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. Although 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 has been covered by many artists and bands.

Releases
"Soldier of Fortune" has been released on several albums since Stormbringer:
 * Stormbringer (1974)
 * Last Concert in Japan (1977)
 * Fireworks (Italy-only compilation) (1985)
 * 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 March 6, 2007. Roadrunner Records lists Opeth's version among their 13 wildest covers, calling it a faithful cover and noting the band's guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt's "unexpectedly soulful vocals".
 * 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").