![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/morse3.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/mcbride3.jpg)
Messing around with rudiments
The online successor to the Classic Rock magazine has a track-by-track guide feature on Burn with contributions from Coverdale, Hughes, and Paice.
Burn
David Coverdale: I wrote about half a dozen sets of lyrics for this song – I was that keen! The final words to Burn – and also the words to the Stormbringer song for the next album, for idle curiosity – came about because I was just trying to please Ritchie [Blackmore], I guess. These lyrics aren’t the stuff I would normally write; I looked upon them as science-fiction poems.
Glenn Hughes: Blackmore came up with that classic rock riff, but there’s a lot of talk about it being ripped from something that was written in the forties. [George Gershwin’s] Fascinating Rhythm, wasn’t it? I think it could be from that. Every artist borrows from other artists – but this is a classic example of where Ritchie may have taken something from the forties or fifties.
Ian Paice: It’s a pretty well-played track. It’s got a rapid pace about it. I’ve always said that playing fast is a lot easier than playing slow, because if you play something fast and you screw up, nobody really hears it. But if you play slow and you screw something up, then everybody hears it. I think that as an opening statement from the Mark III line-up, it’s pretty cool.
Continue reading in Louder Sound.
Thanks to Yvonne for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Burn is one of my favorite DP albums. I like the Mark II line-up better overall, but Burn is great album, and the original version of Mistreated is one of Mark III’s finest.
August 25th, 2021 at 20:02Did Classic Rock stop printing?
August 25th, 2021 at 20:37Somehow I never really grew to like Burn. I remember how disappointed I was when I bought the album many years back in 1980 being a 14 years old boy. I was hooked to Purple by Made in Japan and In Rock, went to the record store to buy another one and ended up with Burn. After the first listen I took a closer look and found out that there was a different guy on vocals. Consequently Stormbringer and Come Taste The Band were the last records to complete my Purple collection back then…
August 26th, 2021 at 15:40The title song itself is a classic, no discussion. Especially the solos from Jon and Ritchie based on the Bach preludes are wonderful.
But else? Mistreated I only like in the Rainbow version (I guess it was Uwe Hornung who once explained why in his opinion the DP version is so much better. All his arguments are valid – but for me in the opposite sense ;-). I think the vulnerable approach by Dio gives the song much more credtit than Coverdale’s roaring hurt machismo (Uwe, may I say Vollproll-Gestöhne?). )
Sail Away is ok.
You Fool No One has a nice bridge but the double vocal approach destroys it for me.
Lay Down, Stay Down or Might Just Take your Life are songs I really dislike. They are some of the few Purple songs which at times even annoy me.
Luckily enough, there are plenty other gems in DP’s catalogue 🙂 !
Burn was my first love with Purple and the album that got me hooked for ever.
August 26th, 2021 at 16:15What’s Going on Here!!
August 26th, 2021 at 19:38The Burn album is a good album. I really like the title track. However, what follows I dont really care for. I hate the dual vocals and the funk. This is not a funk band. It is a hard rock band. I blame Ritchie for this. He wanted a blues singer. He ended up with a funked up mess and left after the Stormbringer disaster. CTTB was even worse. Jon even said HE didnt like that album.
August 26th, 2021 at 20:04I dont place much emphasis on this version or the Bolin version or the Turner version of the band. I prefer the Blackmore/Gillan/Glover/Lord/Morse/Paice/Airey line ups.
@ 6 – I am not sure about poor ole Blackers getting the blame for the funky soul influence that was evident on What’s Goin’ On Here etc. He was a blues rocker, hence the Paul Rodgers story, Phil Lynott also. The problem seems to be that Glenn Mr Funky Soul Hughes was allowed too much sway, pun intended. Easy to say in hindsight of course & we know what followed the Burn album. At least Lay Down Stay Down is an up tempo rocker, all be it with Coverdale’s appalling adolescent lyrics. I will attribute those lyrics to ole Covs, as we have all seen where his path has led to over the following decades, he still hasn’t matured by the sound of it. The evidence of more funky soul influence is in the Stormbringer album, however the best rock tracks & the ‘medieval’ style also, are Blackmore influenced, say no more! I know what you mean though, good comments! Cheers.
August 27th, 2021 at 01:28Orchestral Tribute to Deep Purple Family Tree, in St Catherines Ontario of all places, March 10th 2022, check it out:
https://niagarasymphony.com/event/deep-purple-rising/
August 27th, 2021 at 04:17Dave @6
August 27th, 2021 at 08:41No one can argue with your analysis but the varied musical directions of a band gives it an enormous reach. Take the Jon Lord concerto in 69 and how it evolved and became so popular.
I think Ritchie is a very talented musician and a business man and knows how to get the best of what is available. MK2 was a dying band and he revived it with MK3 line up and then left. After all if it wasn’t for his brave move that he took with Jon Lord to axe the singer and bass player of MK1 we would have never got DP evolving. But I respect you comments totally
Peace 👍
@3
To me, there is no definitive version of “Mistreated”. David put a bit too much raw sexuality in it, while poor Ronnie did sound vulnerable yet without a hint of sexuality at all, like in most of his songs. He was not fully comfortable with the lyrics, either. When I hear him ad libbing and going “I misplaced my soul”, I can’t help but start laughing.
August 27th, 2021 at 14:36Horses for courses: I thought the dual lead vocals on Burn and the albums that followed a force of nature! They really blew me away. Purple had never had strong background vocals (not like Uriah Heep), and now all of the sudden they had two strong lead vocalists belting it out who sounded like a million bucks when they sang together.
And the funk influence on Burn was still pretty limited (mostly on Sail Away, You Fool No One and, yes, Mistreated), but it was a breath of fresh air. Sail Away ranks among the noteworthiest songs Purple ever wrote and played. It’s majestic AND funky, a rare conbo.
August 27th, 2021 at 21:07Burn is an all time classic album in its own right and up there as one of the best Deep Purple albums ever. It showed maturity and a willingness to evolve.
August 28th, 2021 at 06:35@10
“I’ve been mistreated…and generally (genuinely?) left for dead…”
August 28th, 2021 at 13:44One quick note…
The guitar solo on “A” 200 is probably one of the most aggressive, powerful, soaring yet gut punching solos Ritchie ever laid down in the studio.
Discuss please.
CB
September 3rd, 2021 at 20:50@ 14- yes indeed, Blackmore cuts loose wonderfully on A200. I have always liked classy instrumentals & they are lacking at times from certain artist IMHO. Too much emphasis on the vocal song gets a tad monotonous for me, best to throw in a few instrumentals to mix it up a little. Blackmore has done that on 80’s Rainbow also, the Difficult to Cure album & Bent Out of Shape also. Even Black Sabbath back on the holy trinity albums 72 -75 had a instrumental here & there. The ‘perfect’ album for me is probably 70 % vocal orientated songs & 30% instrumentals, maybe even 50/50. King Crimson dd that in many ways. Talking of progressive music, at least the extended lengthy songs of many of that genres music, had plenty of instrumental sections to give listeners something else within the arrangements. My take on it anyway. Thanks for bringing it up, as A 200 gets put down by some for whatever reason. Maybe some listeners want vocals all the time? What about that 10 minute track from the Perfect Strangers sessions, Son of Alerik, wonderful. Cheers.
September 4th, 2021 at 05:35@14…..I love A200, especially Blackmore’s solo – dripping with ferocity and emotion – played like a man possessed. No guitarist could touch Ritchie back then – he was the master.
September 6th, 2021 at 21:59@15 Agreed. The instrumentals have always been a hilight for me in my deep purple/rainbow life. And the Address, Wring that Neck, Weiss Heim is an all time favorite. Difficult to Cure. Space trucking jams live…. That being said… A 200 has me sitting on the fence until it gets to the guitar solo. Not a huge fan of the synthesizer sound from the maestro, but understand it’s appeal in 1974.
@16 He WAS untouchable during that period. Ferocity and emotion in his playing for sure with such a distinct sound that is instantly recognizable. .
For a bit of whimsy… I would love to see a band re-create the song using traditional Hammond through amplifier keyboard traditionally associated with John Lord.
CB
September 9th, 2021 at 17:25DAVID COVERDALE 70 today, sept 22… thanx for all, you soldier of fortune!!! Keep strong health an´ goodluck with your farewell tour… I´ll be there with you as since august 1973 when you started this long magical journey…
September 22nd, 2021 at 09:12@14 finally someone has mentioned A200 and the solo Blackmore did in it.
I love the whole album, really love it.
Not one dud song on it and rate A200 as one of my all time favorite songs, absolutely love it.
September 24th, 2021 at 07:52I thought l was the only one in the world to like this song and was starting to wonder if l had the only Burn album in the world with A200 on it as no one any where ever mentions it.
It’s a real cracker of a solo Ritchie does, brilliant and compelling and l listen to it over and over sometimes. Great song.