Deep Purple Machine Heead

Led Zeppelin's fourth album, Black Sabbath's Paranoid, and Deep Purple's Machine Head have stood the test of time as the Holy Trinity of English hard rock and heavy metal, serving as the fundamental blueprints followed by virtually every heavy rock & roll band since the early '70s. And, though it is probably the least celebrated of the three, Machine Head contains the "mother of all guitar riffs" – and one of the first learned by every beginning guitarist – in "Smoke on the Water." Inspired by real-life events in Montreux, Switzerland, where Deep Purple were recording the album when the Montreux Casino was burned to the ground during a Frank Zappa concert, neither the song, nor its timeless riff, should need any further description…

Machine Head is the sixth Deep Purple studio album. It was recorded at the Grand Hotel Montreux, Switzerland in December 1971 with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, and released in May 1. The album is often cited as being very influential in the development of the heavy metal music genre. It is Deep Purple's most successful recording, topping the charts in several countries following its release. In 2001 Q magazine named it as one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time. Machine Head is the subject of one of the Classic Albums series of documentaries about the making of famous albums. Machine Head was released on the multichannel formats Super Audio CD (2003) and DVD-Audio (2001).

A probable contender for one of hard rock's "all-time most influential albums," Deep Purple's MACHINE HEAD has all the markings of a heavy classic. It was here that the band's combination of amped-up blues, progressive instrumental prowess, screaming guitars, and thunderous rhythms was crystallized for the ages, helping to lay the foundation for hard rock and heavy metal throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. The lone presence of "Smoke on the Water" immediately elevates the album to essential status. The song became a long-running radio staple, and boasts one of the most instantly recognizable guitar riffs in rock history…

Deep Purple and Universal Music Group announce a very special limited edition collection of reissues of classic Deep Purple albums from 1972-77. Studio albums Machine Head [1972], Who Do We Think We Are? [1973], Burn [1974], Stormbringer [1974] & Come Taste the Band [1975] receive brand new reissue treatment, as well as historic live packages Made in Japan [1972], Made in Europe [1976] & Last Concert in Japan [1977].

From Allmusic: Led Zeppelin's fourth album, Black Sabbath's Paranoid, and Deep Purple's Machine Head have stood the test of time as the Holy Trinity of English hard rock and heavy metal, serving as the fundamental blueprints followed by virtually every heavy rock & roll band since the early '70s. And, though it is probably the least celebrated of the three, Machine Head contains the "mother of all guitar riffs" — and one of the first learned by every beginning guitarist — in "Smoke on the Water." Inspired by real-life events in Montreux, Switzerland, where Deep Purple were recording the album when the Grand Hotel was burned to the ground during a Frank Zappa concert, neither the song, nor its timeless riff, should need any further description. However, Machine Head was anything but a one-trick pony, introducing the bona fide classic opener "Highway Star," which epitomized all of Deep Purple's intensity and versatility while featuring perhaps the greatest soloing duel ever between guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and organist Jon Lord. Also in top form was singer Ian Gillan, who crooned and exploded with amazing power and range throughout to establish himself once and for all as one of the finest voices of his generation, bar none. Yes, the plodding shuffle of "Maybe I'm a Leo" shows some signs of age, but punchy singles "Pictures of Home" and "Never Before" remain as vital as ever, displaying Purple at their melodic best. And finally, the spectacular "Space Truckin'" drove Machine Head home with yet another tremendous Blackmore riff, providing a fitting conclusion to one of the essential hard rock albums of all time.