| Stormbringer | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Deep Purple |
| Cover: | DeepPurpleStormbringer.jpg |
| Released: | 8 November 1974[1] |
| Recorded: | August–September 1974 |
| Studio: |
|
| Length: | 36:31 |
| Producer: | Martin Birch & Deep Purple |
| Prev Title: | Burn |
| Prev Year: | 1974 |
| Next Title: | Come Taste the Band |
| Next Year: | 1975 |
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.
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.[2] Her photograph has become a classic image,[3] 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.[4] A few years later, Moorcock collaborated with Blue Öyster Cult to write "Black Blade", a song that actually was about the sword Stormbringer.[5]
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.[6]
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."
Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple following Stormbringer and its subsequent tour, publicly citing his dislike for the funky direction the band was taking. 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."[7]
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.
Deep Purple
Production
| Peak position | |
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8] | 8 |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[9] | 6 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[10] | 6 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[11] | 5 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[12] | 5 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13] | 22 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[14] | 6 |
| Position | ||
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 31 |
|---|
| Classic Rock | United Kingdom | "100 Greatest British Rock Album Ever"[16] | 2006 | 62 |