DAVID COVERDALE's 1972 demo for DEEP PURPLE included on WHITESNAKE's 'The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition'
25-08-2023
David Coverdale was a relatively unknown 21-year-old singer-songwriter when he joined DEEP PURPLE in 1973. He went on to record three classic albums alongside the band before embarking on his musical journey a few years later with his band, WHITESNAKE.
Coverdale is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his DEEP PURPLE debut this year with a special version of “The Purple Album”, WHITESNAKE‘s tribute to his three-year tenure with the legendary group. This newly remixed, remastered, and expanded edition of the 2015 album features previously unreleased recordings, including the very demo that secured Coverdale‘s spot with DEEP PURPLE.
“The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition” arrives on October 13 as a 2-CD/Blu-ray set for $29.98 and a 2-LP set on resplendent gold vinyl for $36.98. The new remix of “Burn” is available today digitally.
Coverdale recorded “The Purple Album” with guitarist Reb Beach, bassist Michael Devin, guitarist Joel Hoekstra (on his first WHITESNAKE album),and drummer Tommy Aldridge, reappearing on a WHITESNAKE studio album for the first time since 1989’s “Slip Of The Tongue”. The band cherry-picked gems from “Burn” (1974),“Stormbringer” (1974) and “Come Taste The Band” (1975), delivering inspired takes on fan favorites like “Lay Down Stay Down”, “Lady Double Dealer” and “You Keep On Moving”.
The 2-CD/Blu-ray version of “The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition” goes beyond the original with the addition of live recordings and concert videos from “The Purple Tour” (“The Gypsy”, “Mistreated”), official music videos (“Sail Away”, “You Fool No One”) and an assortment of previously unreleased material, including six alternate mixes of album tracks. The Blu-ray also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the album’s making and a song-by-song commentary by Coverdale.
An exciting addition to the upcoming collection is the four-song demo Coverdale submitted to DEEP PURPLE, hoping to become the band’s next singer. Recorded in 1972 with his former band, THE FABULOSA BROTHERS, the reel-to-reel tape was extensively restored after Coverdale stumbled upon it among his late mother’s belongings. In the album’s liner notes, Coverdale says: “I had no idea my Mam had the tape…For me, to open my Mam’s trunk of personal items, 30 years after her passing, was a gift from Heaven.” The collection also features several demos Coverdale recorded while working on songs for DEEP PURPLE‘s 1974 album “Stormbringer”.
“The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition” 2-CD/Blu-ray track listing:
CD One: 2023 Remix
- Burn
02. Lay Down, Stay Down
03. Love Child
04. Holy Man
05. The Gypsy
06. Lady Double Dealer
07. Might Just Take Your Life
08. Mistreated
09. Stormbringer
10. Sail Away(Interpolating “Elegy For Jon”)
11. You Keep On Moving – featuring the Hook City Strings
12. Lady Luck
13. Coming Home
14. You Fool No One (Interpolating “Itchy Fingers”) Dedicated in loving memory to Jeff Beck
15. Soldier Of Fortune
CD Two
The Purple Tour Five Live
- Burn
02. The Gypsy
03. Mistreated
04. You Fool No One
05. Soldier Of Fortune
Alternative Mixes
- Holy Man(Unzipped) *
07. Stormbringer (Punch In The Nuts Mix) *
08. Love Child (Alternate Mix) *
09. Soldier Of Fortune – featuring Joel Hoekstra & The Hook City Strings *
10. Soldier Of Fortune – featuring The Hook City Strings *
11. Soldier Of Fortune (Instrumental) – featuring The Hook City Strings *
The 1972 DC Purple Audition Tape Featuring The Fabulosa Brothers
- Everybody’s Talkin’*
13. Get Ready *
14. Lonely Town, Lonely Street *
15. Dancing In The Street *
16. 1974 DC Demo Ideas For The Stormbringer Album *
Blu-ray
Purple Music Videos
- Lady Double Dealer
02. Stormbringer
03. Sail Away
04. Soldier Of Fortune
05. The Gypsy
06. Soldier Of Fortune– featuring Joel Hoekstra & The Hook City Strings*
07. Soldier Of Fortune – featuring The Hook City Strings*
Purplesnake Videos
- Lay Down, Stay Down*
09. Holy Man*
10. You Keep On Moving*
11. You Fool No One*
Live Clips
- Burn– Live “Atlantis” Video
13. Burn/Stormbringer – Live In The Still Of The Night
14. Soldier Of Fortune – Starkers In Tokyo
The Purple Tour Five Live
- Burn
16. The Gypsy
17. Mistreated
18. You Fool No One
19. Soldier Of Fortune
20. The Purple Album: Behind The Scenes*
21. The Purple Album: Song-By-Song*
* Previously unreleased
When “The Purple Album” was originally released, Coverdale told Billboard: “Everyone did their homework, and every performance is done respectfully in honor of (DEEP PURPLE‘s) musicians. Though I focused on the twin-guitar attack of WHITESNAKE, we had a guest keyboard player because a huge part of the DEEP PURPLE sound was Jon Lord playing that amazing Hammond organ.”
He continued: “There were respectful nods to the original musicians throughout the album, and it has come out delightfully. It’s a tribute to Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Ritchie Blackmore, who gave me my break in the first place. I’d never even made a record when I joined DEEP PURPLE, and my first record went double gold, which was early platinum. They didn’t even have platinum records back in those days!”
Coverdale added: “When we were working on it, each one of my musicians said these songs sounded as if they were written yesterday, and none of them were born when I first recorded them! It’s a testament to the songs that they stand up. We’ve Whitesnaked them up and given them a fresh coat of paint, but it’s still the same House of Purple.”
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