May 20, 2014

101 Reel-to-Reel Tapes 67: Deep Purple ~ Stormbringer








                   Deep Purple ~ Stormbringer
             reel-to-reel tape album cover detail
                         .detail photo by Styrous®  


In addition to my 20,000 Vinyl LP collection I'm selling, I have reel-to-reel, pre-recorded tapes for sale as well. If interested, contact me by email please, not by a comment. 

The Deep Purple ~ Storm Bringer reel-to-reel tape will be on sale on eBay in June (see links below).   

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Storm Bringer is the ninth studio album by Deep Purple, which was released in November of 1974. It  blendied rock, soul and funk in a way that was quite ahead of its time. Ritchie Blackmore left after the making of the album and its tour, returning to the group later during the recording of the Perfect Strangers album.

album cover and title

Deep Purple ~ Stormbringer
reel-to-reel tape box cover
photo by Styrous®

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

                 Jasper, Minnesota. tornado                                     Siouxsie and the Banshees
  photo by Lucille Handberg                                                 Tinderbox
 July 8, 1927                                                                .

Stormbringer is also the name of a magical sword described in several novels by Michael Moorcock. David Coverdale has denied knowledge of this until shortly after recording the album. A few years later, Moorcock collaborated with Blue Öyster Cult to write "Black Blade", a song that actually was about the sword Stormbringer.


Deep Purple ~ Stormbringer
reel-to-reel tape box back
photo by Styrous®




the songs

Stormbringer is classic, the epitome of hard rock sound with no exaggeration. It is hard rock at its very best and a driving song that doesn't give ground. According to Glenn Hughes, the slurred gibberish that is spoken by David 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.

Deep Purple ~ Stormbringer
reel-to-reel tape box back detail
detail photo by Styrous®


Love Don't Mean a Thing is great rock-funk with a vocal by David Coverdale who hums at the beginning to lead into the song that has a neat funk beat which is perfect for dancing.  

Holy Man is a quiet melody with a nice steel guitar intro which gives it a slightly country-western feeling to it. A gentle song that is nice to slow dance to. 



Deep Purple ~ Stormbringer
reel-to-reel tape box back detail
detail photo by Styrous®



You Can't Do It Right (With the One You Love) returns to the funk feel with a smooth female group backup. A very nice synth break by Jon Lord on this one.

High Ball Shooter is another hard rock classic that gets you up and moving even if you don't want to; you can't help it! Again, great organ work by Lord.

The Gypsy is a solid, march rock that has some really nice steel guitar work but it does get a bit repetitious at the end.





Soldier of Fortune is a beautifully done ballad written by David Coverdale and Ritchie Blackmore. It has an ace guitar by Blackmore and organ by Lord intro and back up to the brilliant Coverdale vocal. It is soft, gentle and melancholy with regret for wandering ways that have left the singer alone and lonely, longing for a love he's neglected and lost. The lyrics are sad and wistful: I'm put them below. This is my very favorite song on this album.

As of May 10, 2013, Soldier of Fortune is Deep Purple's 12th most "listened to" song with over 14,000 hits on Last.fm and has been included in many rock ballad compilation albums. Though Deep Purple never released the song as a single and it never appeared on record charts, it has developed a cult following over the years. Covers have been released by Whitesnake, Opeth, Black Majesty and the Romanian band Iris.

The version of Soldier by Whitesnake was performed in concert as a guitar and vocal duet. Somehow, because of its sparseness, it seems very much sadder that the original version.

There is also a really beautiful, instrumental guitar solo by Tirta Leonardi on YouTube (link to versions of the song  below). 


Deep Purple ~ Stormbringer

reel-to-reel label detail
detail photo by Styrous®


Track listing:

All songs written by Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice, except as noted

Original vinyl release

Side One:

No.     Title     Length    
1.     "Stormbringer" (Blackmore, Coverdale)     4:03
2.     "Love Don't Mean a Thing"       4:23
3.     "Holy Man" (Coverdale, Hughes, Lord)     4:28
4.     "Hold On" (Coverdale, Hughes, Lord, Paice)     5:05

Side Two:

No.     Title     Length    
1.     "Lady Double Dealer" (Blackmore, Coverdale)     3:19
2.     "You Can't Do It Right (With the One You Love)" (Blackmore, Coverdale, Hughes)     3:24
3.     "High Ball Shooter"       4:26
4.     "The Gypsy"       4:03
5.     "Soldier of Fortune" (Blackmore, Coverdale)     3:14

Personnel:

Deep Purple

All songs are sung by Coverdale and Hughes except "Soldier of Fortune", sung by Coverdale, and "Holy Man" sung by Hughes
Additional personnel

1974



Soldier of Fortune lyrics

I have often told you stories
About the way
I lived the life of a drifter
Waiting for the day
When I'd take your hand
And sing you songs
Then maybe you would say
Come lay with me love me
And I would surely stay

But I feel I'm growing older
And the songs that I have sung
Echo in the distance
Like the sound
Of a windmill goin' 'round
I guess I'll always be
A soldier of fortune

Many times I've been a traveller
I looked for something new
In days of old
When nights were cold
I wandered without you
But those days I thought my eyes
Had seen you standing near
Though blindness is confusing
It shows that you're not here

Now I feel I'm growing older
And the songs that I have sung
Echo in the distance
Like the sound
Of a windmill goin' 'round
I guess I'll always be
A soldier of fortune
I can hear the sound
Of a windmill goin' 'round
I guess I'll always be
A soldier of fortune

Songwriters
Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale
Published by
Lyrics © MAUVE MUSIC/PURPLE MUSIC, INC.
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976


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Music videos on YouTube:
 
Stormbringer 
Love Don't Mean a Thing 
Holy Man 
Hold On 
Lady Double Dealer 
You Can't Do It Right (With the One You Love) 
High Ball Shooter 
The Gypsy 
Soldier of Fortune
Soldier of Fortune (unplugged) by David Coverdale     
Soldier of Fortune (live - concert) by Whitesnake    
Soldier Of Fortune (guitar solo) by Tirta Leonardi 


Deep Purple ~ Stormbringer reel-to-reel tape on eBay

reel-to-reel tapes on eBay



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