Smoke on the Water

What do you know about "Smoke on the Water"? Try this Alan's FUN Greatest Hits Quick Quiz. You'll find the answers at the bottom of the page.

1) "Smoke on the Water" is a song by what British hard rock band. The song was first released on their 1972 album. What was the album?

• Texas Town
• Making Waves
• Machine Head

2) This song is known for and recognizable by its central theme, a four-note "blues scale" melody harmonized in parallel fourths. The riff, played on a Gibson ES-335 electric guitar by Ritchie Blackmore, is later joined by hi-hat and distorted organ, then drums, then electric bass parts before the start of Ian Gillan's vocal.

• True or False?

3) The song is about a true story. When did the event actually happen?

• February 6, 1947
• March 6, 1970
• December 4, 1971

4) Who did they rent a mobile recording studio?

• The Beetles
• The Rolling Stones
• Cream

5) Somebody in the audience had fired a flare gun into the ceiling, at which point the rattan covering started to burn, as mentioned in the "some stupid with a flare gun" line.

• True or False?

6) The "Funky Claude" running in and out is referring to the director of the Montreux Jazz Festival who helped some of the audience escape the fire. Who was the director?

• Claude Nobs
• Frankie Claude
• Claude Montreux

7) When was the song released as a single?

• April 1972
• May 1973
• June 1974

8) What position did it reach on the U.S. Billboard pop single chart?

• #2
• #4
• #6

9) #1 in VH1's "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" (January 2009).

• True or False?

10) Live performance of the tune, featuring extended interplay between Richie Blackmore's guitar and Jon Lord's Hammond organ would become a centerpiece of "Deep Purple's" live shows, and a version of the song from a live album became a minor hit on its own later on in 1973. What was the live album?

Smoke on the Water Answers

1. Machine Head
2. True
3. December 4, 1971
4. The Rolling Stones
5. True
6. Claude Nobs
7. May 1973
8. #4
9. False. It was #11 in VH1's "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" (January 2009).
10. Made in Japan

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