BURN

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)

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