Stormbringer (album)

Stormbringer is the ninth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in November 1974. It was the band's second studio album to feature the Mk III lineup including vocalist David Coverdale and bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes.

For other uses, see Stormbringer (disambiguation).

Stormbringer
Studio album by
Deep Purple
Released8 November 1974[1]
RecordedAugust–September 1974
Studio
Genre
Length36:31
LabelPurple
ProducerMartin Birch & Deep Purple
Deep Purple chronology
Burn
(1974)		 Stormbringer
(1974)		 Come Taste the Band
(1975)
Singles from Stormbringer
  1. "You Can't Do It Right"
    Released: 29 November 1974 (US)[2]
  2. "Lady Double Dealer"
    Released: December 1974 (Japan)
  3. "Stormbringer"
    Released: January 1975[3]
Ritchie Blackmore chronology
Burn
(1974)		 Stormbringer
(1974)		 Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
(1975)
Alternative cover
35th anniversary CD slipcase

Album cover and title

The cover image of Stormbringer is based on a photo. On 8 July 1927 a tornado near the town of Jasper, Minnesota, was photographed by Lucille Handberg.[4] Her photograph has become a classic image,[5] and was used and edited for the album's cover. The same photograph was used for Miles Davis' album Bitches Brew in 1970 and Siouxsie and the Banshees' album Tinderbox in 1986.

Stormbringer is the name of the second Elric of Melniboné novel by Michael Moorcock. It is the name of a magical sword described in many novels and comics by Moorcock and others which enjoyed enormous success in the 1960s and '70s. David Coverdale has denied knowledge of this until shortly after recording the album. In an interview with Charles Shaar Murray in the New Musical Express he claimed that the name was from mythology.[6] A few years later, Moorcock collaborated with Blue Öyster Cult to write "Black Blade", a song that actually was about the sword Stormbringer.[7]

According to Glenn Hughes, the slurred gibberish that is spoken by Coverdale at the beginning of the title track just prior to the first verse is the same backwards dialogue that Linda Blair's character utters in the film The Exorcist, when she is questioned by the priest.[8]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Blogcritics(favourable)[10]
Džuboks(favourable)[11]
Record Collector[12]
Rolling Stone(mixed)[13]

In a retrospective review Alex Henderson of AllMusic writes that "Stormbringer falls short of the excellence of Machine Head and Who Do We Think We Are, but nonetheless boasts some definite classics – including the fiery "Lady Double Dealer," the ominous title song (a goth metal treasure), the sweaty "High Ball Shooter," and the melancholy ballad "Soldier of Fortune."[9]

Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple following Stormbringer and its subsequent tour, publicly citing his dislike for the funky direction the band was taking.[14] Glenn Hughes nevertheless praises the album and Blackmore's contributions: "People who listen to Stormbringer, please listen...Ritchie Blackmore is damn funky, whether he likes it or not. He played wonderfully on the album."[15]

Reissues

In 1990, the album was remastered and re-released in the US by Metal Blade Records, with distribution by Warner Bros.

The Friday Music label released a version in the United States on 31 July 2007 (along with Made in Europe and Come Taste the Band). It is unclear which tapes were used as a source for this release, but the label's website claims that the album was digitally remastered (but not expanded).

Additionally EMI (Deep Purple's label for much of the world outside the US) worked with Glenn Hughes on a remastered, expanded version of the album (much like the Burn rerelease) which included bonus remixes and alternative takes.

35th Anniversary Edition

On 23 February 2009 the 35th Anniversary Edition of Stormbringer was released for the European/international market only. The release was expanded into a limited edition two-disc set: the first disc contained the full remastered album along with the new remixes, and the second disc was a DVD containing the quadraphonic mix in 5.1 audio as originally released in the USA on Quad reel back in 1974. After a limited run of the CD/DVD edition, the album became available in a single CD edition. A limited double gatefold vinyl edition was also released.

The song "Stormbringer" is used in the series finale of the US television series Ash vs. Evil Dead.[16]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stormbringer"Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale4:03
2."Love Don't Mean a Thing"Blackmore, Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord, Ian Paice4:23
3."Holy Man"Coverdale, Hughes, Lord4:28
4."Hold On"Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice5:05
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lady Double Dealer"Blackmore, Coverdale3:19
2."You Can't Do It Right (With the One You Love)"Blackmore, Coverdale, Hughes3:24
3."High Ball Shooter"Blackmore, Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice4:26
4."The Gypsy"Blackmore, Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice4:05
5."Soldier of Fortune"Blackmore, Coverdale3:14
35th Anniversary Edition - Disc 1 bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Holy Man" (remix)4:32
11."You Can't Do It Right" (remix)3:27
12."Love Don't Mean a Thing" (remix)5:07
13."Hold On" (remix)5:11
14."High Ball Shooter" (instrumental)4:30

Personnel
Deep Purple
Production
  • Produced by Deep Purple and Martin Birch
  • Recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich in August 1974
  • Engineered by Martin Birch, assisted by Reinhold Mack and Hans Menzel
  • Additional recording and mixing by Martin Birch and Ian Paice, assisted by Gary Webb and Garry Ladinsky at The Record Plant, Los Angeles during September 1974
  • Mastered at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California
  • 35th Anniversary Edition digital mastering and remastering by Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios, London
  • Remixes for the "35th Anniversary Edition" mixed by Glenn Hughes with Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios, London, 3 November 2006
  • "High Ball Shooter" (instrumental) mixed by Gary Massey at Abbey Road Studios, London, April 2002
  • Original Quad mix by Gary Ladinsky at The Record Plant, October 1974
  • Reformatted for 5.1 surround sound by Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios, London, February 2008[6]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[31] Gold 100,000*
Sweden (GLF)[32] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[34] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Accolades
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Classic Rock United Kingdom "100 Greatest British Rock Album Ever"[35] 2006 62

References
  1. "Stormbringer certification".
  2. "Deep Purple singles".
  3. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 209. ISBN 9780862415419.
  4. "Tornado History - Historical Tornado Photos". Tornadochaser.net. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  5. Lane, Frank W. (1966). "plate 11: "The classic photograph of a tornado". The Elements Rage (1 ed.). Newton Abbot, Devon, England: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0715340127.
  6. Deep Purple (2009). Stormbringer 35th Anniversary Edition (CD Booklet). EMI. 50999 2 64645 2 7.
  7. Popoff, Martin (March 2009). Blue Öyster Cult: Secrets Revealed! (2 ed.). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Power Chord Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-9752807-0-6.
  8. "Episode 31". Spicks and Specks. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 August 2009.
  9. Henderson, Alex. "Deep Purple - Stormbringer review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  10. Bowling, David (5 December 2011). "Music Review: Deep Purple - Stormbringer". Blogcritics. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  11. Konjović, S. "Deep Purple – Stormbringer". Džuboks (in Serbian). Gornji Milanovac: Dečje novine (6 (second series)): 22.
  12. Leigh, Spencer (March 2009). "Deep Purple - Stormbringer: 35th Anniversary Edition (CD+DVD)". Record Collector (360). Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  13. Niester, Alan (30 January 1975). "Deep Purple:Stormbringer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  14. Deep Purple - Stormbringer at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 July 2011)
  15. "Deep Purple - A Critical Retrospective/Rock Review". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  16. "Music from Ash vs. Evil Dead - Season 3, E10, The Mettle of Man". tunefind.com. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  17. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. "Austriancharts.at – Deep Purple – Stormbringer" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  19. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6129b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  20. "Danske Hitliter: Stormbringer - Deep Purple" (in Danish). Royal Library, Denmark. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  21. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 166. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  22. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – D". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2012. Select Deep Purple from the menu, then press OK.
  23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Deep Purple – Stormbringer" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  24. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Deep Purple".
  25. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  26. "Charts.nz – Deep Purple – Stormbringer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  27. "Norwegiancharts.com – Deep Purple – Stormbringer". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  28. "Deep Purple | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  29. "Deep Purple Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  30. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1975. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  31. "French album certifications – Deep Purple – Stormbringer" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 4 February 2021. Select DEEP PURPLE and click OK. 
  32. "Guldskivor: Burn - Stormbringer '". 20 December 2020.
  33. "British album certifications – Deep Purple – Stormbringer". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  34. "American album certifications – Deep Purple – Stormbringer". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  35. "Classic Rock – 100 Greatest British Rock Album Ever – April 2006". Classic Rock. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
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