Deep Purple
Burn

THE REVIEW

A mere five years have passed since Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord went on June 4, 1969, to the Ivy Lodge Club in Woodford, London, to listen to Episode Six and seek confirmation of the praises sung by their friend (and member of Episode Six), Mick Underwood, in favor of a then-little-known singer named Ian Gillan.

Six albums - from the first "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" to the latest studio album "Who Do We Think We Are" - have been released, becoming a delightful feast for critics and the public alike, united by the pleasure of finally paying attention to a band capable of naturally transfiguring a simple riff and a neat harmonic structure into an epic and exuberant sound, which will shape the distinctive traits on which to build its own unmistakable sound emblem. A simplicity accompanied by a brilliant capacity for improvisation (mostly on guitar and keyboards) during live performances, helping the band to distance itself from overzealous but commendable "forms of noise" typical of bands like Pink Floyd or even Cream, showcasing awe-inspiring performance and compositional skills that are, in any case, undeniable. The indisputable professional calibre of Deep Purple's Mark II, which has brought together professional musicians with an uncontrollable inclination to always look forward, and which, unfortunately, over time, cemented the internal disagreements between Blackmore (supported by Lord), Gillan, and Glover, leading the latter two to leave the band.

The fact remains that none of the remaining members ever thought such a situation would lead to a definitive breakup, preparing for auditions of new musicians as well as listening to the numerous demo tapes arriving at the record label. The first choice falls on Glenn Hughes, bassist and vocals for Trapeze - already active with some albums - making Blackmore consider moving forward with the band without the need for a singer-diva, if it weren't for the silent determination of Lord to further explore the knowledge of that young provincial with a passionate and roaring voice who until then worked in a boutique in Redcar (Yorkshire) and who will go down in history as David Coverdale.

With the last recruitment and after regaining determination, flair, and vibrancy, the new Deep Purple enter the studio in November 1973 to finally put on tape the much-anticipated successor to the honest "Who Do We Think We Are," which will see the light in the following February. There is no doubt that it is Purple's intention to set things straight right away with the rousing introduction of the title track, almost as if to claim they are back to stay. The song develops around extraordinary duets between guitar and keyboard, with the support of the powerful rhythm section, alternating Coverdale's roars and Hughes' modulated shouts tackling a lyric (initially titled "The Road") that recalls fires and curses (The sky is red, I don't understand, past midnight I still see the land. People are sayin' the woman is damned, she makes you burn with a wave of her hand. The city's a