This was to be the theatre's final concert before the casino complex closed down for its annual winter renovations, which would allow Deep Purple to record there. On the eve of the recording session, a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert was held in the casino's theatre. The lyrics of the song tell a true story: on 4 December 1971 Deep Purple were in Montreux, Switzerland, where they had set up camp to record an album using a mobile recording studio (rented from the Rolling Stones and known as the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio-referred to as the "Rolling truck Stones thing" and "a mobile" in the song lyrics) at the entertainment complex that was part of the Montreux Casino (referred to as "the gambling house" in the song lyric). There are two solos in the song the first was performed on guitar by Ritchie Blackmore, and the second was performed on an organ by Jon Lord until the song fades out. In the August show in 1972 in Tokyo, Japan, Blackmore played the intro as follows: Blackmore usually plays the main riff using a finger pluck or occasionally a plectrum upstroke (to accentuate the tonic). Jon Lord doubles the guitar part on a Hammond C3 organ played through a distorted Marshall amp, creating a tone very similar to that of the guitar. The riff, played on a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar by Blackmore, is later joined by hi-hat and distorted organ, then the rest of the drums, then electric bass parts before the start of Ian Gillan's vocal. It is a four-note blues scale melody in G minor, harmonised in parallel fourths. "Smoke on the Water" is known for and recognizable by its central theme, developed by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Orchestral arrangements aren't necessarily supposed to rock, but backed by strings, Deep Purple virtually demolished the stage with their performance.Composition File:Smoke on the Water riff.jpg Nearly 40 years on, Deep Purple gave the familiar classic a turbo-charged update, performing it during their orchestral tour last year, which was captured on a recent live DVD release recorded at, whaddya know, Montreux. Grace under pressure and good use of clock management helped Purple to deliver both a classic album and what would become one of classic rock’s most memorable and enduring songs. The harried set of events - both the fire and Gillan’s illness - left the band strapped for time, and Glover says as a result, a good amount of ‘Machine Head’ was written “on the spot." 'Smoke On The Water’ is evidence that perhaps the spontaneity was a very good thing.įrom Blackmore’s cataclysmic riffing to Gillan’s stormy vocals, seemingly pushing back against an unseen wind, the sounds of ‘Smoke’ put you in the flame-licking midst of a developing tragedy that would leave its imprint on all who were in the vicinity. The band would relocate to a hotel to complete the album, which Glover says was recorded under “dire circumstances.” Hence the title, ‘Smoke On The Water’ and also unfortunately, the need for a new recording location. And the smoke was just like a stage show and it was hanging on the water.” “The wind was coming down off the mountains and blowing the flames and the smoke over the lake. It was a scary vision, as Gillen remembers, telling syndicated radio host Redbeard that “it was an inferno.” Bassist Roger Glover came up with the title ‘Smoke On The Water,’ which provided the linchpin for Gillen to write the lyrics which would provide a scene by scene account of the Zappa-related debacle. Watching the fiery events inspired the immortal opening riff from guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, which would be painstakingly imitated by budding guitar players of many future generations. Their progress was further delayed when a concert-goer shot off a flare at a Frank Zappa show at the Casino that set the roof on fire and destroyed the building. Recording in a mobile studio owned by the Rolling Stones within the Montreux Casino complex, the band was in the midst of laying down basic tracks when lead singer Ian Gillan was sidelined with hepatitis. Purple had come to town in 1971 to record the album which would become ‘Machine Head.'
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When Deep Purple first visited however, the festival was in its early stages, lasting only a couple of days.
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For Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke On The Water,’ all you have to do is journey to the little town on the water called Montreux which for decades, has played host to the annual Montreux Jazz Festival.