The veteran English band Deep Purple announced today, February 6th, the release of a deluxe 50th-anniversary box set of the album Machine Head , a 1972 classic featuring the anthems "Smoke On The Water," "Highway Star," and "Space Truckin'."
Honoring the album's immense influence over the decades, Warner Records and Rhino Entertainment will release a super-deluxe box set, featuring 3 CDs, an LP, and a Blu-ray, with previously unreleased recordings, new remixes in Stereo and Dolby Atmos by Dweezil Zappa (son of Frank Zappa , an important figure in the album's creation), a quadraphonic version from 1974, and a new remastered version.
The release will also feature two live shows, one recorded on March 9, 1972 at the Paris Theatre in London, during the album's tour. The second, previously unreleased, was recorded in April 1971 at the Montreux casino in Switzerland (the site of the fire that would inspire the song "Smoke On The Water," on December 4 of the same year, while the band was beginning the album's recordings near Lake Geneva).
The show in Montreux promises to be a treat for fans, featuring classics from previous albums such as "Child In Time," "Speed King" (both from the 1970 In Rock Fireball ).
According to Dweezil Zappa: “This is one of those albums where I wonder, 'How did they create this?' It has classical music influences in the guitars and keyboards, but it also has touches of blues and funk, then you have this vocalist with the most killer voice of all, all together in a way that doesn't sound like commercial music, but people were captivated by it. It's a fascinating formula.”
The fire that inspired one of the greatest classics of music
On December 4, 1971, Deep Purple was near the Montreux casino, equipped with the Rolling Stones , to begin recording the classic album Machine Head . That same day, the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival was taking place, featuring a show by Frank Zappa (Dweezil's father) and his band, The Mothers of Invention . During the show, a spectator lit a flare inside the venue, quickly starting a fire.
The band, who were nearby, decided to continue the recording sessions at a hotel on the other side of Lake Geneva. That night, the band claims it was possible to see the smoke from the fire on the other side of the lake, thus giving rise to the idea for "Smoke On The Water".
READ ALSO: Deep Purple: Police “tried to stop” recording of “Smoke On The Water”