Just read the lyrics of the band's biggest hit Deep Purple to understand its origin!
In December 1971, while the group of hard-rock recorded the album "Machine Head" on the shores of Lake Geneva, the Montreux casino caught fire and inspired Ian Gillian's band. Smoke on the water " was born and it is enough for the incredible Ritchie Blackmore to add a devastating riff to invent an innovative piece and taken up by a multitude of budding guitarists. The text cites Frank Zappa & The Mothers who were in concert at the casino at the same time and one of whose spectators set fire to the establishment explaining the "smoke on the water" of the song which reflects on the natural Franco-Swiss border. Finally, they recorded in the city center (thanks to "funky Claude") and recorded an album which remains cult 52 years after its release.
THE ENGLISH OF DEEP PURPLE
Having become a reference in the heavy metal scene, the band Deep Purple was born from the ashes of Roundabout, former band of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and keyboardist John Lord. "Hush" was the first single to hit the US in 1968 and the first 3 albums released at a frantic pace contained covers of Billy Roberts, Neil Diamond, The Beatles and Phil Spector. In 1970, the 33 rpm "In Rock" established Deep Purple as a legend. "Black Night", "Into The Fire" but above all " Child In Time » which lasts 10 minutes in its studio version became the most popular tracks among fans. The successes and concerts followed one after the other as Deep Purple renewed a big discographic success with « Machine Head » in 1972. The blurred cover is the reflection of a metal plate taken by the photographer Shepard Sherbell, a friend of Keith Moon and a fan of photoshoots with the Beatles and Rolling StonesA few years earlier, the 5 musicians were engraved on Mount Rushmore for an equally legendary image.
Following the great successes, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left the band. They returned in 1984 (a period dubbed "Mark II") after a hiatus allowing Glover to release the hit "Love Is All" (with the frog video). There was movement within the band, the most significant of which was Blackmore's departure in 1993 due to ego problems with the singer. It should be noted that the most loyal musician remains Ian Paice, the original drummer still active. John Lynn Turner (ex-Rainbow) took over on vocals, but Gillian's voice is that of the classics that we will hear again at Cognac Blues Passions on Thursday, July 4, 2024.
COGNAC BLUES PASSIONS
The band has released 12 albums since its reformation, including some nice singles, of which 1995's "When a Blind Man Cries" is probably the most successful. To date, it is the Deep Purple's 11th tour who have never stopped performing. The first ones took place in Scandinavia in April 1968 and the first visit to France dates back to January 5, 1970 at the Baltard Pavilion in Paris. In 56 years of existence, Deep Purple has given 2820 concerts and they are in the top 5 of the greatest performers in the world alongside Elton John, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC and U2. Considered the precursors of hard rock with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, they continue to ignite the crowds and their visit to Charente delights rock and blues fans. If we had to keep only one album, "Made In Japan" recorded in Tokyo and Osaka would be it. One of the most brilliant live albums, all generations combined.
During the 2023 shows, the English band performed some great classics ("Lazy", "Space Truckin'", "Black Night"), treating their audiences to some epic guitar, synthesizer and bass solos! There's no doubt that " Smoke on the water » will be memorable in the gardens of Cognac as « Africa » by Toto, « The Thrill Is Gone » by BB King and « whole lotta love » by Robert Plant were in previous editions.
A concert not to be missed under any circumstances... see you on July 4th at Cognac Blues Passions with Gillian, Peace et Glover !
Ticket office link: https://www.bluespassions.com/online-ticketing/public/
Text: Diego OnTheRocks
Photos: Laurent Robert (concert of 3/11/2015 in Bordeaux)
