BURN

Not much progressive here, but a really amazing interludes between Lord and Blackmore (specially in Burn). I love this album probably because was my first album of Pruple (and one of my fist albums).

I don't consider this album as prog rock, but it's great! This new line-up blended a funky sound to DEEP PURPLE traditional hard rock, resulting in gems like "You Fool No One", "Might Just Take Your Life" and "Lay Down Stay Down". Also, David Coverdale's voice fits perfectly on "Mistreated", one of the greatest blues song ever recorded by a rock band, with a excellent guitar solo by Ritchie Blackmore. If that's not enough, the title track is a blockbuster, one of the most powerful songs I have ever heard.

The only track with prog-elements and also the only one that I could imagine to have appeared on an album by the Mark II is 'Burn'. The other songs are also good (especially 'Sail away') but are pretty conventional taking a bluesy direction. Not a great Purple-album but the best of Mark III (compare to the weak 'Stormbringer' album which went from bluesy to funky!).

OK, it might not be prog, but anyone who really loves rock music should get this album. This is the reason behind the five stars: "Burn" is a classic, no more, no less, and there's a lot in it for prog lovers to appreciate - for one thing, the interplay between Lord and Blackmore, and Paice's amazing (as always) drum work.

It's also true there is a funky groove here that might not be to the taste of many prog fans, due to the influence of new bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes. Now, I know I'm biased because Hughes is without any doubt my favourite singer, and his vocal duels with David Coverdale are absolutely stunning. As to Coverdale himself, before his unfortunate descent into hair-metal in the late '80s, he was one hell of a rock-blues vocalist to give you goose pimples - just listen to his performance on "Mistreated". Of course no one here would ever consider him a prog vocalist, but his talent and class should not be denied. By the way, Hughes is not credited as a writer on the sleeve because of contractual hassles, but his contribution to the songwriting shines quite clearly.

The record's highlights, in my opinion, are the thunderous title-track, with a killer riff by the Man in Black and fantastic keyboard work courtesy of Mr Jon Lord, the above- mentioned "Mistreated" and the slower, darker "Sail Away", with an outstanding vocal performance by both Coverdale and Hughes. I also like the closing instrumental "A200", which showcases Lord's synth playing. However, all the tracks are equally worthy of mention. A great record by one of the best bands in rock - prog or not.

Burn is not a prog rock album. Deep Purple is not a prog rock band. Hard Rock is the purple´s style of rock. Apart the early 3 albums, that was really prog influenced, the others only have some specific moments that remember us the tipic prog sound. One of this, is the Burn´s "A 200". An instrumental track very interesting, that I recommend to prog rock fans. The album as a whole is really good, a classic of hard rock.

All I can say is that if you need a wakeup call at any time of the day put this baby on and just try to keep up with these guys. It's like none of their other albums in that there's really no attempt to be subtle at any point. Between Coverdale and Hughes the vocals cut through the fiery rock underneath and soar with unbridled youthful exuberance. Burn, Lay down stay down, and You fool no one will sear your speakers and Sail Away should have become an FM hit when it came out in 1974 but it just didn't get played enough to catch on. Purple has always been hard rock but the quality of the songwriting is a definite step up from some of the other offerings that came before and after this one. If I had to pick just one DP album to own, this would be the one I would choose. The only throwaway is A200, which sounds like John Lord insisting on getting to play with his new synth. But there may not be an album more aptly named than this one. Blackmore and the band literally blaze a scorching trail.

4,5 stars really!!!

Although I never bought this album in CD format (I rebought all Purple albums until Made In Japan but stopped), I still hold my vinyl and still look at it with all the happy moments it gave me. Newcoming Hughes and Coverdale are both excellent additions, although one could wonder why Coverdale needed a secoind singer in Hughes.

The title track and Sail Away are simply awesome riffs showing us that Blackmore was still a Riff-meister and his choice of Coverdale as a singer was another stroke of genius. The other two tracks rounding up side 1 are very worthy of the Purple calibre of what you would find in In Rock or Machine Head also. As for side 2, You Fool No-one is a rather correct track but will take more meaning live, while the great bluesy track Mistreated is clearly the cornerstone of the Mk III line-up. The album is also ending on an unusual (by Purple standards) instrumental track where Jon Lord shows interest in other keyboards than his good old Hammond organ.

A stunning album, showing that Blackmore was right to have disbanded the previous Mk II line-up after that terrible album of WDYTWA. Sadly the new blood would not sit well in the long term of Purple, but this is another story and let us not spoil our fun while listening to this album.

"The people laughed and she said BURN!".

With the departure from the band of Ian Gillan and Rodger Glover, it was inevitable that the sound of Deep Purple would change. In their place came vocalist David Coverdale and bassist/vocalist Glen Hughes. While Coverdale was by implication lead vocalist, almost all of the tracks here also feature Hughes also singing lead and/or harmony.

Apart from the obvious change brought about by the absence of Gillan's distinctive voice, the big question was could the band still cut it in terms of making quality hard rock music. With "Burn", the answer appeared to be a resounding yes. The title track kicks off the album in spectacular style with a blistering 6 minute slice of driving rock, similar to tracks such as "Fireball" and "Speed king". Ritchie Blackmore comes up with a riff to match "Smoke on the water" and fires off one of his finest solos. Jon Lord too contributes a wonderful keyboard burst.

The other feature track is "Mistreated", a sublime bluesy number with an even better solo by Blackmore. Here, Coverdale is in sole (or is that soul) control of the vocals, giving a fine, highly emotional performance. The track builds from a slow sparsely accompanied start to a striking crescendo with Blackmore's ever faster guitar being backed by descending vocalised ah-ahs. Coverdale's "I've been losing my mind" a cappella coda rounds things off perfectly. "Mistreated" is clearly a Blackmore song, indeed he would take it with him when he left for Rainbow, where it became a high point of their live act.

The remaining tracks are more variable, with several tending to reflect the jazz/blues influence of Hughes to a greater extent. "Sail away" is the best of the rest, but even here, the slurry vocals are far removed from the classic mark 2 sound. "Lay down, stay down" and "What's going on here" are almost funky, while "Might just take your life" and "You fool no one" have more of a rock feel.

Apart from the two feature tracks, Blackmore and Lord appear to be largely pushed to the background, the twin vocals being the dominant feature of the remaining tracks. The exception is the instrumental closer "A200", although this appears to be little more than a fun jam, and something of an afterthought.

If this was the first album by the band, it would be held in much higher regard. Given the superb albums it followed though, "Burn" was good enough to reassure fans of the band that Deep Purple could survive. Simultaneously though, it left many slightly disappointed, and perhaps even mystified.

Essential listening, If only for "Burn" and "Mistreated". Great sleeve too, with the band members faces made from candle wax, which become melted images on the reverse.

The departure of Ian Gillan and Rodger Glover from Deep Purple boosted the band's quality as the band came around for one more good album. "Burn" takes on a classic Deep Purple sound, though not as heavy as 'Machine Head' or 'In Rock' but still contains some good rock/prog(ish) songs. The title song in particular features some very characteristic prog elements, namely the adaptation of classic music into rock music, in this case played by a pair of electric guitars and keyboards. Richie Blackmore's guitar work is as good here as ever and carries the album along.

The title song is by far the best on the album and leaves one in high hopes for the rest of "Burn." It soon becomes clear that the rest of the album isn't at the same standard as "Burn", but some of it comes close. There are some very proggy songs in "Burn", and some just plain hard rock structured songs. Generally speaking the songs are at quite a good quality which a few major highlights and really nothing which can be classified as 'bad.' While not up to scratch with some of the band's more famous works "Burn" still carries a laid back feel, despite the problems some of the members were experiencing. The quality of musicianship is good here, with Blackmore in the limelight on guitar.

1. Burn (5/5) 2. Might Just Take Your Life (4/5) 3. Lay Down, Stay Down (3/5) 4. Sail Away (3.5/5) 5. You Fool No One (3/5) 6. What's Goin' On Here (3/5) 7. Mistreated (3/5) 8. "A" 200 (4/5) Total = 27.5 divided by 8 = 3.437 = 3 stars

"Burn" is a worthy addition to your Deep Purple collection, though I wouldn't go as far as saying it is near the five-star level. Burn is very prominent in my mind as far as hard rock/prog albums go. The few very good moments in "Burn" really level the album out to three stars with me. I'd recommend Burn to serious Black Sabbath and/or Led Zeppelin fans as these two bands along with Deep Purple make up the three original English Hard Rock bands. All these bands are similar and contain their own special touches. "Burn" proved another success for Deep Purple reaching number 3 in the UK and 9 in the US.

Ah...Burn...this is one of Deep Purple last good efforts. Musicianship is amazing on this album, especially drumming by Paice. The big thing that got me on this album was, excepting the first and last tracks, the general sound of this album is kind of static and redundant. This is also one of their least progressive albums. Good fun, nonetheless. Pick this up if you are a big Purple fan, or looking for good drumming, or if you're just looking to broaden your collection.

I was different than other people's experience when it comes to what track that blew them away at first spin of this album. "Sail Away" impressed me at first time listening to this album! Why? I don't know exactly - it's probably its cool melody and nice guitar riffs and smooth musical flow. Most people would say that the album title track "Burn" was the first impression. It does not mean that I don't like this track - I love it indeed. But it was not my first impression. When I got the cassette repeated, I found "You Fool No One" was very interesting - especially I enjoyed how Ian Paice played his dynamic drum work. And then .. I loved "Burn" especially on musical interlude where Ritchie and Jon Lord give their solo part.

Music critics (including AKTUIL - an Indonesian rock music magazine which was very famous at that time) was wondering on replacement of Roger Glover and Ian Gillan on this album. But Deep Purple proved themselves that they were still "Deep Purple" even though with major personnel changes. The hiring of Coverdale and Hughes was a right decision as both could deliver their skills excellently. In fact, until now I still prefer track "Burn" compared to other Gillan's tracks like the boring "Smoke On The Water" and "Highway Star" (uuugghhh . so boring hearing these two tracks!). In terms of musical tastes, "Burn" gives wider horizon from one song to another. Enjoy the first track "Burn" and then "Might Just Take Your Life" - you will get the major change in nuance. It stays constant until "Lay Down, Stay Down" but it's then different nuance again with "Sail Away".

It's an excellent hard rock music.

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

The title track for me on Burn is what makes this album stand out. Dave Coverdale replaced IG on vocals and what an excellent replacement he turned out to be. This album really rocks with great tempos throughout. Richie Blackmore as ever working magic with those incredible guitar riffs. Overall the album gets a solid 4 stars. ' Sail Away' and ' Mistreated' aslo great tracks. After hearing the Ian Gillan Band after his departure and what Ian Gillan did whilst with Deep Purple you wonder why he changed direction? A spiritual journey so I am told.Deep Purple with Dave Coverdale were solid on this album and Burn also received a positive commercial response from the market place.

Mark III. The end of an era. The start of a new one.

The first earthquake in terms of line-up in one of my preferred bands (more to come unfortunately with my beloved Yes and Genesis). I was so thrilled to listen to their new LP that I rushed out and bought "Burn" as soon as it came out. To be honest, this album is quite brilliant. I already had heard most of it two months BEFORE its release (see the PS section at the end of the review to know more).

"Burn" is a mythical song which will never reach the live glory of some of its predecessors (only due to the fact that Gillan never wanted to perform this track in concert during other Marks).

The riff is pretty similar to the one of "Flight Of A Rat" from "In Rock" (one of their greatest number IMO and so much underrated). Coverdale's work here is absolutely grandiose: with this opener he shows how great a singer he is.

It is said that he was so scared about Ritchie's reaction to his lyrics, that he came with three different ones for that song!

In terms of musical breaks, the keys are strongly linked with "Highway Star": hard but melodic. Jon is simply FABULOUS as he is most of the time. Again, the structure here is Purplesque in all its grandeur and the lenght is OK. This will be a great opener of their live sets (Mark III).

"Might Just Take Your Life" is a standard hard rock tune like Purple have produced quite a lot ("Bloodsucker", "Maybe I'm A Leo"... ). Average.

Next comes "Lay Down, Stay Down" which is quite a bloody good hard rocking tune: there is virtually no difference with the legendary line-up: bass and vocals are superb, guitar and keys are of course fabulous. Paice as great as ever. The vocal parts are gorgeous : both David and Glenn sharing the effort. Another highlight.

"Sail Away" closes side one quite beautifully. Standard hard rock song of the purest vein. Slower tempo, strong bass and great vocals. The latter one will really be a TM for Mark III. Not a highlight, but a good moment (which is sufficient to maintain the level of this album to a very high).

Let's spin B-side now.

"You Fool no One" is a clone for "The Mule", and is another great song : vocals are huge (both David / Glenn) and Ritchie, just superb.

"What's Going on Here" is another OK hard rock song. But "Mistreated" is quite different : the best (with "Burn") song of the mark III era. Bluesy, guitar mystical: it is one of their best song ever.

Unfortunately again not performed in their live sets with Gillan. It almost reaches the level of "Since I've Been Lovin' You" from Led Zep in terms of the best "white" blues song ever written/performed. Of course, there is no such guitar solo than Jimi's one but hell! Mistreated is a fabulous track. Just listen to the last part of the song to be charmed. A piece of anthology and a highlight of course.

The closing number "A 200" is a "Bolero" influenced instrumental. Not that great.

The remastered edition has five bonus tracks, of which "Coronarias Redig" is an obscure B-side for "Might Just Take Your Life" released in some countries only (Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Germany and France). this intrumental track is quite dispensable as you can imagine.

The other four are "remixes" but really close to the original. not essential.

With "Burn", Purple obviously wanted to reproduce "Machine Head" and almost reached it. Mark II did a similar attempt (but failed dramatically) with "Who Do We Think".

The fantastic duo Coverdale / Hughes is really incredible (and very much credible): their complementarity is simply gorgeous and brings this Purple album to a very high level.

Four stars for this marvelous and surprisingly effort (nine out of ten actually). By the way, when will this rating be switched on)? A scale of ten would be more precise, no?

PS :

I was very fortunate to see the Mark III during one of its very first live concert. Figure out: they started their European live tour in Arhus (Denmark) on the 8th of December, 1973. This show was cancelled because the equipment never arrived. The opening concert took place in Hallen (Denmark), the second in Gothenburgh and the third one in ... Brussels on December 12th, 1973.

A drama took place in the afternoon of the concert (a Wednesday). Actually, I could not find my ticket for the concert anymore. The price was 220 BEF (the equivalent of 5.5 ?)! Unlike the Mark II concert I saw at the same venue (Forest National) in March of the same year, this one was not sold out; so I had to struggle to convinced my mother that I was so desperate to see the Purple that I was willing to buy a ticket for the second time.

After a very long and difficult conversation, she finally accepted to allow me to do so. In the meantime, the clock was running and to ensure I would be on time, I had to take a taxi to the venue (sharing it with two friends) making it an even more expensive evening.

But I was there and just to water your mouth, here is the typical setlist of this tour : 1. Burn, 2. Might Just Take Your Life, 3. Lay Down, Stay Down, 4. Mistreated, 5. Smoke on the Water, 6. You Fool no One, 7. Space Truckin' (quite extended as usual in those days), 8. What's Going on Here.

If you have read my review for "In Concert" from the BBC, you will know that CD two, consists of the live rendition of most of the "Machine Head" album. It took place a few weeks BEFORE its release.

So, I have been in the same situation for "Burn". A great souvenir, my friends.

Woooh!!!! What a blast! People often talks of In Rocks and Machine Head but Burn is maybe better than both! The eponym first track is incredible, fast speed, keyboard enchantment. I have to say that keyboards, hammonds are very well used on the albums with convincing solos. A lot of hard rock groove too reminds me Kansas first releases. A great surprise for me!

If this was a straight rock review I would gladly give this cd four stars as it is an excellent rock 'n roll album. As a progressive rock album there is nothing progressive about it as it is pretty standard fare for the times it was released. Nonetheless it does rock out and has some great tunes on it. Glenn Hughes brings a funkier sound to the Purple mix on this album and both he and Coverdale are excellent throughout. The title track is vintage Purple and "Mistreated" is a heart felt blues based rock tune. "You Fool No One" driven by the excellent Purple drummer Ian Paice recalls Creams "I Feel Free" and is an excellent tune featuring some fine Blackmore guitar interludes. "Sail Away" is another favorite of mine, just a well structured song, with a great chorus and some nice interplay between Jon Lord on organ and Blackmore. In my mind this cd is so reflective of the times. Again just an excellent rock album but not for progressive purists and this leads me to my confusion. Four starts means excellent additon to any prog music collection...but it is not a prog album. Three stars then would be underating this as only a good release. It is better than good. What a dilemma...Four stars but not for the prog purist.

I can't get used to the bad mixing of this album. It sounds okay, but it has followed this trend of bad sound starting with Who Do We Think WE Are. The Drums sound bad, and it all is a little fuzzy. Oh well. The songs are good. Burn is Great!!! Really spectacular, but it is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

OK prepare to bow down at the temple of THE DP line up.

Mr Ian Paice ... this is his album. Burn/You Fool No One/Lay down Stay Down. Toe tap your way out of that one. Alex VH has Hot for Teacher ... ian just plays BURN. Might Just Take Your life: absolutely fabulous track. Great rhythm, superb drums (Hughes' bass tucked in).

The amazing vocals of Mr Coverdale and Mr Hughes. The RB maintains his presence with unmistakable licks. What's Going On Here jazz's it up with serious blues overlays from RB. While the Jon Lord abandons the Hammond for piano: and boy is it fabulous.

Mistreated is a straight blues number but I would challenge anyone not to recognise a bit of Paul Rodgers & Free in the sound.

This is an absolutely 100% essential rock album. I love it. 5 rock stars

Oh, but this is prog archives .......

To be entirely honest I can't see a prog bone in this entire body. does that make this a 1 star?? harsh but surely fair.

... or not the 1 star I gave originally was more a reaction on the album's inclusion in progarchives. It's in so on merit 4

Maybe "Burn" is not a masterpiece of progressive rock, but it surely is a masterpiece of classic heavy rock! Absolutely all tracks on this Mark III release are great. Addition of two new vocalists (Coverdale and Hughues) was an essential innovation that helped the band stay on the charts after the crisis caused by the departure of Ian Gillan and Roger Glover.

Highlights include the heavy -symphonic prog leanings in the title track and the instrumental "A 200", funky spices in "Sail Away", powerful hard rocking in "Might Just Take Your Life" and "You Fool No One", along with heavy dark and goosebumping blues of "Mistreated"! Production and arrangements are perfect while the songs are structured in a way that prevents many unnecessary over-indulgent solos - a fact that sometimes used to spoil their earlier works (at least in my opinion). Solo parts here are effective and well-conducted.

Glenn Hughues's vocals and bass playing are a real treat and too bad this line-up of DEEP PURPLE (Mark III) recorded only one more studio album. "Burn" is excellent album in many ways and I can freely recommend it to all prog listeners who usually are not in fond of heavy metal or hard rock in general.

PERSONAL RATING: 4,5/5

P.A. RATING: 5/5

Very good album ! I especially love Burn and You Fool No One. Mistreated and Might Just Take Your Life are also great. This first MKIII Purple album is the best from this era. David Coverdale's voice is just perfect, nothing more to say about it. Glenn Hughes is a very good bass player, even if Roger Glover was better, in my own opinion. This is one of Purple's best releases. A must-have for the fans !

As everybody else said in their reviews, this is not a prog album but rock with some funky tinges. Cool stuff anyway. In fact there is not a single weak track on it and three of them (Burn, Sail away, Mistreated) I find outstanding. The rest is good, and for the first time since MK I there's an instrumental. Considered by most to be a filler, I always liked the track. It reminds of Jean Michel Jarre (who started two years later). Might just take your Life is also great, the other three tracks (Lay down,stay down; You fool no one, What's going on here) are IMHO not strong enough. So it's four stars for a very good rock album that came close to being a masterpiece.

Favourites: Burn, Sail away, Mistreated.

What's going on here?

This album was something of a rebirth for the band after the rather lacklustre Who Do We Think We Are album. The rebirth consisted at least partly in a rather radical line-up change: David Coverdale replaced Ian Gillan on lead vocals and Glenn Hughes replaced Roger Glover on bass and also added additional lead vocals. Burn was also the first Deep Purple album to include synthesisers, which perhaps makes it slightly progressive on the opening track and the instrumental closer A 200. The songs in between, however, are far from progressive. Instead, these are rather funky Blues rockers with some interesting bits here and there.

The title track deserves further mention. The guitar and keyboard solos on this song are great, and perhaps the earliest example of Neo-Classical Metal? Very Classically influenced anyway, and very well structured solos, far away from mindless improvisation that sometimes haunted Deep Purple's earlier efforts. The riff of the song is good as well, but unfortunately it is repeated too many times to make this a truly great song for me. They should perhaps have made it shorter, or added an additional riff to the mix? Still, I love to listen to this song and because of the solos in the middle it is one of my favourite Deep Purple songs of all time! Also the aforementioned closing instrumental A 200 is an interesting piece where the great Lord is allowed to shine.

Mistreated is often considered a classic, but I have never liked this strongly bluesy number!

Burn was a bit better recorded and produced compared to most earlier albums. Unfortunately, these improvements in instrumentation and production coincided with them going in more of a straightforward Blues rock directionon on several tracks. They are still fun to listen to, but they are not really that exciting and have very little to do with Prog.

Burn is therefore perhaps not the best place to start for Prog fans who want to explore Deep Purple. You should probably start with Fireball or Machine Head. And if you still want more after that, then Burn is a good choice!

A magnificent work by Deep Purple MK III. It was the first time I ever heard about the band and I remember as a teenager how much I loved the cover! At the time this album was despised by a lot of Purple fans since they could not bear the thought of losing singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover. I didn't agree at all. Burn was a fantastic CD in my opinion and it was always a favorite. Besides, after the very weak Who Do We Think We Are, what those radicals should expect? Decisions had to be made. And they were for the better.

A lot of the flak came for the fact the chosen singer, David Coverdale, was a complete unknown and did not have a voice as powerful as Gillan. True. Coverdale was still a bit green then but had a fine voice and, besides, with Glenn Hughes sharing the leads with him, they covered the vocals issue way better than anyone expected. Those two together could outdo Gillan anytime. The voices are maybe the most distinguishing aspect of the whole album. Awesome!

The older this album becomes the more I get the feeling Burn is very close to a masterpiece. At least three tracks are absolute classics: the title track, Sail Away and Mistreated. The remaining songs are also very good, although not really par to those three. I was amazed to see how much Jon Lord had grown since those early years with Deep Purple: the man is simply a genius! Burn also marked the first time he used synthesizers in a DP record. He also does a great honk tonk piano solo on What's Goin' On Here. But he still remains one of the masters of the Hammond Organ. His solo o the title track is Bach meets metal, one of the most influential of rock's history.

Ritchie Blackmore is in top form, although it is also clear he was not really satisfied with the new funk and soul influences Coverdale and - mainly - Hughes brought with them, but that's another story. Just hear the opening riff of Mistreated! A band with two iconic figures as Blackmore and Lord should be heard with care. Everything works incredibly well for a record done in such a hurry. Martin Birch's production is outstanding as ever: no wonder he became such a legend over the years. Even for today's standards the sound is crisp, clean, powerful.

If PA was a hard rock or Heavy Metal site I would give this album a 5 star rating. In many ways this is a groundbreaking and unique CD. It does have strong prog leanings that would influence most of the prog metal bands in the future generation. But since the band had already done such masterpieces as Machine Head and Made In Japan, this is a tad inferior to those. 4 stars would be more fitting. 4,5 for personal reasons. Highly recommended.

Burn from 1974 is an underrated album, I find it very strong Purple release. This is the first album where we can hear to famouses musicians - Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale. Hughes was already a well known musician, who came from a great band from early '70's Trapeze, Coverdale still un unknown singer in 1974 , who will make his own band in late '70's Whitesnake and made one of a hell of career in the '80's. So the album Burn is a great one with tight musicianship and excelent voice of Coverdale. Purple being still in bussines with this album, they capture new grounds with this release, sometimes we can hear some hard boogie arrangements like:You Fool No One, but not bad at all. Coverdale's voice is the chery on the cake here delivering some stunning vocal parts like on: Sail Away and Mistreated. As a whole all the musicians did a great job, remaining Deep Purple all the way. I will give 4 star without hesitation, a great album and very present today, even quite better than the next one or the previous one.

Though Deep Purple wouldn't quite record another explosive album like 'In Rock' in the studio, it did record a very well written and performed album called 'Burn'. With two great vocalist, David Coverdale and Glen Hughes, the band would introduce an exciting rocksong format in which both performers would enhance the music by switching leads between verses, bridges and refrains. The album fires one memorable songs after another and whilst the rhythm and blues influences are clearly the basis of the music, there's enough room for deviating from the path. The fast-paced hardrock opener 'Burn' with its exciting transitions between parts and brilliant vocals sets the tone perfectly. To me this song sounds a bit like the hardrock follow-up of the Beatles song 'Help'. 'Mistreated' is a perfect bluesrock song and the album ends surprisingly with an instrumental progressive rock piece called 'A 200' - a tradition that many bands would follow. The recording of the album is tad bright and on some stereo sets a little extra bass doesn't hurt. I would agree with Bonnek that this album, together with 'In Rock' and 'Made in Japan', form the best trio of albums you could own of Deep Purple. The live footage of California '74 shows this Mark III configuration of the band on fire and also comes highly recommended.

The new beginning for Deep Purple - one of the most influential rock bands of all time. After the weakest album for the band - Who Do We Think We Are - it's time for Deep Purple to rock very hard again. This time with new members on the board - Glenn Hughes and Daivd Coverdale, instead of Roger Glover and Ian Gillan. The genre is very different from the typical hard rock between 1970 and 1972. Here we have soul, funk and blues rock elements constructed in remarkable way. One of the most memorable album by Deep Purple. From the beginning to the end all songs show the musical and songwriting abilities of the band members. Every little song here is like a gem in the crown of rock music as whole! 4 stars!

Deep Purple's Mk II will always be one my dearest groups;the albums made by the band in the early 70s simply changed forever my relation with music.In a time when I was discovering rock n' roll and everything was new and fresh,I remember being truly disapointed after a few lsitens to this 'new Deep Purple',specifically the title track of their fist album.I heard Burn(the song)several times and couldn't quite catch up to the truth until it was put down in words I'll never forget:"their(Gillan and Glover)departure resulted in a serious quality dropdown'.Eventually I bought the album,only to discover that the majesty of the Mk II had been indeed lost:Deep Purple turned out poppier and somehow bluesy with Burn,making quality rock music by all means,but without their charming charisma.

Two songs do stand out:the first is the after all very good title track(altough I personally hold my impression that this is inferior to previous highlights like Highway Star or Speed King),with a killer riff and swrling melody which leads to great soloing,and strong lyrics sang vividly by David Coverdale(Glen Hughes does eventually come up to spoil it however).The second..well,the second is by far Mk III's most rewarding contribution to the Deep Purple legacy,a wonderfull blues piece called Mistreated.This is Ritchie Blackmore exercising his unparalleled gift over a Fender Stratocaster,crowned with Coverdale's best recorded vocal performance with the band.I'm not much of a fan I admmit,but his voice truly is thrilling here.

The album is mostly consisted of good tracks,but all in all it ends up sounding somehow generic,without the magic of In Rock or Fireball,albums wich seemed to be refreshing at every new song.Still,Might Just Take Your Life and Sail Away are very nice numbers,though they tend to get a bit repetitive towards the end.The worst aspect of the album is the backing voice of Glenn Hughes, which although turns out nice enough on bass(without the groundshaking sound of Roger Glover that is),give the music a dated character, funk-inspired and exagerated.

If you're in for some good,uncompromised old-fashioned rock n' roll,give Burn a try.It will be rewarding in it's own way.Just don't expect the cheer brilliance of past glories like Child In Time or Pictures Of Home:that unique,magic sounding of Deep Purple is gone forever,and from here on,to set too high expectations may ruin the chance of enjoying their work.

Deep Purple has always been a part of my life. Sometimes distant; sometimes close. I am a huge admirer of In Rock and Made In Japan. I also tries to get as many of their other live albums as possible. Their studio albums, with the exception of In Rock, has never tempted me before now. But I have now purchased their albums.

The title track needs no introduction. A massive anthem with a very interesting solo by John Lord in the middle part. This song also launched the careers of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. Both Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had departed before this album and those two, soon-to-be-greats filled their shoes. And they changed Deep Purple more in the direction of more soul and blues. This album is a mixture of everything. US arena rock in the vein of Bad Company, blues, hard rock, soul and even some jazz. John Lord makes this album pretty proggy. But it is the title track and the bluesy Sail Away and Mistreated which makes this album a good album. The rest of the songs are pretty OK, but nothing more. Mistreated is a superb song and I can understand why both Coverdale and Hughes still includes it in their respective live sets. This is a good album, but nothing more than that.

3 stars

With Burn Blackmore has performed the final takeover of the Deep Purple household. Gillan and Glover got replaced by Coverdale and Hughes and this gave Blackmore the lead to steer the band into a hard rocking guitar-focussed blast of an album.

Coverdale and Hughes prove to be a great vocal duo that pleases me every bit as much as Gillan did. Of course their soulful delivery makes this album into an entirely different Purple experience. Not all tracks are top notch but with Burn, Sail Away,You Fool No One, Mistreated and 'A' 200 the album has some of Purple's best songs and they cover a lot of ground ranging from hard-rock, soul, blues to proggy moogs.

Even though it is not entirely consistent, I would rate it as the third essential album for Deep Purple next to In Rock and Made In Japan.

After the undeniable flop that was Who Do We Think We Are damage control was in order and some heads had to roll.

Once both Roger and Ian departed Deep Purple was once again where they were in 1969 and two replacements were hired to recreate the quintet. The MKIII lineup was by no means back at square one since the previous studio albums and notorious live performances have earned the band a massive following. The addition of then unknown vocalist David Coverdale and the amazing bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes completely revitalized the band's sound.

It was also around 1973 that Jon Lord and his keyboard technician, Stuart Wickes, combined the Hammond C3 Organ with the RMI. Lord then pushed the Hammond-Leslie sound through Marshall amplification, creating a growling/heavy/mechanical sound that gave a rhythmic counterpoint to Blackmore's lead playing. This innovation allowed Lord to get back in the game and compete with Blackmore as a soloist, with an organ that sounded as heavy as a lead guitar. With all these new addition to the band it felt like Deep Purple just could do no wrong and the final result definitely spoke for itself.

This is easily my second favorite Deep Purple studio release surpassed only by the landmark that is Machine Head. Every composition adds some new layers to the music and although I don't consider myself much of a funky blues fan, that material definitely works as well. The tradition of a strong heavy hitting album opener has found its way onto Burn and the album titled track is a real killer featuring the best solo work from the Blackmore/Lord team. Although I think that Burn is a great intro track I usually prefer starting the album with the instrumental piece A 200. This means that I start off by listening to track nr.8 and then go through 1 to 7 (ending on Mistreated)! This also works better because Mistreated has a cool ending that reminds me a bit of Stairway To Heaven, which makes it sound like the great album conclusion that Led Zeppelin never implemented!

With Burn the band managed to revitalize their sound and the new vocalist duo of Coverdale and Hughes is in my opinion superior to Ian Gillian. Although their two very distinct styles the vocal duo complements each other phenomenally here and we even get a few vocal harmony sections. In conclusion, Burn is another important landmark album in Deep Purple's mixed discography and a worthy addition to any Hard Rock music collection. Unfortunately even this lineup couldn't deliver on the greatness featured here and after the shaky Stormbringer Ritchie Blackmore called it a day, putting an end to the wonderful MKIII lineup.

***** star songs: Burn (6:00) "A" 200 (3:51)

**** star songs: Might Just Take Your Life (4:36) Lay Down, Stay Down (4:15) Sail Away (5:48) You Fool No One (4:47) Mistreated (7:25)

*** star songs: What's Goin' On Here (4:55)

I can simply say this - - this is a good proto prog experience, dynamic, reasonably balanced, heavy at times and full of energy to say the least. I like the balance and energy and have always enjoyed this "mediocre" deep purple (not mediocre in a broad perspective at all) - - - however, what best seals the fate of this album as 'average' with me is where it stands amongst the '8 Tracks' I would grab off the floor board of the VW Bus when I was in my younger days - - needless to say, it was bypassed quite regularly by the real gripping and exciting works of this and several other staples of the era. I would lean to 3.5 on this as I do feel a strong need to reward ground breaking and original sounding artists.............

"Burn" does not measure up to "In Rock" or "Machine Head", but it is still, or at least should be, a classic Deep Purple album.

In terms of genre stylistics, this album is a quite eclectic one, and I think the band is already moving in the more funky direction that would eventually cause Ritchie Blackmore to leave the band. "Sail Away" and "You Fool No One" have a certain funky drive to them. Other tracks are more bluesy, like "Mistreated", "Might Just Take Your Life", and the boogie rocker "What's Going On Here". The last track ""A" 200" is a spacey, progressive synthesizer-driven instrumental

On a personal note, I should also mention that I don't consider the more funky approach to be a problem, as I like funky music, but I am not sure whether it will appeal as much to progheads as other Deep purple albums might do.

In came David Coverdale (later of Whitesnake fame, ugh) as lead vocalist and Glenn Hughes (later of mid-80's Sabbath "fame," double ugh) as bassist and vocalist. Maybe Ritchie thought these moves would revitalize the band - instead they gave him enough heartburn and stomach cramps to leave by 1975. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm sure there are lots of people in this world who are perfectly happy with generic mid-70's cock rock crossed with perfunctory funk. It's just that I'm not; it's simply not enough for me for music to kinda "rock, dude." I need my hard rock to stand out in some way, with great riffs or speed or whatever, and not just plod its mid-tempo keester like 2nd- rate Bad Company.

Ok, ok, so the band once again managed to include a major classic as the opening track. Yup, the title track is basically a lock for best DP Mk. 3 number, combining an utterly awesome speedy guitar/organ riff with what can actually be considered a decent singing performance from David and Glenn. Ok, so Dave's voice is a little dull for my heart, and Glenn's voice tends to sound like a cross between bad hair-metal vocals and mediocre soul-vocals, but at least on this track, they combine into something that sounds halfway decent. Then again, though, one doesn't exactly look to a song like this for the vocals - it's for the riff and energetic solos, which easily live up to the reputation that Ritchie and Jon built up for themselves in Mk. 2. I could live without some of the synths near the end, but that's just a slight complaint.

Unfortunately, the opening is extremely deceptive, and not just because none of the other songs are fast rockers. The title track exudes power and inspiration and all sorts of good things, while most of the other tracks simply don't. There are some exceptions, of course; the most notable is the bluesy "Mistreated," which makes good use of David's vocals, which augment the power of Ritchie's riff and moody solos quite well. "Sail Away" is alright thanks to a fine funky guitar riff (too often augmented by some awful synth sounds, though), even though the vocals strike me as obnoxious in more than a couple of places. And, er, "Might Just Take Your Life" at least has a couple of decent hooks to go with its generic cock-rockitude.

But sheesh, the rest of the album? "Lay Down Stay Down" is basically David and Glenn screaming/wailing/whatever over instrumental parts that never enter an involving or memorable groove, "You Fool No One" only interests me in terms of the funky drumming, "What's Going On Here" comes closer to the definition of generic cock-rock than I knew was possible, and the closing instrumental ... Ugh. Behold Jon Lord tying a rondo rhythm to a bunch of awful synth noises and an ok guitar solo. Is this supposed to be majestic? "Artistic?" Whatever. Just find the title track and "Mistreated," and screw the rest.

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.

A mini-revival of sorts. I would have called this a full-fledged revival had the lineup lasted longer than it did, but then again, Purple's lineup has constantly been shaky.

I'm sure Purple fans at the time were wondering how the band would survive without Ian Gillan (and Roger Glover to a lesser extent), but the band brought in two singers in Coverdale and Hughes. BURN has more harmony vocals than anything Purple did earlier, and the tradeoff lead vocals give the band a new freshness to them.

One complaint I have with the vocals is that I find Glenn Hughes to be the de facto better singer; Coverdale sounds like a Robert Plant imitator that's too husky to hit the high notes. The scratches in Coverdale's voice works well on ''Mistreated'', and when he stays in baritone range, he's fine. But hearing Hughes sing is another stratosphere of excellence; I had heard much about how his voice was praised before I heard BURN, and I'm amongst the praising now. The tone and power alone seal it for me.

Most of the rest of what Deep Purple is known for is right here. Blackmore and Paice are still Blackmore and Paice, and the song ''Burn'' is no better example of what they can do on this album. Lord seems to soften his stance on Hammond here (although he tinkered with other equipment earlier in Deep Purple's career like the harpsichord on ''Blind''), toying around with synths on the occasion. Notably is the finale/best track ''A 200''; an opening that could fit nicely into a Tangerine Dream piece along with a crashing main theme is the kick in the pants the band needed.

For prog fans, keep in mind that other than ''A 200'', we're not much into prog territory. Deep Purple have established themselves as hard rock act, and that's pretty much what BURN is. Sure songs like ''You Fool No One'' and ''Sail Away'' see funk creep into the mould, but this is hard rock terra firma.

Kick in the Nards.

That's exactly how I felt when I listened to Burn the first time (with appropriate volume of course). I immediately checked after if I wetted myself. A hurricane of ballsy vocals, a tornado of drums, a typhoon of guitars arpeggios..well, you get the idea. That's what I call a powerful record, with a standing ovation to the title track who will break your spine with air guitaring.

Especially for Yngwie Malmsteen, who's career is to replicate this album over and over, this must have been a revelation with the 4 horsemen howling in a cloud of 3D fire. I cannot express more how a vintage band like this one could move me that much. I always thought that the Zep was above because of all the timeless songs we know from them, but Blackmood, Paice and Coverdale are all- out in a war with no prisonners. Dang it, this is an anthem to every metal that came after (hello Maiden). They didn't knew it at the time, but they created an ear scorcher right here.

Anyhow, a record that starts extremely strong (like many Purple records) and tangents to blues-rock, but this time the writing is well inspired for most of the record.

I discovered the grandfathers of what I love way too late.

10/10

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN!

This album is immaculate I always knew that Deep Purple could launch. None of his previous albums came without a fault (even if minimal), but Burn is ... Perfect! Exeunt Ian Gillian and Roger Glover, enter David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, and the presence of these here is one more point. How they complement the vocals are a highlight for sure, and the other members is commendable in excellent form here, especially Lord, recovering a little of its luster here (because I felt he was kind of left out in last two albums) and also works with the piano and synthesizers.

Starting with the title track (a classic by law) and ending with the psychedelic instrumental "A" 200 this is an album that sums up everything that the band has already shown in previous works while area offers new perspectives. I see that the raw sound of In Rock is less clear here, the blues-rock is still quite captivating, as seen in What's Goin 'on Here and Mistreated slow. The latter consists along with the title track and Sail Away (which may be the icing on the cake) the major highlights of this masterpiece.

5 stars without hesitation. Deep Purple at its best.

Deep Purple bands tend to refer to the different lineups of the band as "Deep Purple Mark I", "Deep Purple Mark II" and so on, almost as though they are different bands, and on the basis of Burn I'd say there's some merit to that approach. This is the debut of Deep Purple Mark III, which sees Ian Gillian and Roger Glover being replaced by Dave Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.

Some bands try to push on with business as usual when they have a lineup change, but I really respect the way Deep Purple see their personnel shift as an opportunity rather than a problem, taking it as chance to experiment with their sound and really develop it to the next level and accommodate the new strengths of the incoming members. Coverdale does a superb job on vocals here, but he's able to pull it off because the band's new swampy, funky style - with the blues influence on their sound really teased out here and there - brilliantly supports his particular vocal approach.

No, it's not quite the same if you're in it for material like Child In Time or Highway Star - but then again I'm sure Deep Purple Mark II was a bit of a shock for people who wanted more stuff like Hush or Concerto for Group and Orchestra. Circumstances change, and here Deep Purple change with them in order to come out stronger. I can honestly say I find this album more consistent than any of the Mark II albums. At the same time, as far as straight-ahead mid-1970s hard rock goes, whilst it is a solid example of that form the likes of Kiss and others were already putting out superior examples of the form.

In mid 1973, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left DEEP PURPLE apparently due to some personal problems with some members of the band and with the management. Gillan has said in interviews that it was mainly due to a lot of work: "We were burned up. We needed a break, but the management wanted more work from us" (more or less as I remember). So, they finally left the band after one more tour.

They were replaced by David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, respectively, with both musicians having powerful vocals. So the band for the first and only time had two members who could sing lead vocals, but the role of the main lead singer was assigned to David Coverdale. Anyway, Hughes sang powerful backing vocals and also sometimes he had the chance to sing lead vocals in some songs. Their vocals sung together worked very well in the band. But, at the same time with this approach on vocals the band sounded different. Still good but different. But also due to their musical influences (with Hughes having a more Blues, Funky and Soul influenced musical style) the band gradually became more inlfuenced by them and gradually started sounding very different and far from the original musical style that the band had since they started in 1968. This led to Ritchie Blackmore`s departure in 1975.

This "Burn" album from 1974 shows the first signs of that musical transition of the band from Hard Rock / Heavy Metal to a more Blues, Funky and Soul musical style which was more clear in their "Stormbringer" album, and later with their "Come Taste the Band" (an album which was recorded with Tommy Bolin replacing Blackmore). But most of the songs in this "Burn" album still show the original style of the band being very present. The title track is maybe the best from this album, with some good guitar riffs and some Classical Music influences in the arrangements from Blackmore and Jon Lord in their respective instruments., sounding very influenced by Progressive Rock music. Other strong songs in this album are "Might Just Take Your Life ", "Mistreated" and the instrumental "A 200" (with this last song being somewhat similar to "Coronaria`s Redig", another instrumental song from the same recording sessions of this album but which was released as the "B" side of a single from the same period).

As a whole, this album still sounds more in the original musical style of the band, and it still is a good album from them.

Unpopular opinion again, but this one is the most overrated DP album of them all.

I'll tell you why, track by track:

Burn: The greatest hard rocker of all Time. Unbelievable construction, unreal chemistry, superhuman performances by every band member, fantastic riff, spectacular guitar solo, and the most uncanny keyboard solo section in the History of the Universe (4:25-4:52). If aliens asked me "What's Hard Rock?" I'd put this one on the Hi-Fi.

Might Just Take Your Life: In the Woman From Tokyo Style, it's not an equally great song but it's a very good and enjoyable one.

Lay Down, Stay Down: Blues rocker that demonstrates the fantastic voices of both Hughes and Coverdale in a more clear way that the rollercoaster-like Burn did. A really good song, one of the best of this kind they ever recorded.

Sail Away: Wow, very good riff! That's my first thought when the song began, but unfortunately the song is a bit monotonous, and in my opinion it doesn't live up to the hype it creates with that catchy beginning. The vocal lines are very nice, the solos are good as always, but what could be a classic is "just" a very good song after all.

You Fool No One: Another song with massive potential that lacks the IT factor. Everything very good, but nothing outstanding.

What's Going On Here: Yes! That's a very good song with the IT factor, which I suppose is the blues-boogie atmosphere, the great guitar work, the inspired vocal lines and the wonderful Jon Lord guitar at the piano.

Mistreated: Sharp as a razor, it cut's you in half with it's colossal Blackmore guitar work and Coverdale's majestic, voluptuous vocal performance. Totally unparalleled.

"A" 200: Very nice, epic instrumental, that makes no sense as an outro. It would be great if they opened the album with this one, only to stop it suddenly and begin the outstanding Burn. I mixed them that way with "Audacity" and they sounded great!

RATING: It contains the hard rocker and the tortured blues anthem... But that's pretty much it. In the MkII era, everyone contributed to the compositions. In Burn, Hughes contributes zero, while Coverdale has a more simplistic/mainstream approach than the others. The result lacks the IT factor in a number of cases, in a way that a potentially 4,5 stars album becomes a 3,5-4 stars one. I'll give it the 4 stars, but just barely. Weaker that In Rock in my opinion.

There's a lot to like about this thick, bottom-heavy, bluesy, hard-rockin' classic album by Deep Purple. The combination of vocals by Coverdale and Hughes gives the tunes a gruff, masculine appeal; the rhythm section cooks with energy; interplay between keyboards and guitar adds a depth to the songs; the impeccable guitar of Blackmore... However, for me, none of those steal the show on Burn. It's an album that really is the sum of its parts, and each one works very well together to create a great hard-rock experience that's hard to beat. Though I enjoy Blackmore's Rainbow project more than Deep Purple, I find myself grooving hard throughout this album, which doesn't have a bad track on it.

Highly recommended for any reader who enjoys hard rock, who will find Deep Purple offering more energy and artistry in Burn that you'll likely ever hear on classic rock radio.

Burn is a great album from the greatest era of rock-n-roll.

Songwriting: 3 - Instrumental Performances: 4 - Lyrics/Vocals: 4 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

Although I have always enjoyed Deep Purple, I hadn't bothered buying much of their albums but sporadically, probably due to a lot of my years spent on buying more obscure stuff, but since a lot of the obscure stuff is just costing too much (the Italian prog, for example), I had to concentrate on lesser obscure stuff, like the Doors or Deep Purple for some catch up work. Burn brought in an then-unknown David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes from Trapeze, and for many, it's an improvement over Who Do We Think We Are (although I thought that one was underrated and I enjoyed that one too). It's been said the Coverdale and Hughes had brought in soul and funk influences in the band, but that's pretty much toned down on Burn, but brought much more in the front on their next one, Stormbringer. I remembered as a kid hearing the title track on the radio, it doesn't get the recognition of "Smoke on the Water", but still full of great guitar playing from Ritchie Blackmore, and Jon Lord does some extended organ, and even synth solos here. "Might Just Take Your Life" really features a nice organ riff from Lord, but for the most part, a bit on the bluesy side (Deep Purple only proves how much early heavy metal was rooted in the blues). "Lay Day, Stay Down" shows a bit of that boogie influence, but at least Blackmore made sure it still stayed in the hard rock/early metal vein. "Sail Away" is a bit on the funky side that I really like. The vocals sound deeper, so it's probably not Coverdale singing this one, but Hughes. Check out that big fat Moog solo Lord gives, it's brief, but you could imagine that coming out of a modular Moog, although it was a MiniMoog (except for ELP, and some electronic artists like Tangerine Dream, the modular Moog was pretty much passe in the prog rock world by 1974). "Mistreated" is another one of those bluesy numbers, while "A" 200", clearly John Lord's is much more in the prog vein, and is the one song that progheads are most likely to enjoy. But then Deep Purple did help to pioneer metal, but they frequently had prog tendencies from time to time. This particular song even had a little bit of Mellotron (Mellotron also appeared on Stormbringer, as well as The Book of Taleisyn on "Anthem"). While it's clear Burn isn't as great as the best Mark II lineup albums, it certainly is still very much well worth having, and still sounds like a Deep Purple album.

Deep Purple was still riding high and even after the release of the disappointing and tired sounding "Who Do We Think We Are?", DP was still considered the top selling artist of 1973 in the States. The band, however, was exhausted from all of the touring and recording and emotions and egos were getting in the way. Gillan and Blackmore were not getting along, so Gillan left the band high and dry. If that weren't enough, Blackmore insisted that Glover (bass) be dismissed. This was risky business especially with the band doing so well.

After frequenting some "Trapeze" concerts, the band hired Glenn Hughes on the promise that they were considering Paul Rodgers ("Free") as a co-vocalist. Rodgers was busy starting the band "Bad Company" at the time, so he ended up passing on that offer. Instead, DP ended up hiring David Coverdale, who was unheard of at that time, but who would eventually be lead singer for "Whitesnake". With these two new additions, the band made what was probably their first major line-up change (all at one time) in their history. Of course, there was bound to be a major shift in the band's overall sound. That is exactly what happened.

"Burn" was the first studio album released with the new Mark III line-up. The sound was now shifted away from the heavy-blues-inspired psychedelic sound to a more soulful and rock-boogie style. Surprisingly enough, the band made the transition quite well at first, and this is apparent with this album, which turned out to sound much more relaxed and thought out than the previous album. The title track starts the album off on fast rocking note that would end up being the barn-burner that would replace "Highway Star" as the opener in their concerts. The double team of Coverdale and Hughes would give a nice variety to the sound with the both of them sharing lead vocal duties, sometimes within the same song. However, the both of them didn't have the explosive sound and range of Gillan. So while the music was more soulful, it seemed to be missing the drive and the punch that it used to have. Blackmore does seem to have more solo time on this studio album than before, but then Lord's solo time is cut back some, and the songs are more vocally driven than before. There is a noticeable lack of the excellent instrumental sections than there were previously, and even though listeners heard a bit of that in the previous album, now it seems to be the case more than ever.

The first half of the album, after the first track, demonstrates how that lack of drive could make their music sound too much the same, and there are only a few instances where anything really stands out. The 2nd half, however, is much better with "You Fool No One", "What's Goin' On Here" and "Mistreated" sounding like it was going to be easy to get used to this new sound, all three of these tracks being heavy, catchy and top notch performances. The last track "A 200" is an instrumental that, however, seems to lose any energy that was generated from those three tracks that precede it. However, the album sounds somewhat promising and is a step up from the previous album. There was a lot of hope here that things would continue to get better with this new line-up and this hopefulness was translated into continued high sales with this album and the follow up "Stormbringer", which would end up adding more elements of funk and soul while concentrating on shorter, more accessible tracks, something that would cause even more issues within the band. But, for now at least, the band looked like it might still be sitting comfortably.

In the end, there are 4 great tracks and 4 that are just good, with an ending track that leaves you wishing for something better. Yes it's better than "WDWTWA?", but not quite good enough to push it up to 4 stars in my opinion. Almost, but not quite.

Deep Purple's Burn surfaced at the height of their fame as progenitors of British proto metal. The classic lineup consisted of David Coverdale's vocals, Ritchie Blackmore's axe work, Jon Lord's keyboard wizardry, Glen Hughes bass, and Ian Paice on the boom booms. They burst out of the gate with a frantic pace on Burn, the most beloved of all these tracks. The melody and vocals are infectious and the musicianship sizzles like flaming embers. The percussion of Paice cooks and Lord's keys grind up a storm.

Might Just Take Your Life is motored by organ shreds in a bluesy rhythm. The harmonies are wonderful and Blackmore's lead breaks are scorching.

Lay Down, Stay Down has some great riffing and an ice cool lead break.

The pace becomes a slow burn on Sail Away that features a catchy melody and Coverdale in fine form.

You Fool No One has Paice locked in a rhumba rhythm and harmonies throughout. An oddity in Purple's catalogue and again Coverdale is a powerhouse on vocals. The lead break ascends to some high note fret work.

What's Goin' On Here has an infectious hook and a blues rock feel. The harmonies are glorious and Blackmore is having a ball on lead guitar with the call and answer approach to the vocals, then ballroom piano follows. This one is a real fun blast and remains a favourite obscurity.

Mistreated has been a favourite of mine since I've heard it live, powered by Coverdale and a blistering lead guitar solo. The slow bluesy feel is wonderful, and how this builds gradually with layers of guitars over Hughes brooding baseline has a genuine emotional resonance. The outro lead break is a belter, a blazing inferno of speed picking.

"A" 200 closes the album with spacey keyboards and catchy melodies. The instrumental is captivating.

Overall, Burn is a blazing triumph and the band would keep the candle burning for the next year's albums with only a few burnouts along the way.