Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972 Purple Records First UK Pressing): Smoke on the Water's Original Home

The opening riff of "Smoke on the Water" is arguably the most recognized guitar riff in the world. It is the first thing many guitarists learn. It has been played on cheap department store guitars in music stores on every inhabited continent. And its original home is Machine Head, Deep Purple's 1972 album, recorded in Montreux Switzerland in a mobile studio, the circumstances of the recording immortalized in the song's lyrics.

The 1972 Purple Records first UK pressing of Machine Head is one of the most sought albums in British hard rock collecting. The label, the pressing quality, and the historical significance of the recordings converge in an object that is both a genuine artifact and a genuinely good record.

The Machine Head Recording

Deep Purple's "Mark II" lineup, the definitive configuration of Ian Gillan (vocals), Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (keyboards), Roger Glover (bass), and Ian Paice (drums), had already recorded Fireball and In Rock. Machine Head would be their commercial and creative peak.

The recording took place in December 1971 at the Grand Hotel and Pavilion in Montreux, Switzerland, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. The circumstances that inspired "Smoke on the Water" occurred when a Frank Zappa concert at the Montreux Casino ended in a fire that burned down the venue the band had planned to use. They watched the smoke rise over Lake Geneva.

The resulting album was recorded under improvised conditions with a lineup at the absolute peak of its chemistry. Machine Head has a live energy that studio albums rarely achieve.

Purple Records: The Label

Purple Records was Deep Purple's own label, distributed in the UK by EMI, established in 1971 to give the band greater control over their releases. In an era when major label control was the norm, launching a band-owned label was still unusual.

Machine Head was released on Purple Records (TPS 3505) in March 1972. The label features the distinctive purple/violet color with white text, the Purple Records logo, and period-appropriate EMI distribution information.

First pressings on Purple Records are identifiable by:

• Purple label with specific format of catalog number and side information

• Matrix/runout inscriptions in the dead wax consistent with initial pressing

• Gatefold sleeve (Machine Head was issued in a gatefold)

• Specific sleeve photography and liner note format

Track Listing and Significance

Machine Head contains six tracks:

Highway Star: An eight-minute hard rock anthem with Blackmore's rapid ascending guitar runs and Lord's Hammond organ solo.

Maybe I'm a Leo: A more restrained piece that shows the band's range.

Pictures of Home: A mid-tempo rock number with some of Gillan's finest vocal work on the album.

Never Before: A rare single-release from the album, more commercially oriented.

Smoke on the Water: The riff. The story of the Montreux fire and the mobile recording. Still immediately recognizable fifty-plus years later.

Space Truckin': A pounding closer that became a live staple, often extended to fifteen-plus minutes in concert.

The album plays as a complete statement, not just a collection of tracks. The interplay between Blackmore's guitar and Lord's Hammond is at a specific peak here.

Condition Grades and Values

| Condition | Description | Market Range | |---|---| | Mint/Near Mint (M/NM) | Essentially unplayed; gatefold sleeve pristine | $200 - $500 | | Very Good Plus (VG+) | Very few plays; light marks; sleeve very good | $80 - $200 | | Very Good (VG) | Careful plays; some visible surface marks | $35 - $90 | | Good Plus (G+) | Regular play wear; some surface noise | $15 - $40 | | Good (G) | Heavy use; noticeable surface noise | $8 - $20 |

Identifying the First Pressing

Purple label: Must be the original Purple Records color, not later reissues on other labels or different EMI configurations.

Matrix identification: The dead wax runout grooves contain matrix inscriptions with pressing generation information. First pressing matrices for TPS 3505 are documented in Discogs and specialized Deep Purple discographies.

Gatefold condition: The gatefold sleeve is a significant component of the value. Gatefolds split at the spine with handling; a clean spine is a meaningful condition point.

Original inner: Original inner sleeves with Purple Records/EMI information add to the completeness of the package.

The Machine Head Legacy

Machine Head sold more than a million copies in its original release and has continued selling in every format since. The album defined a template for heavy rock that dozens of bands imitated and hundreds more absorbed unconsciously.

The specific sound of the Purple Records pressing, recorded in a hotel and a nearby facility with a mobile studio, has a character that later remasterings have not entirely recaptured. The warmth and directness of the original pressing is part of what vinyl collectors pursue.

For a hard rock vinyl collection, Machine Head on Purple Records represents the genre at its most essential.

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