The March 1972 release of Machine Head predated by a decade or so the advent of MTV, so it’s perhaps understandable that no video accompanied Deep Purple’s titanic “Smoke on the Water.” Still, over the years, you might have expected the band to have released an official clip to go with their most identifiable track.
That day has finally come. Just moments ago, Deep Purple uploaded a video for the studio version, which at one point was in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time as a live take from Made in Japan in the early 1970s.
Directed by Robbie Newby, the clip finds the famously battling Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore in happier days, with the late Jon Lord’s organ stabs going toe to toe with Blackmore’s iconic riff. Roger Glover and Ian Paice, both sporting some seriously shaggy cuts, rounded out the Mk. II edition.
A new box set focusing on Made in Japan is due on May 19, 2014. Deep Purple continues to this day with Gillan, Glover and Paice. Don Airey and Steve Morse complete the current lineup. Their most recent release was 2013’s Now What?!
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