Soldier of Fortune (Deep Purple song)
"Soldier of Fortune" is a blues rock ballad written by Ritchie Blackmore and David Coverdale and originally released on Deep Purple's 1974 album Stormbringer. Though Deep Purple has never released the song as a single and it has never placed on the record charts, it has developed a cult following over the years, and cover versions have been released by Whitesnake, Opeth, and Black Majesty, and has been covered in concert by Blackmore's Night.
"Soldier of Fortune" | |
---|---|
Song by Deep Purple | |
from the album Stormbringer | |
Released | December 1974 |
Recorded | August 1974 |
Genre | Blues rock |
Length | 3:13 |
Label | EMI/Purple |
Songwriter(s) | David Coverdale, Ritchie Blackmore |
The Opeth cover was included as a bonus track in the "Special Edition" release of Ghost Reveries (2006) and was subsequently released as a single in March 2007, which is available from iTunes.[1][2] Roadrunner Records lists Opeth's version among their 13 wildest covers, calling it a faithful cover and noting Mikael Åkerfeldt's "unexpectedly soulful vocals."[3]
Releases
"Soldier of Fortune" has been released on several albums since Stormbringer:
- Stormbringer (1974)
- Last Concert in Japan (1977)
- This Time Around: Live in Tokyo (2001)
- The Platinum Collection (2005)
- Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple 30th Anniversary Edition (2010)
Cover versions
- Whitesnake's version first appeared on the 1997 live album Starkers in Tokyo, then later on The Silver Anniversary Collection (2003), 30th Anniversary Collection (2008) and Made in Britain/World Record (Live) (2013) then in a studio version on their 2015 album The Purple Album which was also released as a single.
- Opeth's version was first released as a bonus track on the Special Edition of their 2005 album Ghost Reveries then as a single on 6 March 2007 .
- Black Majesty on the 2007 album Tomorrowland.
- Bosquito on the 2003 album Cocktail Molotov.
- Blackmore's Night on the 2002 album Past Times with Good Company.
- Gyula Vikidál in a Hungarian version on his 1985 solo album under the title "Szerencse katonája".
- Jiří Schelinger in a Czech version in 1977 under the title "Šípková Růženka" (Sleeping Beauty)
References
- "Opeth: Soldier of Fortune (Single)". Metal Storm. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- "Soldier of Fortune - Single". iTunes Preview. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- "13 of Roadrunner's Wildest Covers". Roadrunner Records. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.