deep purple smoke on the water official video

They needed one more song, so they put together “Smoke On The Water” using Gillan’s lyric and riff the guitarist Ritchie Blackmore came up with.

The band was relocated to the Grand Hotel in Montreux, where they recorded the album using the Rolling Stones mobile studio. This image gave bass player Roger Glover the idea for a song title: “Smoke On The Water,” and Gillan wrote the lyric about their saga recording the Machine Head album. Deep Purple watched the blaze from a nearby restaurant, and when the fire died down, a layer of smoke had covered Lake Geneva, which the casino overlooked. Zappa stopped the show and helped ensure an orderly exit. It was the first thing that came into my head during that jam.”ĭeep Purple was in the audience for the show, and lead singer Ian Gillan recalls two flares being shot by someone sitting behind him which landed in the top corner of the building and quickly set it ablaze. It was a natural riff to play at the time. Ritchie Blackmore: “Ian Paice (Deep Purple drummer) and I often used to jam, just the two of us. The song was credited to Deep Purple…Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice. Smoke on the Water peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100 and #2 in Canada in 1973. The band was going to start recording their Machine Head album there right after a Frank Zappa concert, but someone fired a flare gun at the ceiling during Zappa’s show, which set the place on fire when Deep Purple was watching. Smoke On The Water took inspiration from a fire in the Casino at Montreux, Switzerland on December 4, 1971. This song was based on a true story that happened to the band. I’m not saying best but maybe the most famous….it’s simple for a beginner and sounds great when played right. It’s one of the most popular guitar riffs in rock. I’ve heard it murdered many times and I contributed to the count also. Go to any music store basement right now and some beginner will be playing this riff on guitar.

Deep purple smoke on the water official video