Smoke On The Water

Deep Purple | Format: MP3 Download
From the Album Machine Head

Product Details

• Original Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Label: Rhino/Warner Bros.
• Copyright: 2004 Warner Bros. Records. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing
• Duration: 5:42 minutes
• Genres:
• ASIN: B0011Z10UC
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,511 Paid in MP3 Songs (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Songs)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Song Explaining Why Switzerland Is Now Less Tolerant Of Flare Guns, April 14, 2010

By 

Robert I. Hedges - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Smoke On The Water (MP3 Download)

"Smoke on the Water," originally from the great Deep Purple album "Machine Head," has one of the most iconic riffs in all of rock courtesy of Ritchie Blackmore and his Strat. Easily the most recognizable and popular song from Deep Purple's catalogue, the song chronicles an actual event. In December 1971 Deep Purple was in Montreux, Switzerland to record an album at the Montreux Casino next to Lake Geneva using mobile recording equipment owned by the Rolling Stones. During a Frank Zappa concert on December 4, a fan set off a flare gun, setting the ceiling on fire and burning the complex to the ground. The flames and smoke drifted over the lake, while the members of Deep Purple watched. The band then had to scramble for a venue to record "Machine Head" in, and finally settled on the Montreux Grand Hotel. The song is quite an accurate piece of history, and definitely one of the heaviest, most listenable pieces of musical history ever recorded.

The song has appeared in various versions (the most amusing is from Pat Boone's "In a Metal Mood," with Blackmore reprising his role on guitar) on many albums. I recommend "Machine Head," but the "Best Hits" album is also a good buy at a reasonable price. One thing's certain, though: no musical library should be without this staple.