Due to fatigue from touring, Deep Purple had lost both Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. Two new members joined, both of whom were in other bands: David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. Coverdale had three local bands (Vintage 67, Government, and Fabulosa Brothers.) He and Government had actually opened for Deep Purple while on tour. Glenn Hughes was both bassist and vocalist for Trapeze. This marked the beginning of the Mark III line -up.
Burn had two singles, “Might Just Take Your Life” and the title track. The album reached #9 in the US and #3 in the UK.
Members:
David Coverdale: vocals
Glenn Hughes: vocals, bass
Ritchie Blackmore: guitar
Jon Lord: keyboards, organ
Ian Paice: drums and percussion
The Tracks:
- “Burn”: With the new members comes a new sound as well. This album introduced a funkier, soulful side of the band. “Burn” kind of makes me wonder why today’s classic rock stations ignore Mark III. It’s a great opener.
- “Might Just Take Your Life”: Of the two hits, this is the stronger one. Coverdale really shows he’s up to the challenge of replacing Gillan.
- ” Lay Down, Stay Down “: Hughes has a good bass on this, and Blackmore wails away.
- ” Sail Away”: Paice has a good beat, and some good keyboards from Lord on here.
- “You Fool No One”: Another favorite song, with stellar Coverdale vocals and good keyboards and guitar.
- ” What’s Going On Here”: This song feels a little like filler for me.
- “Mistreated” : A nice bluesy tune here, and the best song on the album. Blackmore had intended this song for the previous album, but held off. Coverdale sounds excellent.
- “A 200” : Weird title. I think this was a weak closer.
Final Verdict: I’ve never heard the Mark III version of Deep Purple, so this was a great introduction.
Grade: B+
Aspie Catholic 