One gets the feeling Coverdale kinda digs these tunes after all. Hats of to David for doing something cool and creative for the fans, and for himself. He is not a kid in his early 20s anymore, so he has to be smart about what he does, but, at the end of the day, he still pumps out some killer vocals. Guitarists Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra both play their arses off, while bassist Michael Devin and Tommy Aldridge on drums provide the rhythm section for the entire project to work correctly. This is a very unique album and sees Coverdale’s band honored to be part of his Purple past. This is a Whitesnake tribute to Deep Purple, so the songs are not perfect replications, but rather reinterpretations, ‘Snake-style. Along with “Burn” and “Stormbringer” are “Lady Double Dealer,” “Mistreated,” “Lay Down Stay Down” and “Soldier of Fortune.” Every track is cranked up and churned out with the electric guitars providing the power. The albums 13 tunes cover the best of Coverdale’s Purple songs. We can’t wait to play these songs in concert!” The University of Deep Purple was an extraordinary, amazing school to learn from. “As I said to Ritchie, you guys set me on an incredible journey that continues today and I couldn’t have asked for better teachers. It’s a huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago,” states Coverdale. Now, many years down the road, Coverdale has gone back in the studio to have his current lineup of Whitesnake members pay homage to his days in Deep Purple. With these records, the group not only replaced vocalist Ian Gillan (who quit) and bassist Roger Glover (who was fired), but also made a stylistic shift towards the popular early seventies style funk rock. It took Whitesnake several albums, but with Slide It In and the follow-up Whitesnake Coverdale realized his dreams he was a star. In 1974, Deep Purple released their only two albums with the Mark III lineup, Burn and Stormbringer. Upon Purple’s demise, Coverdale worked hard to erase, at least in the eyes of his USA fans, that fact that he had ever been in Purple and that he was a star in his own right. His most famous contribution was the song “Burn,” followed by the tune “Stormbringer.” His big and unexpected break came when he was chosen to replace Ian Gillan in Deep Purple, who were at that time one of the biggest bands in the world.Ĭoverdale became the vocalist for the band (no need for his six-string talents, as there were people surrounding him named Ritchie Blackmore and Tommy Bolin) during the DP Mach III and IV version of the band.
DEEP PURPLE SOLDIER OF FORTUNE REVIEW FULL
He was young, inexperienced, yet full of raw talent. Coverdale was but a wee lad trying to find a band for which he could play guitar and sing. His face, his voice… his hair have all helped to create a larger than life image of a true, living and breathing rock icon. RATINGS: A = must own B = buy it C= average D = yawn F = pukeĭavid Coverdale has made a career of being the main man in the hard rocking band Whitesnake.