Made In Japan is one of the best live albums ever, just perfect throughout.

Who Do We Think We Are has always been kind of an iffy release for me, there's some songs I really like, and some I dont. I actually really didnt sit down with it until it was remastered for the 25th anniversary, previous to that, I just picked the 4 songs I really liked and stuck with it. Painted Horse is a must hear, too bad it didnt make the album! All in all, I wish they would have kept it a little tighter seeing as it would be the last mark II album for quite some time.

On to Deep Purple's next album 1974's 'Burn'. Both Ian Gillan and Roger Glover are out of Purple, Ritchie Blackmore first approached Paul Rodgers to take the gig, but Rodgers turned him down. They finally settled on unknown vocalist 22 year old David Coverdale and former Trapeze vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, who was given the impression that he would be the sole vocalist.

The album kicks off with a great opening 'Burn' and it one of Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord's greatest solos. The riff to 'Burn' has got to be one of the heaviest Deep Purple had ever done up to this point. The next two tracks show what both Coverdale and Hughes brought to the table, 'Might Just Take Your Life' and 'Lay Down, Stay Down' both adding an element of funk and the later song driven by Ian Paice's frentic drumming. Coverdale and Huges voices blend very well together, and David Coverdale sounds fanstaic through out the album. His voice very different than Ian Gillan's. 'Sail Away' the next track is one of my favorite Purple tracks and also very underrated.

This album is still Ritchie Blackmore's show but he does allow the new boys to shine throughout, Blackmore sounds particually inspired and allows David Coverdale a vocal showcase in what maybe the greatest ballad Deep Purple ever wrote 'Mistreated'. This song was so popular that when the band broke up, the offshot bands such as Whitesnake, Rainbow, and even Dio would add this song to the songlist from time to time.

Highly recommended.

Never heard this album before. I'm fascinated by those candles though.

Great album. Not as good as the Gillan years, but still a worth album.

My borther used to have "Burn" on vinyl. And the title track alone is worth the money for the album. Such a great song, and a prototype of sorts for every melodic metal song thereafter.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I never heard this album until the 2004 remaster came out...I only had the title track on the "Deepest Purple" compilation album. But then again, it was like discovering buried treasure.

Burn is an almost flawless album, a major improvement over Who Do We Think We Are. The addition of Coverdale & Hughes jolted Blackmore, Lord & Paice into giving incredibly inspired performances...Blackmore is especially impressive, laying down one awesome solo after another. The songwriting is first rate as well, tracks like Lay Down Stay Down, Sail Away and You Fool No One are as good as anything in the Purple discography. The title track of course is a bona-fide classic and continues the development of neo-classical heavy metal into great heights.

The dual-lead vocal experiment really works on this album with Hughes & Coverdale in perfect sync throughout.

The only song on here that doesn't really work is the instrumental "A" 200 which sounds like filler. However, the 2004 remaster makes up for it by including the far superior instrumental "Coronarias Redig" featuring some gorgeous playing by Blackmore. (plus, listen closely and you'll hear the building blocks for a couple different Rainbow songs in this track)

Burn should be in every Deep Purple collection and is a criminally underrated album.

Up next 1974's 'Stormbringer', an album that have dismissed as their worst album but at urging of detuned and for the purposes of this thread I pulled this album out of the achieves and was pleasantly surprised. Still not my favorite Deep Purple platter but better than I remember.

This album seems to be more of Glenn Hughes and to some smaller extent David Coverdale's baby, with Ritchie Blackmore more in the support role than leadership role. The funk and soul elements that were only hinted at on 'Burn' are more prevelant on 'Stormbringer'.

The album kicks off with a classic Deep Purple scorcher, the title track has a killer riff and would be one of few songs for this album that would make the set list. The next track is where Purple take a soul almost Stevie Wonder vibe "Love Don't Mean A Thing", Coverdale and Hughes voices blending nicely together. The next track is 'Holy Man' where Glenn Hughes sings the lead vocal solo and was one of the best cuts on the album despite its uncharastic of Deep Purple's style. 'Hold On' the next track is not a bad tune but sounds like it could have comfortably fit on early Whitesnake album as does 'Highball Shooter'

'Lady Double Dealer' another great song with a great Blackmore riff and this song along with 'The Gypsy' would be only other two songs that would make the set list. 'The Gypsy features one of Blackmore's snaky leads. 'You Can't Do it Right (With the One You Love)' is full blown out funk number, with soulful backround vocals and Blackmore playing in style you would never ever hear him explore again. The album ends with 'Solider of Fortune' an acoustic ballad, a very beautiful song with one of David Coverdale's greatest performances.

Ritchie Blackmore was unhappy with the direction of the album and called it 'shoeshine music' and would quit mid way thru the tour.

I enjoy the album now after giving a careful listen, it is not your typical Deep Purple release but it is worth hearing to hear this band take an artistic but interesting detour.

I appreciate the Coverdale years more now than back in the 70's

Burn: Initally when I first saw this and found out Gillan and Glover were gone, I passed over it up until I saw every album used (from Concerto through Perfect Strangers) in a thrift store when I was about 16. Burn was the first one I tossed on, and WOW right from the title track, you know its a different Purple, but their rocking hard as hell and sound rejuvenated. Along with some funk infused into their blusey rock, which sounds great to my ears.

Chock full of great Blackmore leads and riffs, along with some great perfromances from Paice and Lord add a real strong backbone to the albums sound. The dual lead vocals of Coverdale and Hughes works amazing, which I didnt expect, and the latters bass playing is excellent. Aside from "A" 200, they dont drop the ball at all here, and Burn, Might Just Take Your Life, Sail Away, and Mistreated are all instant Purple classics. If you like Purple you need to own this!

Stormbringer was another album that I never heard until recently (aside from the title track which I had on a compilation album). My expectations were fairly low due to it's reputation, so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it's not a bad album at all...not earth shattering...but not the disaster it's reputed to be.

The title track is a classic Purple tune that would have fit perfectly on Burn. But the real gem on this album is "Holy Man". That song just blew me away. It's a Glenn Hughes feature who sings beautifully on here, it probably sounds more like Bad Company than Deep Purple but this tune deserves to be revived (by somebody). Lord's synthesizer backing is gorgeous and Blackmore has a very tasteful clean-toned solo.

The other stand out track on here is "You Can't Do It Right", which is a great funk-rock tune with a very hip Blackmore riff. Lord lays down a very funky synthesizer solo that's not unlike the stuff Herbie Hancock was doing at the time.

Lady Double Dealer and High Ball Shooter are typical fast Purple rockers (with shades of what Whitesnake would sound like). The rest of the tracks are fairly generic but listenable. The last track "Soldier Of Fortune" is a nice ballad feature for Coverdale with some tasteful Blackmore slide guitar backing and synthesized strings.

All in all an album that's far better than it's reputation.

Stormbringer: Better than most claim it to be, this is still a Purple album I like, but don't particularly love. More or less continuing in the same vein as Burn, but ever more of a Coverdale/Hughes project than the last one was it has some good moments but isnt an outright ass kicker. However, its worth picking up for Stormbringer, Holy Man, You Can't Do It Right, Lady Double Dealer, and High Ball Shooter. And the band still gives some pretty great performances despite most of the other songs being ho hum.

Maybe the disappointment with 'Stormbringer' at least for me, is that it followed such as kick ass album where the impact is immediate, where 'Stormbringer' is an album you have to live with for awhile and soul/funk influences are very strong on this album, something they sort of hinted at on ' Burn' but was a primary influences on this album. where on this album as DC and detuned have pointed out is really Glenn Hughes and Coverdale's baby.

Also as metal kid I hardly appreciated any other genres of music beside heavy metal/hard rock so a heavy metal Stevie Wonder album was not to appealing to my 13 year old ears.

Really Burn has been for me the most durable of all their studio albums. The chemistry between Coverdale and Hughes worked very well in the studio, but if I remember correctly they were a bust on stage as Coverdale was very young and suffered from stage fright, while Hughes was always high as hell and tended to overwhelm Coverdale in live settings. I'm sure some of you know more about the tension in this band around this time. There must be some interesting stories about the Hughes/Coverdale (and then Bolin) years.

On to the next album and the final studio album til the Mark II line up reunited in 1984. Before the 'Stormbringer' tour ended Ritchie Blackmore quit and many fans and critics started writing Deep Purple's epitaph. Jon Lord and Ian Paice wanted to fold the band, but David Coverdale convinced them to keep the band going after Coverdale played them Billy Cobham's album that featured a very young hot shot guitartist Tommy Bolin.

Tommy Bolin agreed to join Deep Purple taking the daunting task of replacing Ritchie Blackmore, and the result is the very excellent 'Come Taste the Band'. Tommy Bolin came from jazz fusion hard rock style that differs completely from Blackmore. Deep Purple's 'Come Taste the Band ' features 9 songs, 7 which were co written with Tommy Bolin.

In some ways this album resembles more of Tommy Bolin solo project than a Deep Purple album. The opening track 'Comin' Home' is a classic Deep Purple but Bolin's playing features non of neo classical style of Blackmore. "Lady Luck' written by David Coverdale and Bolin's songwriting partner Jeff Cook sounds like a Whitesnake tune, til the solo.

'Gettin' Tighter' co written with Glenn Hughes features a funk style meeting Bolin's more fusion style, an excellent song,.

The real classic of this album is Jon Lord/Glenn Hughes song opus 'This Time Around/Owed to G' and the Hughes/Coverdale/ Bolin number of 'You Keep Me Movin'. Features some of the best vocal performances from Coverdale and Hughes. Jon Lord and Tommy Bolin both well against each other and their solos are mini compostions within the song.

It is too bad this band imploded soon after hitting the road. People blame Tommy Bolin's increasing drug problem, but in reality it was Tommy Bolin's quickly growing disenchaunted with Deep Purple's management and just general disinterest in playing the old Purple standards and audiencing hollering for Blackmore. There are times that Bolin on stage played brillantly but more often than not he sounded bored and fustrated. Also he released the brillant solo album 'Teaser' which was becoming a critically acclaimed and began to sell well.

After the tour ended in 1976, Deep Purple disbanded with David Coverdale releasing two solo albums and forming Whitesnake eventually recruiting both Jon Lord and Ian Paice. Glenn Hughes would go on to solo career, drug addiction, Black Sabbath, rehab and late career bloom.

Tommy Bolin would go on to release one more solo album 'Private Eyes' and play a number of brillant concerts (as evidence by the number of live recordings that have been unearthed), and after opening for Jeff Beck in Miami would die of a drug overdose at the age of 25. A sad ending for one of the greatest and unsung guitartist of his generation.

A sad end for one of the first, greatest and most influential bands of all time.

If you have not had the pleasure of hearing him play do yourself and pick up this album or 'Teaser'.

A unique collection of talent right at that point, and some great but highly varied and ideosycratic music was the result. Probably the best project Tommy Bolin was ever involved in, which says a lot because his solo albums are great and his James Gang stuff is pretty good too. It's too bad he didn't do more with Moxy, because I loved Moxy.

Something about this album just doesn't gel with me. Nothing wrong with the individual performances, but I'm just not convinced of the songwriting...after I hear this record not a single song sticks in my head. It just sounds too generic for a Deep Purple record.

Bolin was a fantastic guitarist, but I really think he was much better suited as a fusion player (Mind Transplant & Spectrum bear this out), he just sounds kind of bored playing these songs (until the solos). The only track that seems to really click is the instrumental Owed To G where he gets a chance to really stretch out and show his stuff. Maybe if they had steered some of the vocal tracks more towards this style the album would have been better.

The other problem is that this just doesn't sound like a Deep Purple album, not at all. It sounds like a David Coverdale solo album, not even Glenn Hughes makes much of an impression on this one. Jon Lord gets an occasional interesting solo...but for the most part it just doesn't work for me.

Bolin's early death was a tragedy, but I think his legacy is better served by his solo material and the jazz albums I mentioned above...he just sounds like a fish out of water on this one.

I think the songwriting on the album is just fine but I can see where detuned is coming from with proto type Whitesnake like songs like 'Lady Luck' and 'I Need Love' but IMO those songs take a completely different flavor with Tommy Bolin's guitar playing.

I do agree that Bolin's legacy is better represented by his solo albums or his sessions he did with Billy Cobham and others, but this is the album that introduced me to Tommy Bolin, and I think it is a great place to start.

But I can see where detuned is coming from, this really sounds nothing like Deep Purple. Tommy Bolin changed the identity of the band around to suit his songwriting and playing style.

It's a shame, I really WANT to like this album because Bolin was such an amazing player...but I just can't. Who knows, maybe one day it will hit me.

Here is two interesting versions of how Tommy Bolin joined the band, but I am not sure which one is true,

There are at least two versions about the recruitment of Bolin: Coverdale claims to have been the one who suggested auditioning Bolin ^[15]. "He walked in, thin as a rake, his hair coloured green, yellow, and blue with feathers in it. Slinking along beside him was this stunning Hawaiian girl in a crochet dress with nothing on underneath. He plugged into four Marshall 100-watt stacks and...the job was his." But in an interview originally published by Melody Maker in June 1975, Bolin himself claimed that he came to the audition following a recommendation from Ritchie Blackmore


Ritchie Blackmore in an interview with Guitar World in 1990 he was asked about Tommy Bolin, and he admited that he admired his playing and stated that on following night's Rainbow show after he had heard of Bolin's passing that Dio had dedicated 'Mistreated' to Bolin, but no mention is made whether he truly recommended Tommy Bolin or not. Also he offered no opinion on what he thought of 'Come Taste the Band'.

After Deep Purple disbanded in 1976, a series of live albums would be released by their record labels, since at this point in time the management claimed to own the master tapes and rights to various Deep Purple line ups. This issue would take almost two decades to clean up and eventually would go in Deep Purple's favor.

In 1976, Warner Bros released 'Made In Europe' by the Mark III line up, in hopes of duplicating the success of 'Made In Japan'. This album sold well and was a single album instead of a double. These performances are from some of the last that Ritchie Blackmore would perform with this version of Deep Purple. The only two albums represented are 'Burn' and 'Stormbringer' and live performances are excellent. On various live albums released in the future with this line up, it sometimes sounds like Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale are trying to top each other vocally, on this recordings none of that is going on and Coverdale is main vocal presence. Both Blackmore and Lord claim that the live cuts were badly edited and the album did not meet their standards.

In the 1990's the band reissued this live album properly, without the editing. The album was entitled 'Mark III: The Final Concerts' and was released under two different covers. IMO this is the definite live album from this version of the band, and the band still sounds hungry. It is hard to believe that Ritchie Blackmore quits soon after this recordings were made since his playing is incredible through out the performances.

If you see 'Made In Europe' cheap pick it up it is not a bad album but I would recommend the Deep Purple approved release of 'Mark III:The Final Concerts' over 'Made In Europe'. Also note it is also known as 'Archive Alive' but it is the same album as 'Mark III: The Final Concerts', but with a different cover.





Also some of thess same live cuts were released as 'Live In Paris' which is a show of the final concert of the Mark III line up.

Come Taste The Band is actually my favorite post- Gillan Deep Purple album, I just love Tommy Bolin's guitar playing, and they way Hughes' funk vibe flows with it. Comin' Home is a true Purple classic from ANY era of the band.

In 1977 another live album was released titled 'Last Concert in Japan' , this album was another album released without the band's authority. The album was horribly edited and badly mastered and it served only to hurt Deep Purple and in particular Tommy Bolin's reputation. Warner Bros refused to issue a release for the states.

In 2001 Deep Purple took matters into their own hands and re-released the album as 'This Time Around: Live in Tokyo'. The album recorded on December 15, 1975 is still not a great live album despite the best efforts of the band an improved sound recording and including the complete show.

This is the sound of a band on its death kneel. Supposedly Tommy Bolin shoot up some bad heroin or may have slept on his arm wrong. Whatever the case maybe this is worst Tommy Bolin performance ever released. He seems bored and disinterested. Once in awhile he will play a great solo and only seems to come to life when he plays his song from his solo album 'Wild Dogs'. This also happens to be best song on the album. His playing on the album may not be as terrible as

It is very easy to make to lay all the blame at the feet of Tommy Bolin, but Coverdale and Hughes trying to out do each other in vocal dept. is both annoying and distracting. Jon Lord and Ian Paice hold the whole thing together but overall it is not a great show.

Tommy Bolin seems lost and seems to be trying to find a place to fit in, his performance may not have been his best but as stated before he manages to sneak a few interesting solos and leads, and is solo guitar spot is incredible mixture of fusion, metal and Bolin's own special magic. It is too bad that their is not more of that during this concert. Coverdale and Hughes performance is amazing, but not amazing in a good way.

Not recommended unless one is a completist but if you insist on owning this album skip 'Last Concert in Japan' and buy 'This Time Around: Live In Tokyo'

I wanted to give a shout out to this particular compilation which was very important in my becoming a Deep Purple fan. It also contained the U.S. debuts of a couple songs:

Black Night - This song (one of my favorites) was released as a single before In Rock came out, but wasn't included on the U.S. version of the album.

Demon's Eye - Probably one of the best tunes Purple ever recorded, this song was on the UK version of Fireball, but the U.S. LP substituted the single "Strange Kind Of Woman".

Speed King - There is a slightly longer take of Speed King on this release, which starts with a Jon Lord organ solo prior to the song kicking in (the full-length version wouldn't be available until the 25th anniversary release of In Rock).

The remastered versions of the Purple Catalog has pretty much made this compilation obsolete at this point, however I still think the sequencing is fantastic on this record....and if you really only want one Deep Purple disc in your collection, it's still a great choice.

Tracklist:
1. Black Night
2. Speed King
3. Fireball
4. Strange Kind Of Woman
5. Child In Time
6. Woman From Tokyo
7. Highway Star
8. Space Truckin'
9. Burn
10. Stormbringer
11. Demon's Eye
12. Smoke On The Water

Excellent comp and highly recommended if you are looking for a one shot Deep Purple comp.