Deep Purple discuss “hostile” police incident while recording ‘Smoke on the Water’
nme.comDeep Purple – past and present – have spoken about an incident with the Swiss police while they were recording their now-iconic hit ‘Smoke on the Water’.Speaking to Classic Rock Magazine per Music News, founding drummer and longtime member Ian Paice revealed that while the band were jamming to the track in Switzerland, they experienced a “pretty hostile” situation with the local authorities.The band were jamming in a mobile unit in Switzerland in 1971 after the Montreux Casino had been burned down by a fan with a flare gun.
The Swiss police reportedly began knocking on the band’s door as they were creating “a hell of a racket”.Paice revealed: “There was no sound-proofing and we were recording at night.
A hell of a racket!”Founding guitarist and former member Ritchie Blackmore added: “We did ‘Smoke On The Water’ there, and the riff I made up in the spur of the moment.
I just threw it together with lan Paice. Roger Glover joined in.”“We went outside to the mobile unit and were listening back to one of the takes, and there was some hammering on the door.
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