Memorials & tributes
Plaque Smoke on the Water
- Type
- Plaque
- Address
- Av. de Chillon 78, Territet
On 4 December 1971 the Casino de Montreux burned down during a Frank Zappa concert: a member of the audience had fired a flare into the ceiling. Deep Purple, who were due to record their album there, fell back on the former Grand Hôtel in Territet, where “Machine Head” was recorded that same month with the Rolling Stones’ mobile studio, in a corridor of the building turned into a makeshift studio. From this episode came “Smoke on the Water”: the smoke spreading over the lake, and “Funky Claude” (Claude Nobs) “running in and out, pulling kids out the ground”, as the lyrics tell it. The commemorative plaque placed by the municipality of Montreux recalls, on the spot, the birth of the most famous riff in the history of rock.
The music of this place
Deep Purple · 1972
Smoke on the Water
The most famous riff in rock, from the album “Machine Head” recorded in Montreux in December 1971 with the Rolling Stones’ mobile studio. The lyrics recount the Casino fire, the smoke over the lake and “Funky Claude” (Claude Nobs) saving the audience.
In pictures
Related artists :Deep PurpleFrank ZappaClaude Nobs