BURN

This was the first album I ever bought. Now that I say that, let me qualify it. Technically speaking, that first album was The Batman Theme Played by the Markettes, which I had my Mom buy for me when I was six or seven years old. But really, that does not count. Also, when I bought Burn I also bought Caribou by Elton John, which I would now say is the second album I ever bought. I was disappointed with Elton at the time, and soon came to despise him. I do not feel that way any more and enjoy his music a great deal. Burn, however, was no disappointment. It was everything I was looking for in music. Now, up to this time, I had been listening to music fairly avidly, only it was from the radio. As such, I was familiar with such Purple classics as Hush and Smoke on the Water. Probably Woman From Tokyo as well. I had even heard their version of We Can Work It Out on the radio years earlier before I heard the Beatles original. When I gushed over Burn to my sister, who was then a big fan of Sir Elton, she said, 'Oh, you like the hairy guys.' I replied, 'Yeah!' and haven't been the same since. This album was the beginning of my musical obsession that continues to this day. This album also began my interest in guitar. Ritchie Blackmore was my first guitar hero and my idol for many years. So, the impact of Burn on my life is immense. How is the music though? Damn good.

The album opens with the title track, which is one of Deep Purple's best songs ever and features what may very well be Blackmore's best riff. It has a drive and structure very similar to Highway Star. The song is an announcement that Deep Purple is not finished yet, especially after the lackluster Who Do We Think We Are? Newbies David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes get to show their stuff here, too. Coverdale, an unknown at the time, is a very different vocalist from Ian Gillan, what with his lower Bluesier range. Still, he demonstrates a powerful voice. The higher registers are now sung by Hughes, straight from the rising star that once was Trapeze, and he gives us plenty of screams throughout the whole album. In fact, his vocals here are probably my favorite of his ever (he actually sings more than screams ' later releases, even very recent ones, are mostly screams and I wish he would lighten up on it). Might Just Take Your Life follows the barn-burner (heh) that is Burn with a mid-tempo Blues funk. It shows the direction band is starting to take at this time, and is a decent song in itself. Jon Lord is the star of this tune. Blackmore takes over again when Lay Down Stay Down begins. It is also a bit funky but more guitar driven that its predecessor. Blackers delivers a stellar solo that really elevates the song. What was originally Side One ends with one of Deep Purple's true lost classics, Sail Away. This has a great riff somewhere in between the earlier Smoke on the Water and the later Rainbow classic, Man on the Silver Mountain. The song is somewhat moody, and has a great melody sung by Coverdale. Jon Lord also brings out the Moog here to give us a texture of sound never heard before by him. If you are not familiar with this song, it is well worth checking out the album in order to hear it. It is one of the best on this recording. The original Side Two opens with You Fool No One. Blackmore is telling us in no uncertain terms that he is Da Man. His intricate riff combines well with the Latin- infused rhythm well played by Ian Paice. In concert, the band stretched this one out for fifteen minutes or more, usually giving the audience both a true guitar solo, unaccompanied, and a drum solo, making it a highlight of the Mark III performances. What's Goin' On Here brings out the slightly funky blues again. It tells us a rather humorous story of a drinking binge which leads to many unexpected results. Humorous, that is, to any one who has not had similar experiences. The climax of the album, Mistreated, follows. This is another classic from the album. Slow and Bluesy, both Blackmore and Coverdale deliver performances of pure power. The culmination of the song lies in the fast section, where Lord's keys really drives Blackmore's solo. Some people have expressed the view that the album should have stopped here. I disagree. A climax is not the same as a finale. The album ends with a short instrumental titled 'A' 200. It sounds to me that this stems from some sound experiments by Jon Lord on the Moog. That instrument certainly is central here. If Mistreated can be called the main course, 'A' 200 is the dessert, a piece that caps off the album quite nicely.

In conclusion, Burn is the best of the Mark III albums. The band was clearly burning (heh again) out under the weight of personal and/or creative conflicts, mostly between Blackmore and Gillan. Everybody puts in great performances, and the tensions that later developed among this line-up are not to be found. Objectively, I would give this one four stars, but in that it has played such an important role in my musical life, I have to give it five. It is not true Prog, but it is one of the best hard rock albums of its era.