Deep Purple

Machine Head

First released1972

Machine Head, Deep Purple's fifth studio album, was recorded at the Grand Hotel in Montreux, Switzerland in June 1972 using a mobile recording truck owned by the Rolling Stones. The album was produced by the band members themselves along with engineer Martin Birch, who would become a longtime collaborator with Deep Purple. The recording took place in unconventional circumstances, as the mobile studio had to be set up in the hotel due to limited studio availability, which contributed to the raw and energetic sound of the album. The session resulted in several classic hard rock tracks, most notably "Smoke on the Water," which features one of rock music's most iconic guitar riffs. The album became one of Deep Purple's most commercially successful releases and helped define the heavy metal sound of the 1970s.