Machine Head (album)
Machine Head is the sixth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded in December 1971 at Montreux, Switzerland, and released on 25 March 1972 on Purple Records. It is the band's third album to feature the Mark II line-up of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.
| Machine Head | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 March 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 6–21 December 1971 | |||
| Studio | Grand Hotel (Montreux, Switzerland) with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:46 | |||
| Label | Purple | |||
| Producer | Deep Purple | |||
| Deep Purple chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Machine Head | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
25th anniversary CD slipcase | ||||
Previous recording sessions had been slotted into the group's gigging schedule. This time, Deep Purple wanted to dedicate time to record an album away from the typical studio environment, hoping it would result in a sound closer to their live shows. They hired the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio for recording and block-booked the Montreux Casino as a venue, but during a Frank Zappa concert immediately before the sessions, the casino burned to the ground after an audience member fired a flare gun. After a week of searching for an alternative venue, including a session at a nearby theatre that was abandoned due to noise complaints, the band managed to book the Grand Hotel, closed for the winter, and converted it into a live room suitable for recording. These events, particularly the casino fire, became the inspiration for the song "Smoke on the Water".
Machine Head became Deep Purple's most commercially successful album, topping the charts in several countries, including the UK. Influential in the development of heavy metal, it continues to be viewed favourably by music critics and has been reissued several times.