![deep purple smoke on the water montreux fire deep purple smoke on the water montreux fire](https://cdn.quizzclub.com/share/trivia/2018-06/deep-purple-s-song-smoke-on-the-water-says-we-all-came-out-to-montreux-where-is-montreux_2.jpg)
“y whole idea was to pull myself back and think, ‘I want to play something the postman can whistle when he’s…delivering letters,'” he explains. 'Smoke On The Water' is on Rolling Stone'. Legends were born that evening including the sadly missed Funky Claude aka Claude Nobs, the man behind The Montreux Jazz Festival. This terrible event was the impetus for the classic Deep Purple song 'Smoke On The Water'. Blackmore tells ABC Audio that with songs by The Kinks and The Rolling Stones in mind, he intentionally wrote the riff simply figuring it would have wider appeal. You're watching the official vinyl video for Deep Purple - 'Smoke On The Water' from the album 'A Fire In The Sky'. The clip below looks back to December 4th, 1971 when 'Some stupid with a flare gun burnt the casino to the ground. In 2016, Guitar Player magazine ranked the “Smoke on the Water” riff as the second greatest guitar riff of all time. While the band was there, the infamous incident occurred that inspired “Smoke on the Water.” Frank Zappa was playing a concert at the Montreux Casino, and during the show, someone in the audience fired a flare gun into the venue’s bamboo ceiling, causing a fire that burned down the building.Īfter the band had recorded a track featuring guitarist Ritchie Blackmore‘s famous riff, singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover came up with the lyrics telling the story of the fire. The age-old tale is that the fire started nearly 90 minutes into a performance by Frank Zappa’s band, The Mothers of Invention. The magnificent landmark that had been built for symphony orchestras in 1881 was now a smoking, hollowed-out shell of its former self. single along with 1968’s “Hush.”ĭeep Purple recorded Machine Head in late 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva. On December 4th, 1971, the historic Montreux Casino burned to the ground. “Smoke on the Water” reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the band’s best-charting U.S. The record features some of the British rockers’ most enduring tunes, including “ Highway Star,” “Space Truckin'” and, of course, the band’s signature song, “ Smoke on the Water.”ĭriven by the popularity of “Smoke on the Water,” Machine Head became Deep Purple’s highest-charting and best-selling album in the U.S., peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200 and selling over two million copies. Deep Purple‘s classic sixth studio album, Machine Head, was released 50 years ago today.