10 Amazing Bouncebacks In Rock History
6. Burn - Deep Purple
Deep Purple had already gone through a few career restarts before eventually hitting the big time. After the first iteration with Nick Simper and Rod Evans went nowhere, the arrival of vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover proved to be a winning formula, with albums like Machine Head and Made in Japan becoming classics of the hard rock genre. However, no #1 single can save a band from the personality conflicts.
Coming off of the record Who Do You Think We Are, things were starting to get more and more testy between Gillan and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Instead of work out their differences, Gillan decided to leave, with Glover following him just a few months afterwards. Though it would be unthinkable to continue on without your definitive voice, Purple had another plan: find a voice that's just as strong.
After finding a bassist and vocal powerhouse in Glenn Hughes, Purple's pursuits for a full-time frontman had them settle with a relative unknown in David Coverdale. Compared to the standard rock wail of Gillan, this new lineup brought a different energy to the group, which drew more from soul music rather than the blues foundation they had been built upon. In one fell swoop, Purple managed to take the success that was crumbling around them and forge it into one of the greatest hat tricks in the history of metal.