Second only to Led Zeppelin in the 1970s heavy-rock stakes, Deep Purple laid the foundation for just about every other serious (and plenty of not so serious) heavy rock bands that followed in the intervening 30 years. The ultimate song story, Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke On The Water’ itself tells the story of the circumstances in which the song was recorded. With its’ instantly recognisable 4-chord intro, ‘Smoke On The Water’ is for heavy rock music what the 4-chord intro to Beethoven’s 5th is for classical. Writers Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord & Ian Paice Recorded at The Pavilion Theatre & Grand Hotel, Montreux, Switzerland, Dec 1971 Then it became the lead song on a three-track 45 also featuring “Child In Time” and “Woman From Tokyo.” In a seven-week run, it climbed to No.21, its place in rock history by then already assured.īuy or stream “Smoke On The Water” on the Machine Head album.The popularity of ‘Smoke On The Water’ came as something of a surprise to the band… The UK release of “Smoke On The Water” as a single didn’t happen until March 1977. It also became a substantial hit in South Africa, Canada, Holland, Germany, and Austria. Within five weeks, it was in the Top 20, climbing steadily until it landed at No.4 in late July to become Purple’s biggest-ever hit single. That single entered the Billboard Hot 100 on at No.85, and won the support not just of rock radio, but pop programmers too. “Listen to some pretty tasty drum work at the end,” he noted.

“The heavy bass line gives an air of gloom in keeping with the illustrative lyrics,” wrote Richard Green of the song in the NME, before singling out Ian Paice for praise.

Then Purple’s American label, Warner Brothers, took the decision to release a single, not from that record, but featuring edited live and studio versions of “Smoke On The Water.” By the time of that next studio album, the song was also a highlight of the band’s famous live album Made In Japan. That became the acrimonious Who Do We Think We Are, released in March 1973. It reached No.35, but “Smoke” and other tracks from the record that became Purple landmarks, such as “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin’,” were too long for mainstream, daytime radio.Īs tensions grew within the band, contractual requirements demanded the recording of another album. Its selection was no doubt informed by the fact that it was the shortest track on the LP, at under four minutes. In the UK, “Never Before” was released as the only single from Machine Head, simultaneously with the album.

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