| length = 41:37

| label = *Purple

  • Warner Bros. (US & Canada)

| producer = Deep Purple

| prev_title = Who Do We Think We Are

| prev_year = 1973

| next_title = Stormbringer

| next_year = 1974

| misc =

Burn is the eighth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 15 February 1974, by Purple Records internationally, and Warner Bros. Records in North America. The album first features then-unknown lead singer David Coverdale. The group's Mark III line-up for their recording debut included Coverdale, Glenn Hughes (joining from Trapeze) on bass and vocals, Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Jon Lord on keyboards, and Ian Paice on drums.

Burn mostly consists of hard rock and blues in a similar vein to that of the group's preceding albums, particularly Machine Head, but there was an additional element of funk rock, which would become more prominent in the later albums of the Mark III–IV era. The album has received favorable reviews and accolades but others gave mixed reactions shortly after its release. Burn charted in 13 countries, including reaching number three in the UK and number nine in the US. Followed by a successful tour, internal tensions would start to erupt during the recording of their follow-up album, resulting in Blackmore's departure in early 1975. Burn received a reissue in 2004, featuring remastered and remixed versions along with a previously unreleased track.

Background

In the early 1970s, Deep Purple was the best-selling group in the world, particularly in North America. Their 1973 album Who Do We Think We Are was commercially successful, though the tour supporting it was cut short. Tensions between then-lead singer Ian Gillan and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore escalated, resulting in Gillan leaving the group on 29 June 1973 in Osaka, Japan, after their tour had concluded. Gillan described the Who Do We Think We Are recording sessions as elusive, prompting him to announce he was leaving the band. At the time, they were able to dissuade him from quitting. However, in early December 1972, he wrote management a letter declaring that he wanted to leave on 30 June 1973; the decision was made "not impulsive[ly] but [after] at least six months of thought". Gillan also predicted in his letter that the group would eventually disband after his departure. Bassist Roger Glover had also planned to leave the band due to the band's refusal to consider his ideas for songs. Blackmore insisted that Glover go at the same time Gillan departed. Glover recalled his talk with the band's manager shortly about his departure, writing:

Paul Stanley of Kiss was inspired by "Burn" to write "I Stole Your Love" (the opening track of Love Gun).

"Might Just Take Your Life" starts as a mid-paced song with a funky blues tone, with an organ chord progression by Lord, inserted as a solo intro. Coverdale explained that the track was influenced by The Band's "Chest Fever" based on a blues-oriented sound. From its lyrical context, according to Coverdale, it was meant for a group of people who have laughed at him and Hughes at their backs when they first thought of joining the group in 1973. The arrangement sets off without a guitar solo, alongside a key change, and a tambourine was added to the percussion mix. Lord finishes it off with the Hammond organ solo arrangement nearly at the end of the track. Blackmore's guitar solo was in the mix but sounded inaudible due to an overlay of the organ solo and other instruments. At first, Coverdale sang the parts so low that he wasn't satisfied with the results, but when the finished song was later listened to in the studio, with Coverdale's re-recorded vocal tracks, it sounded exceptional, getting what he wanted. It was first played on a tape of a cymbal played in reverse, in order to achieve an effect. Blackmore also uses the Synthi Hi-Fli guitar synthesizer in the song to play its "lyrical and haunting fade-out solo" with a slide guitar. Lord also plays the song with the synthesizer which is also replicated to the tone of Stevie Wonder, which the band was originally inspired on that track by its rhythm from Wonder's song, "Superstition".

"What's Goin' On Here" starts off with a 28-bar verse, later 32-bar in the final verse, with Lord playing piano and Blackmore playing slide guitar in the chorus. Coverdale and Hughes again sang mostly in parts equally. It follows as another instrumental track incorporating Lord’s organ whereabouts and vibrancy of its similar funk-tone approach. Coverdale fell asleep in the studio and lost his voice, forcing it to commend without a vocal track. So Blackmore played a long guitar solo over the melody line as the only highlight noted in its composition. Coverdale and Glenn Hughes only sang a few chorus lines that ended up as stems on the track. While in the studio, the band was unable to come up with a title, but engineer Freddy Hanssen gave them a working title, named "Skidefuld", meaning pissed (drunk), which was later re-worded to "Drunk At The Revolution". The song was remixed and featured on the 30th-anniversary edition of the album. holding its spot for twenty-three weeks, and by July 1974, it had been certified gold by the BPI for sales of over 100,000 copies in the UK. In the US, the album reached number three on the Billboard 200, marking its appearance for 30 weeks, and was eventually certified gold by the RIAA in 20 March for sales of 500,000 units in the country, later would be certified platinum. Overall, the album charted in 13 countries, cracking the top spot in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Norway, while receiving gold certification levels in France, Germany, and Sweden.

Some record pressings have the translated album title in some countries; in Argentina, it was named "Quemar", while in Uruguay, it was named "Arde".

Two singles were released, all of which charted. "Might Just Take Your Life" charted at number 95 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, number 84 in Canada, and number 55 in the UK. "Burn" did not reach the US singles chart but charted at number five on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and in 1978, charted at number 45 in the UK. In many interviews, the band wanted to put out the appropriate tracks as singles, but in this case, took word from the record label's advice. Coverdale explained that "Sail Away" was originally envisioned to be a single but Warner Bros. said that "Might Just Take Your Life" was more commercial. The group later continue on to include shows at Madison Square Garden, New York, on 13 March, and Nassau Coliseum four days later. The band co-headlined (with Emerson, Lake & Palmer) the California Jam festival at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, Southern California, on 6 April 1974. Attracting over 300,000 fans, the festival also included 1970s rock giants Black Sabbath, Eagles and Earth, Wind & Fire. Portions of the show were telecast on ABC Television in the US, exposing the band to a wider audience. During the show, Blackmore struck one of the cameras five times with a guitar and set off a pyrotechnic device in one of his amplifiers, creating a large fireball that was quickly extinguished. The band quickly exited the venue by helicopter, avoiding fire marshals, police officers, and ABC executives. In the end, Deep Purple only had to replace a $5,000 camera ($32,763.49 in 2025). California Jam has even been considered the highlight of Deep Purple's career, as the band has not performed for such a large audience since then.

|rev2 = Blogcritics

|rev2score = (favourable)

|rev3 = Christgau's Record Guide

|rev3score = C+

|rev4 = Rolling Stone

|rev4score = (unfavourable)

In 2004, Burn was remastered and released with bonus tracks. "Coronarias Redig" was recorded during the Burn recording sessions, used only as a B-side for the "Might Just Take Your Life" single in 1974. It appears as a bonus track (in remixed form) on the anniversary edition re-release. The 2004 remix version of "Burn" was later used in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

In 2005, an unauthorised documentary about the album was produced as part of "The Ultimate Critical Review" series. It featured a brand new interview with Glenn Hughes.

Legacy

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia said: