. Untortunately for me DP without Blackmore isn't DP so I didn't buy it. They lost me. Unless you like the top forty circa 1974 or really bland cliche hard rock or cheesy R&B, avoid Stormbringer as you would a rabid cat. This is the album where DP lost their muse, their soul and their audience. Buy it and prepare to be bored. September 7, 2007

The era when hard rock music started going soft

Whenever I listen to Stormbringer, I think of the era when real rock music started going soft. Groups like Bad Company and the Eagles started making noise, and Elton John was the cats meow. So, Deep Purple started sounding like easy rock too, but to this day I think it's a pretty enjoyable album, much more so than Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti for example. I can't believe a lot of the songs from Stormbringer aren't played on classic rock radio. I understand some Deep Purple (MKII) is a little to intense for your average person, but this album is so mellow (in Purple terms) that your Grandma could probably handle it being played at a decent volume. The only song I've never really liked is "Highball Shooter," it's alright, but the rest I love.

Highlights: Holy Man, Hold On, You Can't Do It Right and Soldier Of Fortune.
September 4, 2007

Hold On...

Hey Purple-heads of all ages and places out there!

I just wanted to take a moment to give you a quick note before you go in and buy this CD: there is ANOTHER release of this album in the works, scheduled for late '07 (or early '08) that is going to be...well, maybe better is not the right word, but rather more "complete"...

Remember the remastered "Burn" that Rhino released a few years ago, which was expanded to include some bonus remixes done by Glenn Hughes and the b-side "Coronarias Redig"? Well, EMI (Purple's Label for the world outside the US) was in FACT responsible for THAT release and Rhino only picked it up after it was done...

And now, once again, EMI has prepared a remastered, expanded edition of "Stormbringer" (working with Glenn again) for release outside the US...yeah, I know, it stinks having to pay for import CD's, but c'mon, this is Purple we're talking about! I'm sure you'd prefer the WHOLE package, wouldn't you? I know I do!

I have nothing against THIS release from Friday Music (actually, I think it is a worthy effort to salvage a long lost, truly awesome album), I haven't even heard it yet, so I can't really critizise it, but I felt compelled to give ya 'all a heads-up about this...

Stormbringer? It's a jewel, one of my fav Purple albums, even if it is a true departure from their trademark fast paced, guitar driven sound...I like it even more than the MK II albums...yeah...that's how much I like it...if you want a little more in depth comment about the songs, check out my review of the 2 CD pack of "Burn/Stormbringer"...

The only reason why I give this CD 4 stars and not 5 is because I'd rather wait for the expanded EMI release...But hey, it's your dough, after all, and God knows I'd be the last person in the world to be telling other people what to do...

Peace and Rock On... August 31, 2007

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