Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story [Paperback]

Dave Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

From their grandiose inception in 1968 to the release of their latest album in 2003, this comprehensive look at Deep Purple's career paints a vivid portrait of the music scene that influenced the band and their effect on a generation of new musicians. Candid interviews with band members, friends, and fans trace the turbulent history of the band, including the acrimonious departures of legendary members Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore and the death of guitarist Tommy Bolin. For die-hard fans and rock aficionados, this musical biography discloses insights into the staying power of this classic band.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dave Thompson is a professional writer and the author of The Dark Reign of Gothic Rock, Never Fade Away, and Perry Farrell, among others. In 1998, he was ranked one of rock's five foremost authors in Mojo magazine. He lives in London, England,

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: ECW Press (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550226185
• ISBN-13: 978-1550226188
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent but not definitive account of Deep Purple, September 26, 2004

By 

C. Clark (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story (Paperback)

As a major fan I knew I would buy this book as soon as it came out, if only to help show that there is a market for books about Purple. Now having read it, I can say that although it was a good read, it wasn't quite a definitive account. Purple have such a long and variegated history that it would be hard for any one volume to thoroughly cover everything, unless it was at least 600 pages long. While the book covers from 1968 to 2003, there are some parts of their history somewhat glossed over: the move to California in late 1974 and adventures there, a more thorough look at the Bolin era (including Patsy Collins' death in Jakarta and a more detailed look at the drugs), plus more on the final tour with Blackmore in late 1993, during which they played some of their most fiery shows. The author seems to dislike Bolin to some degree (not really going into enough detail about his pre-Purple years), and Captain Beyond is all but dismissed, while Warhorse gets too much detail. In addition, while early Whitesnake gets its props, he doesn't talk too much about their rebirth as a multiplatinum glam band in the mid to late 80s. (Like it or lump it, the 1987 album vastly outsold what DP was doing at the time, and Coverdale finally cracked America for the first time since he had been in Purple). A bit more on the members' personal lives (families, hobbies, etc) would have been cool, and perhaps a track by track musical analysis would have been cool (but would have made the book twice as long).

In addition, the photo section was a bit lacking, although this could have been a rights issue. Some color photos would have been nice, or a color discography. Now it sounds like I've trashed the book no end, but it's actually decent for the casual to medium fan, and of course very welcome in America where the band has all but been ignored in the last fifteen years.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars so- so account of classic group, September 1, 2004

By 

Stephen F Mulcahy (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story (Paperback)

this new biography of legendary hard/ progressive rock band deep purple is, ultimately, relatively disappointing. while it is hard to encapsulate the band , which has put out numerous albums since 1968, in a 300 or so page book, one would have liked more details, anecdotes, trivial but interesting information about concert appearances,encounters with other famous and not so famous musicians ,and one would have especially hoped for a more in depth look at the actual music of the band- many songs are not even mentioned in passing, and the appraisal of some albums is simply breezed through by the author. i found myself disagreeing with some of his opinions, but i didn't find any ridiculous statements. the book does have some merits- some of the interviews with band members and peripheral figures like ronnie james dio are engaging and sometimes informative. there is a useful discography that covers not only all of deep purple's recordings, but also session appearances by all members and the side projects and other bands that they were in. one wishes there was more information on the band, especially the underrated and fascinating 'mark one' lineup. overall, not a bad book, a good choice for someone who is a casual deep purple fan- but clearly inferior to the definitive deep purple tome put out by chris charlesworth about 20 years ago.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS BOOK... AND THIS BAND, October 16, 2004

By 

Pumpkins Rule "BC" (Miami FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story (Paperback)

Deep Purple was the first group I ever got into, when my elder brother played me Made In Japan while I was still into Styx and Speedwagon. Major Life Change!!! Since then, I've bought every CD I can find, by Purple and the spin-offs, so it was great to find a book that promised to talk about the whole family tree, and does it well. The writing is fast and furious; there may even be too much information crammed in (the book could have been twice as long and I wouldn't have got bored), and the writer really does love Purple in all its shapes and sizes - where else are you going to read about Marlon, Blackmore's Night, the original Ian Gillan Band and Jon Lord's solo carer all in one place? PLEASE don't let the other reviews out you off. This is a red hot read, and it dosn't treat the reader like an idiot (as so many books about Metal bands do.)