Deep Purple's 1972 album Machine Head remains the venerable hard rock band's most commercially successful album.  The third LP from the Mk. II lineup of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice introduced one of rock's most famous riffs with "Smoke on the Water," and influenced a generation of rock and metal musicians.  On March 29, Rhino revisits Machine Head as a 3CD/1LP/1Blu-ray Super Deluxe Edition with various versions of the album:

• 2024 Dweezil Zappa album mix on CD and LP;
• 2024 Original Album Remaster on CD;
• March 9, 1972 concert (Deep Purple in Concert) at Paris Theatre, London on CD;
• Previously unreleased April 1971 concert at Montreux Casino on CD; and
• Blu-ray Audio Disc with Dweezil Zappa Atmos mix; original U.S. 4.0 quadraphonic mix; and three additional songs in Dolby 5.1 Surround.

The story of Machine Head began at Switzerland's Montreux Casino, where the band planned to record its upcoming album using The Rolling Stones' mobile truck.  The Casino was set to close for its annual refurbishment over the winter months following a concert by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention on December 4, 1971.  During that period of closure, Deep Purple would have had usage of the expansive space for recording purposes.  On the evening of December 4, while Zappa and the Mothers were performing the epic "King Kong,", an audience member fired a flare towards the ceiling.  The roof caught fire, which quickly spread.  The building burnt down as chronicled in "Smoke on the Water," the song which would open Side Two of the album later christened Machine Head: "We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline / To make records with a mobile, we didn't have much time/ Frank Zappa and the Mothers were at the best place around / But some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground / Smoke on the water, fire in the sky..."

Following the devastating fire, Blackmore, Gillan, Glover, Lord, and Ian Paice regrouped, and the album was recorded instead at Montreux's Grand Hotel between December 6 and 21.  It was released in March 1972 on EMI's custom Purple label, and hit the top spot on the British charts within one week of its release.  Machine Head remained there for two weeks before returning in May for a further week.  It did almost as well in the U.S., where it was released on Warner Bros. Records and reached No. 7.  It remained on the charts for two years.

Machine Head has been oft-reissued over the years.  A 1997 2-CD set premiered Roger Glover's remixed version of the album, plus the B-side "When a Blind Man Cries" (the flip of "Never Before") and two quadraphonic tracks mixed down to stereo: "Maybe I'm a Leo" and "Lazy."  Subsequent reissues on DVD-Audio and SACD presented a new 5.1 mix and the original 4.0 quadraphonic mix.  A 2012 40th anniversary box set offered the remastered original mix, Glover remix, and folded-down quad mix plus a new mix of Deep Purple's March 9, 1972 London concert (previously issued as Deep Purple in Concert).  A Blu-ray contained the album in quad and stereo.

Dweezil Zappa has newly mixed Machine Head into both stereo (on CD) and Dolby Atmos (on Blu-ray) for this release; his remix of "Smoke on the Water" is now streaming.  Two live concerts are also featured: the famous March 9, 1972 London set immortalized on Deep Purple in Concert, and a previously unreleased April 1971 show from Montreux Casino - just months before the historic venue burned down.  (It was rebuilt, and reopened in 1975.)

Dweezil Zappa comments in the liner notes, "It's one of those records where I think, 'How did they come up with this?' It's got classical influences in the guitar and the keyboard, but then it's got the blues and there's little bits of funkiness. And you have this singer who has the most killer voice. All these things come together in a way where it doesn't sound like commercial music, yet people got really excited about it. It's a fascinating recipe."

The Super Deluxe Edition of Machine Head arrives from Rhino on March 29 in physical and digital formats.  You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.  Amazon links will be active shortly; as an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Deep Purple, Machine Head: Super Deluxe Edition (Rhino, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com)

CD 1: Dweezil Zappa 2024 Remix

1. "Highway Star"
2. "Maybe I'm A Leo"
3. "Pictures Of Home"
4. "Never Before"
5. "Smoke On The Water"
6. "Lazy"
7. "Space Truckin'"
8. "When A Blind Man Cries" (Purple single PUR 102 (U.K.), 1972)

2024 Remaster of Original Album (Purple TPSA 7504 (U.K.), 1972)

9. "Highway Star"
10. "Maybe I'm A Leo"
11. "Pictures Of Home"
12. "Never Before"
13. "Smoke On The Water"
14. "Lazy"
15. "Space Truckin'"

CD 2: In Concert '72

1. Introduction
2. "Highway Star"
3. "Strange Kind Of Woman"
4. "Maybe I'm A Leo"
5. "Smoke On The Water"
6. "Never Before"
7. "Lazy"
8. "Space Truckin'"
9. "Lucille"
10. "Maybe I'm A Leo" (Soundcheck)

Tracks 1-9 first released in original mix on Harvest LP SHDW 412, 1980

Track 10 first issued on remix of original album as Purple LP TPSA 7518, 2012

CD 3: Montreux '71

1. "Swiss Yodel" *
2. "Speed King" *
3. "Strange Kind Of Woman" *
4. "Into The Fire" *
5. "Child In Time" *
6. "Paint It Black" *
7. "Wring That Neck (Hard Road)" *
8. "Black Night" *
9. "Lucille" *

Blu-ray Audio Disc

Dweezil Zappa 2024 Atmos Remix

1. "Highway Star" *
2. "Maybe I'm A Leo" *
3. "Pictures Of Home" *
4. "Never Before" *
5. "Smoke On The Water" *
6. "Lazy" *
7. "Space Truckin'" *
8. "When A Blind Man Cries" (Bonus Track)

1974 U.S. Quad Mix (Warner Bros. LP BS4 2607, 1974)

9. "Highway Star"
10. "Maybe I'm A Leo"
11. "Pictures Of Home"
12. "Never Before"
13. "Smoke On The Water"
14. "Lazy"
15. "Space Truckin'"

Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Mixes

16. "When A Blind Man Cries"
17. "Maybe I'm A Leo"
18. "Lazy"

LP: Dweezil Zappa 2024 Remix

Side One

1. "Highway Star"
2. "Maybe I'm A Leo"
3. "Pictures Of Home"
4. "Never Before"

Side Two

1. "Smoke On The Water"
2. "Lazy"
3. "When A Blind Man Cries" - B-side
4. "Space Truckin'"

(*) previously unreleased