In terms of well-worn rock back stories, Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water must just about take the cake. The instantly-recognisable rock anthem had its origins 50 years ago today when Deep Purple were in the midst of recording their seminal 1972 album, Machine Head, at a casino in Montreux, Switzerland, when someone set off a flare gun during a performance by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. The resulting fire burned the building to the ground and left the band with nowhere to record. The song title occurred to bassist Roger Glover when he woke from a dream a few days later, and the rest, as they say, is history. Former Supergroove member Nick Atkinson is with us to look at the song that includes one of the most famous riffs in rock history.
Ritchie Blackmore Photo: AFP / FILE
