Conceived by UK-based Chiba Film, the animated production faithfully interprets the story of the song’s inception. As the legend goes, Deep Purple were in Montreux, Switzerland to record some tracks in a mobile recording studio rented from The Rolling Stones. They were due to record at the Montreux Casino there after Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention played. However, during the concert, a member of the audience shot a flare gun toward the roof, which instantly caught fire. The entire building burned down, and the song recounts the events of that fateful evening.
In the aftermath, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord, singer Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, and drummer Ian Paice relocated to the nearby Grand Hotel (empty for the winter season) to record the album.
“It’s been an honour to put visuals to this song, undeniably one of the greatest rock tracks of all time,” says Directors Dan Gibling and Luke McDonnell. “The fact that the song is itself a story meant we had no shortage of inspiration for the scenes that accompany the music. Our idea for the video follows the fact that the band were under pressure to make this record on time after the events that unfolded at the casino.
“We wished to depict all these events and band members accurately, but also elevate the animated video into an exciting action packed chase that sees the band pursued by the stylus as they ride along the deep grooves of the record. On their journey we visit the places and heroes mentioned in the song, as well as encounters with fire, water, smoke, police and even dragons as they strive to take control of the record stylus and cut their track into the vinyl. The writing of the album was an adventure summed up in the lyrics, and we hope we have created an accompanying adventure that existing and new fans will enjoy.”
The video features the 6-minute-plus 2024 remix of the hit, which – in a full-circle moment – was done by Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank Zappa.
The 3-CD/LP/Blu-ray “Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition” delivers multiple versions of the album, including new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes by Dweezil Zappa; a 1974 quadraphonic mix and a newly remastered version of the original album are also featured, and the package is rounded out with two live performances from the era – a March 9, 1972 show at the Paris Theatre in London during the “Machine Head Tour”, and a previously unreleased concert recorded in April 1971 at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, before the events depicted in “Smoke On The Water.”
The new Dolby Atmos and 2024 mixes provide fresh and immersive perspectives on this classic album and were made by Zappa using the original tapes.
In the liner notes, Zappa says: “It’s one of those records where I think, ‘How did they come up with this?’ It’s got classical influences in the guitar and the keyboard, but then it’s got the blues and there’s little bits of funkiness. And you have this singer who has the most killer voice. All these things come together in a way where it doesn’t sound like commercial music, yet people got really excited about it. It’s a fascinating recipe.”
Deep Purple will launch a 2024 world tour in Australia in April.
Get more details and add some Deep Purple to your collection here.
See also:
Deep Purple welcome guitarist Simon McBride as permanent band member
Deep Purple release Now What rarities compilation
Deep Purple share unreleased Rapture Of The Deep performance
Deep Purple share unreleased Demon’s Eye live video
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