So, where is the truth? It’s time to get some answers!Īs usual, I’ll be using the Commensurate Sales to Popularity Concept in order to relevantly gauge their results. Band members are in the dark as well, with Paice famously joking they sold “More than 10 and less than 500 million”.
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That way, even sales of bands founded by former Deep Purple members like Rainbow and Whitesnake can be seen as Deep Purple sales.įrom the 7.5 million RIAA certified units to the 150 million often claimed these days, the gap is wild. Historically, labels often claimed sales for groups not as one act, but as the sum of its members. The various line-ups, known as Mark I to Mark VIII, are part of the reason their sales remain so unclear. In the meantime, the group always continued to release new material and tour, except during one hiatus which lasted from 1976 to 1984. Joe Lynn Turner and Don Airey have been members of several of these bands too. No less than three former Deep Purple or Rainbow singers went on to become Black Sabbath lead singer, Gillan, Hughes and Ronnie James Dio. Coverdale quit and went solo, before creating Whitesnake, a band that would also included Paice and Lord. Come Taste the Band, with Tommy Bolin, replacing Blackmore, saw a further decline in sales, with many not accepting the change in sound, but more importantly the departure of Blackmore.īlackmore left to form the band Rainbow, even bringing in Glover, at one point. While Burn was a roaring success, going Top 10 in nearly every country it charted, Stormbringer saw a decline in sales and positions achieved and also the departure of Blackmore, who was annoyed with the soulful and funky direction the band had taken. Prior to this Glenn Hughes, from the band Trapeze, had been snapped up to play Bass and provide backing and shared vocals, with Coverdale. A guy who’d sent a drunken cassette recording, in reply to the ad. Unfortunately for Blackmore, Rodgers had committed himself to a new project called Bad Company.Ī long fruitless search and a Melody Maker ad for a new singer, resulted in the appointment of David Coverdale, an unknown singer from Redcar. Behind the scenes though, Gillan had handed in his notice and Glover was asked to leave, at the behest of a cowardly Blackmore.īlackmores preference for a new singer was someone who could sing the blues, Paul Rodgers being his favoured choice. Their albums performed so well across 1973, that in the yearly Billboard awards, they were named #1 album artist. mainly on the back of their live performances, which in turn led to the success of Machine Head, Made In Japan and Who Do We Think We Are, on the Billboard 200 album chart. The band quite simply exploded in the USA, in 19. Further success would come with Fireball, there first UK #1 and Machine Head, which due to it’s US success, is probably held as their most iconic album. The album kicked off their golden MKII years, easily their most renowned and respected era.
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The metamorphosis was complete and resulted in the genre defining classic, Deep Purple In Rock.
![deep purple soldier of fortune original deep purple soldier of fortune original](https://guitarsolo.info/media/cache/22/f9/22f9e0229c767e4a359cea60b00a41a4.png)
The line-up was duly adjusted to include the vocally superior Ian Gillan (replacing Evans) on vocals, with his Episode 6 band mate, Roger Glover (replacing Simper) on bass. This line up went on to release 3 progressive rock LPs in 68 and 69, with marginal success, mainly in North America where Hush hit #4 in the US and #2 in Canada.īy the time of their eponymous third release, the future wasn’t looking too bright, but Blackmore upon seeing and hearing Led Zeppelin, decided heavy was the way forward for Purple. Take your seat and let’s delve into the murky world that is, Deep Purples worldwide sales.ĭeep Purple was formed in 1968 and included Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (keyboards), Nick Simper (bass), Rod Evans (vocals), and Ian Paice (drums). Unlike these other bands though, their certified sales are very low, which has led to various myths floating around for decades.Īt last, we can enlighten on this mystery. Part of the legendary “ Unholy Trinity of British Hard Rock and Heavy Metal” along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple helped introduce and style, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal in the early 70s.Īctive to this day, the general public remembers them best for Smoke On The Water, a song often listed along with the likes of Whole Lotta Love and Back In Black in best guitar riffs of all-time lists.