Today, February 15th — marks the 50th anniversary of Burn, Deep Purple's pivotal eighth studio album. The eight-track set marked the debut of the band's Mk.III lineup, bringing in frontman David Coverdale and bassist Glenn Hughes, the latter from the band Trapeze, replacing Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, respectively, and joining founding members Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.
The changes were well-received, however; “Burn” reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200, Deep Purple's second-highest showing after 1972's “Machine Head,” and No. 3 in its homeland of England. It was also certified gold. The track “Might Just Take Your Life” also charted in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Hughes tells us that he was confident about “Burn” when the band recorded it, but its success was still a relief:
“I think 'Burn' is an outstanding song and an outstanding album. For a band that was changing gears I think it could've gone terribly wrong for them, but they chose to go with David, brand new to the industry, and me being the new guy and it was a big risk, but they could’ve also gone for an Ian Gillan soundalike to carry on that tradition. But Blackmore wanted a bluesier band.” :
Deep Purple Mk.III released one more album — “Stormbringer,” also in 1974, after which guitarist Blackmore quit to form a new band, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. He was replaced by Tommy Bolin for one album before Deep Purple broke up in 1976.
Coverdale went on to form Whitesnake, which he still leads, while Hughes works as a solo artist and has been in the bands Hughes and Thrall, California Breed, the Dead Daisies and Black Country Communion. Both were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Deep Purple in 2016.
