Stormbringer (album)

Album cover and title

The cover image of Stormbringer is based on a photo. On 8 July 1927 a tornado near the town of Jasper, Minnesota was photographed by Lucille Handberg. Her photograph has become a classic image, and was used and edited for the album's cover. The same photograph was used for Miles Davis' album Bitches Brew in 1970 and Siouxsie and the Banshees' album Tinderbox in 1986.

Stormbringer is also the name of a magical sword described in several novels by Michael Moorcock. David Coverdale has denied knowledge of this until shortly after recording the album. A few years later, Moorcock collaborated with Blue Öyster Cult to write "Black Blade," a song that actually was about the sword Stormbringer.

According to Glenn Hughes, the slurred gibberish that is spoken by Coverdale at the beginning of the title track just prior to the first verse is the same backwards dialogue that Linda Blair's character utters in the film The Exorcist, when she is questioned by the priest.

Release and reception

Alex Henderson of AllMusic writes that "Stormbringer falls short of the excellence of Machine Head and Who Do We Think We Are, but nonetheless boasts some definite classics – including the fiery "Lady Double Dealer," the ominous title song (a goth metal treasure), the sweaty "High Ball Shooter," and the melancholy ballad "Soldier of Fortune."

Reissues

In 1990, the album was remastered and re-released in the US by Metal Blade Records, with distribution by Warner Bros.

This record has been the object of much renewed interest: Friday Music label released it stateside on 31 July 2007 (along with Made in Europe and Come Taste the Band). It is unclear which tapes were used as a source for this release, but the label's website claims that the album has been digitally remastered (but not expanded).

Additionally EMI (Deep Purple's label for much of the world outside the US) worked with Glenn Hughes on a remastered, expanded version of the album (much like the one done with Burn) which includes bonus remixes and alternative takes.

On 23 February 2009 the 35th Anniversary Edition of Stormbringer was released for the European/international market only. The release has been expanded into a limited edition 2 disc set: the first disc is the full remastered album along with the new remixes, and the second disc is a DVD containing the quadraphonic mix in 5.1 audio as originally released in the USA on Quad reel back in 1974. Once the CD/DVD edition sells out a single CD edition will follow it. A limited double gatefold vinyl edition was also released.

Personnel

Charts