Deep Purple - Soldier Of Fortune
After the worldwide success of Burn, the second album of Mark III, Stormbringer, is released. The judgment immediately suffers from the comparison with the previous masterpiece; the album receives good but not thrilling reviews... It’s an album with a less immediate impact, but with time, it has been reevaluated, at least by me. Tracks like the title track, "Hold On," "Holy Man," "Lady Double Dealer," and "The Gipsy" are of high quality. The interplay of the voices of Coverdale and Hughes is intriguing - then Blackmore leaves. They say the unnecessary reason is that he wouldn’t approve of the funky vein that has entered the sound. Nonsense! Blackmore leaves because Hughes and Coverdale had gained ground, and he has to be the uncontested number one. Future history would prove this quite a bit, and it’s indeed strange—those who have heard the various live performances know—that one would leave after a spectacular tour at the peak of their form. I choose "Soldier of Fortune," a beautiful closing track by Blackmore and Coverdale, covered by the man in black.