Deep Purple, official video for 'Smoke on the Water' online

“Smoke on the Water”, a song by Deep Purple originally published in 1972 on the album “Machine Head”, 52 years after its release finally has an official video: the classic, considered an obligatory step in the training of every guitarist , was finally paired with a clip, released to celebrate the release of the super deluxe edition of the album.

As is known, the lyrics of the song refer to the fire that devastated the Montreux Casino in December 1971, when – during a Frank Zappa concert – a spectator threw a firework on the roof of the structure, which caught fire: the Deep Purple were in the city busy recording sessions for “Machine Head” in the Rolling Stones' mobile recording studio, which the band had rented for the occasion.

The work, produced by the British company Chiba Film, was directed by Dan Gibling and Luke McDonnell. “It was an honor to put this song, undeniably one of the greatest rock songs of all time, into images,” said the directors: “The fact that the song is a story itself means we had no shortage of inspiration to the scenes that accompany the music. Our idea for the video came from the fact that the band was under pressure to make this album in time after the events that happened at the casino. We wanted to represent all these events and the band members accurately, but also elevating the animated video to a thrilling, action-packed chase that sees the band chased by the needle as it travels through the record's deep grooves.”

Released as a single in 1973, “Smoke on the Water” became popular in its live version, originally included on the album – also released in 1972 – “Made in Japan”, and included as a B-side on the 45 of the studio version.

“Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition” will be available starting from March 29th: among the remixes of the original version of the album there is also the one in Dolby Atmos edited by Dweezil Zappa, one of Frank's sons. “It's one of those records where I think, 'How did they do that?'” Dweezil explained in the liner notes: “There are classical influences in the guitar and keyboard, but then there's the blues and there's little bits of funk. And there's this singer who has a really crazy voice. All these things come together in a way that has nothing to do with commercial music, and yet people were really excited about it. It's a fascinating recipe”.