Released in 1974,
“Burn” was the first album by the mostly new "Mark III" lineup of Deep
Purple. The album sold considerably well and has gained strong critical
acclaim throughout the years. Let’s take a look at “Burn” and see what
makes this classic work so well.
The first difference you
will surely notice with the “Mark III” lineup is vocalist David
Coverdale, latter of Whitesnake fame. I have always enjoyed Coverdale’s
vocals, and they often surpass Ian Gillian in terms of bluesy swagger
and cocky sexual bravado. Additionally, lead and backup vocals are
provided by Glenn Hughes of Trapeze fame. The power of two lead
vocalists is quite interesting, and makes Burn quite a unique album.
Title track “Burn” is a fairly standard Ritchie Blackmore composition,
revealing the sound that would arrive very shortly with Blackmore’s next
project “Rainbow”. The song does not really deviate from any other Deep
Purple/Rainbow rockers, but does contain quite strong vocals and a
lengthy organ and guitar solo respectively. The classic elements are
nothing out of the ordinary, but Blackmore and Jon Lord really make the
most of elements of classical music during their solos, it is quite
interesting. Next, Deep Purple step fully into blues and soul mode with
“Might Just Take Your Life. The swirling organ of Jon Lord drives the
song along, and the Hammond playing on this album is simply some of the
best rock organ work I have heard. Although a fairly standard 1970s
rocker, the alternation between Hughes and Coverdale is quite enjoyable,
not unlike other multi-vocalist bands like the Band. Lay Down, Stay
Down sounds very much like a Whitesnake song. Centred around a
Zeppelin-esque riff, the song is quite a stomper. Although both singers
take turns here, I think that this very bluesy tracked is much more
suited to Coverdale’s raspy blues howl. Hughes’ voice is a tad too high
during this track, sounding somewhat comical and over-the-top. It is
almost as if both men are fighting for dominance of the track, somewhat
distracting. Additionally, like many of the songs on the album, the
solos are simply way too long and get boring quite quickly. Although he
is no doubt a great player, Blackmore’s playing had started to become
quite bloated in terms of length. Deep Purple get funky with “Sail
Away”, with keyboards sounding somewhat lifted from Stevie Wonder. The
song is quite dark sounding, with a funky but murky bass/organ and
effect-masked lead guitar. Coverdale delivers one of his best Purple
vocals on this one, and has an intensity and strength in his voice that
Hughes could only have hoped to have. Great song.
Side Two begins with the
very 1960s sounding “You Fool No One”. The song reminds one of Cream,
and the team vocals definitely start to become somewhat annoying at this
point. However, it is on this track that Hughes really lets loose and
shows quite a bit of range with a soaring vocal on the chorus. The
lengthy solo did not really hold my interest, and sounded somewhat like a
Santana knockoff. Overall, not a highlight at all. “What’s Goin’ On
Here” is a very conventional blues rocker, sounding very 1950s inspired.
The piano sounds straight out a blues club, but lies quite low in the
mix, buried beneath Blackmore’s guitar until the piano solo. I think the
song would have benefitted more from a screaming organ, and the piano
just feels quite underpowered. The song is very standard, and feels
like a quick jam cobbled together in a short time in the studio.
“Mistreated” again reminds one of Whitesnake. The bluesy lament about
lost love is a theme visited many times by Coverdale. The slow and
plodding riff is quite well-suited to the vocals, which reek of sorrow
and desperation. A great breakup song. My only complaint is the hefty
solos by both guitar and organ. The song is a little lengthy, and did
not need to be this long at all. The album closes with “A” 200, a more
spaced-out adventure into recording. Synthesizers are accompanied by a
marching-like beat sounding almost like a fanfare. An interesting
instrumental, but the lack of vocals s simply cannot be forgiven with
vocalists as good as Hughes and Coverdale in the roster. Blackmore does
come in with some guitar solos, but it is too late to save this lame
duck.
Burn is a good album,
however far from classic. There is probably more here for fans of
Whitesnake and Rainbow here than for Deep Purple fans. The bloated organ
and guitar solos, and the competition for vocal dominance make the
album feel a little showy, like the battle of five huge egos.
Rating-7/10
Rating-7/10
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