WHITESNAKE - The Purple Album: Special Gold Edition

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 Rock and Roll Hall of Famers 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 and a 2-LP set on resplendent gold vinyl. Pre-order both versions HERE. 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.