| Song Name - | "Smoke on the Water" |
| Artist - | Deep Purple |
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Deep Purple was once listed in the Guinness Book World Records as the world's loudest rock band. It may also hold a record for the most changes in personnel. Deep Purple has entertained a Yardbirds-like succession of famous musicians in its thirty-eight year existence, including Jon Lord (Whitesnake), David Coverdale (Whitesnake), Ian Gillan (Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar), Ritchie Blackmore (Rainbow), and Joe Satriani. Deep Purple was initially founded as a loose collective assembled by Chris Curtis, an ex-member of the Searchers. For reasons unknown he abandoned the project, but the musicians he had recruited decided to form a band anyway. Ironically, the group was originally named Roundabout, and Curtis's idea of a musical unit with a fluid lineup became the nature of the band. Deep Purple had a few pop hits in the United States and was beginning to cultivate a heavier sound when then Jon Lord encouraged the group to pursue more progressive musical ideas. The resulting album, Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1970), on which they collaborated with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, sold poorly, and Blackmore took control of group. He steered band toward hard rock and their next album, Deep Purple in Rock, finally made the band a success. However, it was their 1972 album Machine Head, and the saga of its creation, that spawned their biggest hit. The band was scheduled to record the album in the ballroom of a casino complex in Montreaux, Switzerland; Deep Purple had rented the Rolling Stones' mobile recording studio so they could squeeze in recording sessions between European tour dates. But the casino burned to the ground, and the band tried several other locations before finding a suitable place to record. "Smoke on the Water" is a narrative of the ordeal. The song's opening four-chord riff is one of the most famous in rock music; it is also one of the longest. It is based on a minor blues progression, which provides "heavy" sound, as does the distortion created by Blackmore playing close to his amp. Bassist Roger Glover came up with the central idea of "smoke on the water" but the group was reluctant to use it as a title; they thought it sounded too much like a song about drugs. Their follow-up album also produced a hit single, but Gillan and Glover left the group soon after. Deep Purple's next album, with new lead singer David Coverdale, was well received, but when Blackmore quit the following year [what year?] the group lost its edge. They made one more album with a replacement guitarist, but the group dissolved in 1976. The original lineup re-formed in 1984 for Perfect Strangers, a platinum smash hit. The band's members continue to fluctuate—Blackmore and Gillan have rejoined and quit the band several times—but Deep Purple continues to tour and record new material. |
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"Woman from Tokyo"
